Georgetown County: Home to many of the Southeast’s most awarded golf courses.

Georgetown County plays host to some of the most challenging and award-winning courses in the country, including three of “America’s Top 100 Public Courses,” one of Golf for Women Magazine’s “Top 25 in America,” six 4 1/2-star courses and one of only three 5-star courses in the Southeastern United States.

The Caledonia Golf and Fish Club has received numerous awards, including a current listing among the nation’s “Top 100” according to Golf Magazine. Caledonia, True Blue, Heritage Plantation and others receive high rankings each year as determined by several other major golf publications and societies. Recently, the Jack Nicklaus signature golf course at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, S.C., has been named one of the top 10 golf courses in Myrtle Beach by the prestigious South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel. Other great names in course design like Pete Dye and Tom Fazio have left their mark on many of the County’s public and private courses. Most of these outstanding courses are located within ten miles of each other, and golfers enjoy the close proximity to their lodgings as well.

There’s something special about golfing in Georgetown County. Because the courses were designed to incorporate the distinctive natural elements of the South Carolina Lowcountry, these are truly unique, challenging and beautiful. Deep swamps, marshlands and centuries-old live oaks line the fairways, while water birds and other wildlife inhabit the water hazard created from the reserve ponds that were originally used to flood the rice fields. Famous names like Caledonia, True Blue, Litchfield and many others evoke the rich plantation heritage of the county, and rank among the top courses in the country.

 

Georgetown County has a special connection to Michelle Obama’s family tree

Georgetown County, South Carolina, has a unique new claim to fame: several generations of First Lady Michelle Robinson Obama’s family lived here, going back to some documented ancestors who worked as slaves on Friendfield Plantation, located just west of the City of Georgetown. Mrs. Obama’s earliest documented ancestors were Jim Robinson and his wife Louisa.

The plantation house at Friendfield was destroyed by fire, but replaced in the 1930s with a similar structure that retains the original foundation and chimneys. Remarkably, five of the original slave cabins remain on the property, offering a glimpse of the conditions Jim Robinson and his family lived in up through the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era. Like many former slaves, Jim and Louisa Robinson remained on the farm they were formerly bound to and it is presumed Robinson is buried in an unmarked grave on the property. As expected, records are scarce, but the continued existence of Friendfield Plantation and a handful of its former slave cabins stands as a tangible reminder of an American family’s improbable journey through slavery, segregation, the civil-rights movement and a historic presidential election.

Jim and Louisa Robinson had several children born while they were living in the former slave village at Friendfield Plantation, including a son named Fraser Robinson, born in 1884, the great grandfather of Michelle Obama.

The First Lady’s grandfather, Fraser Robinson, Jr. was born in 1912 and graduated high school here. By the mid 1930s he left for Chicago seeking employment, married and raised a family there. However, he and his wife Rosa retired to Georgetown, spending the last years of their lives in Fraser’s hometown. Michelle and Barak Obama visited the family church in Georgetown during the presidential campaign, where they were greeted by throngs of enthusiastic supporters, including many of Mrs. Obama’s extended family.

 

Georgetown County Rich in History

The county has a rich agricultural heritage and at one time was counted as the leading producer of rice in the nation. The city of Georgetown served as one of the most significant shipping ports on the Eastern Seaboard, and the pre-Civil War economy bustled, making area plantation owners some of the most prosperous in the entire South. Georgetown itself remains a city full of historic reminders of its past, including a wealth of historic homes and other structures. Throughout the county, well-preserved plantation homes and their slave cabins survive in testament to what life was like in centuries past – for all residents of the area.

 

Georgetown County, SC – a remarkable vacation destination.

Renowned for its beauty and history along South Carolina’s Atlantic Coast, Georgetown County and its charming communities offer residents and visitors a quiet world of pristine beaches, picturesque rivers and marshes, world-class golfing, intimate dining and quaint shops – all existing harmoniously amid an impressive array of historic sites. Because of the warm climate, abundance of waterways and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, there is most certainly an atmosphere of fun and relaxation here. The area has been a popular tourist destination for centuries, with South Carolina residents of the past spending the summer months in cottages along the coast, many of which remain nicely preserved to this day. The true uniqueness of Georgetown County is the mixture of resort amenities with preserved history.

 

What’s going on in Georgetown, SC?

There is always something going on in Georgetown County, South Carolina.  We’ll be using this blog to share news about upcoming events and chronicling past events. This is a place you can visit Georgetown County “virtually” whenever you like!