Locals Have Called It Underrated for Years — Now It’s State Course of the Year

Myrtle Beach area residents have long regarded Prestwick Country Club as among the area’s most underrated courses, and now it appears the P.B. Dye design may be getting its due.

Prestwick has been named South Carolina’s Golf Course of the Year by the South Carolina Golf Course Owners Association.

The SCGCOA evaluated Golf Course of the Year nominees on four criteria: exceptional quality of the golf course, exceptional quality of the ownership and management, outstanding contribution to the community, and significant contribution to the game.

By virtue of earning the state honor, Prestwick will be eligible for the Golf Course Owners Association’s national award, which will be announced at the 2026 PGA Merchandise Show.

The award is affirmation of what locals have long known: the experience at Prestwick is one of the Grand Strand’s best.

Prestwick’s calling card is the challenge it presents and a closing stretch that is among the area’s most memorable. Let’s start here: this isn’t a course where you are likely to shoot a career-best round, but that’s part of the fun.

Playing 6,347 yards from the white tees (7,086 tips; 6,744 blue), Prestwick, which was ranked Myrtle Beach’s sixth best course by area PGA professionals, offers variety throughout the round. From the 444-yard (all distances from white tees), par-4 third hole to the 344-yard 11th, golfers are required to hit a variety of shots as the drama builds.

A round at Prestwick reaches its crescendo on those closing holes, all three of which offer danger and opportunity. The par-3 16th requires a mid to long iron at 174 and with water along the left side, the possibility of disaster lurks, but the par-5 17th is the one hole that raises everyone’s anxiety level.

At 499 yards, the 17th is of moderate length, but water runs up the entire left side before cutting just in front of the green. There are trees on the right side of a fairway that’s not much more than 30 yards wide. It takes three good shots to reach this green.

Prestwick 18th The 18th, which is backdropped by the clubhouse and flanked by water on the right, brings a round to a close with the beautiful 396-yard par-4.