Best golf courses in South Carolina

With five golf courses to choose from at Kiawah Island, this resort really is a golfer’s heaven. The Ocean Course here is regarded as one of the best public golf courses in the US and hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 PGA Championship, but that is not to say that Turtle Point, Osprey Point, Oak Point, and Cougar Point aren’t worth your time. On top of numerous golf courses, there are also three types of accommodation to choose from such as the five-star Sanctuary Hotel and the private villas and homes, all of which offer premier comfort and luxury.

Hilton Head Island is a fantastic spot for your next golf vacation. It is well known that Harbour Town Golf Links is one of the best golf courses in America, and is the host venue of the RBC Heritage tournament on the PGA TOUR. There are two more courses at the Sea Pines Resort, Heron Point and Atlantic Dunes. The latter was the first course to open on the island and Heron Point was recently re-designed and re-constructed by legendary golf course architect Pete Dye in 2014.

In the heart of Hilton Head Island, you will find Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort and its three fantastic golf courses. To add to the Robert Trent Jones Course, the George Fazio Course, and the Arthur Hills Course, there is also a tennis center and an 11-mile lagoon, perfect for kayaking or canoeing. You should also head down to Shelter Cove Marina where you can try out several water sports such as deep-sea fishing, sport crabbing, sailing, and powerboating.

Since opening, the incredible RiverTowne Arnold Palmer design has won numerous accolades such as 'South Carolina Golf Course of the Year'. It certainly is no wonder this course is a former LPGA Tour venue. Despite being relatively flat and in open marshland terrain, the layout has been sculpted into an absorbing and very natural golf course. Views of the Horlbeck Creek are in abundance here, but don’t let that distract you from trying to avoid the several deep bunkers, small lakes, and wetland areas.

Barefoot Resort in Myrtle Beach is another option where you can find several on-site golf courses in abundance in the Dye Course, Fazio Course, Norman Course, and Love Course. In fact, the Love and Fazio courses are regarded as two of the toughest in the region. Aside from Myrtle Beach’s “fantastic four,” you will find comfortable accommodation in the villas which offer views of the courses as well as a neighborhood pool.

Just one mile from the bridges to Hilton Head Island, you will find the outstanding Hilton Head National. Thanks to a combination of distinct design philosophies from Gary Player and Bobby Weed, the course offers a unique 18 holes of golf that makes you use every single club in the bag. This course is a favorite among local residents, so if you’re on vacation in the Hilton Head area and want to play golf, you should definitely consider this beauty.

Annually ranked inside America’s '100 Greatest Public Courses', Caledonia Golf & Fish Club is a must-play for those on vacation in Myrtle Beach. From the moment you make your way up the entrance lined with centuries-old oaks, to holeing your last putt on the 18th green, you will just be in awe of the place. The Southern-style clubhouse is the perfect place to relax and take in what you have just experienced after your round.

Lowcountry breezes from the Intracoastal Waterway, combined with ancient oak trees, are what sets apart The Links at Stono Ferry from other courses in Charleston. Just 30-minutes from downtown, this course is a refuge from the city's hustle and bustle. For those who enjoy history, how would you like to say you’ve played golf on the site of a historic Revolutionary War battle? Well, on The Links at Stono Ferry you can do exactly that.

Inspired by Scottish golf, the Legends Golf Resort in Myrtle Beach offers golfers the choice of three outstanding on-site golf courses and a further two off-site, as well as a range of comfortable two and three-bed villas. The Heathland, Parkland, and Moorland courses are reminiscent of courses in the UK, whereas the Heritage Club and Oyster Bay offer typical American golf features. A golf trip here will make you realize why Myrtle Beach has become one of the premier destinations for golfers.