The best Myrtle Beach golf courses you can play are Caledonia and True Blue on Pawleys Island, the Dunes Golf and Beach Club (limited guest times), TPC Myrtle Beach, Tidewater and Barefoot’s Dye Course. Play Caledonia first: $129 on a summer morning, $79 at twilight, and No. 4 on Golfweek’s 2026 list of South Carolina courses you can play.
Myrtle Beach has more than 80 golf courses along 60 miles of coast, and it’s the country’s biggest golf-vacation market; for how it compares with Kiawah, Hilton Head and Charleston, see our guide to South Carolina’s best golf courses. The size is the good news and the problem. The good news is that competition keeps prices honest, even at the famous names. The problem is that there are so many courses, all calling themselves championship layouts, that it’s hard to know which ones are worth your money. Plenty aren’t.
This guide sorts them out. It ranks the 20 best courses on the Grand Strand, from Pawleys Island in the south to the North Carolina line, using the major rankings and our own read of the architecture, ratings and prices, and it explains how Myrtle Beach’s dynamic pricing and golf packages work.
How we built this. The rankings come from Golf Digest’s Best Golf Courses in South Carolina (2025-26) and Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play (2026), both as reported by Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, the area’s golf marketing co-operative. Green fees come from each course’s own site where published, checked in October 2026. Most Myrtle Beach courses price dynamically and don’t publish a rate card; where that’s the case, we say so and give a published range or a dated example instead. Ratings and slopes come from course scorecards, some via third-party scorecard listings. We haven’t played every course here; where a note leans on published data and the design rather than our own scorecard, we say so.
At a glance
- Best course you can book: Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, Mike Strantz’s first solo design, No. 4 on Golfweek’s 2026 South Carolina list; $79 to $129 in summer 2026
- Best course on the Grand Strand: the Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s 1948 oceanfront course, No. 21 in South Carolina on Golf Digest’s list; private, with limited guest tee times
- Best 36-hole day: Caledonia and True Blue, across the road from each other on Pawleys Island
- Hardest course: Pawleys Plantation, a Jack Nicklaus design with a 150 slope from the back tees
- Best for history: Pine Lakes, “the Granddaddy”, the Grand Strand’s first course, from 1927
- Best months: March to May for the best conditions; September to November for value; December to February for the cheapest rates
- Best way to pay: a stay-and-play package if you’re playing three or more rounds
Myrtle Beach golf courses at a glance
The table ranks the 20 best courses on the Grand Strand. “Access” is what a visitor can expect: public means anyone can book; resort means the course belongs to a resort but outsiders can book; semi-private means members have priority but the public can play; private means you need a member or a guest arrangement.
| Rank | Course | Area | Access | Architect (year) | Rating/slope (back tees) | Green fee (Oct 2026) | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caledonia | Pawleys Island | Public | Mike Strantz (1994) | Slope up to 140 | $79-$129 (summer 2026) | Golfweek SC No. 4; GD SC No. 29 |
| 2 | The Dunes Golf and Beach Club | Myrtle Beach | Private, limited guest times | Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1948) | 76.0/149 (Gold) | Not published | GD SC No. 21; Golfweek No. 5 |
| 3 | True Blue | Pawleys Island | Public | Mike Strantz (1998) | 73.8/139 | $59-$109 (summer 2026) | Golfweek No. 6; GD No. 33 |
| 4 | TPC Myrtle Beach | Murrells Inlet | Public | Tom Fazio with Lanny Wadkins (1999) | 74.2/146 (Black) | Dynamic | Golfweek No. 10; GD No. 36 |
| 5 | Tidewater | North Myrtle Beach | Public | Ken Tomlinson (1990) | 74.3/144 (Black) | Dynamic | Golfweek T11; GD No. 38 |
| 6 | Grande Dunes (Resort Course) | Myrtle Beach | Resort | Roger Rulewich and A. John Harvey (2001) | 77.3/142 (Gold) | Dynamic | Golfweek T11; GD No. 47 |
