How a Myrtle Beach golf trip fits together
Plan a Myrtle Beach golf trip: which end of the Grand Strand to base in, when to go, and how golf packages compare with booking tee times direct.
Open the 3D map of every course →
A Myrtle Beach golf trip works best when you pick one end of the Grand Strand as a base, go in March-April or October to early November, and price a golf package against booking tee times direct. Most groups play four to six rounds over three to five days, and most courses sit within 40 minutes of the SkyWheel.
The Strand has dozens of public courses, and they are spread out. The board on our map runs about 60 miles from Little River to Pawleys Island, so the biggest mistake is choosing a cheap condo at one end and booking courses at the other. This guide covers the three decisions that shape the trip: where, when and how to book.
Quick facts
- Time zone: Eastern Time, the same as the main drive-in markets.
- Peak golf: March-April and October to early November.
- Cheapest: late November to February, outside the holiday weeks.
- Hurricane season: June 1 to November 30; main risk August to October.
- Airport: MYR, about 9 minutes from the SkyWheel.
- Drive-in times: Charlotte and Raleigh about 3.75 hours, Washington DC about 8.5, Columbus and Pittsburgh about 12, Toronto about 18 (free-flow).
- A car is essential.
Pick your end of the Strand
Drive times below are free-flow router estimates and leave out traffic. US 501 through Carolina Forest, US 17 Business through Myrtle Beach and US 17 at Barefoot Landing are the usual pinch points.
North Strand (North Myrtle Beach, Little River, Longs). Barefoot Resort has four courses 4 to 5 minutes from its villas: the Love, Norman, Fazio and Dye. Tidewater, Long Bay, Glen Dornoch and River Hills are close, and the nearest North Carolina courses are 32 to 37 minutes from the Barefoot villas. See North Myrtle Beach golf.
Central Myrtle Beach. The Dunes Club (private, with a limited number of guest times, never Fridays, Saturdays or holiday weekends), Pine Lakes, Grande Dunes Resort, Arrowhead and the Myrtlewood pair are 10 to 16 minutes from the SkyWheel, and the oceanfront resorts and nightlife are here. Inland, King's North and the rest of Myrtle Beach National are 19 minutes out, and Legends about 24. See Carolina Forest golf.
South Strand (Murrells Inlet, Pawleys Island). TPC Myrtle Beach, Wachesaw East and Blackmoor are 6 to 8 minutes from the Hampton Inn Murrells Inlet. Caledonia and True Blue are 4 minutes and zero minutes from the True Blue villas. See Pawleys Island golf.
The cost of a wrong base is real: from the True Blue villas, Long Bay is 73 minutes and Barefoot Love 59.
When to go: a Myrtle Beach golf trip by season
| Months | Coastal high / low (F) | Golf |
|---|---|---|
| Dec-Feb | 56-59 / 37-40 | Cheapest; frost delays; dormant bermuda unless overseeded |
| Mar-Apr | 65-72 / 45-53 | Peak demand and peak fees; April the driest month |
| May | 79 / 62 | Rates ease; Bike Week, the PGA Tour event, Memorial Day |
| Jun-Aug | 85-88 / 70-74 | Low golf rates, highest room rates; storms; aeration |
| Sep | 83 / 68 | Wettest month and hurricane peak; rooms cheaper after Labor Day |
| Oct-early Nov | 66-76 / 46-56 | Second golf peak; overseeding can mean cart-path days |
Normals are NOAA 1991-2020 at the North Myrtle Beach airport. Inland at Conway, days run about 2-4F warmer and nights about 1-2F colder.
Event weeks change the picture. Can-Am Days (March 15-21, 2027 per one report), the Myrtle Beach Classic at the Dunes Club (May 13-16, 2027) and World Am week in late August all fill rooms and tee sheets. Read the best time to golf in Myrtle Beach for month-by-month detail.
Packages vs booking direct
Almost every public course sells through golf package operators as well as its own tee sheet, and the two prices are close. Coastal Golfaway published this comparison in January 2026 for a Saturday, May 2 tee time:
| Course | Package AM / PM | Direct AM / PM |
|---|---|---|
| Grande Dunes Resort | $292 / $200 | $294 / $204 |
| King's North | $210 / $170 | $214 / $170 |
| Pine Lakes | $200 / $175 | $200 / $182 |
| Wild Wing Avocet | $150 / $125 | $152 / $132 |
| Long Bay | $139 / $108 | $144 / $109 |
| Aberdeen | $86 / $74 | $103 / $72 |
The round itself is rarely much cheaper in a package. The savings come from the extras:
- Barefoot Experience: three nights in a two-bedroom golf villa priced for four golfers, four rounds (one on each course), daily breakfast and 25% off each round versus rack. The fourth night is free when booked at reservation, with blackout dates.
- Founders Group: its booking site offers Founders Inclusive rounds (lunch, two drinks, range balls), multi-round discounts and a $100 gift card after four or more Founders rounds.
- Caledonia Golf Vacations: True Blue villas with Caledonia and True Blue rounds; the package is the dependable way to get Caledonia times in peak weeks.
