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.

Golf trips to the Grand Strand follow a rhythm as reliable as the tides. Spring brings the buddy groups chasing perfect course conditions. Fall brings them back for one more round before winter. And summer — summer belongs to the families, the beach chairs, the boogie boards, and the ice cream runs on Main Street.

For twenty-eight years now, one event has folded those two vacations into a single week. Family Golf Week returns to the Grand Strand this Thursday through Saturday, July 16–18, 2026, spreading roughly 450 two-person teams — about 900 golfers, plus the small armies of spouses, siblings, and grandkids who travel with them — across nine courses from Myrtle Beach up into the North Carolina side of the Strand.

“As much as we know Myrtle Beach is all about golf, and all about families coming to the area to visit the beach, it’s like two different tourists,” tournament director Ryan Hart says. “This is like a combination of both. It’s getting the family to come while also using the game of golf to get them here.”

Walk any of the host courses this week and you’ll see what he means: a 76-year-old and his son reading the same putt from opposite sides, a father-daughter team high-fiving on a par save, three generations of one family trailing a single cart down the fairway. It’s a golf tournament, technically. It’s a family reunion, actually.

What Is Family Golf Week?

Family Golf Week is a three-day, 54-hole team tournament built around a simple idea that dates back to its founding: hold it in summer, when the kids are out of school, so the golf trip and the family vacation can be the same trip. Nearly three decades later, the formula still works — and it’s growing. The field has climbed from about 418 teams last year to approximately 450 this year, with players arriving from numerous states and from as far away as California and Canada.

Teams compete for both gross and net championships across 27 flights in multiple divisions, sorted by the age of the oldest team member — so a pair of 40-somethings isn’t grinding against a team with a college kid carrying the bag. Every division champion takes home a trophy and a Staff golf bag stitched with the words “national champions,” which tends to get displayed prominently in garages from New York to Wisconsin.

The event is operated by Mike Buccerone and Rob Mosser of East Coast Golf Management, and over the years its home base has rotated through some of the Strand’s biggest names — Wild Wing Plantation, Legends Golf Resort, Barefoot Resort — before this year’s move to a new headquarters worth talking about.

Two Tournaments, One Big Family Reunion

The National Father & Son Team Classic

The original. Held every year since 1998 — with the lone exception of 2020 — the Father & Son Classic pairs two male family members separated by at least a generation. What began as a way to get dads and school-age sons on vacation together has aged gracefully along with its field: today, many teams are a grandfather-aged player and his grown son, using the tournament as the fixed point on the calendar that pulls the whole family back to the beach.

“This event is just something they mark on their calendar and they’re not going to miss,” Hart says. “It’s pretty neat.”

The Family Division

What started more than a decade ago as the Parent-Child tournament has grown into the Family Division — the event’s answer to the fact that golf families come in every configuration. Teams here either include a female player or pair related members with no generational age gap: father-daughter, mother-son, brothers, cousins. Same courses, same flights, same trophies, same bragging rights at Thanksgiving.

A New Home Base: Sea Trail Golf Resort

The big news for 2026 is the move to Sea Trail Golf Resort in Sunset Beach, North Carolina — just over the state line at the quiet northern end of the Strand, about 20 minutes from North Myrtle Beach. Sea Trail has poured tens of millions of dollars into renovations and additions in recent years, with more on the way, and its renovated convention center gives Family Golf Week something it has never had: a proper indoor home for the week’s social side.

“Everything has always been at a golf course, outside, under a tent,” Hart says. “I just think the amenities and everything at Sea Trail are going to really be like an icing on the cake for this event. I think it’s going to be awesome moving it up there.”

For the traveling families, the location is a quiet bonus — Sunset Beach sits closer to the vacation heart of North Myrtle Beach than several of the event’s previous headquarters, which makes basing the family at the beach and commuting to the golf easier than ever.

