These are the 20 best SC golf courses to try in 2023, Golf Magazine says. Take a look

Patrick McCreless

The weather might not be the best for golf in South Carolina right now, but it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead.

Warmer days will be here before you know it, providing ample opportunities to step out onto the green, maybe try out those new clubs you got for Christmas and, hopefully, avoid sand traps.

But if you want to enjoy several rounds of golf in South Carolina this year, why not play on the best courses the state has to offer?

Golf Magazine ranks golf courses across the U.S. every year using a large team of expert panelists. The magazine recently unveiled its 20 best South Carolina golf courses for 2023.

According to Golf Magazine, to determine the ranking, each panelist is given a list of hundreds of courses and groupings and check off which ones they believe to be the best. They are also free to write in courses.

The panelists themselves are all handpicked and hail from 15 nations and all the golf meccas around the world. Many of the panelists have played more than 1,000 courses in 20-plus countries, the magazine’s website states.

Here are descriptions of the top five South Carolina golf courses for 2023.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort: The Ocean Course

Located on the eastern-most end the Kiawah Island, the Ocean Course has the most seaside hills in the Northern Hemisphere. The course was designed to give players an unobstructed view of the coastline from every hole. The course can also be particularly challenging, due to strong winds from the Atlantic.

Rory McIlroy hits his second shot on the 17th hole Friday during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament on the Ocean Course.
Rory McIlroy hits his second shot on the 17th hole Friday during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament on the Ocean Course.

Yeamans Hall

The Yeamans Hall Club golf course was designed in 1925 in Charleston. The course offers a “charming tour of Redan, Biarritz and Road holes woven through marshland and magnificent live oaks,” Golf Magazine states. A two decade-long renovation has restored the course to its original glory.

Harbour Town

This perennial favorite among PGA Tour players is located on Hilton Head Island. The course has undergone recent enhancements, such as new Celebration Bermuda grass for the fairways and a new irrigation system. Since 1969, it has been home to the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

Debbie Staley shared this photo taken on the 17th green at Harbour Town Links in Sea Pines on Oct. 16, 2022. 
Debbie Staley shared this photo taken on the 17th green at Harbour Town Links in Sea Pines on Oct. 16, 2022.

Congaree

Found in Ridgeland, the 18-hole Congaree golf course opened in 2018. The course was built on a historic, 18th-century estate and is surrounded by more than 2,000 acres of forest and lakes.

Palmetto Golf Club

Founded in 1892, the Palmetto Golf Club is the oldest, continually operated 18-hole golf course in its original location in the Southeast, the golf club’s website states. The course has seen its fair share prominent players and famously people over the years, from Masters Champions Byron Nelson and Ben Crenshaw, to Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and William Taft.

The Palmetto Golf Club
The Palmetto Golf Club

Here is a list of the rest of the 20 best South Carolina golf courses for 2023.

  • Long Cove (Hilton Head Island)

  • Chechessee Creek (Okatie)

  • Secession (Beaufort)

  • CC of Charleston (Charleston)

  • Sage Valley (Graniteville)

  • May River – Palmetto Bluff (Bluffton)

  • The Dunes (Myrtle Beach) [P]

  • Kiawah Island – River (Kiawah Island)

  • Bulls Bay (Awendaw)

  • Caledonia (Pawleys Island) [P]

  • Kiawah Island – Cassique (Kiawah Island)

  • Greenville – Chanticleer (Greenville)

  • Camden (Camden)

  • Old Tabby Links (Okatie)

  • Musgrove Mill (Clinton)

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