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"Should I play Course X or Course Y?"
This is one of the most common questions I get asked when talking to fellow golfers who are aware of what I do for a living. And from golfers who know I've played dozens of golf courses in the greater Myrtle Beach area over the years, this question tends to get hyper-specific, depending on which part of the region people are targeting for a future golf trip.
When the southern Grand Strand is the destination-within-the-destination, one of the great 19th-hole debates surfaces:
"Should I play Caledonia or True Blue?"
The first answer I always give is "Both." Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Golf Club have anchored the golf scene in and around Pawleys Island, S.C., ever since they opened in 1994 and 1998, respectively. Mike Strantz, the visionary and well-nicknamed "Maverick" golf course architect whose official nine-course portfolio (seven originals and two major redesigns) is one of the most potent in the history of the profession, laid out both courses in the Palmetto State's Lowcountry.
Strantz's artistic vision jumped out at curious golfers ever since the first magazine spread featured either course, while new generations of design-conscious golfers continue to be captivated by his work. Playing these golf courses at an impressionable age helped set me on my own path of obsession-turned-vocation.
Caledonia is pure Lowcountry golf, laid out on an intimate 120 acres made even cozier by the presence of centuries-old live oaks, thousands of annual flowers and a brilliant palette of birdsong. True Blue is bolder and more interpretive, with Strantz vamping on Pinehurst No. 2 and Pine Valley to craft big-boned golf holes bordered by appealing sandy wastes. Caledonia is ballet and True Blue is rock and roll.
But which golf course is "better"? Reasonable golfers can disagree, but here is one fun way to try and settle the score between these sister layouts: a hole-by-hole match.
Caledonia vs. True Blue: Match play
Hole 1: The opener at Caledonia is the only hole on the south side of the avenue-of-oaks entrance way; that parcel of land had to be acquired to accommodate 18 holes. It's a pleasant enough shortish par 4. True Blue starts with one of its finest holes, a 600-yard par 5 that swings to the left across a creek to a bean-shaped green, making for a perfect introduction to the golf course. True Blue 1 up.
Hole 2: Caledonia's longest hole is a fairly stantard straightaway par 5 until golfers reach the green, set at just enough of an angle to be uncomfortable, with clever contouring. True Blue's second is a fascinating wood-and-wedge par 4 with fascinating tee-shot strategy and a slender green set in a quiet corner of the property. True Blue 2 up.
Hole 3: Both courses' third holes are par 3s, with Caledonia's version to a huge, three-decked green just beating out True Blue's quasi-island putting surface. True Blue 1 up.
Hole 4: Caledonia's fourth is a solid drive-and-mid-iron par 4, while True Blue's is one of Strantz's many thrilling par 5s, bending hard to the left around a lake and begging players to get dangerously close to the water off the tee before taking on a heroic approach. True Blue 2 up.
Hole 5: Two strong par 4s here; I like True Blue's dogleg-left snaking between waste areas, but Caledonia's gets the nod because of the slightly uncomfortable angle of the fairway off the tee and the elevated green. True Blue 1 up.
Hole 6: Caledonia's second excellent par 3, again to a long multi-level green goes up against a par 4 with two greens, but in this case, 1 is better than 2 in part because the right-hand green at True Blue gets very little use due to its severe slope. This often makes the hole a relatively straightaway two-shotter. All square.
Hole 7: This shortish par 4 where the approach must negotiate a huge live oak comprises the heart of my favorite stretch of golf at Caledonia. I like True Blue's par-3 7th with a two-level green, but Caledonia wins this hole. Caledonia 1 up.
Hole 8: Caledonia's par-5 8th hole darts to the right and downhill to a very appealing two-tiered green set between oaks, water and sand. True Blue's counterpart, also a hard dogleg-right (but a par 4), only loses this matchup by a hair; it's a really cool hole as well. Caledonia 2 up.
Hole 9: Many golfers seem to dismiss Caledonia's tiny par-3 9th as a weak or afterthought hole. I disagree; I think the shallow green set at eye level adds enough intrigue to an otherwise benign wedge shot. Still, I prefer True Blue's 9th, another strong risk-reward par 5 that rewards bold driving and has a neat punchbowl-style green. Caledonia 1 up.
Hole 10: Par 5s go head-to-head here, with True Blue's massive dogleg-right battling Caledonia's straightaway 3-shotter to a tiny green. Even though True Blue's 10th green is about five times the size, I think the wedge down into Caledonia's green is more interesting. Caledonia 2 up.
Hole 11: A par-3 duel here, with Caledonia's slender, wavy green set beyond a meandering creekbed. True Blue's is an homage to Pine Valley's 3rd hole, with an hourglass green surrounded by sand. Give me Pine Valley, so give me True Blue. Caledonia 1 up.
Hole 12: Two dogleg-right par 4s that reasonable golfers can disagree on. Caledonia's has an L-shaped green that I think is fun but quite narrow, while True Blue's privileges a bold tee shot along right-side waste area with a downhill kick with the green sited smartly on the edge of skinny pines. True Blue wins this one for me. All square.
Hole 13: This par-4 duel ultimately goes Caledonia's way, with a cool sharp dogleg-left into a green complex whose bunkering surrounds the putting surface like an extravagant hairdo. True Blue's semi-punchbowl green is good, too, but less striking. Caledonia 1 up.
Hole 14: While True Blue's stadium-style par-3 14th is a fascinating set piece, Caledonia's 14th is my favorite hole on the course, with an awesome back tee box across a rickety bridge that sets up a gorgeous tee shot between lagoon, sand and forest. The green is also a wonder, with two pronounced heaves. Caledonia 2 up.
Hole 15: After the brilliant 14th, Caledonia's long par-4 15th doesn't quite measure up, while the last of True Blue's five par 5s wiggles its way to a splendid elevated green. Caledonia 1 up.
Hole 16: Good long par 3s are in short supply, so I'm inclined to lean in favor of True Blue here, with its diamond-shaped green set above sandy banks leading into a pond on the right. Caledonia's medium-length par-4 16th is a good hole, too, with a fun banked back-left portion of the green that can help golfers avoid the front-right pond. All square.
Hole 17: The bunker in front of the green on Caledonia's par-3 penultimate hole resembles the notch in a key, but the putting surface itself is surprisingly mild for a Mike Strantz creation. True Blue's final march remains in high gear with a long par 4 swooping around a lake to an attractively situated green. True Blue 1 up.
Hole 18: If we're going on pure aesthetics, Caledonia's final hole overlooking former ricefields along the Waccamaw River wins, but on design merit I prefer True Blue's finisher by just a hair. To honor the debate, this can be the match's sole halved hole. True Blue wins, 1 up.
Have you played True Blue and/or Caledonia? How do the courses stack up against one another in your view?
