The best golf courses in Myrtle Beach, ranked with the trade-offs
The best golf courses in Myrtle Beach ranked: Caledonia, the Dunes Club, True Blue, Prestwick, TPC and more, with access, slopes and fees seen in fall 2026.
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The best golf courses in Myrtle Beach that a visitor can actually book are Caledonia, True Blue, Prestwick, TPC Myrtle Beach and Tidewater, with Barefoot's Love and Dye courses close behind. The Dunes Club belongs at the top on pedigree, but it is private with limited guest times, Sunday to Thursday only. Value stars include Wachesaw East and Meadowlands.
This list is built from the course records on our map: published rankings, back-tee ratings and slopes, recent review notes and the fees we saw on November 1, 2026. It weighs what you get for the round, not just reputation. Fees change by season, day and hour.
Quick facts
- Best overall you can book: Caledonia Golf & Fish Club.
- Best pedigree: The Dunes Club, a 1948 Robert Trent Jones design and PGA Tour venue (guest times only).
- Best pair: Caledonia and True Blue, same owner, across US 17 from each other.
- Best value among the top courses: Prestwick and Wachesaw East.
- Hardest: Barefoot Dye at a 149 slope from 7,314 yards.
- Peak seasons: March-April and October to early November, when the best tee times go first.
The best golf courses in Myrtle Beach, ranked
Back tees are the longest rated men's set. Fees were seen November 1, 2026 unless noted; "package" means a golf package operator's per-round rate, "online" the course's own or GolfNow rate, and "rack" a walk-on rate.
| # | Course | Area | Back tees (yds, rating/slope) | Fee seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caledonia | Pawleys Island | 6,526 (71.8/138) | $189 package (Oct 4, 2026) |
| 2 | Dunes Club | Myrtle Beach | 7,370 (76.1/148) | not published |
| 3 | True Blue | Pawleys Island | 7,126 (74.5/138) | $109 AM club summer special (Jun 21-Aug 31, 2027) |
| 4 | Prestwick | Myrtle Beach | 7,086 (74.7/138) | $146 AM / $111 PM online (Nov 2) |
| 5 | TPC Myrtle Beach | Murrells Inlet | 6,950 (74.2/146) | from $121 online (early Nov) |
| 6 | Tidewater | North Myrtle Beach | 7,044 (74.3/144) | public rate not published |
| 7 | Barefoot Love | North Myrtle Beach | 7,006 (74.9/141) | $150-$175 rack (Oct 26-Nov 8) |
| 8 | Barefoot Dye | North Myrtle Beach | 7,314 (75.6/149) | $150-$175 rack (Oct 26-Nov 8) |
| 9 | King's North | Myrtle Beach (inland) | 7,017 (74.2/137) | $136-$160 package (Nov 1) |
| 10 | Grande Dunes Resort | Myrtle Beach | 7,618 (77.3/142) | $222 AM package (Oct 23) |
| 11 | Thistle | Sunset Beach, NC | 6,801 (not rated) | from $80.99 + fee online (Nov 2-8) |
| 12 | Long Bay | Longs | 7,025 (74.4/146) | $88-$93 package (Oct 12) |
1. Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
A 1994 Mike Strantz par 70 on a former rice plantation on the Waccamaw River, with live oaks, marsh and small, well-guarded greens. The 18th plays across water to the clubhouse porch, usually with a gallery. Golf Digest's course page shows it 29th for 2025-26 in what matches its South Carolina list.
The trade-off: it is short for a long hitter and among the dearer tee times in spring and fall. See the Caledonia Golf & Fish Club guide.
2. The Dunes Golf & Beach Club
The Grand Strand's second course (1948), with Rees Jones work in 2003 and 2013, and host of the PGA Tour's Myrtle Beach Classic (next May 13-16, 2027). Its 148 slope from the 7,370-yard Gold tees is the highest of any course in Myrtle Beach proper.
The trade-off is access. It is private, guest times are limited and unaccompanied guests cannot play Fridays, Saturdays or holiday weekends. No rack rate is published. Read who can play the Dunes Club.
3. True Blue
Strantz's bigger, wider 1998 sister to Caledonia, with vast sandy waste areas and big, contoured greens. Golf Digest put it 33rd in South Carolina for 2025-26 (as cited by Where2Golf). It is usually the cheaper of the pair and the tougher test, so move up a tee set. A two-course special needs one round at each within seven days. See the True Blue course guide.
4. Prestwick Country Club
A 1989 Pete and P.B. Dye design that was named 2025 Golf Course of the Year by both the Myrtle Beach Area and South Carolina golf course owners' associations. The front nine is wooded and the back more open and windy, with water on eight holes.
The trade-off: members come first, so public times are limited and Saturdays sell out. See the Prestwick course guide.
5. TPC Myrtle Beach
A 1999 Tom Fazio design with Lanny Wadkins, with wetlands on 11 holes and a par-3 17th over water. It hosts the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship each fall and has recently been overseeded wall to wall. Expect a long round on a cart-path-only day; one reviewer reported over five hours. It is often cheaper inside a Founders Group package. See the TPC Myrtle Beach course guide.
6. Tidewater
A 1990 Ken Tomlinson course on the bluffs above the Cherry Grove marsh and Intracoastal Waterway, with a view of the Atlantic from the 13th green. It was on Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Public Courses list for 2011-12. Public online rates are dynamic and not published. Our Tidewater Golf Club guide covers booking.
