Once one of the largest rice plantations in Georgetown County, Caledonia’s history can be traced to Dr. Robert Nesbit, a Scotsman who married Elizabeth Pawley in 1797 and christened his 2,542-acre property with the Roman name for his homeland. Throughout the years, the land was divided and sold. The current owners bought 152 acres in 1971 to establish a hunting and fishing preserve, and while those original group members and their descendants still gather there, Caledonia has become a nationally renowned golf course since opening to the public in 1994. Ranked No. 27 in GOLF Magazine’s 2014 ranking of the “Top 100 You Can Play” and a perennial fixture on Golf Digest’s “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” list, Caledonia is noted both for its challenging design and remarkable beauty. Centuries-old live oaks and colorful azaleas line the par-70, 6,526-yard course designed by Mike Strantz, an artist who sketched each of the 18 holes before bringing them to life. Caledonia is the first of nine courses Strantz, named one of the “Top 10 Greatest Golf Architects of All Time” by Golfweek in 2000, designed. Unique features include the duck decoys that serve as tee markers and the roller coast slope of the demanding Bermuda greens. Often compared to Augusta National, Caledonia features a massive live oak fronting the seventh green that forces golfers to get creative with their approach, and one can usually find a requisite alligator sunning itself by the pond that borders the 14th green. No houses crowd the course’s interior, freeing golfers from worrying about an errant shot splashing down in someone’s swimming pool, and complimentary Manhattan-style fish chowder is provided at the turn. Caledonia offers five par-3s and three par-5s, the longest of which is the 571-yard second hole (yardage from back tees). Four sets of tees are available, and after a round, golfers can dine on a selection of seafood, salads, burgers and more at the Caledonia Grillroom, nestled in the antebellum clubhouse with a porch overlooking the course.