My top 10 golf courses in Myrtle Beach

You're ready to watch!
You can now enjoy GolfPass videos and more.
Play_Icon Play

Up Next

Autoplay is paused

Myrtle Beach buddies trips: Best value and variety

Once upon a time, I spent nearly two years living in Myrtle Beach. While there, living at an apartment complex in Myrtlewood, I played some of my best rounds since my high school golf team days. I didn't have a boat, and didn't want to bring sand home from the beach, so what else was there to do besides play golf?

I didn't play all the 100 or so courses around, but came pretty close. Maybe one day I'll return and fill in some last holes like Thistle and World Tour (even Possum Trot intrigues me).

The golf scene has gone through some contraction, management and ownership shuffles since I last visited, but I'm happy to report all of my favorite courses remain in business. When the herd is culled, the best stuff often grows stronger. There may be fewer courses in Myrtle Beach these days, but there is still more variety than just about anywhere on the coast coast.

Before I go on to my personal Top 10, here is a foursome of essential tips for your Myrtle Beach trip:

  • A la carte green fees are a good way to pay double (or more) than you should for golf. Golf packages are the way to go, unless you're not picky at all with courses. Then you can look for last-minute specials.
  • The best season to save money on both golf and lodging is between Thanksgiving and New Years. Golf may be cheaper in the summer but lodging is at a premium.
  • If you'd rather avoid the riff-raff, stay in Murrells Inlet or Pawley's Island. If you ARE the riff-raff, Myrtle Beach to North Myrtle Beach is your spot.
  • If you're like me and hate slow golf, ask for courses that don't double-tee in the winter and early spring, or play private courses with hotel affiliations.

With that out of the way, it's time to share my Top 10.

Play golf courses in Myrtle Beach like Willbrook Plantation at the right time of year, and you'll enjoy great savings.

I have great fondness for Willbrook Plantation, perhaps because it always seems to fly under the radar among Myrtle Beach's best courses. Truth is, the Dan Maples design isn't showy, it's just consistent and fair. That said, the narrow, long par-4 first hole is one of the toughest openers around. Mossy oaks drape tee boxes and fairways throughout. It's such a gorgeous setting with a complete facility and can be booked for less than others in the pricier Pawleys Island-Murrells Inlet area. I played here a few times, and it seemed like the starters had better control of the tee sheet than others.

Heritage Club has a seriously scenic layout full of lowcountry mossy oaks and marshy vistas along the Waccamaw River. It's a fun design with plenty of teeth for better players with plenty of water to navigate and some stout forced carries, too. Some reviewers on Golf Advisor bemoan the pace of play, and come to think of it, my rounds there were slow. That said, Myrtle Beach rounds in peak season tend to crawl.

I've always felt the Pawleys Plantation setting is one of the better ones in Myrtle Beach, and the green fees here are traditionally a little lower versus other top-shelfers. 1980s Nicklaus courses, with their small, penal greens aren't my favorite era, but this course is nevertheless pretty playable. It also helps that it's price tag checks in a little lower than south strand neighbors like TPC and Caledonia.

Unquestionably one of the better waterfront settings on the Grand Strand, North Myrtle Beach's Tidewater is a real visual stunner with holes along the waterway holes on both nines, not to mention a good bit of elevation change uncommon to its neighbors. Excruciating pace of play took some of the enjoyment out of my round there (a shame given its premium price tag), but fortunately it's a scenic place.

Designed by Mike Strantz, the challenging True Blue course in Pawleys Island, S.C. featured an island green on no. 3.

Would I make True Blue my home course? Not likely. But when you're on vacation, you want something you don't see every day, and True Blue delivers 18 extraordinarily memorable looks from Mike Strantz. He took his clout from his effort at Caledonia and went a little overboard here (it's since been dialed back a little bit). Of all the courses in Myrtle Beach, this is the one that will likely drum up the most 19th hole debate.

The Love Course at Barefoot tends to fare a little better in ratings panels, but I'm a sucker for Fazio's consistently gorgeous shaping (besides, the faux ruins of the Love course are bizarre). Big playing corridors, not to mention massive waste bunkers and artful green contours give the course a premium look that justifies the price tag.