| 7 | Legends (Moorland) | Myrtle Beach | Resort | P.B. Dye (1990) | 74.0 (Blue) | Package or dynamic | Golfweek T11 |
| 8 | Barefoot (Dye) | North Myrtle Beach | Resort | Pete Dye (2000) | 75.6/149 (Platinum) | Walk-on from $95 (winter) to $235 (spring) | GD No. 30; Golfweek T15 |
| 9 | Heritage Club | Pawleys Island | Public | Dan Maples (1986) | 74.9/138 (Gold) | Dynamic | Golfweek T15 |
| 10 | Pawleys Plantation | Pawleys Island | Semi-private | Jack Nicklaus (1988) | 75.2/150 (Golden Bear) | Reported from about $70 | Hardest slope on the Strand |
| 11 | Pine Lakes | Myrtle Beach | Semi-private, public booking online | Robert White (1927) | 72.8/142 (new back tees) | Not published | The “Granddaddy” |
| 12 | Myrtle Beach National (King’s North) | Myrtle Beach | Resort | Arnold Palmer (1973; rebuilt 1996) | Not published | Dynamic | Renovated 2024-2025 |
| 13 | Legends (Heathland) | Myrtle Beach | Resort | Tom Doak (1990) | 72.6/128 (Blue) | Package or dynamic | Golfweek T17 |
| 14 | Prestwick | Myrtle Beach | Public | Pete and P.B. Dye (1989) | 74.7/138 (Black) | Dynamic | Golfweek T17 |
| 15 | Barefoot (Love, Fazio, Norman) | North Myrtle Beach | Resort | Davis Love III; Tom Fazio; Greg Norman | 73.3-74.9/141-144 | Same walk-on scale as the Dye | GD No. 49 (Fazio) |
| 16 | Long Bay | Longs | Public | Jack Nicklaus (1989) | 74.4/146 (Black) | Dynamic | Nicklaus in the north |
| 17 | Glen Dornoch | Little River | Public | Clyde Johnston (1996) | 73.1/145 (Black) | Dynamic | Intracoastal Waterway holes |
| 18 | Man O’ War | Myrtle Beach | Public | Dan Maples (1996) | 73.2/141 | Dynamic | Built around a lake |
| 19 | Arcadian Shores | Myrtle Beach | Public | Rees Jones | 73.2/137 | Dynamic | New ultradwarf greens |
| 20 | The River Club | Pawleys Island | Public | Tom Jackson | 72.5/139 (Black) | Dynamic | Litchfield group |
Rankings: Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play in South Carolina (2026) and Golf Digest’s Best Golf Courses in South Carolina (2025-26), as reported by Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. Fees from each course’s site, October 2026; “dynamic” means the course prices tee times by demand and doesn’t publish a rate card.
What are the best golf courses in Myrtle Beach?
Caledonia, the Dunes Golf and Beach Club and True Blue are the top three on Golfweek’s 2026 list of South Carolina courses you can play, at Nos. 4, 5 and 6. TPC Myrtle Beach, Tidewater, Grande Dunes and Legends’ Moorland follow, and Barefoot’s Dye Course rounds out the best.
Golf Digest sees it slightly differently. Its 2025-26 South Carolina ranking puts the Dunes Club highest among Grand Strand courses, at No. 21 in the state (and No. 79 on its list of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses), followed by Caledonia (No. 29), Barefoot’s Dye Course (No. 30), True Blue (No. 33), TPC Myrtle Beach (No. 36), Tidewater (No. 38), Grande Dunes (No. 47) and Barefoot’s Fazio Course (No. 49). Eight courses on one list is a lot for a resort area, and it tells you the Grand Strand’s reputation for cheap, forgettable golf is out of date at the top end.
Our ranking blends the two lists with the things a visiting golfer cares about: whether you can actually get on, what it costs and how much fun the course is. That’s why Caledonia, which you can book any day, ranks ahead of the Dunes Club, which is better but hard to get on.
The rest of this guide goes area by area, from south to north. Every course with its own heading gets a data line: location, who can play, architect and year, par and yardage, rating and slope from a named tee where published, the green fee with the date we checked it, and booking details. Course rating is what a scratch golfer is expected to shoot; slope measures how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer, on a scale where 113 is average.
The south end: Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet
The southern end of the Grand Strand, 20 to 30 minutes south of Myrtle Beach, has the best concentration of golf in the area: old rice plantations, live oaks, marshes and two of Mike Strantz’s three Lowcountry masterpieces.