- Oceanfront resorts: Sea Watch sells a Dunes Club Package with one Dunes round and two others, and Kingston Resorts waives resort and parking fees when golf is booked through its golf department.
Many resort rates were "check rates" on November 1, 2026, with no public price. Our Myrtle Beach golf packages guide goes deeper.
Building the rounds
- Mix price levels. One splurge (Caledonia, a Dunes Club guest time Sunday to Thursday, Grande Dunes Resort) with value rounds such as Wachesaw East, which showed $67 after 2 pm on its own tee sheet for November 2, 2026.
- Watch the slopes. Barefoot Dye (149), Pawleys Plantation (148) and Long Bay and TPC (146) are hard from the back. Most groups should play a set forward.
- Use replays. Barefoot sells a reduced same-day replay rate, but only booked in person after the first round.
- Check maintenance. Barefoot's 2027 aeration runs from June 7 to July 24 course by course, with 10 to 12 days to recover, and Tidewater overseeds around Thanksgiving while staying open.
Three ways to shape the rounds
These are sample groupings built from the drive times on our map, not packages anyone sells.
North Strand, four rounds. Play the Barefoot four on a package so each round takes the 25% four-course discount, with the Dye Course as the one for your better players. The resort calls the Norman its most golfer-friendly, and the Love its most balanced. Start with the Barefoot Love course guide. If you want a fifth, Tidewater is 26 minutes from the villas and Long Bay 28.
South Strand, four rounds. Caledonia and True Blue on the two-course special (one round at each within seven days, paid at the first course), then TPC and Wachesaw East, which are 27 and 23 minutes from the True Blue villas. The Caledonia course guide has the layout and tees.
Central base, five rounds. Pine Lakes for history, King's North for its renovated greens and the Gambler par 5, Grande Dunes Resort for the waterway views, plus Prestwick and one value round such as Myrtlewood PineHills. All are within 19 minutes of the SkyWheel, so a central oceanfront hotel works. The TPC Myrtle Beach course guide covers the one south-end round worth the drive from here, 26 minutes away.
Whatever the shape, put the hardest course early, while legs are fresh, and keep the last day's round close to the airport or the road home.
For the full list, see Myrtle Beach golf courses. For a four-day plan, read the Myrtle Beach golf trip itinerary.
Getting there
MYR has a large low-cost network into the Northeast, Ohio Valley and upstate New York, but no current nonstops from Canada. Wilmington (about 2 hours) suits a north-end base, and Charleston (about 2.5 hours via US 17) suits Pawleys Island. Drivers on I-95 leave at Dillon or Florence and come in on US 501, or SC 9 for North Myrtle Beach.
If you are deciding between coasts, our Destin golf trip guide covers the Gulf side the same way.
Plan it on the map
Open the Myrtle Beach golf map to see every course and stay with the drive times between them. The $30 plan turns your Myrtle Beach golf trip into a day-by-day schedule, or a whole snowbird winter with a weekly course rotation.
Courses in this guide
Questions golfers ask
How many days do you need for a Myrtle Beach golf trip?
Most groups do three to five days. Barefoot's stay-and-play is built on three nights and four rounds, and Caledonia Golf Vacations packages have a three-night minimum with three rounds. That pace leaves one day with two rounds or a short course.
Where should a golf group stay in Myrtle Beach?
Base near the courses you most want. Barefoot Resort villas are 4 to 5 minutes from its four courses, True Blue villas are 4 minutes from Caledonia, and central Myrtle Beach hotels are 10 minutes or less from Pine Lakes and Myrtlewood. Driving the full length of the Strand every day wastes an hour or more.
Is a golf package cheaper than booking direct in Myrtle Beach?
Usually by a few dollars. A Coastal Golfaway table for a Saturday, May 2 tee time showed package rates a few dollars below most courses' direct-book rates, $17 lower at Aberdeen in the morning, and occasionally equal or slightly higher. Packages also bundle lodging, breakfast and multi-round discounts, such as Barefoot's 25-30% off each package round.
When is the best time for a Myrtle Beach golf trip?
March-April and October to early November are peak golf, with highs of about 65F to 76F at the coast. Winter is cheapest but cool, with January highs near 56F. Summer has low golf rates but highs near 88F and storms on 11 to 13 days a month.
Do I need a car for a Myrtle Beach golf trip?
Yes. Courses run about 60 miles from Little River to Pawleys Island, and many are inland along US 501, SC 22, SC 31 and SC 707. Uber and Lyft work for dinners in central Myrtle Beach or Barefoot Landing, not for daily golf with clubs.
What airport do golf groups fly into?
Myrtle Beach International (MYR), about 9 minutes from the SkyWheel, with Allegiant, American, Breeze, Delta, Southwest, United and others. Wilmington (ILM) is about 2 hours away and Charleston (CHS) about 2.5. Many groups drive: Charlotte and Raleigh are about 3.75 hours.
What are cancellation terms like on golf packages?
They vary by seller. Barefoot needs 72 hours' notice per foursome to cancel a tee time, and package cancellations within 30 days of arrival forfeit in full. The Founders Group booking site asks a $100 per person deposit, with the balance due 30 days before arrival.
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