Personal Injury Attorney in Pawley's Island, SC.

One South Carolina community made Travel + Leisure’s list of 10 best places to retire in the Southeast and it wasn’t Charleston.

It was Litchfield Beach, 80 miles north of Charleston and 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach.

Nestled between Huntington State Park and Pawleys Island (actually just across an inlet), Litchfield is an unincorporated community of about 10,000 people that swells with vacationers in the summer.

With 2 miles of oceanfront, Litchfield offers homes as well as condos and other lodging, golf and tennis and restaurants from seafood to BBQ.

Travel + Leisure noted the median home value in Georgetown County is $262,300, compared to Charleston’s $650,000. The magazine also said a benefit for retirees is there are 27 hospitals and 165 health care facilities in the surrounding area.

Travel + Leisure used data from Investopedia, an online financial services research company, to look at the cost of living for two adults, average monthly taxes, additional state-level tax regulations, distance to a major airport, climate risk, health care facilities, and local arts and culture opportunities.

The southern region was identified as Delaware to Florida and west to Arkansas and Louisiana.

Litchfield Beach was also named one of America’s top 10 beaches in 2020 by TripAdvisor.

It was ranked ninth. The website called Litchfield South Carolina’s “most stunning stretch of coastline in a quiet setting.”

Litchfield was established in 1978.

“Soft sand and sea oats take center stage as beaches are more sparsely populated here,” Visit Myrtle Beach said on its website. “Thus, a long walk along the shore is a perfect way to erase all of life’s cares.”

Also named by Travel + Leisure as best places to retire were Waycross, Georgia; Danville, Virginia; Wheeling, West Virginia; Natchez, Mississippi; Tryon, North Carolina; Alexandria, Louisiana; Sebring, Florida; Paducah, Kentucky and Paris, Tennessee.

PAWLEYS ISLAND — A Pawleys Island doctor and his practices have agreed to pay $400,000 to resolve allegations of medical fraud spanning from May 2016 to November 2021.

Dr. Gerald Congdon and his practices, Coastal Urgent Care LLC and Coastal Wellness Center LLC, allegedly referred patients to a laboratory in Anderson in exchange for thousands of dollars, the U.S. Department of Justice announced March 6.

They disguised the funds as office space rental and phlebotomy payments, according to a news release from the DOJ.

Congdon said the lab did sublease office space from him.

“I don’t know what happened there, but two years ago I was contacted by the Department of Justice and they said that they didn’t want doctors leasing their office space to lab companies,” he said. “And they demanded the money back.”

Congdon and his practices are part of a $1.9 million settlement involving several other physicians and companies who allegedly received money in exchange for ordering tests at the Anderson laboratory.

They’re accused of committing kickback schemes, which involve receiving remuneration (money, gifts or other incentives), in exchange for referring items or services covered by Medicare and other federally funded healthcare programs.

Kickback laws aim to ensure medical providers make decisions based on their patients’ best interests and not financial incentives.

Dr. Gbenga Aluko of Charlotte and Dr. Anup Banerjee of Gastonia and their medical practices have agreed to pay to settle allegations similar to those Congdon faces.

Additionally, Omar Hussain of South Miami and his health care marketing company Curis Healthcare have agreed to pay nearly $818,000 for arranging Medicare and TRICARE referrals to the Anderson lab from April 2020 to August 2021.

They will also pay $240,000 in conjunction with the Chicago-based Saeed Medical Group.

The kickback schemes allegedly violated federal law and led to false or fraudulent laboratory testing claims being sent to Medicare and TRICARE.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the Fraud Section, the FBI and other federal agencies collaborated to pursue the settlements.

“The public puts immense trust in medical professionals, and disdain for the rule of law damages that trust and erodes their credibility,” Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office said in a statement. “These settlements should serve as a reminder that the FBI and its partners are committed to holding medical practitioners accountable for kickbacks.”

Georgetown County is considering creating a new zoning district to assure locals that area golf courses won’t be closed and turned into high-density developments.