7 and 8. Barefoot Love and Dye
Barefoot has four 2000-built courses on one North Myrtle Beach property. The Love Course, by Davis Love III, is the all-round favourite, with wide fairways and crowned greens. The Dye Course is the hardest of the four and the quietest, behind the Dye Estates gate. The Norman and Fazio courses are good too; the Norman runs seven holes along the Intracoastal. Playing all four takes 25% off each round. See the Barefoot Resort golf guide.
9. King's North at Myrtle Beach National
Arnold Palmer's 1996 redesign, renovated in 2024-25 by Brandon Johnson with greens expanded about 36% and regrassed to TifEagle. It keeps the 6th, "The Gambler", with an alternate island fairway. GolfPass ranked it ninth in South Carolina in 2023. A spring 2026 GolfPass review said it was still maturing.
10. Grande Dunes Resort Course
A wide, 2001 Roger Rulewich course on bluffs above the Intracoastal, at 7,618 yards from the Gold tees. It is one of the better resort rounds in the city, but priced toward the top: Coastal Golfaway's January 2026 article put the direct-book rate for a Saturday, May 2, 2026 morning at $294.
11 and 12. Thistle and Long Bay
Thistle, 47 minutes from the SkyWheel in Sunset Beach, has 27 holes and a 4.8 out of 5 GolfPass score from 793 reviews. Prime fall weekend mornings can top $150. Long Bay is the North Strand's 1989 Jack Nicklaus course, with an island-fairway 10th and island-green 13th. GolfPass listed it 25th among the most improved US courses for 2024, but some fall 2026 reviews note tired bunkers and paths.
Best value among the best golf courses in Myrtle Beach
- Wachesaw East: a 1996 Clyde Johnston course that hosted an LPGA event from 1997 to 2000. Its own tee sheet showed $69 to $76 for a November 2 morning.
- Meadowlands: GolfPass Golfers' Choice No. 1 in North Carolina in 2023, at $64.99 plus a $3.49 fee on GolfNow for November 2-6, 2026.
- Prestwick in the afternoon: $111 for a November 2, 2026 afternoon time on its own tee sheet, for a course-of-the-year winner.
More options are in cheap golf in Myrtle Beach.
How to fit the best courses into one trip
The top courses sit at opposite ends of the Strand. Caledonia is 40 minutes from the SkyWheel and Tidewater 38, the other way. Group them by area: Caledonia, True Blue and TPC from a South Strand base; Barefoot, Tidewater and Long Bay from North Myrtle Beach; the Dunes Club, Prestwick and Grande Dunes from central Myrtle Beach. Our Myrtle Beach golf trip guide explains how bases and packages fit together, and the full list is in Myrtle Beach golf courses.
For a comparison with the Gulf Coast, see the best golf courses in Destin.
Plan it on the map
Open the Myrtle Beach golf map to see the best golf courses in Myrtle Beach with their tees, fees and nearest stays. The $30 plan orders them into a day-by-day trip so the long drives fall on the right days.
Courses in this guide
Questions golfers ask
What is the best golf course in Myrtle Beach?
For a visitor who can book it, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club at Pawleys Island. It is a 1994 Mike Strantz par 70 under live oaks, and Golf Digest's course page put it 29th for 2025-26, a number that matches its South Carolina list. The Dunes Club is the other answer, but it is private with limited guest times.
Can the public play the Dunes Golf and Beach Club?
Only through a limited number of guest tee times, never on Fridays, Saturdays or holiday weekends for unaccompanied guests. The club books them on its own engine, and some oceanfront resorts, including Sea Watch, sell a Dunes Club package with one Dunes round and two other rounds.
Which top Myrtle Beach course is the best value?
Prestwick won both the 2025 Myrtle Beach area and South Carolina course of the year awards, and its own tee sheet showed $111 for a November 2, 2026 afternoon time. Wachesaw East, a former LPGA venue, showed $67 after 2 pm that day. Rates change, so check the tee sheet.
Is Barefoot Resort worth it?
Yes, if you play several of its four courses. Barefoot takes 25% off each round when you play all four, and its stay-and-play package takes 25-30% off each round. Walk-on rates started at $175 on Thursday to Sunday mornings for October 26 to November 8, 2026.
Which of the best Myrtle Beach courses suits high handicappers?
The Barefoot Love and Norman courses, which the resort calls its most balanced and most golfer-friendly. Caledonia is short at 6,526 yards from the back, but its greens are small. Avoid the back tees at the Dye Course, Long Bay and TPC, all sloped 146 or more.
What is the best course just over the North Carolina line?
Thistle Golf Club in Sunset Beach, rated 4.8 out of 5 from 793 GolfPass reviews, the best reviewed in the Brunswick Islands. GolfNow deals for November 2-8, 2026 started at $80.99 plus a $3.49 fee. Meadowlands in Calabash is the value pick at about $68 with fees.
When are the best Myrtle Beach courses cheapest?
Winter. Barefoot's walk-on table drops to $95 to $108 for January 4 to February 9, 2027 and $98 any day February 10-16, 2027, which it calls the lowest rate of the year. Spring, March to early May, is the most expensive.
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