Myrtle Beach vs Destin golf: two beach golf towns compared
Myrtle Beach vs Destin golf compared: number of courses, green fees, resort access, airports, winter weather and snowbird value, to pick your beach town.
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Myrtle Beach vs Destin golf comes down to choice versus climate. The Grand Strand has far more golf: 62 courses on our board and 15 more just over the North Carolina line, most open to visitors and many under $100. Destin has fewer, more resort-driven courses but a warmer winter, with January highs about 7F higher.
Both are beach golf towns with bermuda grass, spring and fall peaks and a June-to-November hurricane season. Destin figures here come from our Destin golf map research, read in October 2026; Myrtle Beach figures were read on November 1, 2026.
Quick facts
- Courses on our boards: Myrtle Beach 62 plus 15 in North Carolina; Destin 22 plus 5 off the map.
- Open to visitors: 72 of Myrtle Beach's 77 take outside play in some form; Destin has 6 simply public courses on its board.
- January normal high: 55.7F Myrtle Beach; 63.1F Destin.
- Airport to town: MYR about 9 minutes; VPS about 33.
- Time zone: Eastern (Myrtle Beach); Central (Destin).
- Resort golf: Barefoot's four courses, all bookable by the public, vs Sandestin's four, one of them (Burnt Pine) for members and registered Sandestin resort guests only.
Myrtle Beach vs Destin golf at a glance
| Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand | Destin and the Emerald Coast | |
|---|---|---|
| Courses on our board | 62, plus 15 in the Brunswick Islands, NC | 22, plus 5 off the map |
| Access on the board | 42 public, 9 semi-private, 6 resort, 5 private | 6 public, 5 semi-private, 4 resort, 5 guests-only, 1 private, 1 military |
| Signature resort | Barefoot: four courses, all bookable by the public (the Dye is semi-private, with member priority) | Sandestin: four courses, Burnt Pine for members and registered Sandestin resort guests only |
| Top-end fee example (fall 2026) | $222 Grande Dunes Resort (Oct 23, package operator) | $159 public at the Raven (to Nov 1) |
| Value fee example (fall 2026) | $36.10 after 2 pm, Azalea Sands (Nov 2, course online) | $33.99-$50.99, Shalimar Pointe (Oct, GolfNow) |
| Airport | MYR, 9 min to the SkyWheel; 3.53M passengers (2025) | VPS, 33 min to Destin harbour; 2.49M (2025) |
| January high / low | 55.7F / 36.7F | 63.1F / 45.3F |
| October rain | 4.20 in | 2.82 in |
| Time zone | Eastern | Central |
Prices are dated examples; rates change.
Courses: depth vs a compact resort scene
Myrtle Beach's strength is sheer choice. On our board, 42 courses are public, 9 semi-private and 6 resort, and all 15 in the Brunswick Islands take public play. Groups can stay on one property for 36 holes at Barefoot's Love, Fazio, Norman and Dye, Myrtle Beach National's King's North, SouthCreek and West, or Legends' Heathland, Moorland and Parkland. The headline public rounds are Caledonia and True Blue on the South Strand and TPC Myrtle Beach. See the Caledonia course guide and our best golf courses in Myrtle Beach.
Destin's strength is resort golf. Sandestin owns four courses, and Burnt Pine, the best of them, is only for club members and registered guests of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort lodging (the Hilton Sandestin says its guests qualify too), with resort-guest times after 1 p.m., booked by phone. The private Watersound Club courses are sold to overnight guests of Camp Creek Inn and Watersound Inn at $295 a round. After Hurricane Isaias, Camp Creek reopened on October 17, 2026 as nine holes and Shark's Tooth was closed until further notice in late October, so check before booking. The public core is short: Kelly Plantation, Regatta Bay and Indian Bayou. Our Destin golf trip guide explains how it fits together.
