For more than a decade, the 120-plus membership of the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel has voted each year on the best golf courses the state has to offer. In odd-numbered years, the panel selects the top 30 courses anyone can play - an invaluable guide for out-of-state visitors packing their golf bags and residents looking to enjoy courses other than their home turf.
In even-numbered years, the panel expands the list to the top 50 courses, both public and private. The Top 30 You Can Play may be more useful for newcomers and visitors to South Carolina, but the Top 50 is the creme de la creme, and players with ties to local residents may find ways to try out even the most exclusive layouts.
For 2026, the list offers two categories - one for Modern (1980 to present) and Classic (Pre-1980). The list includes both public and private courses, so look for the designation with each entry.
MODERN COURSES
Best courses built after January 1, 1980
1. Kiawah Island Resort - Ocean Course - Kiawah Island (public - Pete Dye)
2. Congaree Golf Club - Ridgeland (private - Tom Fazio)
3. Old Barnwell - Aiken (private - Brian Schneider & Blake Conant)
4. Long Cove Club - Hilton Head Island (private - Pete Dye)
5. Chechessee Creek Club- Okatie (private - Bill Coore & Blake Conant)
6. Cherokee Plantation - Yemasee (private - Donald Steele)
7. Quixote Club - Sumter (private - Kris Spense & Jack Nicklaus, II)
8. Bulls Bay Golf Club - Awendaw (private - Mike Strantz)
9. The Tree Farm - Batesburg-Leesville (private - Zac Blair, Kyle Goalby, Tom Doak)
10. May River Golf Club at Palmetto Bluff - Bluffton (public - Jack Nicklaus)
11. Caledonia Golf & Fish Club - Pawleys Island (Public - Mike Strantz)
12. Secession Golf Club - Beaufort (private - Bruce Devlin)
13. Sage Valley Golf Club - Graniteville (private - Tom Fazio)
14. Cassique Course - Kiawah Island Club - (private - Tom Watson)
15. Dye Course at Colleton River Club - (private - Pete Dye)
16. Broomsedge Golf Club - Rembert (private: Mike Koprowski & Kyle Franz)
17. Nicklaus Course at Colleton River Club - Bluffton (private - Jack Nicklaus)
18. Wachesaw Plantation Club - Murrells Inlet (private - Tom Fazio)
19. Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards -Sunset (private - Tom Fazio)
