Myrtle Beach Golf Travel Guide 2026: Caledonia, TPC and 100 Courses Worth Playing
Myrtle Beach is American golf’s volume capital. Over 100 courses within 60 miles, green fees from $30 to $350, and a market so competitive that every course is perpetually trying to undercut the one next to it. Nobody goes to Myrtle Beach for one round. Nobody goes for fewer than four.
The quality ceiling is lower than Scottsdale or Bandon. The best course here isn’t in the same conversation as the best course there. But the depth, the variety, and the sheer volume of golf available at every price point make Myrtle Beach the most accessible serious golf destination in the United States.
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The table below compares the top US golf destinations reviewed by XS Golf, ranked by overall course quality, green fee range, optimal travel window, and budget tier.
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Each destination guide linked above includes a simulator preparation section — specific drills and software setups to help you practice the course architecture before you arrive.
The Best Courses
| Destination | XS Rating | Green Fee Range | Best Month | Budget Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pebble Beach, CA | 9.8 | $625 – $675 | May / September | Luxury |
| Bandon Dunes, OR | 9.7 | $130 – $295 | July / August | Premium |
| Pinehurst, NC | 9.4 | $120 – $295 | April / October | Mid–Premium |
| Augusta & Georgia | 9.4 | $85 – $220 | March / November | Mid |
| Scottsdale, AZ | 9.2 | $75 – $350 | November – March | Mid–Premium |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | 8.8 | $30 – $180 | April / October | Budget–Mid |
Budget Level
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club — 9.5/10
Mike Strantz, 1994. The best course in Myrtle Beach is not debatable. Caledonia sits on a 150-year-old rice plantation south of the main strip in Pawleys Island — moss-draped oaks lining every hole, tidal wetlands framing the closing stretch, complete silence apart from the birds. It doesn’t look or feel like anything else in the region.
Strantz’s routing is as good as anything he produced at Tobacco Road or Bull’s Bay. The par-3 9th across the pond, the dogleg 14th through the plantation oaks — these are holes you think about on the flight home. Green fee: $150–$225.
True Blue Golf Club — 9.3/10
Mike Strantz, 1998. Strantz’s second Pawleys Island design is the architectural opposite of Caledonia — bold, aggressive mounding, dramatic waste areas, a visual maximalism that looks almost theatrical. Where Caledonia is serene, True Blue is confrontational. Both are essential.
The combination round (Caledonia in the morning, True Blue in the afternoon) is the definitive Myrtle Beach golf day. Green fee: $90–$155.
TPC Myrtle Beach — 9.1/10
Tom Fazio, 1999. The only TPC property in the Carolinas and the most technically demanding course in the Grand Strand. Fazio’s design rewards accurate driving and punishes anything wide — the rough and waste areas are genuinely penal, which is a refreshing change from resort-grade forgiveness. The 18th, a long par-4 with a peninsula green jutting into a lake, is a proper finishing hole.
Green fee: $115–$195. Slightly harder to book than other courses in the area.
Pawleys Plantation — 8.9/10
Jack Nicklaus, 1988. Salt marsh, tidal creeks, and Spanish moss — Pawleys Plantation captures the lowcountry landscape better than any other course in the region. The back nine, where the marsh intrudes on multiple holes, is among the most scenic golf in South Carolina. Green fee: $80–$140.
Arcadian Shores — 8.6/10
Rees Jones, 1974. The oldest great course in Myrtle Beach, and still excellent. Arcadian Shores is a mature, tree-lined design in the Hilton Head tradition — demanding but fair, with greens that have been refined over 50 years to genuine complexity. The best value round in the area at $65–$95.
Green Fees at a Glance
When to Go
March through May is peak season — warm, dry, and busy. The azaleas are out, the courses are in best condition, and every tee sheet fills up. Book courses 30–60 days ahead. Green fees are at their highest.
October and November are the local’s secret. The summer crowds are gone, courses are recovering from the season and playing beautifully, temperatures sit at 65–75°F, and green fees drop 25–40%. The best value window in the calendar.
June through August is hot, humid, and crowded with families on beach holidays rather than golfers. Heat and humidity are genuine factors — 95°F feels like 110°F with the humidity — but courses compete hard on price. Budget golfers willing to tee off at 7am can play $150 courses for $50.
December through February is the quietest period. Some courses close for maintenance, temperatures can drop into the 40s, and unpredictable weather is a real factor. Low-risk strategy: book a flexible tee time package and watch the forecast.
How to Book — The Package System
Myrtle Beach has a well-developed golf package industry that doesn’t exist at other destinations. Hotels bundle green fees into multi-night packages at rates significantly below what you’d pay booking individually — a 4-night, 4-round package at a decent resort often comes to $180–$220 per person per day all-in.
The main aggregators are Myrtle Beach Golf (myrtlebeachgolf.com) and Golf Holiday (golfholiday.com). Both offer configurable packages — choose your hotel tier, select your courses, and the system handles tee time booking. Worth using for first-time visitors; experienced Myrtle Beach regulars often do better booking courses individually in October and November.
7-Day Itinerary
Where to Stay
Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort — the best golf-specific resort in the area, 10 minutes from Caledonia and True Blue, packages include preferred tee times and cart fees. Rates from $180/night. The default choice for a golf-first trip.
Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort at Grande Dunes — upscale option in northern Myrtle Beach, on-site Grande Dunes Members Club (strong course), excellent pool and beach access for non-golf days. From $280/night.
Beach Cove Resort — oceanfront, no golf on site, competitive rates, and a central location that puts you 20–30 minutes from every course on this list. From $120/night. The right choice if you want to self-book and aren’t paying for bundled golf.
Getting There
Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) has direct service from most East Coast cities and several Midwest hubs. No direct transatlantic service — fly into Charlotte (CLT), Atlanta (ATL), or Raleigh (RDU) and drive, or connect through any of those cities from international departure points.
Rent a car. The courses are spread across 60 miles of coastline and there is no practical alternative. Budget $45–$70/day.
Simulator Prep for Coastal Conditions
Myrtle Beach golf is played at sea level in high humidity — the ball carries slightly less than at altitude and greens hold more. The key adjustment is wind: coastal wind is a constant factor, shifting direction and speed throughout the round in a way that inland courses rarely demand.
If you prep on a simulator, enable the wind feature and practice with 10–20 mph variable wind from different directions. GSPro’s wind modelling is the most realistic for this kind of practice. Full simulator guide: Best Golf Simulators 2026.
Related Guides
Myrtle Beach sits within a day’s drive of Augusta and Georgia‘s best courses. If you’re building a Southern US golf road trip, combining both regions makes strong sense. For the west coast equivalent, Pebble Beach and Bandon Dunes are the other two legs of a complete American golf itinerary.
Planning a wider US golf trip? This destination is featured in our Best US Golf Travel Destinations 2026 — the complete tiered guide to the best golf destinations across the country by trip type and budget.