Best public golf in South Carolina.

SC · Hilton Head Island · Resort · Par 71

Pete Dye's tight, tree-lined classic at Sea Pines hosts the RBC Heritage every April. The closing hole plays straight at the iconic red-and-white lighthouse over Calibogue Sound.

SC · Bluffton · Resort · Par 72

Jack Nicklaus laid this eco-friendly course through ancient oaks and tidal marsh at a Montage resort between Savannah and Hilton Head. Pure Lowcountry serenity, available to resort guests.

SC · Kiawah Island · Resort · Par 72

Site of the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships, every hole on this Pete Dye masterpiece offers an ocean view and a stiff sea breeze. Walking-only with caddies for the full bucket-list experience.

SC · Pawleys Island · Public · Par 70

Mike Strantz built a short, strategic stunner on an old rice plantation, with a clubhouse approach under a canopy of live oaks. The par-3-heavy closing stretch finishes right by the porch.

SC · Kiawah Island · Resort · Par 72

Gary Player's design hugs the Kiawah River with sweeping marsh vistas and tidal-creek carries. A scenic, fair test to round out a Kiawah golf trip.

SC · Kiawah Island · Resort · Par 72

Tom Fazio wove four natural lakes and fingers of saltmarsh through dense maritime forest. The most playable and picturesque of Kiawah's resort courses for most golfers.

SC · Kiawah Island · Resort · Par 72

Jack Nicklaus blends inland oaks on the front with three stunning oceanfront holes on the back. A gentler, gorgeous alternative to the brutal Ocean Course next door.

SC · North Myrtle Beach · Resort · Par 71

A classic Fazio parkland layout with elevated greens and plenty of strategic options. The most traditional of the Barefoot four and a Myrtle Beach favorite.

SC · North Myrtle Beach · Resort · Par 72

Davis Love III built crumbling plantation-ruin replicas into the course for a unique, atmospheric round. One of four big-name designs at Myrtle Beach's premier golf resort.

SC · North Myrtle Beach · Resort · Par 72

Greg Norman's links-leaning design opens up bump-and-run options and finishes along the Intracoastal Waterway. Wide and fun with the Shark's hands-on, natural style.

SC · North Myrtle Beach · Public · Par 72

One of the few Myrtle Beach courses with genuine ocean and saltmarsh views, perched on a peninsula between the Intracoastal and Cherry Grove inlet. Several holes feel more like Pebble Beach than the Grand Strand.

SC · Murrells Inlet · Resort · Par 72

A Tom Fazio design that briefly hosted a Senior Tour event, now a polished public flagship for the area. Big, well-bunkered, and a notch above the Myrtle Beach daily-fee pack.

SC · Pawleys Island · Public · Par 72

Caledonia's wilder sister course, also by Mike Strantz, sprawls across big sandy waste areas and massive greens. Width off the tee, drama around the greens, and great value.