It’s called a neighborhood amenity district, and the new zoning category will allow for golf courses, open spaces, recreation uses, parks or gardens. The new zoning district would pertain to Pawleys Island’s Litchfield Country Club and Founders Club, which many county residents have long worried could be re-developed despite the owner of the two golf courses having no plans to close them.

The two courses are some of the oldest along the Grand Strand. Both opened in the 1960s before Georgetown County adopted zoning policies in the 1970s.

The county’s planning commission will take up the matter at its April 2025 meeting before going to the council, where it must pass on three readings.

The new amenity district will go into effect in June 2025 if it passes on its third and final reading at the council’s June meeting, barring they defer the plan.

However, some Georgetown locals are concerned about the proposed zoning district, with some saying it doesn’t remove the possibility of future development altogether. In an interview with The Sun News, Director of Planning and Code Enforcement Holly Richardson said the new neighborhood amenity district makes re-developing the two golf courses less attractive.

Much consternation regarding Litchfield Country Club and Founders Club stems from the current zoning for both properties.

Most golf courses in Georgetown County are planned developments that offer strong deterrence to builders looking to re-imagine them as residential communities.

However, Litchfield Country Club and Founders Club aren’t zoned planned developments but as R-10, which does allow for four single-family homes per acre. Richardson added that the new neighborhood amenity district limits building to one house for five acres, granting fewer units per acre than either course’s current zoning allows.

Richardson also said that development in a neighborhood amenity center must be near an existing right-of-way road.

The proposed zoning district doesn’t assuage local advocacy groups’ concerns. To them, the new district gives future developers a path to one day close the golf courses and build new communities.

A Litchfield resident for 35 years, Cindy Person is the chief legal counsel and executive director for Keep It Green Advocacy, a nonprofit legal organization that works with the public advocacy non-profit Keep It Green. The two organizations work together to preserve the Lower Waccamaw Neck region’s golf courses and quality of life. Both non-profits are keen on preventing the Pawleys Island area from turning into Myrtle Beach South.

Person said the organization is engaged in litigation with the county regarding developments it approved that the group alleges don’t fit the county’s comprehensive plan, including the Magic Oaks luxury home project near Pawleys Island. Keep It Green doesn’t want any residential housing allowed for either golf course. Person said the zoning district doesn’t go far enough to protect either.

“Our point is, you don’t have to allow residential development. Why are you doing that? Please don’t do that,” She added. “Create one that doesn’t allow residential or commercial.”

Person said the county’s comprehensive plan didn’t allow residential development on either Litchfield Country Club or Founders Club before being updated in 2024. However, the 2024 update to the plan and the land use element did allow for limited residential.

To Person, the new neighborhood amenity district further opens the door for replacing the golf courses despite reducing the density of development allowed.

“The county has a track record of not really protecting the citizens of the county. We feel the county has an agenda of protecting development rights in the Waccamaw Neck,” Person added. “The number one way to accomplish what they say is the goal is to not allow it in the first place.”

In an April 1, 2025, interview with The Sun News, Richardson said that the county is changing the zoning proposal because of residents’ concerns. Some residents worried the plan’s language being vague could allow for future commercial development on both golf courses. Richardson said the county will look to tweak some language in the proposal to help make it more clear.

Residents’ worries regarding the proposed neighborhood amenity district allowing for future construction come despite the courses’ owner having no plans to close them.

Richardson said the county had not received any proposals for re-developing the two golf courses in question, and residents in the area would receive notification if there were plans. She added that any developer seeking to build on the golf courses would have to submit applications for permits but didn’t need the planning commission or county council’s approval to proceed.

“We haven’t received any redevelopment plans for either of them,” she added. “This is just anticipation if something were to happen.”

Meanwhile, the course’s ownership is uninterested in shutting down the two properties and replacing them with residential development.

Myrtle Beach-based Founders Group International owns the golf courses and other notable ones along the Grand Strand, like Pine Lakes and TPC Myrtle Beach. In an interview with The Sun News, Chris King, a spokesperson for Founders Group, said there are zero plans to develop either golf course.

