Thoughts of a Longtime Pawleys Plantation Player: My 3 Big Takeaways
By David Williams
Pawleys Plantation reopened to the public last week, and I was shocked to see how drastic some of the changes were. I’ve been visiting Pawleys Island my whole life, long before I even knew what Myrtle Beach was. My dad and I would always play one round of golf during our visits, and it was always at Pawleys Plantation. The total number of rounds I’ve played there is close to 30.
From that perspective, here are my three biggest takeaways from the “new” Pawleys Plantation:
1. The size of the greens. The sheer expansiveness of the new greens at Pawleys Plantation is breathtaking. They brought back nearly 40,000 square feet of putting surface. Though the greens are bigger, the challenge remains the same. You can even argue that it’s more important than ever now to make sure your approach shot finds the right quadrant of these new TifEagle Bermudagrass putting surfaces.
2. Bunker reconfigurations. A big focal point of this project was the removal of many of the large, expansive waste bunkers. One that stood out the most to me was the one down the left side of No. 4. They removed the long bunker short of No. 8, and in its place are three smaller bunkers just off the green. There used to be a bunker that wrapped around most of No. 16 green. That one is now split into two bunkers, and the tree that was in the left greenside bunker has now been removed.
3. The new pub area. I got a sneak peek of the new restaurant and bar area, Palmetto Jacks, during my visit last week. For those who remember the old pub area, the restaurant and snack bar were separated by a wall. That wall is now gone, and the bar has been moved to the back windows giving customers a new look out toward the 18th green. With the addition of a wraparound deck, you can now see all the way out to the famous 13th green. It is the perfect spot to sit and heckle your buddies as they finish up on 18.
Pawleys Plantation will always hold a special place in my heart. I cannot wait to get out there and fully experience the new look for myself. If you want to take on this renowned Jack Nicklaus design, start planning now! Spring is filling fast here at The Beach!
