Caledonia Golf Club Lives Up to Top 100 Expectations

But Caledonia Golf & Fish Club always rises to that challenge, delighting players with the combination of Mike Strantz’ architectural brilliance and stunning lowcountry beauty. Caledonia sets the stage for golfers when they enter the property via a ½-mile drive through sprawling Live Oak trees to an antebellum style clubhouse. 

It’s as a pretty as any entrance in golf, Augusta National included, and an indicator of what awaits at Caledonia. The Myrtle Beach golf course is impeccably landscaped and the property, which was once home to a thriving rice plantation, offers natural beauty that can’t be recreated by moving land with heavy equipment. 

The hole everyone talks about is No. 18, a 377-yard (from the blue tees) par 4 that requires a carry over water to approach a green resting in the shadow of the clubhouse. It’s an unforgettable and dramatic challenge to conclude your day. 

But 18’s popularity rests in no small part on the 17 holes that precede it, which allow the round to build to a crescendo. 

The opening nine is very good, highlighted by a trio of beautiful par 3s, most notably the 135-yard (all referenced yardages are from the blue tees) sixth hole, which features a multi-tiered green and a ring of azaleas that almost necessitate that you take a picture when they are in bloom.

The seventh hole, a short par 4, playing 346 yards, showcases an enormous oak tree that partially obstructs the view of the green from the right side of the fairway. There is plenty of room to get over the tree, but it adds considerable drama to the approach. 

Enjoyable as the front nine is, Caledonia goes to another level on the back. The par 3 11th, with a stream that winds from the tee to the left side of the green, is the Myrtle Beach golf course’s best one-shotter, and the dogleg left 14th hole, a par 4 that plays to a green surrounded by sand on three sides, would be signature holes at most courses. 

At Caledonia, they are part of a mosaic of that helps create one of the nation’s best public courses. That mosaic is highlighted by the three finishing holes as No. 16 is a meaty par 4 that is equal parts a test of skill and nerve, while 17 is yet another dramatic par 3 with a green surrounded by a bunker that is best avoided. 

Once the final putt drops, you owe it to yourself to enjoy the drink of your choice on the clubhouse deck and watch players try to negotiate the unforgettable 18th hole. 

A par 70 layout, Caledonia is the perfect blend of playability, challenge and unforgettable beauty. 

Caledonia is, without question, a top 100 experience. 

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