Despite Founders Group’s assurances, Person said the company’s previous decisions concern her. Founders Group closed Indian Wells Golf Club in Garden City in 2019 for redevelopment, but the course sits overgrown, and its future use is still unclear.

Founders Group also demolished the former Litchfield Racquet Club near the Litchfield Country Club and submitted plans to re-develop the property for residential development. Those efforts failed, and now pickleball courts reside where the racquet club once was. Person said the demolition of the tennis courts and attempts to re-zone and develop the property led to the creation of Keep It Green.

“They seem to be doing well from the standpoint of (the golf courses are) busy, so hopefully that’s a good thing,” Person added. “But it doesn’t give residents the protection that we would like to see.”

Locals started discussing the two courses’ futures as the county began discussing the county’s future potential growth.

Georgetown County began discussing its comprehensive plan in mid-2024, with one initial proposed Land Use Element allowing for increasing building density in areas near Pawleys Island and MarshWalk. Locals raised concerns, and the county amended the proposal by decreasing the permitted density for future developers and adding wording protecting golf courses from being turned into large communities.

Richardson said the county used that language shielding golf courses from being re-developed to craft the neighborhood amenity district. She added that the future use land element included limited residential because the county needs a contingency for the land in case the courses ever close. An abandoned, overgrown property would be a blight on the area, and Richardson said the plan gave the properties potential secondary uses that would prevent that scenario.

“If they are to be re-developed, it should be with significant open space, very low density, with clusters that maintain existing water features and natural features,” Richardson added.

For Person, the conservation element of the comprehensive plan didn’t go far enough. The county could have barred allowing any residential development but didn’t.

“We want a zoning district that does not allow residential or commercial,” Person said. “It’s a golf course. Make a zoning district called golf course.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

The Sun News

Ben Morse is the Retail and Leisure Reporter for The Sun News. Morse covers local business and Coastal Carolina University football and was awarded third place in the 2023 South Carolina Press Association News Contest for sports beat reporting and second place for sports video in the all-daily division. Morse previously worked for The Island Packet, covering local government. Morse graduated from American University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and economics and is originally from Prospect, Kentucky.

PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. (March 30, 2025) – The University of North Alabama men's golf team heads to Pawleys Island, S.C. starting March 31 for the Golfweek/Any Given Tuesday Invite at True Blue Golf Resort. This is the final tournament in March and one of two final tournaments before the ASUN Championship.

Tournament Information Golfweek/Any Given Tuesday Invite hosted by Golfweek True Blue Golf Resort Pawleys Island, S.C.

18 Holes on Monday, March 31 18 Holes on Tuesday, April 1 18 Holes on Wednesday, April 2

Live Stats

NOTES

LAST TIME OUT: The University of North Alabama men's golf team finished the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational on Tuesday at the Silverado Resort (North) in Napa, Calif. in ninth place. The Lions finished 16-over as a team. Junior Xing Luo finished tied for second with a one-under final day for a 208-stroke score. This score ties the third-best of his career which came in the 2024 Turtle Point Invite. Luo led all players with 16 birdies for the tournament and was first in par-4s at eight-under for the three rounds.

THE BREAKDOWN: Golfweek is hosting the tournament that will see 16 teams in the tournament. The three days will follow a double tee time start. The course is a par 72 and spans 6,971 yards.

THE FIELD: A total of 16 teams will participate in this tournament. There are a mixture of teams in this one, the most notable being ASUN foe West Georgia and in-state rival Jacksonville State. Big names such as UConn, Xavier, Marshall and St. John's accompany the trip. New faces such as Fairleigh Dickinson, Valparaiso and Long Island will compete with the Lions. Other teams are as follows: SIUE, Stephen F. Austin State, Georgia State, Kansas City, Mercer and USC Upstate.

TOP DAWG: North Alabama recently moved to 91st in the Scoreboard powered by Clippd rankings. The Lions are the highest-ranking team in the tournament this time around. They are the only team inside the top-100 of the nation. The next closest two are Jacksonville State at No. 132 and Xavier at No. 133.