You're ready to watch!
You can now enjoy GolfPass videos and more.
Play_Icon Play

Up Next

Autoplay is paused

Playing TPC Myrtle Beach with a top Grand Strand junior

The peace of mind that comes with the TPC brand — tour-worthy facilities, course conditions and amenities — is welcomed in a place like Myrtle where other operations are more hit-and-miss. But what impressed me most about this Tom Fazio layout was how naturally scenic it was, despite also blending into a residential community. The round came full of wonderful birdlife in particular.

One of the great holes in golf tourism is the "Gambler" on the King's North Course at Myrtle Beach National.

I played this course the most during my time in Myrtle and with familiarity came an appreciation for Arnold Palmer's risk-reward layout full of holes you'll remember for a long time. It's simply an exciting routing from start-to-finish on a palette void of real estate despite being pretty close to the heart of town. There are a ton of driver holes (dogleg lefts, especially) and chances to be aggressive (like the stellar, drivable par-4 3rd). I know there are architecture buffs out there who may bemoan the 40-plus bunkers on 18, or the island fairway on the par-5 "Gambler," but you're in Myrtle, my dude. Embrace it!

The first solo design by Mike Strantz, Caledonia is more toned down compared to the late-architect's wilder stuff that came later. Ownership ensured the then-unproven Strantz didn't go off the deep end, and the result is an artistically shaped course through some of the South Strand's best terrain. It's more pleasant and traditional than some of his more jarring works like True Blue or Tobacco Road. The oak-lined entrance is as good as it gets in golf, and the boisterous 19th hole patio is one of the more famous in the south as well.

The Dunes Golf and Beach Club features a long carry to the green and alternate tee boxes.

There isn't a more significant course in Myrtle Beach than its second course, the historic Dunes, which opened in 1949 and put Myrtle on the map. The post-World War II courses by Jones into the 1950s are considered by many to be the best stuff in the architect's portfolio that spans from the Great Depression until 2000. The Dunes had the added benefit of more site visits from Jones than virtually any other project of his. It's a fabulous routing, particularly the first half of the back nine that play along Singleton Swash. Waterloo is the signature hole of the entire destination and personifies Jones' "Heroic" hole design. It's walkable, marvelously conditioned and just oozes class. Given that it's not a daily-fee and public access is more limited, your round shouldn't be as slow as other popular courses.

Honorable Mentions: Barefoot Love, Oyster Bay, Tiger's Eye, Prestwick, Legends Heathland, River's Edge, River Hills (for value)

You can view the top 10 courses according to user reviews on the Myrtle Beach destination guide page. Did any of these courses miss the mark for your group? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you played any of these golf courses? Review them here!
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Semi-Private
4.0838764706
72
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Public
4.2672
168
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Semi-Private/Resort
4.3166470588
52
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Public
4.8260857143
49
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Public/Resort
4.0571428571
57
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Resort
4.2857285714
27
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
Resort
3.0267411765
118
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Resort
4.5902235294
150
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Public
1.9984
90
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Semi-Private
4.4286
21

Get a golf package quote!

Package Information

Contact Information

Brandon Tucker is the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, he was the managing editor for Golf Channel Digital's Courses & Travel. To date, his golf travels have taken him to over two dozen countries and nearly 600 golf courses worldwide. While he's played some of the most prestigious courses in the world, Tucker's favorite way to play the game is on a great muni in under three hours. Follow Brandon on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at @btuck34.
5 Comments
Default User Avatar

Been going to Myrtle Beach yearly for 25 years. I'll give you an 80% on your top 10...not bad. We consistenly play top courses each year. Wasn't a big fan of Pawleys or TPC, but I do love the southern courses. I would go with Thistle and Grand Dunes to round out my top 10, but everyone's got an opinion, right?

Default User Avatar

I have stayed at the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes, it's a great resort and works with all the courses in the Myrtle Beach golf package industry

Default User Avatar

I want to treat my family to a golf weekend in Myrtle Beach. They are both exceptional golfers playing yrs at Jersey country clubs. Also need it to be a fair price, since I am paying for everything including a hotel close by, any recommendations needed plzzzz

Default User Avatar

Check out Carribean resort, they have a ton of stay and play packages and you can pick your tee times at many great courses!

Default User Avatar

Contact Beach Cove Resort golf department. They have set my group packages for the past 12 or 13 years. Always fair and well located.

Now Reading
My top 10 golf courses in Myrtle Beach