Looking to play the best public-access courses at one of the most popular golf destinations in the U.S.? We’ve got you – and Myrtle Beach – covered. Using the Golfweek’s Best rankings of public-access courses in South Carolina, we are featuring the layouts within an hour’s drive of the Grand Strand.
For this exercise, we used Google Maps and punched in each course as of a Saturday morning to determine drive times, with Myrtle Beach International Airport as an achored starting point. Included with this list is a general map of where to find all these courses. Each one on the list below is represented with a number on the map – keep scrolling to see the numbers. The numbers represent the order in which the courses are ranked.
Included with each course is its position in South Carolina on the Golfweek’s Best public-access list. For any course that appears on our other popular rankings lists, those positions are included as well.
- More: Where to play public golf around Orlando and Central Florida, Chicago, New York City, South Florida, Pinehurst and the Phoenix/Scottsdale area
A little background: 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 this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort, by staying at an affiliated hotel or purchasing a golf vacation package. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time – no membership required.
12. Barefoot Resort & Golf (Fazio)
Where: North Myrtle Beach
State ranking: No. 18 among public-access courses in South Carolina
Designer: Tom Fazio
Distance: 30 minutes northeast of Myrtle Beach International Airport
11. Legends Golf Resort (Heathland)
Where: Myrtle Beach
State ranking: Tied for No. 16 among public-access courses in South Carolina
Designer: Tom Doak
Distance: 20 minutes northwest of Myrtle Beach International Airport
10. Grande Dunes Resort Club
Where: Myrtle Beach
State ranking: No. 15 among public-access courses in South Carolina
Designer: Roger Rulewich
Distance: 25 minutes northeast of Myrtle Beach International Airport
9. Barefoot Resort & Golf (Dye)
Where: North Myrtle Beach
State ranking: No. 14 among public-access courses in South Carolina
Designer: Pete Dye
Distance: 30 minutes northeast of Myrtle Beach International Airport
8. Heritage Club
Where: Pawleys Island
State ranking: No. 13 among public-access courses in South Carolina
Designer: Dan Maples
Distance: 40 minutes south of Myrtle Beach International Airport
7. Myrtle Beach National (King’s North)
Where: Myrtle Beach
State ranking: No. 11 among public-access courses in South Carolina
Designer: Arnold Palmer
Distance: 20 minutes north of Myrtle Beach International Airport
6. TPC Myrtle Beach
Where: Murrells Inlet
State ranking: No. 10 among public-access courses in South Carolina
Designer: Tom Fazio
Distance: 30 minutes south of Myrtle Beach International Airport
5. Legends Golf Resort (Moorland)
Where: Myrtle Beach
State ranking: No. 9 among public-access courses in South Carolina
Designer: P.B. Dye
Distance: 20 minutes northwest of Myrtle Beach International Airport
4. Tidewater Golf Club
Where: North Myrtle Beach
State ranking: No. 7 among public-access courses in South Carolina
Designer: Ken Tomlinson
Distance: 40 minutes northeast of Myrtle Beach International Airport
3. True Blue Golf Club
Where: Pawleys Island
State ranking: No. 5 among public-access courses in South Carolina; tied for No. 85 resort courses in the U.S.
Designer: Michael Strantz
Distance: 40 minutes south of Myrtle Beach International Airport
2. Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Where: Pawleys Island
State ranking: No. 4 among public-access courses in South Carolina; No. 182 among all modern courses in the U.S.; No. 49 resort course in the U.S.; No. 65 public-access courses in the U.S.
Designer: Michael Strantz
Distance: 40 minutes south of Myrtle Beach International Airport
1. The Dunes Golf & Beach Club
Where: Myrtle Beach
State ranking: No. 3 among public-access courses in South Carolina; tied for No. 146 among all classic courses in the U.S.; No. 44 resort course in the U.S.; No. 59 public-access courses in the U.S.
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Distance: 25 minutes northeast of Myrtle Beach International Airport