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Pawleys Island · public, with memberships available · Mike Strantz (1994), his first solo design · Par 70, 6,526 yards; slopes up to 140 from the back · Green fee in summer 2026 (June 22 to August 30): mornings from $129, afternoons from $99, twilight $79, cart included (official) · book online or by phone
Caledonia is the best public course on the Grand Strand, and one of the prettiest anywhere in the South. Strantz built it on an old rice plantation along the Waccamaw River, under live oaks hung with Spanish moss, with bold bunkers, clever greens and a finish that ends in front of the clubhouse porch, where everyone watches you hit your last approach. It isn’t long, at 6,526 yards and par 70, but it doesn’t need to be.
Which tees: play it shorter than usual. A 10-handicap will have plenty from about 6,100 yards; an 18 around 5,700; a 25 the forward tees.
Verdict: the one Myrtle Beach course to play if you play only one. At $129 on a summer morning, it’s one of the best values in Southern golf; in spring, book weeks ahead.
True Blue Golf Club
Pawleys Island · public · Mike Strantz (1998) · Par 72, 7,126 yards; 73.8/139 · Green fee in summer 2026: mornings from $109, afternoons from $89, twilight $59, cart included (official) · book with Caledonia or separately
True Blue, across the road from Caledonia and under the same ownership, is Strantz’s other Pawleys Island course and the opposite of its sister: big, wide and wild, with huge sandy waste areas, some of the largest greens on the Grand Strand and bold angles off every tee. Some golfers think it’s the better of the two. It’s certainly the bigger test.
Verdict: play it the same day as Caledonia. Together they’re one of the best 36-hole days in the Southeast, for under $250 in summer.
TPC Myrtle Beach
Murrells Inlet · public · Tom Fazio with Lanny Wadkins (1999) · Par 72, 6,950 yards; 74.2/146 (Black) · Green fee dynamic, not published · book online
TPC Myrtle Beach is the most polished course on the south end, a Fazio design with wetlands, lakes, pine forest and fast, firm greens. It was built for tournament golf and it plays like it, with a 146 slope from the Black tees. Golfweek has it No. 10 among South Carolina courses you can play.
Which tees: the water and the forced carries are the issue. A 10-handicap should play around 6,300 yards; an 18 around 5,800.
Verdict: a very good, very conditioned round, but compare its dynamic rate with Caledonia’s before you book. For the same money, Caledonia is the more memorable day.
Pawleys Plantation
Pawleys Island · semi-private; public tee times offered · Jack Nicklaus (opened 1988-89; renovated 2023) · Par 72, 7,026 yards; 75.2/150 (Golden Bear) · Green fee not published; reported from about $70 · book online
Pawleys Plantation is Nicklaus at his most demanding: tight fairways through live oaks, then a stretch of holes out over the salt marsh where the wind and the forced carries can wreck a scorecard. From the Golden Bear tees, its 150 slope is the highest of any course in this guide. The 2023 renovation sharpened its conditioning.
Verdict: a good course for a strong player, a long day for everyone else. If you’re a 20-handicap, play it from the forward tees or play Heritage Club instead.
Heritage Club
Pawleys Island · public · Dan Maples (1986) · Par 71, 7,118 yards; 74.9/138 (Gold) · Green fee dynamic, not published · sister course of the Legends group
Heritage Club is the classic old-plantation round, with big live oaks, rolling greens and marsh views. Golfweek has it T15 in South Carolina, and it’s often one of the better values on the south end.
Verdict: a lovely, traditional round, and a good choice for a group with mixed handicaps.
Also on the south end: Founders Club (par 72, 7,007 yards; 74.2/142 from the Black tees), and the three Litchfield courses, the River Club (Tom Jackson; 72.5/139 from the Black tees), Litchfield Country Club (Willard Byrd, 1966) and Willbrook Plantation (Dan Maples, 1988), which are friendly, traditional and usually cheaper than the big names.
Central Myrtle Beach
The middle of the Grand Strand has the oldest and most famous courses, and the busiest tee sheets.
