Caledonia Golf & Fish Club: A Golfer’s Guide to Playing & Staying Near Pawleys Island
If you’re planning a golf trip to the Myrtle Beach area, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club belongs on the list of courses to consider.
Located in Pawleys Island on the southern end of the Grand Strand, Caledonia combines championship golf with the scenery and character of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Instead of feeling like another stop on a packed golf itinerary, the experience begins before you ever reach the first tee.
The entrance takes you beneath centuries-old live oak trees draped in Spanish moss, setting the tone for a course known almost as much for its surroundings as its golf.
For visitors building a Myrtle Beach golf vacation, here’s what you should know about playing Caledonia, where it’s located, and where to stay while exploring the southern Grand Strand.
About Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club opened in 1994 and was the first solo golf course design by architect Mike Strantz.
The public 18-hole course plays to a par 70 and measures 6,526 yards from the back tees. Rather than simply carving fairways through the property, Strantz incorporated the existing Lowcountry landscape into the experience.
Golfers play among mature live oaks, streams, ponds, bunkers and marshland.
The result helped establish Strantz as one of golf’s distinctive course designers and turned Caledonia into one of the Grand Strand’s best-known courses.
A Golf Course With a Much Longer History
The golf course may have opened in 1994, but the property itself has centuries of history.
The land was once part of a large rice plantation. The property’s history can be traced to Dr. Robert Nesbit, and at one point the Caledonia property stretched across more than 2,500 acres.
Long before golfers arrived, the site was also used as a hunting and fishing preserve. That history remains part of Caledonia’s identity today, including its Golf & Fish Club name.
One of the most recognizable remnants of the property’s past is its avenue of approximately 200-year-old live oak trees leading toward the clubhouse.
It’s part of what makes playing here feel distinctly different from playing a typical resort golf course.
What Is It Like to Play Caledonia?
Caledonia isn’t the longest course you’ll encounter on a Myrtle Beach golf trip, but distance isn’t necessarily the challenge.
Strategic positioning matters.
Large greens, water, streams and carefully placed bunkers make golfers think about where they want their next shot to come from. The trees are also more than scenery. They frame shots and can influence how you approach a hole.
That combination makes Caledonia appealing to experienced golfers while remaining a course visitors can enjoy for the overall experience.
And then there’s No. 18.
Don’t Rush Away After the 18th Hole
Caledonia’s finishing hole is one of the most recognizable golf scenes on the Grand Strand.
The par-4 18th plays beside the marsh and water before finishing beneath the clubhouse. The approach requires golfers to carry water to a green sitting below the clubhouse.
Meanwhile, people often gather in the rocking chairs overlooking the green to watch groups finish.
If you have time after your round, don’t immediately load the clubs and leave.
Grab something to eat or drink at the clubhouse and spend a little time overlooking No. 18. Watching other golfers attempt the finishing hole has become part of the Caledonia experience.
Where Is Caledonia Golf & Fish Club?
Caledonia is located at:
369 Caledonia Drive
Pawleys Island, South Carolina 29585
This places the course on the southern portion of the Grand Strand, making it especially convenient for visitors staying around Pawleys Island, Litchfield, Murrells Inlet and the southern Myrtle Beach area.
Its location is also worth considering when deciding where your golf group should stay.
Myrtle Beach stretches across a large portion of the South Carolina coast. If several courses on your itinerary are on the southern Grand Strand, choosing accommodations closer to those courses can mean less time driving and more time enjoying the trip.
Where to Stay Near Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
This is where planning the golf trip becomes just as important as selecting the courses.
A group playing Caledonia may also be considering other courses around Pawleys Island, Litchfield and Murrells Inlet. Instead of automatically choosing a hotel in central Myrtle Beach, look at your entire tee-time schedule first.
A vacation rental can be particularly useful for golf groups.
Multiple bedrooms give everyone more room, while a kitchen, living area, parking and laundry can make a multi-day golf trip much easier than moving between individual hotel rooms.
Staying in a vacation rental also gives your group a place to actually spend time together after the round.
Through VRMB Owner Direct, visitors can find Grand Strand vacation rentals and connect directly with the local property owner or manager.
When searching, consider:
- Number of golfers and bedrooms needed
- Parking availability
- Distance from the courses you’re playing
- Space for golf clubs and equipment
- Kitchen and dining space
- Washer and dryer availability
- Nearby restaurants and nightlife
- Beach access if golf isn’t the only reason for the trip
The best rental for a golf trip isn’t necessarily the property closest to one course. It’s the property that puts your group in a convenient location for your entire itinerary.
Make Caledonia Part of a South Strand Golf Trip
One of the advantages of playing Caledonia is the concentration of highly regarded golf courses on this end of the Grand Strand.
Its sister course, True Blue Golf Club, is nearby and was also designed by Mike Strantz.
That makes Caledonia and True Blue an obvious pairing for golfers who want to experience two very different Strantz designs during the same trip.
A longer Pawleys Island and South Strand golf vacation can also incorporate additional courses throughout the area without requiring your group to travel back and forth across the entire Grand Strand every day.
For a three- or four-day golf getaway, think about choosing your courses geographically and then selecting your accommodations around that itinerary.
What to Do After Your Round
Golf may be the reason for the trip, but Pawleys Island and the surrounding South Strand give you plenty of reasons not to head straight back to the rental.
The area is known for its laid-back Lowcountry atmosphere, seafood, marsh views and locally owned restaurants.
Murrells Inlet is also within easy reach and is a popular choice for groups looking for waterfront dining and nightlife after a day on the course.
And, of course, you’re visiting the Grand Strand.
Building some beach time into a golf vacation isn’t a bad idea.
Is Caledonia Open to the Public?
Yes.
Despite the “Golf & Fish Club” name, Caledonia is a public golf course and welcomes visiting golfers.
Tee times can be booked through the course, and because Caledonia is one of the area’s best-known courses, golfers planning a trip should consider securing their preferred tee time before finalizing the rest of their itinerary.
Proper golf attire is required. Caledonia specifies collared shirts, no denim and soft-spike golf shoes.
Is Caledonia Worth Playing on a Myrtle Beach Golf Trip?
For golfers who travel to Myrtle Beach specifically to experience memorable courses, Caledonia offers something different.
It’s not simply about checking another course off the list.
You’re playing a Mike Strantz design on a historic Lowcountry property surrounded by live oaks, marshes and waterways, then finishing in front of a clubhouse where the people sitting in rocking chairs may be watching your approach to No. 18.
That’s a Myrtle Beach golf memory worth bringing home.
Planning a Myrtle Beach Golf Vacation?
Start with the courses you want to play, look at where they’re located, and then choose accommodations that make sense for the entire trip.
VRMB Owner Direct connects Myrtle Beach-area visitors directly with local vacation rental owners and managers.
Find a vacation rental that works for your golf group, connect directly with the person behind the property, and start building your Grand Strand golf trip.
