Litchfield Country Club
619 Country Club Dr, Pawleys Island, SC, 29585Opened in 1966 and designed by Willard Byrd, Litchfield Country Club is one of the Grand Strand’s venerable places for a round of golf. Set amidst pine forests only a couple miles from the ocean in Litchfield Beach, S.C., it is one of 11 courses that comprise the prestigious Waccamaw Golf Trail.
Do not mistake the age of Litchfield Country Club for tiredness, however—it endures as one of the hidden gems for golf in the Myrtle Beach area, with many people returning year after year to play it. It does not play very long—only 6,692 yards from the back Blue tees, par 72—but with its tree-lined fairways and smallish, sloping greens, it offers up a great challenge to all levels of golfer without being overly punishing.
One stretch of holes that epitomizes the charm and character of Litchfield Country Club is the excellent one-two punch of the 12th and 13th holes. The former is a bruiser of a par three that, at 219 yards, requires a long iron, hybrid or fairway wood from most players. The rub is that a bunker guards most of the front of the green, requiring an aerial shot. Two more bunkers on the left side of the green serve to scuttle attempts to sneak the ball on the green or bail out; the only safe place to miss is short, but who wants to lay up? Whatever pain the 12th extracts, the 13th can potentially give back to players who execute good shots. A 520-yard par five, it usually plays downwind, bringing the green into reach in two blows from many golfers. That green is open in front, allowing for run-up shots that may yield an eagle opportunity. Complicating matters, though, is a water hazard that runs up the entire left side of the hole. Beware.