Bogies 2 Birdies Video Spotlight: Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Mike from Bogies 2 Birdies Golf paid a recent visit to Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, and was blown away by the experience. See what Mike has to say, and show you, in this video recap of his journey through the Mike Strantz masterpiece he calls “the Augusta National of South Carolina.”
Mike:
What’s going on golfers? Welcome back! If you’re new to the channel, please hit that subscribe button for me. This is Bogies 2 Birdies Golf Vlog, and I am Mike, your host. Another big thanks to Play Golf Myrtle Beach. We are going back down to the “Golf Capital of the World” to play some pretty epic courses. Really excited for Play Golf Myrtle Beach having me down there. Please check their link in the bio if you’ve never heard of them. It’s a great resource for golf in South Carolina. Yeah, we’re heading to my spirit animal of a course designer, Mike Strantz, the maverick himself, at Caledonia Golf and Fish Club. Let’s get to it.
As you saw from the intro, the entryway is lined with these live oaks that are more than 150 years old. I mean, they’re beautiful trees. They’re draped in Spanish moss, and you can tell from the jump that this place is rich with history. In the late 1700s, the original function of this property was a large plantation and sportsman club. In the mid 1800s, it was able to produce over 700,000 pounds of rice per year. Mike Strantz took on this course as his first solo design, and it opened in 1994, just four years before Tobacco Road. You can check the link above for the video for that course. I walked to this course from our Airbnb, and it was a pretty long walk, and pretty cold morning. But it was so worth it. Being able to enjoy the walk and take photographs under the canopy of live oaks, I definitely feel safe in calling this the “Augusta National of South Carolina.”
As I reached the clubhouse I was immediately greeted with a much-needed warm welcome from the staff. And you can tell that is definitely the goal of this establishment. This is Southern hospitality at its finest, but not so much that you feel uptight. As a middle class American, I felt like I belonged here, like I was meant to chase a little white ball around this property.
Now the rates seem to fluctuate between $100 and $200. Slow season will obviously have the lower rates, but that does not mean you’ll have a lesser quality course. Fairways were overseeded and lush, while the green stayed firm and fast on our late winter visit. One thing I did notice, you won’t have as many wild shot opportunities as you do at Tobacco Road or even True Blue, but your eyes are surely satisfied from any position on this track. And that does not mean you won’t have to curve a five iron around an oak tree, or make the tough decision between going for it or laying up. All Strantz courses, including Caledonia, will make you pay if you out of position.
Anyone who’s met me and follows me on Instagram or YouTube knows that I hold Tobacco Road as one of my favorite public golf courses. And after playing Caledonia, I really think they’re either neck and neck or Caledonia might take the lead. There was something about playing on that course. The flowers were blooming, the sun was out. We had a great day of golf. And when you put everything together from how they make you feel comfortable to how beautiful the course is, flowers blooming, the great golf conditions, and then you tack on this clubhouse looking over the 18th green, sweet tea, rocking chairs, some balling food, I’m not even kidding. This place is top notch.
All right. Thanks for hanging with me. As always, please hit that thumbs up button at the end. And let me know your thoughts if you’ve ever played there. I think it’s the Augusta of South Carolina. It’s really, really nice. So let me know your thoughts. All right. I got two more courses to do also in South Carolina, and those will be up shortly. All right. Stay mediocre, and we’ll see you on the next one!
