We have long-touted the depth and quality of Myrtle Beach’s golf offerings, and the annual release of Golfweek’s ranking of America’s best public courses has reinforced the Grand Strand’s strength.
In its most recent list of the “Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play in the U.S.,” Golfweek ranked three Myrtle Beach layouts – Dunes Club (No. 50), Caledonia (No. 62), True Blue (No. 95) – among America’s top 100 public courses.
It wasn’t a surprise to see that trio of courses ranked among the nation’s best. The Dunes Club (pictured above) has long been considered one of America’s premier layouts, and the Robert Trent Jones Sr. design led Myrtle Beach’s emergence from sleepy beach town into international golf destination.
Caledonia, (pictured right) a consensus top 100 layout, is equal parts art and architecture, wowing players with the property’s lowcountry beauty and the creativity of Strantz’ design work. Caledonia’s sister course, True Blue, offers a different though no less appealing experience.
The modern design features some of the area’s largest fairways, greens and waste bunkers, contributing to an unforgettable round of golf.
Even more impressive than the top 100 courses was Myrtle Beach’s domination of Golfweek’s list of the “Best Courses You Can Play,” a ranking of the best public layouts in each state. The Myrtle Beach area is home to nine of the golf-rich Palmetto State’s top 15 public courses, according to Golfweek.
Following close behind the Dunes Club (No. 3), Caledonia (No. 5) and True Blue (No. 6) on the list of South Carolina’s best were Tidewater Golf Club (No. 7), Heritage Club (No. 8), Moorland at Legends Resort (No. 11), Dye Course at Barefoot Resort (No. 12), King’s North at Myrtle Beach National (No. 13) and TPC Myrtle Beach (No. 14).
Given the number of Myrtle Beach area courses that are also worthy of inclusion on the list – hello, Pawleys Plantation, Love and Fazio courses at Barefoot, and Grande Dunes Resort Club, for starters – it provides a sense for just how strong Myrtle Beach’s golf courses offerings are.
On the Tar Heel side of the state line, Leopard’s Chase at Ocean Ridge Plantation was ranked the 12th best course in North Carolina.
