South Carolina plays home to over 350 golf courses and places like Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, and Kiawah Island are rapidly become ideal golfer’s getaways. We scoured the list of 350, played a few, and decided to bring to you the top 10 courses you need to play the next time you visit South Carolina. Some of the courses in our list continue to host PGA TOUR events while others offer the public golfer that same PGA TOUR feel.
10. Heron Point (Myrtle Beach, SC — $)
This Pete Dye design offers golfers an inexpensive way to play a quick round on a well-maintained, beautifully landscaped golf course with many challenging holes. With recent renovations in 2011-2012, this beautiful track was named the “Best Bang for your Buck” by Golf Magazine. Make sure to breath in that crisp southern beach air as you walk through this pine tree entrenched beauty that nestles into the green countryside of Old Myrtle Beach.
9. May River at Palmetto Bluff (Bluffton, SC – $$$)
A Jack Nicklaus signature course located along the banks of the May River, this gem can be found in an area known to southerners as “Carolina Lowcountry”. The unique charm of this land has lured people to this bluff for many years and the golfing experience you’ll have on this track is like no other. You can stay at the inn and play golf, but you won’t see a round in the peak season less than $260. If you’re escaping the cold in January and February, or you’re brave enough to hit the south in July and August, you’ll pay about $175 for the round which includes your cart or caddie.
May River Golf Club at Palmetto Bluff
8. The Heritage Club (Pawleys Island, SC — $$)
Heritage Club in Pawleys Island, SC opened in 1986 and is on Golf Digest’s list of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses.” The Heritage Club delivers an extraordinary experience that is unlike any other along Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand. An entry road lined with 300 year old, moss draped oaks seems to be a theme down in the Myrtle Beach area. A normal mid-day round here will run you about $80-$100 with the cart.
7. Caledonia Golf and Fish Club (Pawleys Island, SC — $)
This gorgeous track was built on the former site of a working southern rice plantation, and has quickly become recognized for its beauty. Caledonia was recently ranked #27 in Golf Magazine‘s “Top 100 You Can Play” list and #97 on “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” list by Golf Digest. You definitely want to bring a camera to this course as the landscaping will simply take your breath away. The picturesque 18th hole borders the Plantation’s old rice field, and requires a precise tee shot that sets up a difficult second shot: a forced carry onto a green at the foot of the clubhouse, where onlookers may be sitting in rocking chairs, betting on shots’ results. March-May and Sept-Oct are the most expensive times to play this course ($75), but the summer time allows for a cheaper round of about 55 bucks.
6. True Blue (Pawleys Island, SC — $$)
As the sister course to our No. 5 pick Caledonia, some say True Blue is among the best in the area. Recently ranked #1 in the Myrtle Beach area by Golf Digest (given a 4-1/2 star rating in 2002), True Blue has lived up to the hype . It’s even been named the 4th Best New Public Upscale Course in America by Golf Digest (’98). With fantastic elevation and beautiful landscaping design, like Caledonia, this course’s rolling terrain and native vegetation was once a rice plantation. At about the same rate as Caledonia ($88), you can get out to enjoy 18 holes on what we call a “must play” course in the Myrtle Beach area.
True Blue Golf Club at Pawleys Island
5. TPC Myrtle Beach (Murrells Inlet, SC — $$)
The Tom Fazio designed TPC Myrtle Beach is the only course on the Grand Strand to be awarded 5-stars on Golf Digest’s “Places to Play” ranking. Host of many Senior Tour events, TPC Myrtle presents lush Bermuda greens, pine forests, and lots of elevation changes. It’s tricky…but it offers plenty of risk vs. reward shots for some of the long hitters. What we love about this course is that you can enjoy a private club feel with use of the clubhouse and restaurants. For a TPC course, you’ll get away with a $70 round during the summer months and you’ll be able to walk the same fairways as Tom Watson, Gary
Player, Lee Trevino, and many others.
4. Tidewater (North Myrtle Beach, SC – $)
Tidewater has won its fair share of awards and has been recognized as a one of the premier North Myrtle Beach Golf Courses. We love the colors of this course, the perfectly manicured fairways and well-maintained bunkers that almost tempt you set down a beach towel and work on your tan. When the course opened in 1990 it was recognized as one of America’s truly great new golf courses. It earned rankings in Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play in 2007 and recently made Golf Magazine’s “Top 100 You Can Play” listing. To this day, Tidewater remains the only layout ever to be named “Best New Course” by both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. You can play this course for a low cost and you’ll enjoy every minute of your round, even if you don’t play well.
3. Barefoot Resort (Love) (North Myrtle Beach, SC – $$$)
Carolina native, recent Ryder Cup Captain, and PGA TOUR player Davis Love III helped transition this old plantation into one of the most recognized golf courses in the South. The wide open fairways and generous landing areas set the stage for an unforgettable round of golf. The Barefoot Resort is a traditional course with Lowcountry character and incorporates Davis Love, III’s Carolina golfing experiences into the design. Here are some of the rankings that go along with this course: 2013 “Top 15 You Can Play in SC” (12), 2013 “2013 Best Courses You Can Play on Grand Strand”, 2007 “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” (53) – among many others. Rates are about $140 with cart, but well worth the splurge in our opinion.
2. Harbour Town Golf Links (Hilton Head Island, SC — $$$)
Home of the RBC Heritage Classic PGA Tour event, this distinguished track is a must play the moment you land in Hilton Head. The signature lighthouse stands tall on the 18th hole near Calibogue Sound and you can only sit back and take in the breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean as it surrounds you. You may have to be a resort guest at Sea Pines Resort to even book a tee time here, but we have to think it’s going to be pricey. Harbour Town consistently ranks among the top courses by Golf Digest, Golfweek, and Travel & Leisure magazines and was ranked No. 1 in ‘Low Country (Hilton Head)’ region among the “Best You Can Play” public access courses in South Carolina for 2013.
1.) Ocean Course at Kiawah (Kiawah Island, SC – $$$$)
With so many beautifully landscaped courses and resorts it was quite a challenge to pick the best public course in South Carolina but ultimately we unanimously settled on The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island at Kiawah Resort. Host of the 2012 PGA Championship and many other PGA events, this Pete Dye design was voted #4 Best Public Golf Course in the U.S. and 25th amongst the 100 Greatest U.S. Golf Courses by Golf Digest. The Ocean Course has played host to some of the most fantastic golf tournaments, including the “War by the Shore” 1992 Ryder Cup and the 1997 World Cup of Golf. What most people don’t know is that this track played home to the movie “The Legend of Bagger Vance” in 2000. If Kiawah Island isn’t already on your bucket list we suggest you grab a pen and add it.
The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island
Let us know what you think of our list of 2013′s top 10 golf courses in South Carolina by either leaving a comment below or sending us a Tweet at @Golficity.