No two state stretch of America packs in more great golf trips than the Carolinas. Pinehurst and the Sandhills give you the cradle of American golf, Myrtle Beach's Grand Strand the best value coast in the country, and the Lowcountry around Charleston, Kiawah and Hilton Head the luxury finish. Here is how to combine them, where to stay and play, and what a Carolinas golf break costs in 2026.
Photograph: golf in the Carolinas, via Google
A Carolinas break suits the group that wants more than one kind of golf on one ticket. The pilgrims head inland to Pinehurst, where Donald Ross's No. 2 anchors a resort village built entirely around the game. The buddies trips run to Myrtle Beach, where roughly eighty courses along sixty miles of coast make stay and play packages cheaper and easier than anywhere else in America. The luxury crowd books the Lowcountry, where Kiawah's Ocean Course and Harbour Town on Hilton Head pair championship pedigree with resort polish and the restaurants of Charleston.
The smart play is to combine two of the three. Pinehurst sits about two and a half hours from Myrtle Beach, and Myrtle Beach about two hours from Charleston and Kiawah, so a single rental car links the Sandhills, the Grand Strand and the Lowcountry into one week without a flight in between. If you only have four nights, pick one base and do it properly. With six or seven, the full loop is one of the great road trips in golf. For the state by state versions of this trip, see our North Carolina golf holidays and South Carolina golf packages pages.
The cradle of American golf. Pinehurst No. 2, Donald Ross's masterpiece of crowned greens and sandy scrub, has hosted four U.S. Opens since 2005 and is locked in as a USGA anchor site through 2047. It is reserved for Pinehurst Resort guests through a package, alongside nine more resort courses including the Coore and Crenshaw No. 10. Beyond the gates, the Sandhills add Mid Pines, Pine Needles and Tobacco Road, all within twenty minutes of the village.
Sixty miles of coast and roughly eighty courses, built for multi round stay and play packages. The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, a Robert Trent Jones Sr classic from 1949, is the grande dame, while the Mike Strantz double of Caledonia and True Blue at Pawleys Island is the signature 36 hole day on the coast. Barefoot Resort gathers Dye, Fazio, Norman and Love courses on one property. Nowhere on earth makes a golf trip easier or cheaper to assemble.
The luxury anchor of the Lowcountry. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island staged the 1991 Ryder Cup and the PGA Championships of 2012 and 2021, with the PGA returning in 2031, and claims more seaside holes than any course in North America. Access comes through a stay at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, with Turtle Point, Osprey Point and Cougar Point alongside, and historic Charleston forty five minutes away for the evenings.
The polished island finish. Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines, host of the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage every April, is a tight, tree lined Pete Dye test that closes along Calibogue Sound beneath the candy striped lighthouse. Heron Point and Atlantic Dunes share the property, and the island stacks another twenty courses behind them. Two hours from Charleston, it makes a natural final leg before flying home from Savannah.
Designers, host history and access verified June 2026. For round by round costs across both states, see our Carolinas green fees guide and the full ranking of the best courses in the Carolinas.
| Day | Base | The plan | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Pinehurst | Fly into Raleigh-Durham, drive to the village, settle in. Warm up on Pinehurst No. 8 or The Cradle in the afternoon. | About 1 hour 15 minutes from the airport |
| Day 2 | Pinehurst | The pilgrimage round on Pinehurst No. 2, with the evening at the Pinehurst Brewing Company in the village. | None |
| Day 3 | Myrtle Beach | Morning round at Mid Pines or Tobacco Road, then southeast to the coast and a Grand Strand base. | About 2 hours 30 minutes, Pinehurst to Myrtle Beach |
| Day 4 | Myrtle Beach | The 36 hole Strantz day, Caledonia in the morning and True Blue in the afternoon at Pawleys Island. | About 30 minutes south of central Myrtle Beach |
| Day 5 | Kiawah Island | A morning round at the Dunes Club, then down the coast to Kiawah Island Golf Resort and dinner in Charleston. | About 2 hours to Charleston, 45 minutes more to Kiawah |
| Day 6 | Kiawah Island | The crescendo, Pete Dye's Ocean Course along the Atlantic, the most demanding and most memorable round of the week. | None |
| Day 7 | Depart | Fly home from Charleston, or add two Hilton Head nights for Harbour Town before departing from Savannah. | About 45 minutes to Charleston airport, 2 hours to Hilton Head |
Drive times are typical road times in normal traffic, verified June 2026, and stretch on summer beach weekends. An open jaw ticket into Raleigh-Durham and out of Charleston or Savannah saves the long backtrack. Compare stay and play hotels for each base.