Private golf is a closer contest. Myrtle Beach's Dunes Golf and Beach Club, the 1948 Robert Trent Jones course that hosts the PGA Tour's Myrtle Beach Classic, sells limited guest times, never on Fridays, Saturdays or holiday weekends. The Grande Dunes Members Club is private, and guest access through the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes was not confirmed for 2026. See the Dunes Club course guide and our private golf clubs in Myrtle Beach guide.
Green fees compared
| Course | Town | Fee seen (2026) | Rate type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grande Dunes Resort | Myrtle Beach | $222 AM (Oct 23) | Package operator |
| Caledonia | Pawleys Island | $189 (Oct 4) | Package operator |
| Barefoot (all four) | North Myrtle Beach | from $175 peak days (Oct 26-Nov 8) | Walk-on |
| The Raven | Destin (Sandestin) | $159 public / $130 resort guest (fall, to Nov 1); $109 / $95 from Nov 2 | Rate card |
| Regatta Bay | Destin | $90.99-$189.99 (Oct 27-Nov 2) | GolfNow |
| Kelly Plantation | Destin | $89.99-$118.99 (Oct 28-Nov 2) | GolfNow |
| Wachesaw East | Murrells Inlet | $69-$76 AM (Nov 2) | Course online |
| Azalea Sands | North Myrtle Beach | $60.10-$74.10 AM; $36.10 after 2 pm (Nov 2) | Course online |
| Shalimar Pointe | Shalimar | $33.99-$50.99 (Oct 11-29) | GolfNow |
At the top end Myrtle Beach runs a little dearer in fall, and Destin's resort-guest rate at Sandestin saves $29 a round on the Raven. Below $100, Myrtle Beach simply has more courses to choose from. Our Myrtle Beach golf rates guide and the Destin golf rates guide have the full lists.
Weather and seasons
NOAA 1991-2020 normals: the North Myrtle Beach airport for Myrtle Beach and Destin Executive Airport for Destin.
| Month | Myrtle Beach high / rain | Destin high / rain |
|---|---|---|
| January | 55.7F / 3.01 in | 63.1F / 4.52 in |
| April | 71.8F / 2.77 in | 76.2F / 4.55 in |
| July | 87.6F / 5.40 in | 90.9F / 5.77 in |
| October | 75.6F / 4.20 in | 80.9F / 2.82 in |
Myrtle Beach is cooler all year. That makes its spring and fall comfortable and its winter cold enough for frost delays, with a January ocean near 50F against about 61F off Destin. April is Myrtle Beach's driest month and October Destin's. Both have a June 1 to November 30 hurricane season; Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin on October 9, 2026, while no Grand Strand landfall was found for 2026. See best time to golf in Myrtle Beach.
Winter and snowbirds
Both towns draw Midwest and Canadian snowbirds. Destin is warmer; Myrtle Beach is cheaper to stay. Myrtle Beach's oceanfront resorts publish 2026-27 monthly rates from $675 for a Caravelle Resort tower studio and $905 for a Sea Watch oceanfront studio in November and December, before tax and fees. In Destin, Newman-Dailey listed monthly rentals from $1,875 in November, plus fees and taxes, on an undated page.
On golf, Destin has more published snowbird programmes: Sandestin's Snowbird card cuts the Raven to $65 in November and December 2026, and Shalimar Pointe sells a three-month single membership at $1,150. Myrtle Beach's winter deal is lower daily rates: Barefoot's $98 any day for February 10-16, 2027. See Myrtle Beach winter golf for snowbirds and Destin winter golf for snowbirds.
Getting there
Myrtle Beach International is about 9 minutes from the SkyWheel, with Allegiant, Breeze and others flying much of the Northeast, Ohio Valley and upstate New York. Myrtle Beach is also a drive-in town: about 3 hours 45 minutes from Charlotte or Raleigh, 8.5 from Washington, DC and 12 from Pittsburgh on free-flow estimates.
