Part of the Myrtle Beach Waccamaw Golf Trail, Pawleys Plantation is a classic Lowcountry design you can play again and a gain and never face the same shot twice. With subtle greens surrounded by those signature Nicklaus bunkers, challenging fairways dotted with water and more unique obstacles than you can count present on every hole, Pawleys Plantation is a layout that demands strategy, ingenuity and concentration.
“Pawleys Plantation is a player's course,” a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course of atypical layout where the master has combined great natural beauty with innovative architecture and design to deliver a unique golf experience. Wide green fairways with generous landing areas give way to subtle collection areas around undulating greens guarded both by man-made and natural hazards, such as the Pawleys Island salt marsh and the barrier island beyond.
They say that Pawleys Plantation is a better golf course today than it was when it first opened in 1988: for sure it’s in great condition and shows little sign of aging. The bunkers are sharp-edged, well-trimmed and filled with fine, white sand. The fairways in the early morning sunlight glisten with dew and take on an ethereal light I’ve not seen on more than a couple of other occasions.
Subtle greens, intimidating sand bunkers, fairways dotted with water and other natural hazards make Pawleys Plantation very much THE shot-maker’s course, one that demands a well-thought-out strategy, a degree of ingenuity and above all, concentration. As Jack Nicklaus himself has said, "You'll have to think your way around this course," He’s also said that, "As for beauty, on a scale from one to ten, it's pretty close to a ten."
Pawleys Plantation course plays a solid par 72 over 7,028 yards from the tips with a slope of 140 and a rating of 74.8. Highlights include: the par 3, third hole requiring a forced carry over water from tee to green; the par 5, fourteenth hole where you must negotiate the marsh off the tee shot to a split fairway just before the green; or the tremendous par 4, eighteenth hole that permits only a well-placed drive down a narrow fairway bordered by marsh, sprawling oaks and pines.
Rates: From $69 to $144 depending on the time, day and season.
Pawleys Plantation has earned recognition and praise from some of the nation's foremost golf authorities, including Golf Digest, Travel & Leisure, Golf and Golf for Women Magazine. Golf Digest ranked Pawleys Plantation among South Carolina's "Top 25 Layouts" in 2001 and recently awarded it 4 stars in "Places to Play." Zagat has ranked Pawley's Plantation among the top courses in the United States in its 2007/08 guide, "America's Top Golf Courses." This course is the centerpiece of one of the premier golf communities on the Carolina Coast, blessed with an abundance of live oaks and breathtaking views of the saltwater marsh.
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Where to Stay:
I recommend you try the Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort. It’s located within minutes of the Waccamaw Trail Golf Courses and offers a full range of amenities, including more than seven miles of pristine beach.
- Compare Prices for Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort
How to get There:
The Waccamaw Golf Trail is located on Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand. The closest regional airport is the Myrtle Beach Airport. The airport is served by Delta, Continental, US Air, SpiritAir, and several others.
Look for the best airline and car rental deals with these two aggregators, which provide travelers with an up-to-date search tool to compare prices on airfares and car rentals of all ratings:
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Contact:
Pawleys Plantation, Hwy. 17 South, 70 Tanglewood Drive, Pawleys Island, SC 29585: 1 (866) 224-5628 / (843) 237-6200
Only in Myrtle Beach will you find such a diversity of golf courses and resorts to choose from. This is one I can personally recommend.
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And don’t forget: there are many other opportunities for great golf all over the world. Favorite locations include Scotland, Florida, the American Southwest, Bermuda, the Bahamas and many more. For up-to-date golf travel news and information, be sure to Subscribe to my weekly Newsletter.
