Best golf courses near Surfside Beach, SC

Its ocean-side dunes are mostly covered with turfgrass and mature trees now, but when Robert Trent Jones built The Dunes back in the late 1940s, the property was primarily windswept sand dotted with lagoons. Those lakes come in prominently on many holes, particularly on the 11th through 13th, dubbed Alligator Alley. (The boomerang-shaped par-5 13th is called Waterloo.) The home hole, with a pond in front of the green, started as a gambling par 5 but today is a daunting par 4. The course has hosted three USGA championships, including the 1962 U.S. Women's Open and most recently, the 2017 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball.

A past member of our 100 Greatest Public list, King’s North is one of three layouts at Myrtle Beach National. The Arnold Palmer design features some of the Grand Strand’s most notable holes, including the par-5 sixth hole, aptly nicknamed “The Gambler.” Off the tee, players must choose one of the two fairways, either the island strip that shortens the hole, or the safer option to the right, making it a three-shotter. The par-3 12thfeatures an island green, and though it’s more generous than the famous TPC Sawgrass original, the wooden bulkheads lining the green provide similar intimidation.

Caledonia was Strantz’s first solo design in 1994, and his creativity shines on this golf-only, oak-dotted, sand-dune parcel abutting the marshes and rice paddies of Pawley’s Island. The design is ordered and composed, twisting low through the heavy tree canopy while setting up classic hole strategies into angled greens. There are touches of Pete Dye and just enough quirk to suggest something more intense and experimental brewing under the surface. Two musts: The chowder at the turn, and a drink on the porch behind the 18th hole.

Strantz returned to Pawley’s Island just a few years after Caledonia opened, nearly to the exact same place, in fact. True Blue is Caledonia’s sister course, located on an inland property that sits just across the street, though sequestered from any marsh views. But what it lacks in scenery it makes up for in volume. Everything at True Blue is bigger and more heroic. Greens erupt out of sand barrens, fairways are 60 to 90 yards wide and holes take on the form of ambling caterpillars. The abrupt, hi-contrast shaping, made possible by the sandy terrain, is a not so subtle nod in the direction of Pine Valley.

The highest ranked of the four courses at Barefoot Resort, the Dye course features classic Dye bunker complexes with risk/reward opportunities for low-handicappers with playable options from forward tees for higher handicappers.

A Dan Maples design, The Heritage Club weaves along the Waccamaw River Trail and borders vast abandoned rice fields. This Pawleys Island course is complemented by lush native flowers along its rolling fairways as well as passerby boats on its riverside holes.

Once the host of the Senior PGA Tour Championship and now home to Dustin Johnson’s annual World Junior Golf Championship, TPC Myrtle Beach is designed to challenge even the pros. Numerous water hazards, strategically placed trees, and forced carries make this track a tough, but enjoyable test.

Grande Dunes reopened in September 2022 after a complete greens and bunker renovation over the summer. Spectacular views of the Intracoastal Waterway and Grande Dunes Marina make this links-style golf course well worth the visit. Designed by Roger Rulewich Group, the course was built on a high bluff—the ideal setting for a picturesque sunset round. Expansive fairways littered with penalty areas throughout define Grande Dunes as a difficult, yet enjoyable resort course.

This Jack Nicklaus design would contend not only for the best in Myrtle Beach but the best public courses in South Carolina. Pawleys Plantation lies among the natural saltwater marshes and boasts some strong par 3s. According to Nicklaus, each hole has a distinct intended strategy shaped by hazards, trees, bunkers, and even a double green shared by two holes.

A member of Golf Digest's 100 Greatest Public ranking from 2003 to 2007, the Love course is one of the best in Myrtle Beach and yet ranked as the third-best at golf-rich Barefoot Resort (just a few tenths of a point behind the Fazio course, according to our panelists). This is Love Golf Design's only work in Myrtle Beach, and it makes good use of the land with a good variety of holes—long, short and doglegs in each direction.

The Reserve Golf Club in Pawleys Island is one of the best courses in South Carolina. Discover our experts' reviews and where The Reserve ranks in our rankings

Fazio's entry at Barefoot Resort will challenge the best players—with the routing constantly changing direction to account for the seemingly ever-present wind—but is playable for the resort player. The par-5 fourth hole stands out—lined with bunkers and a sentinel pine up by the green. The 18th hole is a great finish, playing up to the clubhouse with a huge porch, perfect for watching players come in.

Arcadian Shores was Rees Jones’ first solo design project, opening in 1974. This Myrtle Beach layout jumpstarted Jones’ career, which saw him redesign many U.S. Open venues, earning him the moniker “The Open Doctor.” Like many Rees Jones designs, trees and bunkers line the fairways, requiring quality ball-striking. Many greens are elevated, and approaches that don’t reach the surfaces can roll back down the fairway.

The Norman course at Barefoot Resort is highlighted by the seven holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway. As is typical of many Greg Norman designs, the fairways run off into sandy waste areas, which present a unique challenge. The greens have subtle movement and often give the player the option of hitting a low, bump-and-run shot.

Water is the defining feature at Man O’ War, coming into play on nearly every hole. The Myrtle Beach layout features back-to-back island greens, including at the par-3 15th, which we ranked among golf’s best island greens. First, the 14th is a relatively short par 4 where the second shot plays over water. The par-3 15th is short—only about 125 yards—and plays to a 48-yard wide, 65-yard-deep island green. What’s more, there’s also an “island hole,” where water surrounds the fairway and green.

Litchfield Country Club is certainly a first-shot golf course, with narrow tree-lined fairways that dogleg in both directions, often sharply. Playing under 6,700 yards from the tips, the Willard Byrd design is not long but instead requires precision. If you can find the narrow fairways, the second shots are often forgiving, with openings allowing you to bounce the ball up onto the gently sloped greens.

Myrtlewood’s 36-hole facility includes the Palmetto course, which has gently sloping fairways, large greens and a variety of hazards. The Myrtle Beach layout hosted the second U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in 1978. As part of a 2019 renovation, every bunker on the course was redesigned, with many of them being moved closer to the fairways. New Bermuda grass greens were installed the same year as well.

Arrowhead Country Club is a 27-hole facility with three distinct nines located just a couple miles from the airport in Myrtle Beach. The tree-lined Cypress nine winds through Carolina hardwoods with water coming into play on seven holes, mostly on the right side. Water also comes into play on many holes on the Lakes nine, including at the narrow par-5 third. The Waterway is perhaps the most player-friendly of the three nines, with wider fairways and large greens. Arrowhead boasts a “Kids Play Free” program where juniors 16 and under can play for free with a paying adult.

The Heathland course at the Legends Golf Resort opened in 1990 and was one of Tom Doak’s earliest designs. The acclaimed Doak—who also designed Pacific Dunes, Tara Iti and Streamsong Blue, among many others—designed Heathland in a Scottish links-style, with open, rolling terrain. Shot options abound at Heathland, with well-placed bunkering, patches of dense native grasses and a meandering creek all demanding thoughtful strategy and proper execution.