| Style | Per person, 2026 | What it usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Value Myrtle Beach stay and play | From around $700 to $1,200 | 3 to 4 nights, 3 to 5 rounds with carts, one Grand Strand base; low season deals run cheaper still |
| Pinehurst resort package | From around $1,400 to $2,500 | 2 to 3 nights at the resort, daily golf, with No. 2 carrying a surcharge of around $250 where not included |
| Lowcountry luxury at Kiawah | From around $2,500 upward | Resort rooms, the Ocean Course and the Kiawah courses, premium dining and service |
| Two state combination loop | From around $2,000 to $4,000 | 6 to 7 nights across two or three bases, a mix of marquee and value rounds, rental car |
Indicative third party operator ranges for the 2026 season, excluding flights, shown to set expectations only. As supporting context, Pinehurst No. 2 second rounds run indicatively around $595 at the 2026 peak, the Ocean Course around $373 to $463 for non resort guests, and Caledonia from around $99 to $129 in the 2026 summer window, rising in the spring and fall peaks. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking. Compare operator packages.
Spring and fall are the prime seasons across both states, roughly March to May and September to November, when the Sandhills are dry and fast and the coast is warm without the summer humidity. Those windows are also when demand peaks, so book Pinehurst packages and Kiawah rooms four to six months out, and avoid Hilton Head in RBC Heritage week in April unless you are going for the tournament. Summer is hot and humid but heavily discounted, best handled with dawn tee times, while coastal winters are mild and turn Myrtle Beach into the best value golf destination in the country. Inland Pinehurst is cooler in winter but very playable on most days.
Tell us which legs you want, Pinehurst, the Grand Strand, Kiawah or all three, and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole loop to the head, holds the resort packages and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Yes, and it is the classic Carolinas double. Pinehurst and Myrtle Beach sit about two and a half hours apart by car, so two or three nights in the Sandhills followed by two or three nights on the Grand Strand works easily inside a week. Fly into Raleigh-Durham, drive just over an hour to Pinehurst, then head southeast to the coast and fly home from Myrtle Beach. Always confirm tee times and travel times directly before booking.
Indicative third party figures for 2026 run from around 700 to 1,200 dollars per person for a value Myrtle Beach stay and play with several rounds, roughly 1,400 to 2,500 dollars per person for a Pinehurst resort package, and 2,500 dollars and more per person for a Lowcountry luxury stay at Kiawah with the Ocean Course. A two state combination usually lands between those bands. These exclude flights and are shown to set expectations only. We never quote our own pricing, so always confirm directly before booking.
Both are resort access rounds. Pinehurst No. 2 is reserved for Pinehurst Resort guests through a package, with a surcharge of around 250 dollars where the round is not included and second rounds indicatively around 595 dollars in the 2026 peak. The Ocean Course at Kiawah runs indicatively from around 373 to 463 dollars for non resort guests in 2026, with better rates and access for guests of Kiawah Island Golf Resort. All figures are indicative for 2026 and change with season, so always confirm directly before booking.
Spring and fall, roughly March to May and September to November, are the prime windows across both states, with warm days and the courses in peak condition. Summers are hot and humid, so early tee times help, while coastal winters are mild and offer the best value of the year around Myrtle Beach. Book Pinehurst and Kiawah well ahead for the peaks, and always confirm conditions and tee times before booking.
Raleigh-Durham is the gateway for Pinehurst, just over an hour away. Myrtle Beach has its own airport in the middle of the Grand Strand, Charleston serves Kiawah, and Savannah is handy for Hilton Head. For a full loop, an open jaw ticket into Raleigh-Durham and out of Charleston or Myrtle Beach saves backtracking. Always confirm routes and times before booking.
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