Somewhere on the Grand Strand this summer, a kid is going to flush a 7-iron for the first time in their life — really catch it, the way you never forget — while a parent watches from the cart and tries to play it cool. That moment is the whole point of one of the best family deals on the beach, and it won’t cost the family a single extra dollar.

Play Golf Myrtle Beach has officially brought back its summer-long Kids Play Free program for 2026, and the numbers are hard to argue with: junior golfers ages 16 and under play free with a paying adult at more than 50 championship courses across the Myrtle Beach area, running all summer through the peak of family vacation season.

In a destination that proudly calls itself the Golf Capital of the World®, this is the initiative that opens the gates to the next generation — and for visiting families, it quietly transforms the economics of a beach vacation. The rounds that used to be dad’s splurge or grandma’s treat become something the whole crew does together, on the same fairways that host professional and elite amateur events.

Here’s how the program works, where to play near North Myrtle Beach, and how to build a summer trip around it.

How Kids Play Free Works

The concept is refreshingly simple. When an adult books and pays for a round at a participating course, one junior golfer age 16 or under plays free alongside them. It works on a one-to-one basis — one free kid per paying adult — so a foursome of two parents and two juniors pays for just two rounds.

The program runs through the summer months of June, July, and August at most participating courses, matching the family vacation calendar. Even better for planners: roughly 30 of the participating courses extend kids-play-free offers year-round, so a fall or spring trip can cash in on the same deal.

The roster of 50+ participating courses stretches across the entire Grand Strand, from Pawleys Island in the south all the way into Brunswick County, North Carolina — and it isn’t a list of afterthought layouts. It includes some of the most celebrated designs in the Southeast, the same courses that anchor serious buddy-trip itineraries. The current list, tee times, and each course’s specific terms live at PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com/kids-play-free.

“Our summer mandate is centered around inclusive excellence and unmatched accessibility, making certain that Myrtle Beach remains the most welcoming and vibrant destination in the golf ecosystem,” said Kyle Oland, Director of Marketing for Golf Tourism Solutions. “By expanding opportunities for families to experience golf together on our member courses, we are actively cultivating the next generation of golfers and redefining how family vacations are spent on the fairways.”

The Fine Print Worth Knowing

Every course sets its own terms, and a few minutes of homework saves surprises at the pro shop counter:

• Age limits vary slightly. Most courses honor ages 16 and under, but some set the line at 15 and under or 14 and under. Check your specific course before promising a 16-year-old a free round.
• Afternoon-only at some courses. A number of participating courses — including some of the premium names — restrict the free junior round to afternoon tee times. In summer, that’s less of a sacrifice than it sounds; more on that below.
• Cart fees may apply. A few courses charge a junior cart fee for morning play while offering fully free afternoon rounds.
• One kid per paying adult. Two juniors need two paying adults in the group.
• Things change. Participating courses, dates, restrictions, and fees are subject to change, so confirm details when you book.

Participating Courses Near North Myrtle Beach

Staying in North Myrtle Beach puts a remarkable cluster of participating courses within a 10-to-25-minute drive of your beach chair:

• Barefoot Resort & Golf — all four championship courses (Dye, Fazio, Love, and Norman) participate, right across the waterway from the beach. Few places on the Strand make a kid feel more like a tour pro on the first tee.
• Tidewater Golf Club — the scenic stunner on the Cherry Grove peninsula, with marsh and Intracoastal views that make even a rough scorecard feel like a good day. Minutes from Cherry Grove Beach rentals.
• Glen Dornoch Golf Club — dramatic closing holes along the Intracoastal in Little River, a short hop up Highway 17.
• Crow Creek Golf Club — a family favorite just over the state line in Calabash, NC.
• Sea Trail Golf Resort — multiple courses at the Sunset Beach resort that also hosts Family Golf Week, about 20 minutes from the Cherry Grove section.

String together a different course each morning and you’ve built a junior golf camp with an ocean view — for the price of the adult rounds alone.

Bucket-List Courses Worth the Drive

Part of what makes this program remarkable is which courses said yes. These are layouts golfers plan entire trips around, and a junior can walk them free this summer:

• TPC Myrtle Beach — the area’s Tournament Players Club, polished to tour standards.
• King’s North at Myrtle Beach National — Arnold Palmer’s showpiece, home of the famous island-fairway “Gambler” hole that kids talk about the whole ride home.
• Grande Dunes Resort Course — big, beautiful golf above the Intracoastal Waterway.
• Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue — the celebrated Pawleys Island pair from architect Mike Strantz, worth the 45-minute drive south for the live oaks alone.
• Pine Lakes Country Club — “The Granddaddy,” the oldest course in Myrtle Beach (1927), where the area’s golf story began.
• The Legends courses (Heathland, Moorland, Parkland) — three distinct designs at one of the Strand’s classic golf resorts.

Note that several premium courses limit the free junior round to afternoon times — a fair trade for walking fairways of this caliber without a junior green fee.

Turning Free Golf Into a Full Family Vacation

The genius of Kids Play Free is how naturally it slots into the classic beach week. The formula that works for hundreds of families every summer looks like this: beach and pool in the morning when the sun is gentler, lunch at the rental, then parent-and-kid tee times in the afternoon — which happens to be exactly when most of the free-play windows open up. Everyone reconvenes for a seafood dinner with stories to compare.

Families flying in will find the logistics easy — Myrtle Beach International connects nonstop to more than 50 cities, and our golfer’s guide to MYR flights covers everything from routes to golf bag rules. Once you’re here, the non-golf hours fill themselves: the full menu of things to do in Myrtle Beach runs from water parks to fishing piers, and the summer events calendar adds festivals and live music to the mix.

And if your family catches the bug, the Grand Strand offers a natural next step: the annual Family Golf Week each July, where father-son and family teams from across the country compete on these same courses. More than a few of those teams started with a free junior round on a summer afternoon.

First Tee With the Kids: A Few Local Tips

• Book afternoon times on purpose. They’re when most free-play windows open, the course is quieter, and a late-day breeze off the ocean takes the edge off July. Bring water regardless — this is South Carolina in summer.
• Nine holes is a win. For younger juniors, plan to enjoy nine and treat the back nine as a bonus. A kid who leaves wanting more comes back tomorrow.
• Play the forward tees together. Nothing builds a young golfer’s confidence like reachable par 4s — and nothing slows a group down like a 9-year-old hitting driver from 6,800 yards.
• Rent or borrow junior clubs if needed. Many area courses and golf shops offer junior rental sets, so there’s no need to fly a second bag down.
• Let the wildlife do the entertaining. Herons, turtles, and the occasional alligator sighting (admired from a respectful distance) are half the fun of Lowcountry golf for kids.

Frequently Asked Questions

Free Golf for the Kids, the Beach for Everyone

A summer where the kids play championship golf for free and the ocean is waiting at the end of every round — that’s a vacation with very few losers. Thomas Beach Vacations can set your family up in the middle of it all, with oceanfront home rentals big enough for the whole crew and oceanfront condos perfect for smaller families — across all four North Myrtle Beach sections, from Ocean Drive to Crescent Beach and Windy Hill, each just minutes from participating courses. Browse availability at www.northmyrtlebeachvacations.com or call our local team at (866) 249-2100 — and let this be the summer somebody in your family falls in love with the game.