Caledonia News & Blog Updates

Dale Dunlop is “The Maritime Explorer,” and he’s traveled the world and written about it from his home base in St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia for more than three decades. South Carolina and its Lowcountry have been among Dale’s countless global visits, which have included golfing excursions to each of Mike Strantz’s masterpiece designs at Caledonia and True Blue. Dale’s love for Strantz’s work prompted him to offer his own hole-by-hole insights he gleaned from his experience at Caledonia. Here, in the first of three parts, is Dale’s take on the first third of his Caledonia journey.

Picturesque. That’s the easiest way to describe Hole Number 18 at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, as the ultimate show of Mike Strantz’s brilliance. The clubhouse overlooking the green, the tidal water feeding from the river, and the beautiful surrounds make this hole one of most photographed holes in all of Grand Strand golf.

A key feature to many of Mike Strantz’s designs is the way he works his designs’ land movement within their natural surroundings. When you play at True Blue Golf Club you will notice the sloping fairways, the expansive waste areas, and the tall trees that frame a lot of fairways. The par-three 17th at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club also embodies this Strantz design trait.

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club has a great mix of holes that offer chances to play either aggressively or with your thinking cap screwed on tight. In the former case, the par-5 10th hole is one example where you can attack it and walk away with a birdie or better. In contrast, the par-4 16th at Caledonia is one where you want to take your par, be very happy with it and move on to the next hole.

The masterpieces of “The Maverick” continue to rake in the national accolades, as the late Mike Strantz’s perennial award-winning designs at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Golf Club have now earned lofty spots in Golfweek’s Best 2021: Top 200 Resort Golf Courses in the U.S. rankings.

A key point of every course architect’s work is in the designer’s choice of green sites, and Mike Strantz has produced some of the wildest sites the golf world has ever seen. At Caledonia Golf & Fish Club you see a lot of narrow greens with different sections to them. These greens are meant to make you really think about your approach shot into them. The 12th green at Caledonia is no different.

Mike Strantz is known for creating visually deceiving golf holes. The deep green on the 8th hole at True Blue comes to mind. However, some holes that Strantz created are just plain tough, and the 15th at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club is the quintessential example.

Mike Strantz has created some greens that will dominate your dreams (or nightmares) when your head hits the pillow, in anticipation of playing all the great, challenging putting surfaces at Bulls Bay, Tobacco Road, True Blue and Caledonia. One in particular that stands out to us is the par-three 6th at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club.

As Steve Dresser of the Steve Dresser Golf Academy at True Blue Golf Club shows us, there’s often a natural tendency for the casual golfer to take “inside” to the extreme when they swing, and the actual result often becomes the opposite of what they think they’re trying to do. Let Steve show you in this video how you can overcome this tendency.

Mike Strantz puts an emphasis on accuracy when you play one of his golf courses. Missing fairways and greens at many of his properties often results in a penal outcome. On the par-five 10th at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club you see visual evidence of this right off the tee, and also around the green.

The par-five 8th hole at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club leaves golfers with an important decision in the middle of their round. Playing to a modest 528 yards from the Pintail Duck tees, this par-five is very reachable in two.

Mike Strantz’s brief but illustrious design career produced six publicly accessible golf courses, three of which now have a place on Golfweek’s recently released 2020 list of the “Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play in the U.S.” We’re beyond proud to call two of these, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club (#62) and True Blue Golf Club (#95), our very own.

The Traveling Golfer host Tony Leodora heads down the Waccamaw Golf Trail in the southern part of the Myrtle Beach, SC area.

The two best words to describe No. 5 at Caledonia are “straight” and “narrow.” The par-4 No. 5 at Caledonia is one of the most difficult golf holes you’ll encounter during your round at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club. Measuring just 417 yards from the longest tee, length is the least of a golfer’s worry on this hole.

Paige asked Steve Dresser of the Steve Dresser Golf Academy at True Blue Golf Club in Pawleys Island, S.C. to help her avoid getting too steep in her swing. Here’s a simple exercise that Steve showed her.

Just after the literal roller coaster ride on the green at No. 3, guests at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club are greeted by a friendly but moderately challenging par 4 at No. 4. Measuring just 396 yards from the longest set of tees, No. 4 at Caledonia is a fun par 4 with some subtle demands.

Many players indicate that No. 3 at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club is where the real challenge of the course begins. A mid-sized par 3 measuring 187 yards from the back tees, be sure to bring your best swing for No. 3 when you play it with Caledonia Golf Vacations. The hole is not a gimme, not even for the best players.

Not often will you find a Mike Strantz-designed golf course that does not include a true, three-shot par 5 for all players, and according to Caledonia Head Golf Professional Marc Guertin, No. 2 is “pretty much that one” at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club.