Myrtle Beach’s Top 25 Golf Courses: The Rankings, Surprises & Snubs
We asked Myrtle Beach PGA professionals to rank the Grand Strand’s top 25 courses, and their responses revealed plenty – not just the best layouts, but also trends shaping the area’s golf scene. If you haven’t seen the full list, check it out here. Here are five key takeaways after studying the results.
Breakdown of first place votes
As you might expect, there were a variety of opinions about which course is the area’s best and that was reflected in the fact 12 courses got first place votes. While the Dunes Golf & Beach Club, which was ranked No. 1, dominated at the top, here is a list of how the first-place ballots broke down.
Dunes Club – 25 first place votes
Tidewater Golf Club – 9 first place votes
TPC Myrtle Beach – 6 first place votes (top photo)
Grande Dunes Resort Club – 5 first place votes
True Blue Golf Club – 3 first place votes
Prestwick Country Club – 3 first place votes
Wachesaw Plantation East – 3 first place votes
Heritage Club – 3 first place votes
Pawleys Plantation Golf Club – 3 first place votes
Rivers Edge – 2 first place votes
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club – 1 first place vote
Dye Course at Barefoot Resort – 1 first place vote
Renovation work matters
Several Myrtle Beach area courses have undertaken renovation projects in recent years, and they were rewarded by our panelists. Grande Dunes, which enjoyed a greens and bunker project in 2022, jumped two spots and was the area’s No. 2 ranked course; Pawleys Plantation underwent an even more substantive overhaul in 2023, and it rose three spots to No. 8; King’s North, which is at the halfway point of a renovation project, moved up one spot to No. 9.
Even more impressively, Rivers Edge, an Arnold Palmer design that is on the shortlist of the Grand Strand’s prettiest courses, wasn’t ranked when we conducted the survey in 2020. Under new ownership, the course has undergone significant work in the last four years, and it rocketed to No. 12 on our list.
Top 10 is set for PGA professionals
You can quibble on the exact order, but our pros seem set in their belief that the Dunes Club, Grande Dunes, TPC Myrtle Beach, Tidewater, Caledonia, Prestwick, True Blue, Pawleys, King’s North, and Barefoot’s Dye Course constitute the area’s best, because nine of the 10 were on the list in 2020. Of the group, only Pawleys wasn’t among the top 10 four years ago and the Nicklaus design was No. 11 then.
Now, that’s a big jump!
In addition to the leap Rivers Edge made, Heritage Club vaulted from unranked to No. 13 on our current list. The Dan Maples design, located less than two miles from Caledonia, features a similar piece of Lowcountry property and the majestic live oak trees Pawleys Island is renowned for. Throw in some of the area’s most dramatic greens complexes and Heritage is absolutely deserving of its top 15 ranking.
Most surprising omission is …
Any time there is a list, people always want to talk about who was “snubbed.” I’m not sure there were any glaring omissions but for my money, the courses that could’ve appeared on the list and didn’t were: River Club, Tradition Club, Arcadian Shores, Crow Creek, Long Bay and Barefoot’s Norman Course.
Of course, to add any of those layouts, you must subtract current members of the list. Good luck with that.
Earning a spot among Myrtle Beach’s top 25 courses is a significant accomplishment. Whether you agree with every ranking or have your own favorites, one thing is certain: the quality and quantity of Myrtle Beach’s courses is what makes the area the game’s most popular destination.
The debate over the area’s best courses is part of what makes playing here so much fun.
Click Here to View the Entire List
Photos for this feature from our Instagram Account @MyrtleBeachGolfTrips
TPC Myrtle Beach top photo, Pawleys Plantation Golf Club right, Prestwick Country Club right
