PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. — More than three decades after Mike Strantz burst onto the golf course architecture scene with the opening of Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and followed it with the equally stunning True Blue Golf Club, the two Pawleys Island layouts remain among America’s most acclaimed public courses.
Strantz’s architectural genius is at the heart of their continuing appeal, complemented by the commitment of the sister courses to preserve what he created while addressing the inevitable toll time takes on every course.
That dedication is most obvious in the ongoing relationship Caledonia and True Blue have with Maverick Golf Design, whose team worked alongside Strantz building and shaping all seven of the legendary architect’s courses.
“We have a comfort level with them that they will do things right and keep Caledonia like it was designed,” Caledonia superintendent Jackson Clemmons said. “They shaped a lot of, if not all, Mike’s courses, so we know they’re not going to do anything to change his design intent.”
Maverick’s Mike Jones has been involved with the two courses from the beginning, providing an intimate understanding of Strantz’s vision. In recent years, Maverick’s work has focused on the seemingly small details that have an outsized impact on the golfer experience.
At Caledonia, the 2026 work has included renovating and laser-leveling select tee boxes and improving drainage. Decades of divot repair and topdressing can gradually create crowns and uneven surfaces, particularly on par 3s, highlighting the importance of the tee box work.
Maverick has also helped Caledonia battle one of the challenges created by the property’s most recognizable feature: its magnificent trees.
Tree roots can extend into rough and playing areas, competing for water and nutrients while making it difficult to maintain healthy turf. Maverick has excavated troublesome roots in numerous locations, replaced soil and prepared areas for new sod.
Clemmons said Caledonia has also increasingly used TifGrand Bermuda – a shade-tolerant strand of grass – on teeing grounds and has worked with Maverick to enlarge its practice putting area.
The projects complement extensive tree pruning designed to improve sunlight, airflow and sightlines while preserving Caledonia’s signature live oaks.
True Blue has followed a similar approach.
Jones has enlarged and leveled teeing grounds, including work at the par-3 seventh hole, where additional teeing space helps the maintenance team spread traffic and divot wear. True Blue superintendent Kevin Thompkins has also embraced incremental improvements to enhance playability without materially changing the Strantz design.
One more subtle and non-architectural change undertaken by True Blue was switching the color designation of the forward tees from red to green, which has encouraged some players to move forward, improving pace of play.
For Thompkins, that willingness to continually improve is vital.
“It’s not necessarily changing the golf course, but enhancing things that can make the facility better,” he said. “It’s improving the golf course and the experience for players.”
For Jones, returning to Caledonia and True Blue carries added significance. He helped build the courses, and he takes great pride in helping ensure the success of two of America’s top 100 public courses.
“I’m very happy that Caledonia and True Blue want to keep doing little things like this to keep the golf courses like they were when we built them,” Jones said. “That’s very important.”
It’s an approach built around maintaining two unforgettable golf courses while remaining faithful to Strantz’s vision.