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Enjoy Golf Alternatives with Discs and Feet in South Carolina

Bob Gillespie Bob Gillespie
Bob is a former sports writer at Columbia’s The State newspaper. He enjoys golf at South Carolina’s 350-plus courses, and after a round, sampling craft beers from the Palmetto State’s breweries.
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South Carolina is renowned worldwide for its golf courses - more than 350 across the state - but not everyone who loves golf uses a dimpled ball and a set of clubs.

For those who prefer tossing a plastic Frisbee-style disc at a target, disc golf is the perfect way to spend an afternoon outdoors. Courses wind through wooded areas or across open fields, with players hurling specialized discs at mounted chain-link baskets, which serve as the "cups."

South Carolina has 67 locations and 73 courses for fans to test their skills. Check here for a list.

Another booming "alt sport," especially for lovers of soccer, is FootGolf. A number of traditional golf courses, searching for ways to attract more customers, now welcome players on designated holes.

FootGolf is played with a regulation No. 5 soccer ball on shortened holes using 21-inch diameter cups. Rules largely conform to the Rules of Golf, and the sport is played around the world. US players are governed by the American FootGolf League (www.afgl.us/courses.html), which organizes and runs tournaments nationwide.

Here are the top-rated public disc golf facilities by Disc Golf Scene, and all seven FootGolf course in South Carolina in 2016.

South Carolina's 16 best disc golf courses:

Carolina Adventure World, Winnsboro, est. 2011 (18 holes)

Chester State Park (long course/18 holes; short course/18 holes), est. 2013

Crooked Creek Park, Chapin (club course/9 holes, main course/18 holes), est. 1996

Grand Central Station, Central, est. 2012 (18 holes)

Hampton Park, Charleston (18 holes)

Langley Pond Disc Golf Park, Langley, est. 2015 (18 holes)

Sergeant Jasper Park, Hardeeville, est. 2007 (18 holes)

Sertoma Field, Walhalla, est. 2008 (18 holes)

South East Park, Columbia, est. 2012 (18 holes)

Timmons Park, Greenville, est. 1999 (18 holes)

Trophy Lakes, Charleston/Johns Island, est. 2003 (18 holes)

Va-Du-Mar Park, Boiling Springs, est. 2006 (18 holes/19 baskets)

Winthrop University, Rock Hill (Lakefront, est. 1988, 18 holes; Gold Championship, est. 2001, 18 holes)

York Middle School, York (18 holes)

South Carolina's FootGolf courses:

Tupelo Bay Golf Center, Garden City

Heritage Golf Port Royal, Hilton Head Island

Wrenwoods Golf Course, Joint Base - Charleston Air Force Base

Harbour View Golf, Little River

Whispering Pines Golf Course, Myrtle Beach

Oconee Country Club, Seneca

Carolina Lakes Golf Course, Shaw Air Force Base

Bob Gillespie
Bob is a former sports writer at Columbia’s The State newspaper. He enjoys golf at South Carolina’s 350-plus courses, and after a round, sampling craft beers from the Palmetto State’s breweries.