Looking to play the best golf courses in South Carolina? Welcome to our annual Golfweek’s Best ranking of public-access and private courses.
Following are the rankings for both types of courses, as judged by our nationwide network of raters. The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweek’s Best course rankings.
The courses on the first list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time – no membership required.
KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.
* indicates new or returning to the rankings
Best public-access courses in South Carolina
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club in South Carolina (Courtesy of Caledonia Golf & Fish Club/Brian Oar)
1. Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean)
Kiawah Island (14m)
Book your round at the Ocean Course
2. Sea Pines Resort (Harbour Town GL)
Hilton Head Island (59m)
Book your round at Harbour Town
3. Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Pawleys Island (T187m)
4. The Dunes Golf & Beach Club
Myrtle Beach (154c)
5. True Blue
Pawleys Island (m)
6. Sea Pines Resort (Atlantic Dunes)
Hilton Head Island (m)
Book your round at Atlantic Dunes
7. Sea Pines Resort (Heron Point)
Hilton Head Island (m)
Book your round at Heron Point
8. TPC Myrtle Beach
Murrells Inlet (m)
Book your round at TPC Myrtle Beach
9. Tidewater
North Myrtle Beach (m)
10. Legends Golf Resort (Moorland)
Myrtle Beach (m)
T11. Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Osprey Point)
Kiawah Island (m)
Book your round at Osprey Point
T11. Myrtle Beach National (King’s North)
Myrtle Beach (m)
Book your round at Myrtle Beach National
13. Legends Golf Resort (Heathlands)
Myrtle Beach (m)
Book your round at the Heathlands
T14. Barefoot Resort & Golf (Dye)
North Myrtle Beach (m)
Book your round at Barefoot Resort
T14. Grande Dunes Resort Club
Myrtle Beach (m)
Book your round at Grand Dunes
T16. Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Cougar Point)
Kiawah Island (m)
Book your round at Cougar Point
T16. Heritage Club
Pawleys Island (m)
T16. Prestwick*
Myrtle Beach (m)
19. Palmetto Dunes (Robert Trent Jones)
Hilton Head Island (m)
Book your round at Palmetto Dunes
20. Barefoot Resort & Golf (Love)*
North Myrtle Beach (m)
Book your round at Barefoot Resort
Best private courses in South Carolina
Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina (Courtesy of the PGA Tour)
1. Congaree
Ridgeland (T24m)
2. Yeaman’s Hall
Charleston (T43c)
3. Sage Valley
Graniteville (T49m)
4. Cherokee Plantation
Yemassee (m)
5. Long Cove
Hilton Head Island (70m)
6. Secession
Gibbes Island (T86m)
7. Palmetto
Aiken (T106c)
8. Colleton River (Pete Dye)
Bluffton (T107m)
9. Cliffs at Mountain Park
Travelers Rest (T129m)
10. Spring Island (Old Tabby Links)
Okatie (T134m)
11. Kiawah Island Club (Cassique)
Kiawah Island (T147m)
12. Greenville CC (Chanticleer)
Greenville (m)
T13. Palmetto Bluff (May River)
Bluffton (T171m)
T13. Kiawah Island Club (River)
Kiawah Island (T176m)
15. CC of Charleston
Charleston (T146c)