Everything You Need to Know About Heritage Club, a South Strand Trailblazer

Pawleys Island is home to one of golf’s best cluster of courses, with Heritage Club, Pawleys Plantation, Caledonia and True Blue located within 3.5 miles of each other. For all the acclaim the area enjoys today, much of Pawleys’ reputation began with the opening of Heritage in 1986.

The course provided architect Dan Maples with a stunning Lowcountry canvas, and he delivered a design that helped change the trajectory of the South Strand as golfers flocked to the area to play Heritage (along with Litchfield).

Thirty-two years after its opening, what do you need to know about Heritage?

One. Of. The. Best.
Heritage is part of Legends Group, a quintet of courses that make up golf’s most popular package (more on that later), but don’t let the layout’s brilliance be overshadowed by the group. Heritage Club, which has been ranked as high as No. 33 on Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses, is on the short list of Myrtle Beach’s best layouts. Sure, it provides a value price, but, more importantly, it delivers an outstanding experience.

This is Where the Elephants Were First Buried
The course is seamlessly routed through land that centuries ago was home to a thriving rice and indigo plantation and is framed by hundreds of live oak trees. The property is as good as any along the South Strand, and Maples was up to the task on a layout highlighted by some of the Myrtle Beach area’s largest and most undulating greens complexes. When the phrase “elephants buried under the greens” was coined, someone had Heritage in mind.

Lucky Number 13
On a course full of memorable holes, the par-3 13th and par-5 finishing hole stand out. The 13th is long, playing 175 yards across water, to a putting surface that is 50 yards wide and full of undulation. It’s as daunting a par 3 as you will find along the Grand Strand. The 18th is “only” 470 yards from the white tees, but water cuts in front of the green, making any attempt to go for it in two risky. Once you get to the green, the fun is just beginning because it’s a daunting two-putt with at least as much movement as No. 13. The pair of holes help ensure Heritage’s place among the area’s best.

How Do You Play Heritage?
The easy answer is the Legends Golf Package, which includes breakfast, lunch and two beers with each round. If that’s the route you go, you are in good company because the deal is wildly popular, but also take a look at the packages offered by Inlet Sports Lodge, currently featuring a summer special that includes four of the Waccamaw Golf Trail’s top designs – Heritage, TPC Myrtle Beach, Caledonia and True Blue – on a 4-night/4-round rate that’s hard to beat.

After You Are Finished
Pawleys Island is renowned for its relaxing vibe but that doesn’t mean it’s boring. If you are looking for a happy hour spot, Island Bar is hard to beat and Pawleys Island Tavern is the place to go for live music. If your group wants a nice dining experience, Bistro 217, Chive Blossom, Perrone’s and Frank’s are among the best along the South Carolina coast. It’s as hard to go wrong off the course as it is on it in Pawleys Island.