Little River golf courses: Glen Dornoch, River Hills, Long Bay and Longs

Little River golf courses sit at the north tip of the Grand Strand: Glen Dornoch on the Intracoastal Waterway, River Hills, Eagle Nest and Valley at Eastport, with Long Bay, Aberdeen and Colonial Charters a few minutes inland in Longs. Package rates for September to November 2026 ran from the mid-$40s at Colonial Charters to $148 at Glen Dornoch.

This corner suits a group based in North Myrtle Beach or Cherry Grove that wants more than Barefoot, and it is the jumping-off point for the North Carolina courses. Most of these courses are 34 to 40 minutes from the SkyWheel, so a central Myrtle Beach base makes every round here a long drive. Rates below are golf package operators' per-round prices seen November 1, 2026 unless noted.

Quick facts

• Little River: Glen Dornoch, River Hills, Valley at Eastport, Eagle Nest.
• Longs: Long Bay, Aberdeen, Colonial Charters, plus Crown Park off the map.
• From the SkyWheel: 34 to 57 minutes, free-flow.
• Hardest: Long Bay at 146 from the Black tees; Glen Dornoch 145.
• Longest tees in the state: Eagle Nest's 8,168-yard Perch tees.
• Closed: Heather Glen (2017), Black Bear (2016), Cypress Bay (2014).
• Time zone: Eastern Time.

Little River golf courses compared

Drive times are free-flow from the Hampton Inn North Myrtle Beach-Harbourgate, the handiest value base for this corner.

Late-afternoon package rates were lower again: $104 at Glen Dornoch, $82 at Long Bay, $67 at River Hills, $50 at Aberdeen and $45 at Colonial Charters on those dates. Spring is higher: Coastal Golfaway's January 2026 table for a Saturday, May 2 morning had Long Bay at $139 on a package and $144 booked direct.

Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links

A 1996 course, credited to Clyde Johnston by one booking site, that the club calls a tribute to Donald Ross. The closing holes run along the Intracoastal Waterway and marsh: the par-4 16th beside the marsh, the par-3 17th over the waterway, and a last three billed as the hardest stretch. The club advertises new Champion ultradwarf greens. Recent reviews mention cart shortages in March and uneven greens in May-June 2026, so check before locking it into a peak week. See the Glen Dornoch course guide and our Glen Dornoch golf guide.

River Hills

A rolling, wooded 1988 Tom Jackson course off SC 90, just inland of the waterway, with water in play. It got TifEagle greens in 2022 and all-new bunkers in 2023, and its site footer credits Founders Group International, so it sells in Founders packages. It is fair from the white tees. See the River Hills course guide.

Long Bay Club

Jack Nicklaus's 1989 North Strand course is big, mounded and penal: deep pot bunkers, waste areas, an island-fairway par-4 10th and an island-green par-3 13th. It closed May 17 to August 14, 2023 to replace its Champion greens with TifEagle and expand them about 66% back to their original size. GolfPass listed it 25th among the most improved US courses for 2024. A third-party guide says members hold morning times, so public times come easiest in the afternoon; that is not official policy. Some fall 2026 reviews mention worn cart paths and bunkers holding water. See the Long Bay course guide.

Aberdeen, Eagle Nest and Valley at Eastport

• Aberdeen (1990, Tom Jackson) sits beside the Waccamaw River preserve, with water on most holes, 24 of 27 by one listing. It is semi-private but takes public times. Ask how many nines are open.
• Eagle Nest (1971, Gene Hamm) is rolling, pine-lined parkland with recent MiniVerde greens and a hard 16-18 finish billed as the toughest on the Strand. GolfNow deals ran $47.99 to $73.99 plus a $3.49 fee for November 2-7, 2026.
• Valley at Eastport (1988, Dennis Griffiths) is a short par 70 near the waterway with the easiest ratings in the area. It suits high handicappers and couples, and it is on the Myrtle Beach Golf Passport discount card.

Colonial Charters, Crown Park and Diamondback

Colonial Charters, the former Palmetto Greens redesigned by Rick Robbins in 2008, is short and water-heavy, with two waterfalls. GolfPass scores it 4.5 for friendliness but 3.2 for conditions. At $45 to $52 in September 2026 it is one of the cheapest 18s on the North Strand; see cheap golf in Myrtle Beach.

Crown Park (2001) is cut through pines on SC 9 with no housing on the property and generous fairways. It opened as 27 holes and went to 18 in 2003. It is on the World Amateur rota.

Diamondback in Loris, a 1999 Russell Breeden course, is the westernmost in the Myrtle Beach market, 49 minutes from the SkyWheel. No current rates were found.

Which of the Little River golf courses suits your group

• Low handicaps: Long Bay from the Blue tees (6,593 yards, 72.3/141) and Glen Dornoch's waterway finish. Long Bay's Black tees, at 146, are for single digits only; its own record says play the whites or it gets long fast.
• Mixed abilities: River Hills from the whites (6,396 yards, 70.6/128) or Aberdeen, whose championship tees rate only 128.
• High handicaps and couples: Valley at Eastport, where even the Blue tees play 6,208 yards at a 121 slope, and Crown Park's generous fairways.
• Budget: Colonial Charters and Aberdeen, both in the $45 to $70 range on fall 2026 package rates, and Eagle Nest on a weekday GolfNow deal.
• Bragging rights: Eagle Nest from the 8,168-yard Perch tees. Bank strokes early; the course saves its hardest holes for last.

Two notes on timing. Long Bay's fall 2026 reviews mention a greens aeration window, with dates not published, and Glen Dornoch's rates are dynamic by date and time, with no seasonal rack card. If a peak-week package includes either, ask about maintenance before you pay.

Closed courses

• Heather Glen: the Glens Group closed this 27-hole course in late 2017 and sold the land to D.R. Horton for housing.
• Black Bear: closed in 2016; some booking sites still carry stale listings.
• Cypress Bay: on US 17 in Little River, listed as closed in 2014.

See closed golf courses in Myrtle Beach.

Where to stay for Little River golf courses

The Hampton Inn Harbourgate on the waterway has free breakfast and an indoor pool, and is the handiest value base for Little River, Longs and the border courses: 8 minutes from Tidewater and 19 from Thistle. It is about a mile from the ocean. For an oceanfront base, Avista Resort on Ocean Drive is 11 to 21 minutes from the same courses. Rates at both were "check rates" on November 1, 2026.

Beyond Little River golf courses

North Myrtle Beach's Barefoot courses are 16 minutes from Harbourgate; see North Myrtle Beach golf. Over the state line, Thistle, Meadowlands and Crow Creek are 18 to 19 minutes away, and the Big Cats courses at Ocean Isle Beach 25; see Brunswick Islands golf. For how this corner fits the rest of the coast, read the Grand Strand golf guide.

Plan it on the map

Open the Myrtle Beach golf map to see every Little River golf course and Longs course with the hotels nearby. The $30 plan builds a North Strand trip day by day, mixing the waterway courses with Barefoot and the North Carolina line.