Opened for play in 1988, Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course ranked by Golf Digest among the Golden Bear’s finest.

Featuring stunning views of the saltwater marshes that make Pawleys Island such a special place, the course also boasts hardwood and pine forests and scenic lakes.

The greens and landing areas are generous, but Nicklaus also put cerebral demands on golfers, requiring equal parts precision and power to navigate the course.

Part of the award-winning Waccamaw Golf Trail and one of three remarkable courses available at Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort, the semi-private Pawleys Plantation was carved from 582 acres of nature.

On his website, Nicklaus.com, Jack Nicklaus speaks of the appeal of the 200-year-old oaks and marshes that give the course its local flavor: “I have a particular fondness for the Lowcountry area,” he said. “We used what’s here, without forcing or changing what Mother Nature provided.”

Nicklaus is proud of the variety of shots the course demands: “Each of the 18 holes has a distinct strategy. Green placement, water, tree lines, traps, mounds, split fairways, two holes sharing a spectacular double green—you’ll have to think your way around the course.”

The 563-yard, par-5 11th hole requires length from the back tees, while the 145-yard, par-3 13th, with a marsh carry to a small, flat green with a large tree in the center, demands strategy. Five tee boxes, wide fairways and numerous doglegs provide a challenging and rewarding experience for every type of golfer.

The many honors bestowed upon Pawleys Plantation include being named one of the South Carolina’s top 50 golf courses and one of the top 10 courses in Myrtle Beach by the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel, and its ambitious five-year, $500,000 restoration plan, begun in 2005, has paid off in pristine conditions and rave reviews.

Six of the course’s final seven holes, including the 201-yard, par-3 17th with its tee box in the marsh and a near-island green, provide spectacular marsh views.