The Nine Courses of Family Golf Week 2026

The tournament rota reads like a tour of the northern Strand’s best golf, on both sides of the state line:

• Sea Trail Golf Resort — Byrd and Maples Courses (Sunset Beach, NC) — two of the new host resort’s three championship layouts.
• Barefoot Resort — Dye and Love Courses (North Myrtle Beach) — a former tournament headquarters itself, and home to two of the area’s marquee designs.
• Rivers Edge Golf Club (Shallotte, NC) — an Arnold Palmer design draped along the marshes of the Shallotte River.
• River Hills Golf & Country Club (Little River) — rolling, tree-lined golf just minutes from North Myrtle Beach.
• Myrtlewood Golf Club — Palmetto Course (Myrtle Beach) — a longtime favorite along the Intracoastal Waterway.
• Arcadian Shores Golf Club (Myrtle Beach) — a classic Rees Jones layout dotted with lakes and sandy waste areas.
• Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club (Conway) — wide fairways and slick greens in a peaceful riverside setting.

Most of these sit within a comfortable 10-to-30-minute drive of a North Myrtle Beach vacation rental — one more reason so many Family Golf Week regulars set up camp here, whether in the Cherry Grove Beach section near the state line or down through Crescent Beach and Windy Hill.

Beyond the Scorecard: A Full Week of Festivities

The golf may end each day around mid-afternoon, but Family Golf Week keeps going well past the last putt — and the schedule is built so the non-playing family members are part of it too.

• Wednesday — Registration Day: Food distributor Cheney Brothers fires up a smoker during registration, alongside a putting contest to shake off the travel legs.
• Thursday — Family Golf Night: The whole family is invited into Sea Trail’s indoor ballroom for golf simulators and a long drive contest, with food from Logan’s Roadhouse.
• Friday — Long Drive Night: A long drive competition plus a demonstration from the big hitters of Xtreme Long Drive on the simulators.
• Saturday — Awards Reception: Trophies, national-champion golf bags, and one more spread from Logan’s Roadhouse to close out the week.

“It’s more than just the two participants,” Hart says. “It’s the whole family that comes down and everybody kind of feels like they’re a part of it whether they’re playing or not.”

Father of the Year, Family of the Year, and a First-Ever Ambassador

Every year the tournament honors the people who embody what the week is about, and the 2026 class tells the story better than any brochure could.

Father of the Year is Bill Johnston of Pennsylvania, 76, who is playing with his son Doug. Bill competed in the very first edition of the event back in 1998 — alongside his own father. “It’s kind of cool how they’ve stayed a part of the event, and he now plays with his son, and at some point Doug will probably do the same thing,” Hart says. “Most sons learn the game from their father and it’s like a generational passing.”

Family of the Year goes to Jamie and Kasey Harter, a father-daughter duo from New York — a fitting nod to how the Family Division has widened the tournament’s circle.

And for the first time, the event is naming an Ambassador of the Year: Lynn Messer of Wisconsin, the inaugural recipient, who plays with his son John from North Carolina. Their team is the tournament in miniature — family separated by half a country, reunited on a Grand Strand fairway every July.

“You get to hear stories throughout the week,” Hart says. “There are just a ton of people that, when you get to that age and you live in different states, it’s hard to keep up with family — and a lot of these people use it as a way to get back together.”

Plan Your Own Family Golf Week

Here’s the not-so-secret truth: you don’t need a tournament entry to pull off this trip. The Family Golf Week formula — mornings on the course, afternoons on the sand, everybody back together for dinner — is available to any family, any summer week, anywhere along the Strand.

The logistics are easy. Fly into Myrtle Beach International from more than 50 nonstop cities (our golfer’s guide to MYR flights covers routes, golf bag rules, and rental cars), set up in a vacation rental in North Myrtle Beach, and build your own rota from the dozens of courses within a half-hour — including several on this year’s tournament list. The non-golfers get the beach, the pools, and the full menu of things to do in Myrtle Beach; everyone else gets a 7:40 tee time and no guilt about it. Check the area events calendar to layer in a festival or concert night.

