Rankings
Everywhere you travel in South Carolina you’ll find great golf courses designed by all of the world’s top architects. And every year you’ll find South Carolina courses recognized by leading golf magazines as among the finest in the nation – some perennial favorites and some new courses making their national reputations.
The first two on every list are world famous.
The Ocean Course at Kiawah was the site of the 1991 Ryder Cup, certainly one of the greatest golf tournaments in history. The Ocean Course sits astride two and three-quarter miles of pristine Atlantic Ocean beach. Says architect Pete Dye, “There’s no other golf course in the Northern Hemisphere that has as many seaside holes.”
Just as famous is the site of the PGA Verizon Heritage Classic since 1969, Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island. While other classic courses are stretching their tee boxes even farther back to accommodate the length that the modern golf ball flies, the narrow fairways and tiny greens at Harbour Town – designed by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus – stand the tests of time and technology.
The Love Course (David Love, III, that is) at Barefoot Golf Resort in North Myrtle Beach takes you back in time as you play around the recreated ruins of an old plantation house. The Tom Fazio course at Barefoot is reminiscent of European courses that do not return to the clubhouse after nine holes, and has water visible on 15 holes.
The legendary Dune Golf and Beach Club , designed in 1948 by Robert Trent Jones, set the standard of golf excellence in the Myrtle Beach area, now the #1 golf destination in the world.
Tidewater Golf Club was built in North Myrtle Beach in 1990, and is completely surrounded by the Intracoastal Waterway, saltwater marshes and the Atlantic Ocean.
Three new neighbors are on the list. Caledonia and sister course, True Blue are next door to Heritage Plantation. Built on Colonial rice plantations, these courses share the extraordinary natural beauty of Pawleys Island, where fragrant magnolias and 300-year-old live oaks frame freshwater lakes and tranquil salt marshes beside the Atlantic Ocean.
All nine of these great courses are along the coast, but Biff Lathrop of the South Carolina Golf Association says there’s more to see here. “Certainly play these great courses, and then stay a little longer. Our geography makes for so much variety. You’ll be amazed at the number of wonderful golf courses and friendly people you’ll find in South Carolina.’