How to Play the Best Golf in the Carolinas
Side by side, North and South Carolina form one of the richest golf regions on earth, from the pine scented Sandhills and the cradle of US Open history at Pinehurst to the Pete Dye drama of the South Carolina coast. Here is how to play it: the four areas that matter, the courses to build around, how to get on and what it costs in 2026.
Photograph: Kiawah Island, the Ocean Course, via Google
Why the Carolinas
No two neighbouring states carry more golf than the Carolinas. North Carolina is the adopted home of Donald Ross and the historic heart of the American game, anchored by Pinehurst, while South Carolina owns a coastline studded with championship courses, led by the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island and Harbour Town at Hilton Head, both Pete Dye landmarks. Between them sit Myrtle Beach, the densest concentration of golf courses in the country, and the cool Blue Ridge mountains, and the whole region travels easily because the two states share a border and a golf culture.
The smart way to play the Carolinas is to pick an anchor area, then decide whether to pair it with a second. The Sandhills alone fill a long weekend of world class golf; the South Carolina coast gives you Kiawah, Charleston and Hilton Head; Myrtle Beach offers more courses and better value than anywhere; and the mountains are the summer and shoulder season escape. Below is how each area plays and the courses to build around.
The four golf areas
Pinehurst and the Sandhills, North Carolina
The historic heartland and the area every visiting golfer should play. Pinehurst Resort alone runs ten courses, led by the legendary No 2, the Donald Ross design restored by Coore and Crenshaw that hosted the US Open in 2014 and again in 2024 and is now a permanent anchor site for the championship. No 4, reworked by Gil Hanse in 2018, and the new Tom Doak No 10, opened in 2024, give the resort two more must plays, while the wild, dune framed Tobacco Road by Mike Strantz is one of the most distinctive courses in the country. Base in the village of Pinehurst or Southern Pines and walk from history to history.
Charleston, Kiawah and the Lowcountry, South Carolina
The marquee coastal area, where the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, the Pete and Alice Dye design that staged the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships and is set to host the PGA again in 2031, is the headline round. The Kiawah Island resort surrounds it with more courses, the city of Charleston gives you one of the great American food and history destinations as a base, and a short hop south brings Hilton Head and Harbour Town Golf Links, the Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus design with the red and white lighthouse 18th that has hosted the RBC Heritage every year since 1969.
Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand, South Carolina
The Grand Strand around Myrtle Beach is the value and volume capital of American golf, with around a hundred courses along sixty miles of coast and the package golf machine to match. The quality is real at the top: the two Mike Strantz masterpieces, Caledonia Golf and Fish Club from 1994 and True Blue from 1998, sit just south at Pawleys Island, and the Dunes Golf and Beach Club, a Robert Trent Jones senior classic from 1949, anchors the marquee end. This is the area for a buddies trip built on multiple rounds a day and easy nights.
The North Carolina mountains and the coast
When the lowlands bake in summer, the mountains around Asheville stay cool, sitting above two thousand feet on classic Donald Ross designs with a season that runs roughly April through November. To the southeast, the North Carolina coast around Wilmington and Calabash offers relaxed resort golf on sandy, fast running turf, an easy extension of a Myrtle Beach trip just across the state line. Both areas round out a longer Carolinas itinerary with variety and value.
The courses to build around
| Course | Area and access | Why play it |
|---|---|---|
| Pinehurst No 2 | Sandhills, resort guests; indicative from around 470 dollars in 2026 | Donald Ross masterpiece, US Open anchor site, the best course in North Carolina |
| Kiawah Ocean Course | Lowcountry, resort and public; indicative from around 500 dollars in 2026 | Pete and Alice Dye links, 1991 Ryder Cup and two PGA Championships, ocean drama |
| Harbour Town Golf Links | Hilton Head, resort and public; indicative from around 450 dollars in 2026 | Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus classic, RBC Heritage host since 1969, lighthouse 18th |
| Tobacco Road | Sandhills, public; strong value | Mike Strantz's bold, dune framed original, the most distinctive round in the Sandhills |
| Caledonia and True Blue | Pawleys Island, public; great value pair | Two Mike Strantz masterpieces minutes apart, the best golf on the Grand Strand |
Designers, hosting history and access verified June 2026 from resort and Carolinas golf panel sources. Fees are indicative for 2026 and move with season and demand. We do not quote our own pricing, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
How to get on and where to stay
The marquee courses, Pinehurst No 2, the Kiawah Ocean Course and Harbour Town, are generally tied to a resort stay, so the simplest route onto them is a package that bundles rooms, rounds and access. Tobacco Road, the Myrtle Beach courses and most of the Sandhills are straightforward public play, and the mountain and coastal courses are largely resort or daily fee, so they are easy to add. Book the marquee rounds and the resorts well ahead for the spring and fall peaks, when the Carolinas are busiest and dearest.
For where to stay, the village of Pinehurst and Southern Pines put you in the middle of the Sandhills, Charleston is the obvious Lowcountry base with Kiawah a short drive away, Hilton Head bases the Harbour Town leg, and Myrtle Beach has lodging for every budget. Getting there is easy: Raleigh Durham serves the Sandhills, Charleston and Hilton Head Savannah the coast, and Myrtle Beach its own airport, with Charlotte central to the whole region and the mountains.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts across the Sandhills, the coast and the Grand Strand.
Plan your Carolinas golf trip
Tell us whether you want the Sandhills, the Lowcountry coast, Myrtle Beach or a combination, and roughly when, and one concierge books the courses, holds the resort packages and costs the trip to the head. Spring and fall tee times go early, so the sooner we start the better. No obligation.
Carolinas golf questions
What is the best golf in the Carolinas?
The Carolinas hold two of the great American golf destinations. Pinehurst and the Sandhills in North Carolina, led by Pinehurst No 2, the Donald Ross masterpiece and US Open anchor site, is the historic heartland. On the South Carolina coast, the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, a Pete and Alice Dye design that hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships, and Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head head the Lowcountry. Together with Myrtle Beach and the North Carolina mountains they make one of the richest golf regions in the world.
How do you plan a Carolinas golf trip?
Choose an anchor and build around it. For history and inland golf, base in Pinehurst and the Sandhills, an easy long weekend of world class courses. For coastal golf, base on the South Carolina Lowcountry around Charleston, Kiawah and Hilton Head, or on the Grand Strand at Myrtle Beach, which offers the most courses and the best value. A full week can pair the Sandhills with one of the coastal areas, since the two Carolinas sit side by side.
How much does it cost to play the top Carolinas courses?
Green fees at the marquee courses are indicative from around 500 dollars and up at the Kiawah Ocean Course and from around 450 dollars at Harbour Town in peak 2026 season, with Pinehurst No 2 from around 470 dollars and up for resort guests. The Myrtle Beach courses, the Sandhills beyond Pinehurst and the mountain courses are far cheaper and offer some of the best value golf in the country. Fees move with season and demand, so always confirm directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf in the Carolinas?
Spring and fall are the prime seasons across both states, roughly March to May and September to November, with comfortable temperatures and firm conditions in the Sandhills and on the coast, both of which also play well in winter. Summers are hot and humid, best played early, and the North Carolina mountains around Asheville are seasonal, typically open April through November and a cool escape when the lowlands bake.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, hosting history and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.