3 Favorite Holes: Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Looking for an argument everyone enjoys? Ask them to name their three favorite holes at Caledonia. The quality of the highly regarded layout doesn’t relent, making debate over favorite holes even more subjective than usual.
That being said, no one knows Caledonia better than Todd Weldon, the only head pro the course has known. Weldon started with Caledonia upon its opening in 1994, and his stewardship has been vital to the course’s development into one of the nation’s best and most popular.
It took some thought, but here are his three favorite holes at Caledonia:
No. 7, 399-yard par 4 – Weldon’s favorite hole on the course is the often overlooked 7th. Players must carry water on the drive and avoid sand on the left and a large oak tree on the right, meaning accuracy off the tee is vital. Throw in the largest green on the course and the seventh hole creates a myriad of challenges.
“The reason I like it is because it makes you think,” Weldon said. “If the tee is back, you have to carry it 190 yards over water from the back tee. Once you get in the fairway, there is a large live oak tree that guards the right side of the green … (The 7th) make you think first about getting over the water and about where the pin is (due to the oak trees).”
No. 13, 398-yard, par 4 – Once again, Caledonia’s signature live oak trees come into play. The 13th is a true dogleg left – it’s a right angle – with a large oak tree sitting at the corner of the dogleg. The 13th is the smallest green on the course and it’s nearly surrounded by sand. The further one is from the hole, the more difficult the approach becomes, but the specter of the oak tree at the corner brings an element of risk to hugging the left side. But the oak tree doesn’t deter Weldon.
“I want to have the shortest iron I can (on the approach),” he said. “I actually aim at the corner of the oak tree because sometimes you can get below it and still have a shot. The further away you get from the hole, the harder it is to hold the green.”
No. 18, 383-yard, par 4 – This is the one no-brainer on the list. Playing into the antebellum style clubhouse, the 18th is one of the Grand Strand’s most popular holes. Nearly everyone that plays the course retires to the clubhouse and watches players finish the 18th, adding to the intrigue.
The drive only needs to be 225 yards, leaving 150 yards over water and into a diagonal green that is 55 yards deep.
“It’s a great hole. It doesn’t matter what your score has been up to that point,” Weldon said. “It’s not that difficult but once you factor in that it sits at the base of the clubhouse and a huge porch and there are always people out there looking, people get a little nervous … The difficult factor there is pulling the right club (on the approach) and trying to ignore all the people on the porch watching.”
Those are Weldon’s three favorite holes at Caledonia, which ones do you like best?
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