Golfing Legacy

South Carolina remains one of the leading golfing states in the country, with more than 350 golf courses to play. Grab your clubs and explore the golf scene yourself—or come to spectate one of the PGA tournaments hosted here. Either way, you’ll find you’re never far from the green. 

History Tees Off

The state boasts a longstanding history in the sport of golf—with a connection that dates to 1743, when a shipment of 96 golf clubs and 432 golf balls from the port of Leith, Scotland (near Edinburgh) arrived in Charleston. In 1786, the South Carolina Golf Club was established by merchants from Scotland in Charleston, where the modern game of golf developed. As the first golf club in the U.S., the group of Scotsmen played on the first golf course in America, Harleston Green, which was roughly between Calhoun and Beaufain streets, stretching from Rutledge Avenue and the Ashley River.

Female Golf Luminaries

May “Queenie” Dunn-Webb, the first female golf professional in the U.S., visited South Carolina and it was her recommendation that led to special tees for ladies—making Highland Park course in Aiken the first in the country to have tees for women (between 1915 and 1925). Further leading the way for female golfers was the notable Women’s Invitational Tournament— held in South Carolina in 1937, ‘38 and ‘39. These tournaments brought the likes of Babe Zaharias, Patty Berg, Helen Dettweiler and many other early pioneers in ladies' professional golf to The Aiken Golf Club, a historical landmark golf course in Aiken.