And if watching this week’s teams gives you the itch, registration for next summer opens through the tournament’s official site — the 29th edition will be here sooner than you think.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bring the Whole Crew — We’ll Handle the Beach House

Whether you’re teeing it up in Family Golf Week or just borrowing its beautiful formula — golf in the morning, family on the beach all afternoon — the right home base makes the whole week work. Thomas Beach Vacations offers oceanfront home rentals with room for three generations under one roof, and oceanfront condos perfect for a father-son pair making their annual pilgrimage — all along Ocean Drive and the beaches of North Myrtle Beach, minutes from this year’s tournament courses. Browse availability at www.northmyrtlebeachvacations.com or call our local team at (866) 249-2100 — and start your own tradition worth marking on the calendar every July.

Every returning golfer knows the moment. The plane banks over the pine flats of Horry County on its descent into Myrtle Beach International, the fairways start appearing below you — green ribbons threaded through the trees, one course after another after another — and then the Atlantic swings into view, wide and glittering, with the high-rises of the Grand Strand strung along it like beads. Right about then, someone in row 14 always says it out loud: “There it is.”

Flying to the beach used to be the hard part of a Myrtle Beach golf trip. Not anymore. Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) now connects nonstop to more than 50 cities across the U.S., served by eleven different airlines — and it just finished a $93.5 million expansion that grew the terminal from 11 gates to 18. For a mid-sized coastal airport, MYR punches far above its weight, and it does it while staying the kind of place where you can walk from your gate to the rental car counter in about ten minutes.

That matters, because the whole point of a Grand Strand vacation is what happens after you land: roughly 90 golf courses stretched along 60 miles of coastline, warm sand, seafood dinners, and — if you’re doing it right — an oceanfront place in North Myrtle Beach where the beach is your backyard and the first tee is fifteen minutes away.

Here’s the complete picture of flying in and out of Myrtle Beach — which airlines go where, when to come, how to get your clubs here safely, and how to get from baggage claim to the beach chair as fast as possible.

Meet MYR: The Beach’s Front Door

Myrtle Beach International sits just three miles southwest of downtown Myrtle Beach, on land that was once the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. It’s a single-terminal airport with a single long runway, and that simplicity is its superpower: no trams, no terminal transfers, no twenty-minute hikes between concourses. You land, you walk, you’re at baggage claim.

Don’t mistake small-feeling for small, though. MYR welcomed a record 3.8 million passengers in 2024, and in December 2025 it completed a $93.5 million terminal expansion that added six new gates — bringing the total to 18 — along with expanded dining, retail, and security capacity. The airport has grown up alongside the destination itself, which now draws visitors from every corner of the country.

For golfers, the airport experience is refreshingly familiar territory: oversized-bag claim for the travel cases, rental car counters steps away, and a steady parade of fellow travelers in golf polos who all seem to be grinning at the same thought you are.

Who Flies Nonstop to Myrtle Beach

Eleven airlines currently serve MYR with nonstop flights to over 50 North American destinations. Some routes run year-round; many are seasonal, ramping up for spring golf season and summer beach season. Here’s the lineup:

• Allegiant Air — the route king at MYR, with around 21 nonstop destinations, mostly small and mid-sized cities across the Northeast and Midwest (Albany, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and more). New seasonal routes from Dayton, OH and Elmira/Corning, NY launched in 2026.
• American Airlines — nonstops from Charlotte, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York. Charlotte is MYR’s single busiest route, and American’s hub network makes one-stop connections possible from almost anywhere.
• Southwest Airlines — around 11 destinations including Nashville, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, and Houston.
• Breeze Airways — about 15 destinations, with a focus on underserved cities like Providence, Hartford, New Orleans, and Tampa.
• Spirit Airlines — MYR’s largest carrier by passenger share, with routes including Newark, Boston, Atlantic City, Pittsburgh, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando.
• Delta Air Lines — service from its Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Boston, and New York hubs.
• United Airlines — nonstops from Chicago O’Hare, Newark, Washington, D.C., and Denver.
• Frontier Airlines — Philadelphia, Long Island, and Cleveland.
• Avelo Airlines — New Haven, CT and Wilmington, DE.
• Sun Country Airlines — seasonal Minneapolis–St. Paul service.
• Contour Airlines — the newest arrival, launching seasonal summer 2026 service from three small cities the big carriers skip: Beckley, WV, Parkersburg, WV, and Altoona, PA.

