Not so long ago, South Carolina’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism coined a phrase in its travel promotions: “Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places.” For golf fans who visit any of the state’s nearly 360 courses, the second part of that slogan — “beautiful places” — is often a big reason for all those smiles.
From the Atlantic Ocean to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and many places in between, South Carolina golf courses offer no end of spectacular vistas, intimate wooded settings, and bodies of water of all sorts. Golf enriches its fans not only with competition and recreation, but also exposure to the best nature has to offer.
Still, even in a sport surrounded by nature, some courses stand out. South Carolina has many of those, from world-famous designs by the greatest course designers to off-the-beaten-path gems that will never host a PGA Tour event but offer unforgettable, bucolic experiences.
Here are ten courses that are not only inviting but also open to public play. Whatever your definition of beauty, you are likely to find it on one or more of these sites. Swing away … and drink it in.
Links Course, Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms
When the first of Wild Dunes’ two courses opened, an inaugural project for young architect Tom Fazio, it was a special blend of Lowcountry marshes, sand dunes, and live oaks. But Hurricane Hugo came in 1989, making the gorgeous property look like a war zone.
Three decades later, Wild Dunes is not quite the unspoiled vision it was pre-Hugo, but it is very, very close. In his 15 years there, director of golf Jeff Minton has seen the Links Course battle ocean erosion and near-miss hurricanes and bounce back as good or better than before.
“The elevations, the massive natural dunes were unique,” Jeff says. For lovers of dunes, the back-nine stretch of holes 10, 11, and 12 are memorable, sitting among the towering dunes. Tom, now renowned among course designers, was thrilled with the property with which he was given to work.
The Walker Course, Clemson
Speaking of Tiger Town, the university’s Walker Course was recently rated “No. 1 university course in America” by Golf Advisor/Golfers Choice and annually is among the top 25 college courses by Golfweek. It is also a beautiful property, with holes along Lake Hartwell.
Brent Jessup, at the course for 23 years and director of golf, says, “The beauty draws people, including the school’s student body. Late in the day, with the sun dipping behind the lake, it’s gorgeous.” That is particularly true of the back nine, which has no intrusive housing because since the course opened in 1995, built on university-owned property, “no one else can afford to have three or four holes on the lake,” Brent says.
The best-known hole is the par-3 17th, with the green and surrounding bunkers creating a “Tiger Paw” aerial view. Brent is partial to the par-4 18th with its two water hazards: Lake Hartwell off the tee and the Fountain Pond near the green. It’s not a long hole — some Clemson golf team players try to drive the green — but there is plenty of trouble, and beauty, to catch your ball and your eye.
The Rock Golf Club & Resort, Pickens
Not far along Scenic Highway 11 from Cherokee Valley, The Rock is a course with breathtaking terrain that had languished as a golf afterthought until former Clemson and PGA Tour player Tommy Biershenk, along with partner Anthony Anders, bought it in 2016 and began turning it into a hidden gem.
It was Anthony who alerted Tommy, who also owns Legacy Pines Golf Course near Mauldin, that The Rock was available. “It was a ghost town, had been closed for a while, and had weeds in the fairways,” Tommy says. “We knew it’d take a lot of work, eight months to get it playable. But five years later, it’s doing great.”
The course might not be a world-class golf challenge, but the natural beauty makes it well worth the trip, especially for players with non-golfing families. The Rock rents on-site condos — especially popular during Clemson’s football season — and offers pontoon boat excursions on nearby Lake Jocassee, horseback riding, and hiking trails.
The property has seven waterfalls; only one is on the golf course, but that one runs alongside the downhill par-3 eighth hole. Nos. 10 and 16 have vistas of Table Rock and surrounding mountains, and a pretty creek runs through the property. All serve to remind the competitive that golf is not just about the score.
