Green Fees in South Carolina: What It Costs to Play in 2026

The short answer

Plan on anything from roughly 50 to over 600 US dollars for the green fee in 2026, because South Carolina spans the full width of American golf pricing. At the value end, weekday and twilight rounds on the Grand Strand around Myrtle Beach start near 50 to 90 dollars. The signature resort courses of Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head and Kiawah sit in the middle, roughly 130 to 300 dollars depending on the course and the season. And at the top, the bucket list pair, the Pete Dye Ocean Course at Kiawah Island and Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head, command roughly 400 to 650 dollars in peak season, among the dearest public rounds in the country.

As across the Carolinas, the crucial point is that the gate rate is rarely what golfers actually pay. The Grand Strand is built on stay and play packages that bundle lodging and a round a day at a blended price well below the published fees, and Hilton Head and Kiawah offer resort packages that improve both access and price at the marquee courses. If you are coming for golf, the package is the unit to compare. The table below gives the indicative gate prices by tier; the sections beneath explain the three regions, the seasons and the package math.

The three regions, and what they cost

South Carolina golf falls into three coastal regions, each with its own price character. The Grand Strand around Myrtle Beach is the volume capital, roughly ninety courses along sixty miles of shoreline, and the best value in American golf when you buy a package, with signature rounds at Caledonia, True Blue and TPC Myrtle Beach and a deep field of mid tier courses beneath them. The Lowcountry around Hilton Head Island is more refined and more expensive, led by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus's Harbour Town Golf Links, the famous Heritage host with its candy striped lighthouse, alongside the Sea Pines and resort courses.

Charleston and Kiawah Island, to the south, is the premium end. The Ocean Course at Kiawah, the Pete Dye links that staged the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships, is the headline and one of the most expensive public rounds in the United States, supported by Kiawah's other resort courses and the historic clubs around Charleston. A classic South Carolina trip often pairs the value of the Grand Strand with one splurge round at Kiawah or Hilton Head, which is exactly the kind of balance the package and concierge approach is built to strike.

How to spend, and how to save

If you play one or two premium rounds, make them count. The Ocean Course at Kiawah and Harbour Town are the bucket list pair and worth the top fee once in a golfing life, while Caledonia Golf and Fish Club and its sister True Blue, both Mike Strantz designs near Pawleys Island, are the artistic high points of the Grand Strand at a fraction of the price. Anchor a trip on one marquee splurge and fill the rest with strong signature and mid tier rounds.

To save, weight your golf toward autumn or late winter rather than peak spring, book afternoon and twilight tee times, and buy a stay and play package rather than paying at the gate, especially on the Grand Strand. Basing in one area cuts drive times and lets you play more for less. A trip built around one bucket list round and several package rounds on the Strand is the sweet spot of quality and value in South Carolina.