South Carolina 
Great Golf, Spectacular Settings 

There are great golf courses. And there are courses you can play. In South Carolina those two come together in a big way. With more than 360 courses, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, this is a region rich in great golf. Even better, most of the best courses are open for public play. Nearly all of the state enjoys weather that’s perfectly suited for year-round play. Whether watching PGA Tour events on Hilton Head Island and Kiawah Island, participating in amateur tournaments in Myrtle Beach, or enjoying the challenge of mountain courses, vacationing golfers come here in droves making South Carolina America’s number one golf vacation destination.

And to think it all began here.

In 1786, the first golf in America was played at Harleston Green in Charleston. From then to now, the game’s top architects have made their mark across the state, especially in Charleston where the siren call of seaside layouts is irresistibly alluring. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, site of the unforgettable 1991 Ryder Cup and host of the 2012 PGA Championship, has more seaside holes than any other course in the Northern Hemisphere. Nearly every course, it seems, has a picture-perfect setting.

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18 You Can Play in Charleston

You could spend a lifetime playing golf on Charleston’s courses. But if you only have getaway weekends and vacations to spend, we’ve put together a list of the best 18 holes you can play—and all of them are on public courses. You could spend long evenings at one of King Street’s watering holes debating this list but the truth is, these are all enjoyable golf courses with any number of holes that could be included among the best. You be the judge.

The Ocean Course
Kiawah Island Resort
Par-4, 453-yard 4th
The course’s highest handicap hole requires two marsh crossings and a battle with the wind into the green. A great, but very difficult, hole.

Cougar Point, Kiawah Island Resort
Par-4, 410-yard 5th
In the signature stretch of holes along the river marshes, this long par-4 plays into the wind. A huge fairway gives plenty of room for error off the tee.

Dunes West Golf Club
Par-5, 497-yard 7th
One of the best birdie opportunities on our list. Enjoy the majestic view from the tee and plenty of landing room if you stay away from the pond that sweeps up the left.

Rivertowne Country Club
Par-5, 563-yard 9th
The demanding green is tightly guarded by bunkers, so the smart play is to position your
second shot for the best angle into the green. Enjoy par and the beautiful vistas.

Oak Point, Kiawah Island Resort
Par-3, 152-yard 9th
The wind gives teeth to this picturesque par-3 set against the backdrop of Haulover Creek and the Kiawah River. Don’t be surprised if you need to go up two or three clubs.

Coosaw Creek Country Club
Par-5, 596-yard 12th
At nearly 600 yards, you’ll need three of your best shots to hit the green in regulation. Just for fun, there’s a dastardly pot bunker in the middle of
the fairway.

Links at Stono Ferry
Par-4, 367-yard 13th
It’s not often you get to play on a Revolutionary
War battleground. This beautiful hole plays along
the Intracoastal waterway and requires accuracy
off the tee.

Shadowmoss Plantation Golf Club
Par-4, 369-yard 14th
On a course carved from one of Charleston’s original plantations, this scenic hole is an enjoyable challenge. Water hugs the hole left from the back tees to the green.

Turtle Point, Kiawah Island Resort
Par-3, 173-yard 14th
Small greens dominate this course and this par-3 is no exception. On the first of a string of ocean holes, you’ll struggle if you miss left or right off the tee.

Charleston National Country Club
Par-4, 391-yard 15th
Think this one through before your first swing. Your tee shot must carry 200 yards over marsh to a short fairway and then over marsh again to a sloping green.

Harbor Course, Wild Dunes resort
Par-4, 464-yard 17th
Don’t let your eyes deceive you off the tee; there’s more room than you can see as the fairway doglegs left. One of the toughest holes on this Tom Fazio design.

Legend Oaks Golf Club
Par-3, 175-yard 17th
Ignore the water (and the large gator that makes it home) and a sand trap that nearly surrounds the green, so large that three-putting is not uncommon.

The Ocean Course
Kiawah Island Resort
Par-3, 221-yard 17th
With a tee shot over water, you’ll be thankful for the enlarged landing area. But it was the wind that gave Ryder Cup players the most trouble in 1991.

Patriots Point Links
Par-3, 150-yard 17th
Ordinarily a very small island green can lead to frustration, but this is a hole that will be long remembered for its panoramic views of Charleston and the harbor.

Links Course, Wild Dunes Resort
Par-4, 405-yard 17th
Sand dunes and the Atlantic Ocean protect the left side of this no-nonsense par-4. You’ll need two solid shots to hit the green, but take time to soak in the views.

Osprey Point, Kiawah Island Resort
Par-5, 522-yard 18th
If you get a favorable downwind, this risk/reward hole shortens considerably. But if you take three to reach the green, beware the mogul-laden lay-up area.

Links Course, Wild Dunes Resort
Par-5, 501-yard 18th
One of the most photographed in golf, this oceanside finishing hole recalls the game’s Scottish birthplace. Hope for a favorable wind and a big drive off the tee.

The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Resort
Par-4, 439-yard 18th
One of the most visually stunning finishes with panoramic ocean views on the approach shot. The green’s been moved even closer to the Atlantic since the War on the Shore was decided here.