Meredith checked in at the Jack Nicklaus designed Pawleys Plantation Golf Club where she spoke with Head Golf Professional Brian Lewis. Meredith and Brian discuss the outstanding spring course conditions and the spectacular lowcountry setting of Pawleys Plantation. This was a Facebook Live Video which aired on March 8th, 2017
Meredith: Hi Everyone, thanks for joining us live here at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club. Standing with me here is the head golf professional Brian Lewis. Brian, thanks for joining us here today.
Brian: Glad to be out here.
Meredith: We’re standing on hole number three, and let me tell you folks, this course is in prime condition. Tell us a little bit about the condition of the course right now.
Brian: Sure. The course is the best I’ve ever seen it. A lot of courses are having a good year this year, very warm winter. Last year some of the courses went through an issue of a weird strain of fungus that affected a lot of courses, but the greens here all winter have been rolling smooth. 10, 10.2 on the Stimpmeter, so it’s perfect out here right now.
Meredith: Yeah. Nice. And if you take a look standing behind me, here is the green right here. Look at this green. It’s ready for some golf. We have had a mild winter here in Myrtle Beach. Are you seeing a lot more golfers coming down to play golf?
Brian: Yeah. I mean, a lot of our snowbirds that come from up north, they’re playing a lot more golf, and also a lot of our locals, they’re coming out of the wood work when the weather is nice.
Meredith: Okay, great. Tell me a little bit about this course design. For the viewer that’s watching and you haven’t had the opportunity to come down here to Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club. Tell them a little bit about the design.
Brian: Sure. Sure. Pawleys is one of two Jack Nicklaus Signature courses on the beach. Great layout. You can play it pretty far back and have a pretty difficult round, but the middle tees are a great set-up for anyone. You can have a lot of fun. The back nine is one of the most picturesque on the beach. A lot of views of the inlet. It’s just a great club overall.
Meredith: I love the back nine here. Overall, this course is awesome to play and I look forward to playing later on this afternoon. Having that marsh view, I mean it is unbelievable, this course. Tell us a little bit about some of those signature holes there on the marsh.
Brian: Sure. 13 is one of our signature holes. It’s a short par three with a postage stamp type green. From the middle tees, it’s about 130 yards but you have to be accurate. Sometimes we say it’s one of the shortest par fives on the beach. If the wind’s in your face, you know you might have to club up one or two clubs just to hit that small green. The overlook over the march and Pawleys Island itself is very nice.
Get around to 16, I mean you have that same view of the same marsh, but it’s a longer par four, a nice layup shot with about 150 yards into that green. 18 is a gorgeous hole as well. Standing on the tee you have the marsh at your back, marsh down the left, nice live oaks down the right. Then once you hit your approach shot into the green you’ve got our beautiful clubhouse the background there.
Meredith: One thing I love about this course is the low country feel of it. You’re really getting a taste of southern flair when you come down and play golf on the southern end on the Waccamaw Golf Trail here. It’s just such a great course to play. I do love the variables of when you’re out on the marsh and you have some of those coastal winds, those trade winds coming in, it does change your game. You’re really having to use some of that course management with your clubs and the different variables.
That’s why I love coming out here. Because one, it’s just so beautiful, but two, it really does challenge your game. These Nicklaus designed courses, they’re very challenging but very fun.
Brian: Oh, absolutely.
Meredith: Do you find that a lot of people come down here to play this course because of the design?
Brian: Oh, absolutely. Having Jack’s name on the course is a huge benefit. He’s arguably the best golfer that’s ever lived. When he puts his name on a course, he puts a lot of pride in what he does.
Meredith: It’s a great course. If somebody wanted to come down here to Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club, how would they go about booking their next golf vacation here?
Brian: Sure. I mean, you can obviously call the golf shop direct, but I mean, Myrtle Beach Golf Trips, great place to book your package. A lot of good packages down here right now. Play four rounds, we’ll give you a hundred dollar gift card that you can spend on any of those golf courses.
Meredith: That’s great. Yeah, that’s nice. I like that deal. So you can go to MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com. You can check us out at MBN.com. Brian, thanks for joining us out here.
Brian: Thanks for coming.
Meredith: I’m ready to grab my sticks.
Brian: Let’s do it.
Meredith: I’ve gotta go play. Let’s go do this.
Brian: Let’s do it.
Meredith: All right. Thanks folks.