20. Belfair Golf Club - East Course - Bluffton (private - Tom Fazio)
21. Tidewater Golf Club - North Myrtle Beach (pubic - Ken Tomlinson)
22. Musgrove Mill Golf Club - Clinton (private - Arnold Palmer)
23. North Course at Berkeley Hall - - Bluffton (private - Tom Fazio)
24. Belfair Golf Club - West Course - Bluffton (private - Tom Fazio)
25. Old Tabby Links - Spring Island (private - Arnold Palmer)
26. Prestwick Country Club - Myrtle Beach (public Pete Dye & P. B. Dye)
27. Haig Point Club - Daufauskie Island (private - Rees Jones)
28. True Blue Golf Club - Pawleys Island (public- Mike Strantz)
29. The Dye Course at Barefoot Resort & Golf - North Myrtle Beach (public - Pete Dye)
30. The River Course at Kiawah Island Club - Kiawah Island (private - Tom Fazio)
31. Debordieu Club - Georgetown (private - Pete Dye & P.B. Dye)
32. Berkeley Hall Club - Charleston (private - Tom Fazio)
33. Osprey Point Course at Kiawah Island Resort - Kiawah Island (public - Tom Fazio)
34. The Golf Club at Briar's Creek - John's Island (private - Rees Jones)
35. Cotton Dyke Course at Dataw Island Club - St. Helena Isalnd (private - Tom Fazio)
36. Ralston Creek Course at Daniel Island Club - Daniel Island (private - Rees Jones)
37. Beresford Creek Course at Daniel Island Club - Daniel Island (private - Tom Fazio)
38. Old Edwards Reserve at Lake Keowee - Sunset (private - Jack Nicklaus)
39. Atlantic Dunes at Sea Pines Resort - Hilton Head Island (public - Davis Love III)
40. TPC Myrtle Beach - Myrtle Beach (public - Tom Fazio)
41. Turtle Point Course at Kiawah Island Resort - Kiawah Island (public - Jack Nicklaus)
42. Cougar Point Course at Kiawah Island Resort - Kiawah Island (public - Gary Player)
43. Crooked Oaks at Seabrook Island Club - Seabrook Island (private - Robert Trent Jones, Sr.)
44. Cliffs at Mountain Park - Marietta (private - Gary Player)
45. The Fazio Course at Barefoot Resort & Golf - North Myrtle Beach (public - Tom Fazio)
46. Callawassie Island Club - Callawassie Island (private - Tom Fazio)
47. Grande Dunes Resort Club (Myrtle Beach) (public - Roger Rulewich)
48. The Love Course at Barefoot Landing Resort & Golf - North Myrtle Beach (public - Davis Love III)
49. The Walker Course at Clemson University - Clemson (public - D.J. DeVictor)
50. Cross Creek Golf Club - Seneca (private - P.B. Dye)
Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club - Pawleys Island (public - Jack Nicklaus)
Thorneblade Club - Greer (private - Tom Fazio)
CLASSIC COURSES
Best courses built before January 1, 1980
1. Yeamans Hall Club -Hanahan (private - Seth Raynor)
2. Sea Pines Resort - Harbour Town Golf Links - Hilton Head (public - Pete Dye & Jack Nicklaus)
3. Palmetto Golf Club - Aiken (private- Alister McKenzie)
4. The Dunes Golf & Beach Club - Myrtle Beach (public - Robert Trent Jones, Sr.)
5. Country Club of Charleston - Charleston (private - Seth Raynor)
6. Greenville Country Club - Chanticleer Course - Greenville (private - Robert Trent Jones, Sr.)
7. Camden Country Club - Camden (private - Donald Ross)
8. Orangeburg Country Club - Orangeburg (public - Ellis Maples)
9. Surf Golf & Beach Club - N Myrtle Beach (private - George Cobb)
10. Country Club of Spartanburg - Spartanburg (private - Unknown)
11. Aiken Golf Club - Aiken (public - John Inglis)
12. Florence Country Club (private - George Cobb)
13. Charleston Municipal Golf Course - Charleston (public - J. M. Whitsett & Troy Miller)
14. Ocean Winds at Seabrook Island Club - Seabrook Island (private - Willard Byrd)
15. Sea Pines Country Club - Hilton Head Island (private - Arnold Palmer)
16. Pine Lakes Country Club - Myrtle Beach (public - Robert White)
17. Furman University Golf Course - Greenville (public - Richard Webel & Walter Crosby)
18. King's North at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club - Myrtle Beach (public - Arnold Palmer)
19. Forest Lake Country Club - Columbia (private - Maruice McCarthy)
20. Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort - Myrtle Beach (public - Robert Trent Jones, Sr.)
21. Ocean Point at Fripp Island Golf & Beach Resort - Fripp Island (public - George Cobb)
22. Columbia Country Club - Columbia (private - Ellis Maples)
23. Riverside Course at Greenville Country Club - Greenville (private - Tom Bendelow)
24. RT Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes Resort - Hilton Head Island (public Robert Trent Jones)
25. Cheokee National Golf Club - Gaffney (private - Jay Porter Gibson & Russell Breeden)
26. Barony Course at Port Royal Golf & Raquet Club - Port Royal (private -George Cobb)
27. The Plantation Course at Edisto - Edisto Island (private - Tom Jackson)
28. Greenwood Country Club - Greenwood (private - George Cobb)
29. The Legends Golf Course at Parris Island - Parris Island (public - Fred Findley)
30. Rock Hill Country Club - Rock Hill (private - A. W. Tillinghast & Arthur Hamm)