MARCHING THROUGH MARCH: This is the fourth tournament that starts in the month of March. This one is held at Pawleys Island, S.C. for the Golfweek/Any Given Tuesday Invite beginning on March 31. Between the last two tournaments, the Lions have traveled 12 continuous days as they went from Napa, Calif. straight to Pawleys Island, S.C. This is one of two final tournaments before the ASUN Championship in April.

RECORD BREAKING: Following a second-place finish on Tuesday, March 25, University of junior Xing Luo won the Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Golfer of the Week award, announced Thursday. With four career weekly awards, Luo breaks Jackson Wedgeworth's record for the most individual weekly awards in the Division I era. Wedgeworth held the title since 2020 after he earned his third. This is Luo's second award this semester and third during the 2024-2025 season.

Starting Lineup: TEAM 1. Xing Luo — Jr. — Katy, Texas 2. Chase Kaiser — Sr. — Natchez, Miss. 3. Sebastian Bengtsson — Jr. — Helsingborg, Sweden 4. Andrew Ferworn — So. — Houston, Texas 5. Blake Henriques — Jr. — Canton, Ga.

NEXT MATCH: Following the Golfweek/Any Given Tuesday, North Alabama travels to the Tiger Intercollegiate in Columbia, Mo. on April 7 hosted by Missouri at The Club at Old Hawthorne. This will be the final tournament this season before the ASUN Championship.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Discover Charleston-area favorites and lesser-known oceanfront communities.

The South Carolina coast is full of laid-back beach towns with wide stretches of sand, palm-lined bike paths, quaint boardwalks, and restaurants cooking up fresh-caught Lowcountry fare. I’ve spent much of my life frequenting the Palmetto State’s beach towns—visiting Kiawah Island every year and even living in Charleston for a period. Using my own experience and the expertise of a few locals, we narrowed down the list to the 10 best beach towns in South Carolina. See if your favorite made the cut below.

Isle of Palms

I’ve spent countless days on Isle of Palms, a small barrier island about 15 miles from downtown Charleston. It's one of the more family-friendly beach destinations in the area, and many visitors opt to stay at Wild Dunes Resort or rent a roomy oceanfront home. No matter where you are on the island, though, its leisurely pace, wide beach, and classic small-town vibes will entice visitors of all ages. One of my favorite things to do on “IOP,” as the locals call it, is to grab dinner at Islander 71 and watch the boats come in and out of the marina. I’d also recommend checking out the live music schedule at The Windjammer—or picking up a frosé (frozen rosé) to-go from The Co-Op.

Kiawah Island

In South Carolina, a beach town should evoke a nostalgic mix of humidity, salt water, and the distinctly earthy smell of pluff mud emanating from the salt marshes. Kiawah Island meets all of these criteria—and then some. A majority of the island functions as a gated private community, accessible only to residents, their guests, and those with reservations. However, there are a couple of areas open to the public if you want to do a day trip, namely Kiawah Beachwalker Park and the shopping center Freshfields Village. At the latter, you can load up on all your vacation essentials: groceries, beach reads, bathing suits, and more.

Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach may technically be a city, but it has all of the trappings of your classic beach town. There’s a bustling boardwalk, golf courses, go-karts, souvenir shopping, and, of course, a number of public beaches. “I’ve always been drawn to the nostalgia that you can find on Myrtle Beach,” says Betsy Fuller, owner of A Maker’s Post, a gift shop on Sullivan's Island. “One of my favorite movies, 'Shag,' is set there, and whenever I watch it, I daydream about going back to visit the beach town in the 1950s.”

While it might be synonymous with spring break crowds and families on summer vacation, this is a destination that always delivers beach fun—whether you’re hoping to spend the day by the water or keeping your schedule full from sunup to sundown.

25 Best Things to Do in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Pawleys Island

Relaxation is paramount when you’re visiting Pawleys Island, a barrier island beach town located between Myrtle Beach and Charleston. This is the type of place where time slows down, you’re encouraged to log off and enjoy the natural splendor of South Carolina’s coast. Spend your days crabbing, surfing (if the waves permit), fishing, golfing, or dining on classic Lowcountry staples like okra soup or shrimp and grits; just don’t forget to save time for the art of doing absolutely nothing. For a particularly romantic getaway, book a room at The Pelican Inn, an eight-bedroom bed-and-breakfast with a charming wraparound porch.