The takeaway for trip planners: if you’re anywhere in the eastern half of the country, odds are good you can fly to the beach nonstop — often for less than you’d expect, since the low-cost carriers keep everyone’s fares honest. West of the Mississippi, you’ll typically connect once through Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, or Denver. Schedules shift seasonally, so always confirm current service on the airport’s official site or directly with your airline.

Every City With Nonstop Flights to Myrtle Beach

Here’s the full map of where you can board a plane and step off at the beach with no connection in between, based on the airport’s current route network. Keep in mind that many of these routes are seasonal — strongest from spring through fall, exactly when the golf is best.

New York & New England

New York City (LaGuardia), Newark, Long Island/Islip, Westchester, Newburgh/Stewart, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Niagara Falls, Elmira/Corning, Boston, Providence, Hartford, New Haven, and Manchester, NH. No region feeds more golfers to the Grand Strand than the Northeast, and the route map shows it — you can leave half a dozen different New York State airports in the morning and make an afternoon tee time.

Mid-Atlantic

Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. (both Reagan National and Dulles), Atlantic City, Wilmington, DE, Harrisburg, Allentown, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Latrobe, Altoona, and Hagerstown, MD. Pittsburgh alone is served by three different carriers — a telling sign of how deep the Pennsylvania-to-Myrtle Beach pipeline runs. Flying from central PA? We’ve covered the new Altoona nonstop service in detail.

Midwest

Chicago (both O’Hare and Midway), Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus (two airports), Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron-Canton, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Kansas City, and St. Louis (both Lambert and nearby Belleville, IL). The Midwest snowbird routes are a Grand Strand tradition — half of Ohio seems to be here every March.

The South & Florida

Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Louisville, Lexington, Dallas (both DFW and Love Field), Houston, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale. Charlotte and Atlanta are the workhorse connections — if your city isn’t on this page, one easy stop through either hub gets you here.

West Virginia & Appalachia

Charleston, Huntington, Beckley, Parkersburg, and Clarksburg. Five West Virginia airports with nonstop beach service is a remarkable stat for a state of its size — and a reminder of how deeply the Mountain State loves this stretch of coast.

The West

Denver — the lone true western nonstop, served by two airlines, and the gateway connection for golfers coming from the Rockies and beyond.

Timing Your Flight Around the Golf Seasons

Spring: Prime Time

March through May is high season for Grand Strand golf — mild temperatures, courses in tournament shape, and flight schedules at their fullest as seasonal routes come back online. It’s also when the golf world’s attention turns here: the PGA TOUR’s ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic returns to the historic Dunes Golf & Beach Club May 7–10, 2026. Book flights early for spring; this is when demand peaks for foursomes flying in from the Northeast and Midwest.

Summer: Beach First, Golf Early

Summer belongs to families, and flights fill with beach traffic. Golfers who come in June through August learn the local rhythm quickly: tee off at dawn, be done by noon, spend the afternoon in the ocean. Package rates on courses drop, and the beach is at its warm, busy best.

Fall: The Locals’ Favorite

September through November is the connoisseur’s season — summer crowds gone, ocean still warm into October, courses freshly recovered from summer, and rental rates noticeably friendlier. Fall flight schedules stay strong because the golf demand stays strong. If your group has flexibility, this is the sweet spot, and it pairs beautifully with a fall vacation in North Myrtle Beach full of festivals and events.