Destin's VPS is about 33 minutes from Destin harbour, with Allegiant's large seasonal Midwest network plus American, Delta, Southwest and others. Myrtle Beach is on Eastern Time and Destin on Central. See flights to Myrtle Beach and flights to Destin.
Which town for which golfer
- Big buddies groups and long trips: Myrtle Beach, for the number of courses, multi-course properties and the drive-in option.
- Value hunters: Myrtle Beach, for the depth of courses under $100.
- Resort-first couples: Destin, for Sandestin and the Watersound Club, or Barefoot if you want four resort courses with no guest restriction.
- Winter warmth: Destin, about 7F warmer in January.
- Winter on a budget: Myrtle Beach, with monthly oceanfront rates from $675.
Still deciding? Our Myrtle Beach golf trip guide explains how a Grand Strand trip fits together, and Destin vs Gulf Shores golf compares Destin with its Gulf Coast neighbour. The Dye at Barefoot, the hardest of its four, is covered in the Barefoot Dye course guide.
Plan it on the map
Open the Myrtle Beach golf map to see every Grand Strand course and stay in 3D, and the Destin golf map for the Emerald Coast. The plan builds a day-by-day trip in whichever town you choose.
Courses in this guide
Questions golfers ask
Is Myrtle Beach or Destin better for golf?
Myrtle Beach for choice and value: our Grand Strand board has 62 courses plus 15 just over the North Carolina line, and 72 of the 77 take outside play in some form. Destin is smaller and more resort-driven, with 22 courses on its board, a short public core and private courses sold to resort and inn guests. Pick Myrtle Beach for a long group trip, Destin for a resort-centred one.
Which is cheaper for golf, Myrtle Beach or Destin?
At the top end they are close: Caledonia was listed at $189 by a package seller for October 4, 2026, against $159 public at Destin's Raven in fall 2026. Myrtle Beach has far more courses in the $50 to $90 range, such as Wachesaw East at $69 to $76 on a November 2026 morning. Destin's cheapest full rounds, at Shalimar Pointe, ran $33.99 to $50.99 on GolfNow in October 2026.
Which is warmer in winter, Myrtle Beach or Destin?
Destin, by a clear margin. NOAA 1991-2020 normals give Destin a January high of 63.1F and low of 45.3F, against 55.7F and 36.7F at the North Myrtle Beach airport. Frost delays are common in Myrtle Beach in winter, and both towns' bermuda courses go dormant unless overseeded.
Which airport do I use for each?
For Myrtle Beach, MYR is about 9 minutes from the SkyWheel and handled 3.53 million passengers in 2025. For Destin, VPS is about 33 minutes from Destin harbour and handled 2.49 million. Myrtle Beach is also an easy drive from Charlotte and Raleigh, about 3 hours 45 minutes.
Are Myrtle Beach and Destin in the same time zone?
No. Myrtle Beach is on Eastern Time and Destin on Central Time, an hour behind. Flying between the Northeast and Destin you gain an hour; Myrtle Beach has no time change from the Northeast, Ohio Valley or Toronto.
Which has better resort golf?
Each has a four-course resort: Barefoot in North Myrtle Beach, open to the public on all four, and Sandestin in Destin, where Burnt Pine is only for club members and registered guests of Sandestin resort lodging (and, per the Hilton, Hilton Sandestin guests). Myrtle Beach also has Legends' three courses and Myrtle Beach National's three. Destin adds the private Watersound Club courses for overnight guests of Camp Creek Inn and Watersound Inn, though two of them were partly or fully closed after Hurricane Isaias in October 2026.
Which is better for a snowbird winter?
Myrtle Beach is cheaper to stay, Destin is warmer. Myrtle Beach resorts publish 2026-27 monthly rates from $675 for a Caravelle Tower studio, while Destin's Newman-Dailey listed monthly rentals from $1,875 in November, both before fees and tax. Destin's courses offer snowbird cards and memberships, such as Shalimar Pointe at $1,150 for three months.
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