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
Myrtle Beach · private; limited guest tee times, and unaccompanied guests can’t play on Fridays, Saturdays or holiday weekends (official) · Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1948) · Par 72, 7,355 yards; 76.0/149 (Gold) · Green fee not published · host of the PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic
The Dunes Club is the best course on the Grand Strand and the most historic. Robert Trent Jones Sr. laid it out in 1948 just back from the ocean, and its signature is the 13th, “Waterloo”, a long par 5 that bends around a lake. It has hosted a U.S. Women’s Open and the Senior Tour’s season-ending championship, and since 2024 it has been the home of the PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic, which returns on May 13-16, 2027. Golf Digest ranks it No. 21 in South Carolina and No. 79 among America’s public courses; Golfweek has it No. 5 among the state’s courses you can play.
Verdict: the best course on the Strand, if you can arrange a time. Ask your hotel or package provider about guest tee times, and remember the weekend restriction.
Grande Dunes Resort Course
Myrtle Beach · resort course open to the public · Roger Rulewich and A. John Harvey (2001) · Par 72, 7,618 yards; 77.3/142 (Gold) · Green fee dynamic, not published · book online
Grande Dunes sits on the bluffs above the Intracoastal Waterway, with several holes running along the water, and it’s a big, wide, modern course built for a resort crowd. Roger Rulewich, its lead designer, did much of the detailed work on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, and you can see the family resemblance in the big greens and generous fairways. At 7,618 yards from the Gold tees, it’s one of the longest courses on the Strand.
Verdict: a polished, scenic resort round. Play it from the right tees, because the back tees are brutal.
Pine Lakes Country Club
Myrtle Beach · semi-private; public tee times bookable online · Robert White (1927); renovated 2021, two new tee boxes 2025 · Par 70, 6,737 yards; 72.8/142 (new back tees) · Green fee not published · centennial in 2027
Pine Lakes is “the Granddaddy”, the first golf course on the Grand Strand, designed by Robert White, the first president of the PGA of America, and it turns 100 in 2027. It’s a traditional, tree-lined course with a stately clubhouse, and it claims a role in the founding of Sports Illustrated, whose early backers met there in the 1950s. The 2021 renovation and new back tees have kept it competitive.
Verdict: a round of history more than a round of drama. Worth playing once for the clubhouse and the story.
Myrtle Beach National (King’s North)
Myrtle Beach · resort courses open to the public · Arnold Palmer and Francis Duane (King’s North 1973, rebuilt 1996; SouthCreek; West) · King’s North par 72, 7,017 yards; SouthCreek par 72, 6,416 yards (70.5/123 from the Blue tees); West par 72, 6,866 yards · Green fee dynamic, not published · King’s North renovated by Brandon Johnson of Arnold Palmer Design, front nine 2024 and back nine 2025
Myrtle Beach National is the classic old complex, with a bronze statue of Arnold Palmer outside the clubhouse. King’s North is its showpiece, best known for the 6th, “the Gambler”, a par 5 that tempts you to drive onto an island fairway. Its two-year renovation by Palmer’s design firm, finished in 2025, rebuilt its greens and bunkers. SouthCreek and the West Course are gentler and cheaper.
Verdict: King’s North is worth a round now that it’s been rebuilt. SouthCreek, with a 123 slope, is one of the friendliest courses in town.
Legends Golf Resort (Moorland and Heathland)
Myrtle Beach · resort courses open to the public · Moorland: P.B. Dye (1990), 6,755 yards and 74.0 from the Blue tees · Heathland: Tom Doak (1990), 6,800 yards, 72.6/128 (Blue) · Parkland: Larry Young (1992), 7,108 yards, 74.3 (Blue) · Green fees dynamic or by package; packages reported from about $365 for three nights and three rounds · a nine-hole par-3 course, The Piper, by Ken Baker, is due in late fall 2026
Legends has three very different courses on one big property. The Moorland, by Pete Dye’s son P.B., is the hardest and wildest, with deep bunkers and heaving greens, and it’s T11 on Golfweek’s South Carolina list. The Heathland is one of Tom Doak’s earliest designs, an open, links-style course that’s far more playable, with a 128 slope from the Blue tees. The Parkland is the most traditional. A new par-3 course, The Piper, is due to open in late autumn 2026; our guide to par-3 golf courses explains why so many resorts are building them.
Verdict: the best-value resort complex in Myrtle Beach for a group, especially on a package. Play the Moorland if you like a fight and the Heathland if you’d rather enjoy yourself.