Winter: The Bargain Window

December through February brings the year’s lowest fares and green fees. Some seasonal routes pause, but the major carriers keep flying, and plenty of mild 60-degree days sneak into a Carolina winter. For snowbirds and budget-minded golfers, it’s quietly one of the smartest times to come.

Flying With Your Clubs: What Every Golfer Should Know

Good news first: on virtually every airline serving MYR, your golf bag counts as a standard checked bag, not an exotic oversized item. Delta, American, and United all treat a properly packed golf travel bag as one regular checked bag at the standard fee, and most waive oversize charges for golf equipment as long as it stays under the weight limit. Southwest does the same — golf bags count as one checked bag with size charges waived, though the days of two free checked bags ended in May 2025 (a first bag now runs about $45 unless your fare type or credit card includes it).

On the low-cost carriers — Allegiant, Spirit, Frontier, Breeze, Avelo — a golf bag is likewise treated as a checked bag, with fees that vary by route and are always cheapest when purchased during booking rather than at the airport. Allegiant, for example, applies its standard checked bag fee per person, per bag, per segment, with extra charges above 50 pounds.

A few hard-earned tips from the frequent flyers of the fairway:

• Stay under 50 pounds. That’s the magic number on nearly every carrier before overweight fees kick in — and a loaded travel case with shoes, balls, and rain gear gets there faster than you’d think. Weigh it at home.
• Pad your driver. Whether you use a hard case or a soft travel bag, add a support rod or wrap towels around the clubheads. Broken-driver stories are the saddest stories told at Grand Strand 19th holes.
• Check your airline’s current policy before you fly. Baggage rules change; confirm fees and rules on your carrier’s website when you book.
• Or skip the schlep entirely. Club shipping services can send your sticks door-to-door ahead of you, and nearly every course on the Grand Strand offers quality rental sets — a legitimate option for a short trip.

Wheels Down: Getting From MYR to North Myrtle Beach

North Myrtle Beach sits about 20 miles north of the airport — figure 30 to 40 minutes depending on season and traffic, either straight up Highway 17 through the heart of the Grand Strand or the faster Highway 31 bypass if you’re skipping the scenery.

Rental Cars: The Golfer’s Default

For a golf trip, a rental car is close to essential — you’ll want the trunk space for travel bags and the freedom to chase tee times up and down the coast. MYR makes it easy: eight national rental brands operate from an on-site rental facility open until midnight daily, a short walk from baggage claim. Book ahead for spring weekends, when arriving foursomes can clean out the SUV inventory.

Rideshare, Taxis, and Shuttles

Uber and Lyft pick up in a designated commercial lane across from Door 5, and taxis queue outside Door 6 at baggage claim. Private car and shuttle services can be pre-arranged for larger groups — a popular move for golf buddy trips where nobody wants to be the designated driver after the welcome-night oysters. If your whole vacation lives within walking distance of your rental — beach, restaurants, and a couple of nearby courses — you can plausibly skip the car and rideshare to your tee times.

Where the Golf Is: Courses Near Your Rental

Here’s the part of the flight-planning math that surprises first-timers: staying in North Myrtle Beach doesn’t move you away from the golf — it puts you in the middle of some of the Grand Strand’s best of it.

• Barefoot Resort & Golf — four championship courses (designed by Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Davis Love III, and Greg Norman) on the mainland side of North Myrtle Beach, ten minutes from the sand.
• Tidewater Golf Club — perched on the Cherry Grove peninsula with holes overlooking the salt marsh and Intracoastal Waterway; regularly ranked among the area’s most scenic layouts. It’s practically next door if you’re staying at Cherry Grove Beach.
• Surf Golf & Beach Club — a classic 1960 course minutes from Ocean Drive, long a favorite of locals.
• The Little River cluster — Glen Dornoch, Heather Glen, and their neighbors sit just north of town along the Intracoastal, adding another handful of quality rounds within a 15-minute drive.

