A golf tournament brought about the most interesting interview with one of our special monthly residents. Meet John Balzosky, who won this month’s tournament and is the first to grace our new community slot Resort Folks which will highlight various residents of Tilghman Beach & Golf Resort and their experience here in North Myrtle Beach. Read on for more!
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People are well designed time-capsules that when stumbled upon, an individual may find some pretty intriguing things. Here at Tilghman Beach & Golf Resort, a monthly golf tournament revealed to us our own personal time capsule; and the guy is great in golf! John Balzosky is an 81-yr old monthly resident from Marietta, Ohio whose family began visiting North Myrtle Beach in 1968. Memories of camping trips and bike rides that passed a developing Arcadian Dunes Golf Club filled our conversation. As the winner of this month’s golf tournament, the staff at Tilghman was impressed with this light-hearted gentleman and wanted to let the rest of the community know about the treasure of knowledge, history and good humor that we have in our vicinity. Take a look!
TilghmanResort: Congratulations on winning the tournament!
John Balzosky: Thank you. I think what impressed John & Karla (Tilghman Staff) the most was the fact that I am 81 years old. Everyone is good at one thing; I guess mine is golf.
TR: It most certainly is! How long have you been coming to North Myrtle Beach?
JB: I’ve been coming to North Myrtle Beach for 47 years. Been coming since 1968 with my wife and three kids. Back then, North Myrtle Beach was known as the ‘Camping Capital.’ Since then, lots of the campgrounds have turned into high rises and residential sites. Here where the TIlghman Hotel is, and where these beautiful oceanfront homes are, were just rinky shacks.
TR: Wow! It’s hard to imagine North Myrtle Beach any differently. What else has changed since then?
JB: Well, the golf course called the Gator Hole is now the Wal-mart and Lowes home depot plaza. And over there between North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach, where the other Wal-mart plaza is, and restaurant row was only a two-lane highway back in 1968. Used to turn their to go to the Myrtle Beach travel park. There was no restaurant row.
TR: The area has definitely changed a lot since then. How did that change your experience in the area?
JB: When the kids got older, me and my wife started staying in hotels and motels. And then we started coming during the winter. We’ve been coming for 15 years during the winter. First it was the Long Bay (formerly Thunderbird) where we stayed about 11 years, then the Avista for 3 and now Tilghman Resort.
TR: What are your favorite things about Tilghman Resort?
JB: They have all the amenities we need. Everything is neat and clean and well-taken care of. We have 3 bedrooms for when the kids come and visit, it’s just comfortable living. And they’re just very nice here.
TR: What would you tell someone if they were looking for somewhere to stay?
JB: I would tell them to come here [Tilghman Resort]. A lot of people are coming here because of us. I know about 4 couples that are coming here because of us right now.
TR: Well we certainly appreciate your loyalty and your role as a satisfied customer and advertiser. You’ve seen so much over the past few decades. Looking back, how do you feel about the North Myrtle Beach area now?
JB: I just wish I had of bought some of the property. [laughs]
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John Balzosky, winner of March golf Tournament at Tilghman Beach & Golf Resort