Folly Beach

"As someone who lives 10 minutes from Folly Beach, I certainly feel like I'm on vacation where I live,” says Katie Hirsch, the former director and chief curator of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. One of the closest beach towns to Charleston, it’s a great option for a day trip if you’re visiting the Holy City; just be sure to arrive on the earlier side if you want to beat the crowds and have an easier time parking. Plus, “if you're an early riser,” says Hirsch, you might want to “try finding shark teeth during a morning beach walk.” She also recommends grabbing some food at local favorite Jack of Cups Saloon for “unexpected bites inspired by Asian cuisine.”

Hilton Head Island

"Hilton Head Island is one of the best places to escape to if you want to be near a beach town but want a different environment from Charleston,” explains Hirsch. “It has modern touches but still keeps its Southern charm, appealing to both tourists and locals alike.”

The historic island is known for its golf courses and bike trails, but offers a wide variety of things to do. Gullah heritage tours, boat rides, paddleboarding, and birding are all itinerary contenders, and Hirsch also says the destination has “some of the best thrift stores.” If that’s up your alley, save an afternoon for exploring the goods at The Bargain Box, My Sister’s Closet, and The Church Mouse.

Sullivan’s Island

Sullivan’s Island continues to be a favorite South Carolina beach town—especially for Charlestonians. “The beach is very relaxed, and the marsh views are second to none,” says Fuller. “If you’re visiting, I’d recommend taking a long beach walk [and exiting] at Station 22.5, so you can head into ‘town,’ aka Middle Street, to do a little shopping.” This part of Sullivan’s Island is popular for its various eateries; there’s everything from Mexican and barbecue to burgers and seafood. Fuller recommends getting a table at High Thyme or The Obstinate Daughter, then grabbing a nightcap at Dunleavy’s Pub.

12 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast, According to Locals

Beaufort

The second-oldest city in South Carolina, Beaufort is often compared to Charleston; it’s historic, beautiful, and filled with oak trees and amazing architecture. Its proximity to the water is also a perk. Like Charleston, you’ll have to drive a bit out of the main hub to get to the beach. If you don’t mind parking your beach chair by Battery Creek, rather than the Atlantic Ocean, make your way to the Sands Beach on the southern end of Port Royal. The beach is free to the public, and there’s plenty to keep the whole family entertained, including a boardwalk, an observation tower, and shark-teeth-hunting opportunities. For a true oceanfront spot, you’ll need to drive half an hour to Hunting Island State Park, where five miles of beautiful beaches live alongside marshes, a saltwater lagoon, and maritime forests.

Murrells Inlet

Murrells Inlet, or the “Seafood Capital of South Carolina,” makes this list for a few reasons. For starters, the historic fishing village has a feature known as MarshWalk. Spanning a half-mile along a natural saltwater estuary, the wooden boardwalk is home to several restaurants, including Bovine’s, Wahoo’s Fish House, and The Claw House. Head five minutes down the road and you'll arrive at the far-from-crowded Huntington Beach State Park, where you can find three miles of pristine sands to lie on. If you have some time, stop by Brookgreen Gardens, a 9,127 site that also includes a zoo and sculpture garden.

Edisto Beach

Located on Edisto Island, Edisto Beach isn’t your typical, buzzy beach town—and that’s the beauty of it. There are no stoplights, high rises, or chain restaurants on the island, and the town wholeheartedly embraces the magic of slow living. Visitors can explore the 4.5 miles of coastline, take a dip in the ocean, and search for shells, shark teeth, and other fossils that may wash up on shore. Biking, kayaking, and dolphin tours are also popular vacation activities. But if there’s absolutely one thing you can’t miss while visiting Edisto Beach, it's the glorious sunsets. Bring a blanket to Edisto Beach State Park, sit back, and enjoy the show.