Is there finer Grand Strand golf than Caledonia on Pawleys Island?

I’ve only been in Myrtle Beach two weeks now. So far, my hands-down favorite course is Caledonia Golf and Fish Club.

As a Michigan native, playing southeastern golf can get redundant, since many of the courses are in residential communities, flat, winding around ponds, creeks and huge waste bunkers. It’s still kind of weird to me carts can go in bunkers at a lot of courses here.

Caledonia blew me away. It’s got a good deal of undulation, which while playing, I wasn’t sure if it was natural or not. Turns out, the marshy property only had four feet of undulation change and this was architect Mike Strantz’s doing. He wasn’t shy with the bulldozer, but if told it was all natural, I’d probably believe it.

Many courses move dirt around trying to get some hills out of the land. Nowhere I’ve played so far does it more seamlessly than Caledonia. Nowhere comes close, really. At least so far.

What also sets the club apart is the club’s ambiance. The drive into the club is beautiful. Houses are nowhere on the property, only a handful line the perimeter.

The back nine, Hole No. 13 especially, is a beauty - and difficult. The 18th is a fantastic finisher that plays over water to the green in front of the clubhouse. There is a patio and in the warmer months is packed with finished golfers drinking and even placing bets on what shots will find the drink. According to course staff, it can get downright rowdy sometimes. A scout team from Hollywood visited Caledonia and considered the hole to be used in the filming of Tin Cup.

I’m going to try and play ALL the courses in the Grand Strand. In the early stages, my heart’s with Caledonia.

The 13th at Caledonia highlights an impressive back nine.