Also in central Myrtle Beach: Prestwick (Pete and P.B. Dye, 1989; 74.7/138 from the Black tees), T17 on Golfweek’s state list; Arcadian Shores, an early Rees Jones design with new ultradwarf Bermuda greens (73.2/137); Man O’ War (Dan Maples, 1996; 73.2/141), built around a big lake; and The Wizard, whose 17th is a 155-yard par 3 to an island green.
North Myrtle Beach and Little River
The north end, from North Myrtle Beach to Little River and the North Carolina line, is newer and more spread out, with big resort complexes and courses along the Intracoastal Waterway.
Barefoot Resort (Dye, Love, Fazio and Norman)
North Myrtle Beach · resort courses open to the public; the Dye Course is semi-private with memberships · Dye: Pete Dye, par 72, 7,343 yards, 75.6/149 · Love: Davis Love III, par 72, 7,006 yards, 74.9/141 · Fazio: Tom Fazio, par 71, 6,834 yards, 73.3/144 · Norman: Greg Norman, par 72, 7,008 yards, 74.2/141 (all from the Platinum tees) · walk-on rates start at $95 to $108 from January 4 to February 9, 2027, and $215 to $235 from April 1 to May 2, 2027 (official) · packages reported from about $505 for three nights and three rounds
Barefoot is four courses by four famous names, all opened around 2000, and they’re the most consistent quartet in Myrtle Beach. The Dye Course is the best and the hardest, with waste bunkers, railroad ties and a 149 slope from the back; Golf Digest ranks it No. 30 in South Carolina. The Fazio is No. 49 on the same list. The Love Course is the most fun, and the Norman runs along the Intracoastal Waterway.
Which tees: all four are over 6,800 yards from the Platinum tees. A 10-handicap should play around 6,300; an 18 around 5,800 to 6,000.
Verdict: the Dye for a test, the Love for a good time. The swing between the winter and spring walk-on rates, $95 against $235, is the clearest example in town of why timing matters.
Tidewater Golf Club
North Myrtle Beach (Cherry Grove) · public · Ken Tomlinson (1990) · Par 72, 7,044 yards; 74.3/144 (Black) · Green fee dynamic, not published · book online
Tidewater sits on a neck of land between the Cherry Grove saltmarsh and the Intracoastal Waterway, and its holes along the marsh are some of the prettiest on the Grand Strand. It’s T11 on Golfweek’s South Carolina list and No. 38 on Golf Digest’s.
Verdict: the best course on the north end that anyone can book, and worth the drive from central Myrtle Beach.
Also in the north: Long Bay in Longs, a Jack Nicklaus design from 1989 (74.4/146 from the Black tees), and Glen Dornoch in Little River (Clyde Johnston, 1996; 73.1/145), with holes on the Intracoastal Waterway. Just over the state line in North Carolina, Tiger’s Eye at Ocean Ridge Plantation (Tim Cate, 2000; 73.3/141) and Thistle, No. 13 on Golfweek’s North Carolina list, are popular add-ons to a north-end trip; our guide to North Carolina’s best courses covers the Brunswick County courses.
How much does golf cost in Myrtle Beach?
Most Myrtle Beach courses price by demand, so rates move with the season and day. As a guide, Caledonia ran $79 to $129 in summer 2026, and Barefoot’s walk-on rates run from $95 in January to $235 in April 2027. Packages of three rounds with two or three nights’ lodging start at about $270 to $370 a person.
Here’s how the seasons work, using the published rates we could find:
| Season | Demand | Example published rates | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| March to May | Peak | Barefoot walk-on $215-$235 (April 1 to May 2, 2027) | Highest rates, best conditions, busiest tee sheets |
| June to August | Summer | Caledonia $79-$129; True Blue $59-$109 (2026) | Hot and humid; good morning and twilight deals |
| September to November | Fall | Most courses publish nothing; expect rates between summer and spring | Excellent weather; courses overseeding with ryegrass in early autumn |
| December to February | Winter | Barefoot walk-on $95-$108 (January 4 to February 9, 2027) | Cheapest rates; dormant or overseeded Bermuda; cool mornings |
Rates from each course’s site, October 2026.