And that’s before you point the rental car south toward the famous names of the central and southern Strand. With roughly 90 courses along the coast, the honest problem isn’t finding golf — it’s narrowing it down. For the non-golfers in your traveling party (they exist, we hear), our guide to things to do in Myrtle Beach and the area events calendar will keep everyone happily occupied while you’re on the back nine.

Smart Booking Tips for the Beach-and-Birdies Crowd

• Fly midweek if you can. Saturday-to-Saturday is the beach rental rhythm, so Tuesday and Wednesday flights are often cheaper and emptier — and a Sunday-to-Thursday golf trip means quieter first tees, too.
• Watch the seasonal calendar. Many MYR routes are seasonal, typically running spring through early fall. If you’re planning a winter trip, check that your nonstop still operates, or plan on connecting through Charlotte or Atlanta.
• Price the low-cost carriers honestly. Allegiant, Spirit, Breeze, Frontier, and Avelo fares look tiny until you add a checked golf bag, a carry-on, and seat selection. Sometimes they still win by a mile; sometimes the legacy carrier with a free carry-on comes out ahead. Do the full math.
• Book spring flights early. March–May golf demand is real. The foursomes who wait until February to book their April trip pay for the privilege.
• Match your flight to your rental week. Most beach house rentals run Saturday to Saturday; condos often offer more flexible arrival days. Locking in lodging first, flights second usually produces the smoothest trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Land, Unpack, Tee Off

The flight is the easy part now. The better question is where you’ll wake up on the morning of that first tee time — and that’s where we can help. Thomas Beach Vacations offers oceanfront home rentals perfect for golf groups who want room to spread out, and oceanfront condos ideal for couples pairing beach mornings with afternoon rounds — all across North Myrtle Beach’s four beach sections, from Cherry Grove down through Crescent Beach and Windy Hill, each within an easy drive of dozens of courses. Browse availability at www.northmyrtlebeachvacations.com or call our local team at (866) 249-2100 — we’ll help you find the home base that makes the whole trip, from touchdown to final putt, feel effortless.

North Myrtle Beach Golf Courses: The Complete Guide to Every Course on the North Strand

There’s a moment on the back nine at Tidewater Golf Club — somewhere around the 12th hole, where the Cherry Grove marsh opens up and the Atlantic catches the late-morning light and the whole Grand Strand seems to exhale — when a golfer understands exactly why people keep coming back to North Myrtle Beach. It isn’t just the golf, though the golf is extraordinary. It’s the way the courses here feel woven into the landscape. Salt air drifting across bent-grass greens. Tidal marshes running right up to the fairway edge. Ancient live oaks draped with Spanish moss. The Intracoastal Waterway shimmering through the pines like a ribbon of hammered silver. North Myrtle Beach doesn’t just host golf — it frames it.

This stretch of the South Carolina coast has earned its reputation as one of the greatest golf destinations in the United States. The broader Grand Strand is home to more than 90 courses spread across roughly 70 miles of coastline, and a significant number of the finest ones are concentrated right here on the north end — in North Myrtle Beach, Little River, Longs, and the adjacent communities of Calabash, Sunset Beach, and Ocean Isle Beach just across the North Carolina line. World-renowned architects left their fingerprints all over this place: Pete Dye, Greg Norman, Tom Fazio, Davis Love III, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Rees Jones, Ken Tomlinson, Tim Cate, Dan Maples, Clyde Johnston. The list reads like a who’s who of American golf design history.

This guide covers every course in the North Myrtle Beach orbit — the premium crown jewels, the mid-range layouts that surprise you, the budget-friendly tracks that locals swear by, and the North Carolina border courses that belong in any serious Grand Strand itinerary. All of the courses listed here are verified open and actively booking tee times. A handful of longtime favorites — Farmstead Golf Links, Possum Trot, and Heather Glen — have permanently closed in recent years, and they are not included here out of respect for your planning. What remains is remarkable.

