5 SC golf courses among the 100 best in the US, new GOLF magazine ranking shows. Here’s why

Sarah Claire McDonald

Recently, GOLF Magazine released a list of their picks for the 2022-2023 “Top 100 Courses in the U.S.” Five of these golf courses were in South Carolina.

Selected first out of the courses chosen from the Palmetto State was the Kiawah Island (Ocean) course, which was ranked 32nd.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course
Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course

Designed by Pete Dye and built in 1991, The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island was described as “one of the South’s most memorable playing experiences,” by the magazine.

Last year, the 2021 PGA Championship was held at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

Next on the list of South Carolina courses and ranked in 44th place was Yeamans Hall in Hanahan. Designed by Seth Raynor and built in 1925, this course can be found in Berkeley County. This course combined “classic Seth Raynor design with coastal South Carolina topography.” Over the decades, the course began to fade, but a two decade-long renovation based on Raynor’s original property maps, which were discovered in the clubhouse attic, returned the course to its original beauty, GOLF magazine states.

Ranked 63rd, Harbour Town Golf Links jumped 10 spaces from its ranking last year. This Hilton Head Island golf course was built in 1969 and was designed by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus. This course sits at the island’s south end and has been the yearly venture for the RBC Heritage tournament each spring. “Even 50+ years after the course opened, Harbour Town’s exemplar holes remain as compelling and interesting as anything modern architecture has to offer,” described the magazine.

Pete Dye’s influence on golf in South Carolina is profound. Three of his Palmetto State courses — the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island and both Harbour Town Golf Links (pictured) and Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island — take a place on any list of great courses.
Pete Dye’s influence on golf in South Carolina is profound. Three of his Palmetto State courses — the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island and both Harbour Town Golf Links (pictured) and Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island — take a place on any list of great courses.

This course is known not for its length but rather for its need for accuracy and “precise iron play” to help golfers get their shots around the live oak and pine trees scattered around the course.

The view from behind the No. 3 green at the Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina.
The view from behind the No. 3 green at the Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina.

In 85th place, the Congaree Golf Club, found in Ridgeland, made the list. This newer course was designed by Tom Fazio and was built in 2017. Various tournaments take place at Congaree and, regardless of its younger age, has garnered much attention for its beauty, design and playability by golfers.

The Palmetto Golf Club is the oldest golf course in South Carolina and the second-oldest course in the country. Legendary players such as Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Ben Crenshaw all have played the 18-hole layout in Aiken since it joined the U.S. Golf Association in 1896. C. Aluka Berry/caberry@thestate.com
The Palmetto Golf Club is the oldest golf course in South Carolina and the second-oldest course in the country. Legendary players such as Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Ben Crenshaw all have played the 18-hole layout in Aiken since it joined the U.S. Golf Association in 1896. C. Aluka Berry/caberry@thestate.com

Lastly, in 99th place, Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken made GOLF magazine’s list. This course is the oldest out of the South Carolina golf courses on this list and one of the oldest in the magazine’s pick of 100. Founded in 1892 by Thomas Hitchcock, Palmetto Golf Club has several contending holes in which to call your favorite.

“Each green is so good, and no surprise why: Alister MacKenzie lent a hand to them when he was working in neighboring Augusta,” wrote GOLF magazine.

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