The Grand Strand has over 60 public golf courses packed into a 30-mile stretch of coast. That is the draw, and it is also the problem. When every resort and booking site is pushing its own list, the courses that actually deserve a trip start to blur together with the ones that just have a good website.
This is the short list. Ten courses worth planning a trip around, each one linking to live tee times on SC Tee Times so you can check availability and book direct.
Dunes Golf and Beach Club
The most storied course on the Grand Strand. Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed it in 1948, and it has hosted PGA Tour and USGA events since. The course sits right on the ocean, and the par-5 13th, nicknamed Waterloo, is one of the most talked-about holes in the Southeast. It is the most expensive public round in the market by a wide margin, starting around $363, but it plays like a course that has earned that number over seven decades.
Caledonia Golf and Fish Club
The course most golfers picture when they think of Lowcountry golf. The oak-lined drive to the clubhouse sets the tone before you reach the first tee. Mike Strantz designed it to feel like it had always been there, and it does. Rates start around $190, and the course is in Pawleys Island, about 25 miles south of Myrtle Beach proper.
True Blue Golf Club
Caledonia's sister course, also a Strantz design, but the two play nothing alike. Where Caledonia is refined and traditional, True Blue is wide open and confrontational: waste areas, massive greens, and holes that reward the aggressive line. It is the more polarizing of the two and the more memorable if you like courses that push back. Rates start around $171.
Tidewater Golf Club
Sits on a peninsula between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic. The back nine along the waterway is the stretch everyone remembers, and for good reason. The course is well designed on its own, but the setting is what puts it over the top. Rates start around $182.
TPC Myrtle Beach
Carries the Tournament Players Club name, and the conditioning matches. Tom Fazio and Lanny Wadkins designed it to play firm and fast, and the maintenance crew keeps it that way year-round. It is the most tournament-ready public course on the Grand Strand. Rates start around $150.
Barefoot Resort - Dye Course
Barefoot has four courses by four different architects: Dye, Fazio, Love, and Norman. The Dye Course is the one most golfers single out. Pete Dye's trademark railroad-tie bunkering and forced carries make it the most demanding of the four, and the most rewarding when you play it well. If you are picking one Barefoot course, pick this one. Rates for any of the four start around $102.
Kings North at Myrtle Beach National
Myrtle Beach National has three courses, and Kings North is the headliner. Arnold Palmer designed it, and the signature hole is a par-5 called The Gambler with a split fairway and an island shortcut you can try to carry or play around. It is the course most locals mention first when someone asks about MBN. Rates start around $171.
Grande Dunes Resort Club
Tom Fazio's contribution to the north end of Myrtle Beach. The course runs along the Intracoastal Waterway, and the clubhouse and grounds are the most polished public golf experience in the market. Rates start around $158.
Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club
A Jack Nicklaus design routed through Lowcountry marshland in Pawleys Island. It sits near Caledonia and True Blue, which makes it a natural addition if you are already playing that end of the Grand Strand. Rates start around $186.
Prestwick Country Club
Does not carry a resort name or a marquee architect, but it is one of the better-conditioned courses in the market. The layout runs through Carolina pines, the pace of play is usually reasonable, and rates start around $127. It is the best value on this list.
Book Caledonia first. It is the hardest tee time to get on this list, and the one most likely to sell out on your preferred dates. Lock it down, then build the rest of the trip around it. If Caledonia is full, True Blue is right next door and just as good a reason to make the drive to Pawleys Island.
How to compare and book
Every course on this list is on SC Tee Times with live rates and availability. You can compare what is open across the entire Grand Strand without opening a separate booking site for each one, check your dates, and book direct with the course.
If these courses are above your budget, the Grand Strand has plenty of quality golf at lower price points. See what $100 gets you in Myrtle Beach golf for the next tier down.
Browse live tee times for all 68 Myrtle Beach public courses.
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