South Carolina is one of the great golf coasts in America, from the eighty courses of the Grand Strand at Myrtle Beach to the Lowcountry drama of Kiawah's Ocean Course and Harbour Town on Hilton Head. It does value and luxury equally well. Here is where to stay and play, the courses to build around and what a South Carolina golf break costs in 2026.
Photograph: The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, via Google
A South Carolina golf break suits almost every kind of golf group because the state offers two very different trips on one coast. Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand is the classic buddies trip and the best value golf in America, around eighty courses packed into a sixty mile strip, designed for easy multi round stay and play packages and long evenings on the town. Two hours south, the Lowcountry around Charleston and Hilton Head trades volume for prestige, with Kiawah's Ocean Course and Harbour Town the marquee names and a more refined, resort led feel.
The geography is simple and the choice is yours. Base on the Grand Strand for value and variety, in the Lowcountry for luxury and history, or combine the two with a scenic coastal drive between them. The golf is genuinely good across the board, from Mike Strantz originals to Pete Dye championship venues, and the warm coastal weather travels well for golfers and non golfers alike.
The headline round and the most sought after tee time in the state, a Pete Dye links along the Atlantic with more seaside holes than anywhere in North America. It staged the 1991 Ryder Cup, the War by the Shore, and the PGA Championships of 2012 and 2021, and is set to host the PGA again in 2031. Reached through a stay and play package at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, with Cassique, Turtle Point and Osprey Point alongside it.
The Lowcountry's other icon, a tight, tree lined Pete Dye design at Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island, host of the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage every spring. It is all about precision and the famous closing hole along Calibogue Sound to the candy striped lighthouse, one of the most recognisable finishes in golf. A natural pairing with Kiawah on a Lowcountry leg, with Heron Point and Atlantic Dunes alongside.
The grande dame of Myrtle Beach and consistently the top ranked course on the Grand Strand, a Robert Trent Jones Sr design from 1949 whose famous par 5 thirteenth, Waterloo, sweeps around Lake Singleton in a great horseshoe. A semi private classic that anchors a premium Myrtle Beach package and shows the Grand Strand at its most serious.
Two of the most distinctive courses on the coast, both Mike Strantz designs at Pawleys Island just south of Myrtle Beach. Caledonia is a tight, oak draped beauty laid through old rice fields with a stunning clubhouse approach, while its bolder sibling True Blue is wide, rugged and dramatic. Playing the pair back to back is the signature 36 hole day of any Grand Strand trip.
The modern championship core of a Myrtle Beach trip. Barefoot Resort gathers four courses from Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Greg Norman and Davis Love III on one property, an easy stay and play hub, while TPC Myrtle Beach is a Tom Fazio design and a former Senior Tour Championship venue. Together they give a package the marquee, tournament grade rounds to balance the value golf.
Designers, host history and access verified June 2026. Green fees and package ranges are indicative third party figures for the 2026 season and change with demand and season. Always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Fly into Myrtle Beach and settle into a Grand Strand base. An easy afternoon for the beach and dinner, with the golf starting in the morning.
The signature 36 hole day, the two Mike Strantz courses at Pawleys Island played back to back, tight and oak draped in the morning, wide and bold in the afternoon.
A premium Grand Strand round, the classic Robert Trent Jones Sr Dunes Club or a championship course at Barefoot Resort, before the drive south.
A scenic two hour drive into the Lowcountry. Settle at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, with an evening in historic Charleston nearby.
The trip's crescendo, Pete Dye's Ocean Course along the Atlantic, the most memorable round in the state, before the flight home.
Drive times: Myrtle Beach to Charleston and Kiawah about two hours; Charleston to Hilton Head about two hours more. A hire car makes the coastal loop simple, with Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Savannah airports all serving the route.
| Style | Per person, 2026 | What it usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Value Myrtle Beach stay and play | From around $700 to $1,200 | 3 to 4 nights, several rounds, carts, one Grand Strand base |
| Premium Grand Strand trip | From around $1,200 to $2,000 | 4 to 5 nights, marquee courses such as the Dunes Club and Caledonia |
| Lowcountry luxury at Kiawah | From around $2,500 upward | Resort rooms, the Ocean Course and the Kiawah courses, premium service |
Indicative third party operator ranges for the 2026 season, excluding flights, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
South Carolina plays best in spring and fall, roughly March to May and September to November, when the coast is warm and comfortable and the courses are in peak condition. Summers are hot and humid, so early tee times help from June to August, while winters are mild on the coast and offer the best value of the year, especially around Myrtle Beach, where the Grand Strand goes quiet and the package prices fall. Book the Ocean Course and the Kiawah rooms well ahead for the spring and fall peaks, when the Lowcountry resorts fill fastest.
Tell us the courses you want, whether you lean value or luxury and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole break to the head, holds the Kiawah and resort packages and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
South Carolina has three great golf bases. Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand is the volume and value capital, with around eighty courses and easy stay and play packages led by the Dunes Club, Caledonia, True Blue, Barefoot Resort and TPC Myrtle Beach. Kiawah Island near Charleston is the luxury anchor, home of the Ocean Course. Hilton Head Island adds Harbour Town, the RBC Heritage venue. A great trip pairs the value of the Grand Strand with a marquee Lowcountry round. Always confirm current rates directly before booking.
Yes. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, the Pete Dye design that hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup and the PGA Championships of 2012 and 2021, is open to guests of Kiawah Island Golf Resort through a stay and play package, with the best access and rates tied to a resort stay. It is the most sought after round in the state and books well ahead, so secure it early. Always confirm package details and tee times directly before booking.
Indicative third party package figures run from around 700 dollars per person for a value Myrtle Beach stay and play with several rounds, through roughly 1,200 to 2,000 dollars per person for a premium Grand Strand trip with marquee courses, up to 2,500 dollars and more per person for a luxury Lowcountry stay at Kiawah with the Ocean Course. These exclude flights and are shown to set expectations only. We never quote our own pricing, so always confirm directly before booking.
Spring and fall are the prime seasons, roughly March to May and September to November, with warm comfortable days and the courses in peak condition across the coast. Summers are hot and humid, so early tee times help from June to August, while winters are mild on the coast and offer the best value of the year, especially around Myrtle Beach. Always confirm course conditions and tee times before booking.
Resort openings, package windows and the trips worth moving on first. Every other week.