Cheraw State Park Golf Course, Cheraw, and Hickory Knob State Park Golf Course, McCormick
Under the heading of “beautiful” and “best value,” it’s hard to top either of South Carolina’s state park golf courses. Cheraw and Hickory Knob each have unspoiled surroundings; Hickory Knob has the added advantage of multiple views of Lake Thurmond, plus rolling terrain and tree-lined fairways, while Cheraw has similarly unspoiled woodlands and a finish with views of Lake Juniper. Both courses were designed by Greenville-based architect Tom Jackson, and both have on-site cabin accommodations. The ability to come play golf and not leave the property is a big draw.
Of the two, Cheraw is the more rustic, with the look of a classic parkland golf course built in the early 1900s. The course is also player-friendly, with generous landing areas and gently sloping greens. In addition to flora scenery, there are plenty of opportunities to see deer and other indigenous creatures at this Certified Audubon International Wildlife Sanctuary. The final two holes are notable for their gorgeous lake backdrop. The green at the par-3 17th offers a view of the water, and the 18th tumbles down toward the lake before climbing uphill to the finishing green.
Hickory Knob, says pro shop manager Burt Minick, is a pretty spot on Lake Thurmond. “At almost every hole, you can see the lake. You can play 36 holes a day in the summer, have dinner, then sit outside and look at the lake as the sun goes down.”
Burt’s favorite hole is the par-4 18th, playing over the lake and with views of the lake all along the left side. “You can look back up the cove for a half-mile,” he says. “In the late afternoon, it’s very scenic.”
Which, of course, is exactly what we’re looking for.
Caledonia Golf and Fish Club, Pawleys Island
When the late Mike Strantz completed two of the most acclaimed courses in his too-short resume, the reputations were: “Caledonia is the pretty one; True Blue is the tough one.” In fact, both courses are gorgeous in different ways, and both can hammer players distracted by the views.
But general manager Bob Seganti, who oversees both courses, does not deny that Caledonia is the more artistically stunning. “The beauty comes from the course being framed by live oaks, Spanish moss, and beds of azaleas,” he says. “True Blue is pretty in a more ‘natural’ way; Caledonia has more landscaped design to it,” including a canopy of live oaks leading to the clubhouse.
Caledonia probably more reflects its creator. Strantz, an artist before turning to golf design, created each hole by visiting the site, often on horseback, and drawing how he pictured the hole, then giving those charcoal sketches to workers. “He didn’t do blueprints,” Bob says. “He did the vision and handed that off for others to shape and sculpt the hole. It was a visual thing for him.”
True Blue, Bob says, is comparable to famed Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina and Pine Valley in New Jersey. A favorite hole is the 13th, with a 20-25-foot hill overlooking the green.
Caledonia and True Blue: Beauty and The Beast? Not exactly.
The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Brian Gerard has been with Kiawah Island Golf Resort longer than The Ocean Course (built in 1991) has been around. The resort’s director of golf since 2006 knows all five of its courses, but the one that hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup is what every visitor wants to see and play, for good reason.
Besides being one of America’s toughest courses, The Ocean Course is perhaps the state’s most spectacular, by design. When architect Pete Dye (father of P.B.) was clearing land along the beachfront, his wife and fellow architect, Alice, advised him to raise the fairways several feet so players could see the nearby Atlantic and be impacted by its changeable breezes — and the views.
“Just the visuals players get are incredible,” Brian says. “A lot of times, a player is really focusing on his game, but I tell them to do a 360-degree look around and take in the ambience of the course.”
The view at the fifth hole, looking out on the fairway or back at the fourth hole, is a montage of marsh, dunes, water, and trees. Likewise from the seventh tee, for similar reasons, Gerard says. But the most scenic spot?
No question: the mound-top tee at the par-3 14th hole, with previous holes to the left and the dunes and ocean below to the right. Ahead, the elevated green rises into view, and beyond it the final four holes stretching out to the clubhouse. Awe-inspiring — and you still have to hit a shot.
“From up there … wow,” Brian says. “That view encompasses everything about the Ocean Course. That says it all.”
Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links, North Myrtle Beach
If Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links can’t match Caledonia’s beauty for 18 holes, its closing three holes stack up against any Myrtle Beach course. “The natural terrain is amazing,” says Ben Acre, Glen Dornoch’s head professional for seven years before moving to Golf Trek, a golf booking company. “Coming off the higher elevations, moving down to the Intracoastal Waterway, the framing of the 100-year-old oaks and how it sets up creates stunning beauty, especially at No. 16.”
That downhill par-4 sets the table for a memorable finish. Its downhill approach is to slender green surrounded by hillocks, oaks, and marsh to the right and behind. The green at the par-3 17th is surrounded by marsh on three sides, a natural occurrence, Ben says, and the finishing hole features the waterway along its entire left side, with marsh areas in play off the tee.
“That makes it visually intimidating,” Ben says. “You can see boats passing by as you’re hitting your shots. Sometimes, you have to refocus to hit the right shot.” That’s a “hazard” that’s worth the risk.
Cherokee Valley Golf Course, Travelers Rest
If stunning mountain views thrill you more than the beach, look no further than this P.B. Dye design near the college town of Tigerville, with vistas of nearby Mount Glassy. Matt Jennings, who bought the course in 2017 and oversaw a refurbishment of the rolling layout, says, “Part of what attracted our ownership group was its sheer beauty and its setting in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
Two holes in particular take advantage of their surroundings. The par-3 sixth hole, the course’s signature beauty spot, tees off to a downhill green with Glassy Mountain as a backdrop. The par-5 16th hole also features a panoramic view of the eponymous Cherokee Valley and the surrounding area.
The Rock Golf Club & Resort, Pickens
Not far along Scenic Highway 11 from Cherokee Valley, The Rock is a course with breathtaking terrain that had languished as a golf afterthought until former Clemson and PGA Tour player Tommy Biershenk, along with partner Anthony Anders, bought it in 2016 and began turning it into a hidden gem.
It was Anthony who alerted Tommy, who also owns Legacy Pines Golf Course near Mauldin, that The Rock was available. “It was a ghost town, had been closed for a while, and had weeds in the fairways,” Tommy says. “We knew it’d take a lot of work, eight months to get it playable. But five years later, it’s doing great.”
The course might not be a world-class golf challenge, but the natural beauty makes it well worth the trip, especially for players with non-golfing families. The Rock rents on-site condos — especially popular during Clemson’s football season — and offers pontoon boat excursions on nearby Lake Jocassee, horseback riding, and hiking trails.
The property has seven waterfalls; only one is on the golf course, but that one runs alongside the downhill par-3 eighth hole. Nos. 10 and 16 have vistas of Table Rock and surrounding mountains, and a pretty creek runs through the property. All serve to remind the competitive that golf is not just about the score.
Harbour Town Golf Links, Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head Island
One of the perks of his 44 years at Sea Pines Resort, Cary Corbitt says, has been knowing that the resort’s Harbour Town Golf Links is recognized by golf fans the world over, even those who have never attended the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, South Carolina’s annual PGA Tour event.
Anyone who follows golf has seen the course’s finishing hole on TV too many times to count: the par-4 18th with Calibogue Sound and its marshy stretches running the length of the left side and the iconic striped lighthouse behind the green.
Atlantic Dunes, with its stunning par-3 15th hole, has one of only two on Hilton Head that border the beach. “The setting of the entire hole, all the grasses, dunes, and the Atlantic, is spectacular,” he says.
Still, for scenic memories, “it’s Harbour Town because of the beauty of holes 16, 17, and 18,” he says. “You make the turn at 16, play toward Calibogue to the par-3 17th, and after you make your putt there and hit your tee shot at 18, you see the lighthouse in the distance — it couldn’t be more gorgeous.”
Cary has been around Harbour Town since co-designers Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye finished the course in 1969. He fell in love with it that week, and the love continues.
That view on the 18th? “That’s the picture everyone knows,” he says.