The cheapest way to play the famous names is a package. Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, the area’s golf marketing co-operative, works with more than 40 package providers that bundle lodging and tee times at discounted rates. In July 2026 it published sample prices of $273.35 per person for three rounds and two nights at Brunswick Plantation on the Calabash package, $285.35 for the Little River Trio and $372.35 for a premium package adding Thistle and Tidewater. Package providers have also advertised three nights and three rounds at Legends from about $365 and at Barefoot from about $505 (reported). Booking three rounds or more through Golf Holiday has also earned a 10% discount per round.
For the cheapest rounds of all, our guide to cheap golf in Myrtle Beach goes through the value courses, and our guide to how much a round of golf costs explains the national picture.
When is the best time to play golf in Myrtle Beach?
March to May brings the best conditions and the highest prices, with Barefoot’s walk-on rate peaking at $235. September to November is the best balance of weather and value. Summer is hot but cheap at twilight, and December to February is cheapest of all, with walk-on rates from about $95 at Barefoot.
A few things are worth knowing about the seasons:
- Spring is peak season. Rates are highest and tee times sell out, especially around Easter and on weekends.
- Autumn is the sweet spot. The air cools in October and the courses are in good shape, though many overseed their Bermuda grass with ryegrass in September and October, which can mean temporary greens or cart-path-only days for a week or two.
- Summer is for early starters. Play at 7 am or after 4 pm; Caledonia’s twilight rate is $79 and True Blue’s $59.
- Winter is for bargain hunters. The Bermuda goes dormant and brown unless it’s been overseeded, but the rates are the lowest of the year.
For how warm-season grasses like Bermuda behave through the year, see our guide to golf course grass.
Which Myrtle Beach courses are best for beginners and high handicappers?
Start with SouthCreek at Myrtle Beach National (slope 123 from the Blue tees), Legends’ Heathland (128) or the Litchfield courses. Avoid Pawleys Plantation (150), the Dunes Club (149) and Barefoot’s Dye Course (149) until you’re comfortable, and play the forward tees wherever you go.
- Pick a lower slope. SouthCreek, the Heathland and Litchfield Country Club are much kinder than the big names.
- Play the forward tees. Most Myrtle Beach courses have four or five sets; a beginner should play 5,000 to 5,500 yards.
- Book twilight in summer. It’s cheaper, quieter and less pressured.
- Use the par-3 courses. Legends’ new nine-hole par-3, The Piper, is due in late fall 2026.
- Leave the famous names for later. Caledonia and True Blue are fun at any level, but Pawleys Plantation and the Dye Course punish inexperience.
- Mix in a range session. Many complexes include range balls in the rate.
- Bring the kids for a round of mini golf. Myrtle Beach has dozens of miniature golf courses, some of them landmarks in their own right.
How do you book tee times and golf packages in Myrtle Beach?
Book single rounds directly with each course online; most open tee times well ahead and price them dynamically. For three or more rounds, a stay-and-play package through Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday’s member providers is usually cheaper. The Dunes Club takes limited guest times only.
- Decide how many rounds you’ll play. Three or more, and a package almost always beats booking course by course.
- Anchor the trip on Caledonia. It’s the round that sells out first in spring; book it before anything else.
- Check the Dunes Club’s guest rules. Unaccompanied guests can’t play on Fridays, Saturdays or holiday weekends.
- Group courses by area. Pawleys Island to North Myrtle Beach is 45 minutes or more in traffic; play the south end one day and the north end another.
- Watch the dynamic price. The same tee time can cost far less on a Tuesday afternoon than on a Saturday morning.
- Ask about range balls and carts. Most Myrtle Beach rates include a cart; many include range balls.
- Check the overseeding dates. If you’re coming in September or October, ask whether the course is overseeding that week.
Our guide to how to book a tee time explains booking windows nationally, and our map of Myrtle Beach golf courses shows where each course sits. For the rest of the state’s golf, from Greenville to the coast, see our guide to the best golf courses in Upstate South Carolina.
How to choose your Myrtle Beach golf courses
- For the best round you can book: Caledonia.
- For a 36-hole day: Caledonia and True Blue.
- For history: the Dunes Club, if you can get a time, and Pine Lakes.
- For a test: Pawleys Plantation, Barefoot’s Dye Course or TPC Myrtle Beach.
- For a group with mixed abilities: Legends’ Heathland, Heritage Club or SouthCreek.
- For the north end: Tidewater and Barefoot.
