Cecil Brandon, Myrtle Beach Golf Forever Linked
Winston-Salem’s Loss Became Myrtle Beach’s Gain

 BY JIM PETTIT 

Cecil Brandon’s career could have gone in several directions other than the road to success in advertising and golf promotion.

He could have followed his father’s footsteps in the tobacco industry. He was a good enough golfer at Davidson College to have pursued a career as a club professional or perhaps even in the touring ranks. He could have selected an Army career, spring boarding from his Reserve Officer Training Corps commission as a second lieutenant. He could have remained a life insurance salesman, his first job after returning from the Korean War.

Or, he could have continued in the banking industry, an occupation he held for four years and, strangely, the one that set him on the path that has led to numerous awards and honors. The most recent is his induction into the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame.

Yes, the choices were there. But if you believe in destiny, then you believe the kid named Weldon Cecil Brandon Jr. was meant to become a name forever joined with the hopes, dreams and development of a sleepy, South Carolina coastal town few people outside the Carolinas had even heard of .... Myrtle Beach.

Brandon, the man who helped conceive and ram-rod Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday into a multi-million dollar marriage of tourism, golf and resort accommodations, used a common-sense upbringing and hard-driving work ethic to become the right man in the right place at the right time.

“Daddy was a tobacco buyer for Export Leafs (a division of Brown and Williamson) and I probably would have been a tobacco buyer,’’ Brandon says. “He only worked about three months a year, when the tobacco markets were open, and I kind of liked that. But when I walked into a tobacco warehouse, I just couldn’t breathe. I would just choke up. So, if you want to look at a hidden blessing, that’s one right there because it sure turned me off of the tobacco business.’’

The Brandons were not a wealthy family, but young Cecil was well cared for and learned early lessons about value and negotiation from his mother, Mattie Lou.

“My mother was one of the keenest business people in the world,’’ Brandon says. “If she’d been a man, she would have been president of the United States. I used to hate to go to the grocery store with her. She would pick up a tomato and go up to the manager and say, ‘I can’t believe you’re charging full price for this ... look at this spot.’ And she’d get it for half-price. It used to embarrass me so much. But I learned that if you’re going to give more than expected, then you have to be able to buy sharp. I’ve always traded pretty good.’’

The notion of giving more than expected is a cornerstone of Brandon’s life. He always tried to provide a little extra in service or product to his customers. “I believe it more than pays for itself because it comes back to you in friendship and loyalty,’’ he says.

“My parents made a lot of sacrifices to send me to Davidson,’’ Brandon said. “I played golf and football there, and it seemed like I was doing one or the other every day. I don’t know how I got out of there.

“I know one thing, I’m glad I went to Davidson then because I couldn’t get in or out these days,’’ he jokes.

Brandon was once a plus-2 handicapper but never gave pro golf a thought. “Golf is a fame you have to work at all you can,’’ he said. “I’m an 18-handicap now, so you can see how I’ve been working.’’

Brandon was born in Oxford, N.C., on Nov. 5, 1929. His family moved to Winston-Salem when he was six years old and Brandon went through the public school system, graduating from Reynolds High School in 1947. He received a business degree from Davidson in 1951 and immediately went into the Army. He was sent to Korea in 1952 and served as an Order of Battle specialist until the war ended in 1953.

After two years as an insurance salesman, Brandon went to work for Wachovia Bank and Trust in Winston-Salem. In 1959, a Myrtle Beach bank offered him a position and Brandon moved to South Carolina. There was a catch. Due to a policy banks had about not hiring each other’s personnel until six months had passed, Brandon had to find something to do while he waited.

Knowing something about photography, Brandon began producing and selling advertising postcards. His office was his car and his inventory was often in the vehicle’s trunk.

The job gave Brandon a chance to exercise his considerable people skills. Since he worked early afternoon until midnight or later, the mornings gave him a chance to golf, fish or hunt, which are still his favorite pastimes. And the job did something else. It earned money, more than enough to surpass the salary from his pending bank job.

A banker was lost. An advertising wizard was born.

Brandon’s role in the rise of Myrtle Beach as a golfing Mecca is well-documented, how the notion of bringing together the town’s then-handful of golf courses and tying them in with hotels for economical golf trips blossomed beyond most people’s wildest expectations.

Except Brandon’s.

Some people are thinkers. They have the ability to come up with ideas. Others are shapers. They take an idea and make it work. Brandon is that rarest person who can do both.

From eight golf courses and 10 hotels when Golf Holiday was founded in 1967, the organization has grown into nearly 100 member courses and dozens of accommodations.

But Brandon is the first to say that he didn’t do it alone. George (Buster) Bryan first came up with an idea of golf packages with his Golf-O-Tel concept. After Bryan’s premature death, Golf-O-Tel merged with the fledgling Golf Holiday. Another key associate is Clay Brittain, who developed the Myrtle Beach National complex. The list is a long one.

“I’ve been very lucky and blessed to be surrounded by the most unselfish people in the world,’’ Brandon says. “When you think about it, you have 95 golf courses and 95 hotels and each one trying to compete with the others, it’s amazing that they’re all willing to give up their identity to promote the area they live in. They’re smart enough to do that and to work together. They’re the ones who own Golf Holiday. Every now and then, there’s a fuss and someone gets out of line, but they work it out. It’s kind of like a family.

“A lot of people in other places have tried to start a Golf Holiday but can’t figure out why it doesn’t work for them. The reason is somebody always wants more than the other guy, or feels he is entitled to more. You can’t believe the thousands of hours of free time that people have put into making this work. All of them realize you have to give a good product. You can get anybody one time, but you’re not going to live on one-time customers.’’

Brandon often mentions ‘’luck’’ as a major reason for his success, but like most successful people, the harder he worked, the luckier he got. Eighty-hour work weeks were nothing uncommon.

No one champions Myrtle Beach more than Brandon. Although now retired as head of Brandon Advertising and Golf Holiday, he remains active in both as well as various community projects. He loves the community, and his voice conveys enthusiasm and excitement when he describes its many attributes.

There are few awards and honors that haven’t come his way. Among them are South Carolina’s Order of the Palmetto, Tourism Ambassador of the Year, Citizen of the Year, Jason Ammons Free Enterprise Award, South Carolina Tourism Award, and one that is very special to him, a Parent of the Year award.

Family is very important to Brandon. He has been married to Evelyn Sawyer Brandon for 27 years. They have four children and eight grandchildren. His company, Brandon Advertising, is now being run by one of his sons, Scott.

“I guess what pleases me most is my family,’’ he says. “That, and seeing what Myrtle Beach has become. We’ve been called things like the Redneck Riviera, but it’s a place anyone can come and have a good time, from the extremely wealthy to people of moderate means. I like seeing Myrtle Beach mature.

“One of my biggest regrets is that we didn’t jump on the roads situation sooner than we did, but we’re making real progress now. I think Myrtle Beach is in its infancy and someday will be as big as Miami. I wish I could live another 50 years and see it.’’

There’s no doubt Myrtle Beach and golf would be richer for it.