Caledonia Golf & Fish Club: A secluded retreat on the south end of the Myrtle Beach Grand Strand
PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. -- It's the drive into Caledonia Golf & Fish Club that catches your attention.
The road feels like a tunnel lined with towering old oaks draped with Spanish moss, leading to a Plantation-style clubhouse. It's this first impression that introduces guests to Caledonia's special Lowcountry vibe on the southern end of the Grand Strand.
It only gets better from there for a tee time on the first course designed by the firm of legendary architect Mike Strantz, who passed away in 2005 after a bout with cancer. Strantz let his imagination run wild to create a par 71 with five par 3s that routes seamlessly through less than 130 acres.
Caledonia was built in 1994 on a working rice plantation but it feels like a wildlife sanctuary untouched since 1894. Little touches like brick staircases and wood-plank walkways leading to greens only enhance Caledonia's natural beauty. Guests often don't want to leave after their round. They tend to stay for lunch in the grill room and hang out on the back porch, sitting on rocking chairs to watch how others fare on the treacherous 18th hole.