- For the best value: a winter package, or summer twilight at Caledonia and True Blue.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best golf course in Myrtle Beach?
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s 1948 course, is the highest-ranked, No. 21 in South Carolina on Golf Digest’s 2025-26 list, but it’s private with limited guest times. The best course anyone can book is Caledonia on Pawleys Island, No. 4 on Golfweek’s 2026 list of South Carolina courses you can play.
How many golf courses are in Myrtle Beach?
More than 80 along the Grand Strand, according to Visit Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, from Pawleys Island to the North Carolina line. Most are public or resort courses that sell tee times to visitors.
How much does it cost to play golf in Myrtle Beach?
It depends on the course and season. In summer 2026, Caledonia cost $79 to $129 with a cart and True Blue $59 to $109; Barefoot’s walk-on rates run from $95 in January to $235 in April 2027. Packages of three rounds and two nights started at about $273 a person in July 2026.
Can you play the Dunes Golf and Beach Club?
Only through limited guest tee times. The Dunes Club is private; unaccompanied guests can’t play on Fridays, Saturdays or holiday weekends, and it doesn’t publish its rates. Ask your hotel or package provider well in advance.
What is the best time of year to play golf in Myrtle Beach?
March to May for conditions, though that’s peak pricing; September to November for the best balance of weather and value. Summer is hot but cheap at twilight, and winter, December to February, is the cheapest time of all.
What are the best golf courses in North Myrtle Beach?
Tidewater, T11 on Golfweek’s 2026 South Carolina list, and Barefoot Resort’s four courses, led by the Dye Course, No. 30 on Golf Digest’s state list. Long Bay, a Jack Nicklaus design, and Glen Dornoch on the Intracoastal Waterway are also worth playing.
Is a Myrtle Beach golf package worth it?
Usually, if you’re playing three rounds or more. Packages bundle lodging and tee times at volume rates; Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday published examples of $273.35 to $372.35 a person for three rounds and two nights in July 2026, and three-plus-round bookings have earned 10% off each round.
What is the hardest golf course in Myrtle Beach?
Pawleys Plantation, a Jack Nicklaus design with a 150 slope from the Golden Bear tees, followed by the Dunes Club and Barefoot’s Dye Course, both 149 from the back. Grande Dunes is the longest at 7,618 yards from the Gold tees.
Our verdict
Myrtle Beach’s reputation as the land of cheap, forgettable golf is half right. There are plenty of tired courses on the Grand Strand, but the best of them, Caledonia, True Blue, the Dunes Club, TPC Myrtle Beach and Tidewater, are as good as anything in the Carolinas, and they cost less than their equivalents almost anywhere else.
If you play one course, make it Caledonia. If you play three, add True Blue and either TPC Myrtle Beach or Tidewater. If you can arrange it, finish at the Dunes Club. And whatever you play, think about timing: the same tee time can cost less than half as much in January as in April. For the rest of the state, from Kiawah’s Ocean Course to Hilton Head, see our South Carolina course guide.
Sources
- 8 Myrtle Beach courses among Golf Digest’s Best Golf Courses in South Carolina for 2025-2026, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday
- Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, package and course information
- Golf in Myrtle Beach, Visit Myrtle Beach
- Rates and specials, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
- True Blue Golf Club
- How to play, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
- TPC Myrtle Beach
- Tidewater Golf Club
- Dye Course, Barefoot Resort
- Pine Lakes Country Club
- Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club
- Legends Golf Resort
- Arcadian Shores Golf Club
- Myrtle Beach National
- Grande Dunes Resort Club
- What exactly are Course Rating and Slope Rating?, USGA
Image credits
| Image | Photographer | Licence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wizard Golf Club, 17th hole (featured image) | Bernard Gagnon | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons |
| River Club, Pawleys Island, 1st hole marker | Bernard Gagnon | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons |
| Arnold Palmer statue, Myrtle Beach National | Bernard Gagnon | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons |
| Myrtle Beach National, West Course, 3rd hole marker | Bernard Gagnon | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons |
| The Wizard Golf Club, 17th hole sign | Bernard Gagnon | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons |
| Cap’n Cain Golf, Myrtle Beach, 1979 | Library of Congress (John Margolies) | no known restrictions | Wikimedia Commons |