Why North Myrtle Beach Belongs on Every Golfer’s Map

The Golf Capital of the World. That title belongs to Myrtle Beach, and the north end is a large reason why. Experienced golfers know that the courses clustered around North Myrtle Beach represent some of the most sophisticated and scenic layouts in the Southeast. The concentration of nationally ranked public-access courses within a 30-minute drive of each other is, quite simply, remarkable. You can spend a full week here without repeating a round and still leave courses on the list for next time.

The climate cooperates. North Myrtle Beach enjoys mild winters where golf is playable year-round, softened by Atlantic sea breezes that keep summer rounds from becoming endurance tests. Spring and fall are legendary — courses fill up fast from March through May and again from September through November, when conditions on the greens approach perfection and the light over the marsh at 7 a.m. makes you wonder why you ever played anywhere else.

After the round, you’re minutes from Cherry Grove Beach, from excellent seafood restaurants, from the live music and nightlife of the Ocean Drive district. North Myrtle Beach is a place where a golf trip becomes a full vacation. And vacation properties from Thomas Beach Vacations make it easy — spacious homes and condos close to the fairways, comfortable enough that your foursome doesn’t want to leave. Now let’s talk courses.

The Crown Jewels: Premium & Nationally Ranked Courses

These are the courses that put North Myrtle Beach on the national golf map — layouts that have earned rankings in Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, and Golfweek, and that players travel specifically to check off their lists.

Tidewater Golf Club

The crown jewel of the North Strand. Ask experienced Grand Strand golfers which course belongs on any serious bucket list, and Tidewater is nearly always the first name out of their mouths. Designed by Ken Tomlinson and opened in 1990, Tidewater occupies an extraordinary peninsula tucked between Cherry Grove Inlet and the Intracoastal Waterway, with Atlantic Ocean views from the 13th green that stop golfers dead in their tracks. It is the only course in history simultaneously named Best New Public Course in America by both Golf Magazine and Golf Digest, and it continues to rank among Golfweek’s Top 200 Resort Courses (2025) and Golf Digest’s Best Courses in South Carolina (2024). The par-72 layout stretches 7,078 yards from the tips with a slope of 144 — a genuine championship test — but five tee options make it accessible for all skill levels. Nine holes play along Cherry Grove marsh or the Waterway. The signature 12th, a 145-yard par-3 carrying saltwater marsh to a bunker-flanked green, is one of the most photographed holes in the Carolinas. A complete bunker renovation was finished in 2025. After the round, Joey’s Clubhouse Grille is a proper stop. | 4901 Little River Neck Road, North Myrtle Beach, SC

Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links

A few miles north of North Myrtle Beach in Little River, Glen Dornoch earns a place on nearly every serious golfer’s must-play list. Designed by Clyde Johnston as a tribute to Donald Ross and the Scottish links tradition of Royal Dornoch, this course carves through 270 acres of ancient live oaks, coastal marshland, and terrain unlike almost anything else on the Strand. The rarity is the elevation — natural rises of up to 35 feet create drama that flat Grand Strand layouts simply can’t replicate. The 6,890-yard layout (slope 145, rating 73.2) concludes with three of the most celebrated finishing holes in Myrtle Beach golf: hole 16, a brutal dogleg-left par-4 over marsh; hole 17, a long par-3 carry over water with almost no margin; and hole 18, running along the Intracoastal Waterway to a narrow green with boaters watching from the water. The Pub at Glen Dornoch overlooks the waterway and is exactly the kind of 19th hole this kind of finish deserves. | 4840 Hwy 17 S, Little River, SC

Long Bay Golf Club

Just months after winning the 1986 Masters, Jack Nicklaus toured the land west of North Myrtle Beach in Longs, SC and told local reporters he liked what he saw. The result is one of the most distinctive courses in the Carolinas. Long Bay departs sharply from the typical Nicklaus formula — instead of tree-lined fairways, it relies on massive waste bunkers, expansive mounding, and a layout that demands creative shot-making and patience over raw power. The par-72 layout stretches 7,021 yards from the tips with a slope of 137. Golf Digest awarded it 4.5 stars in “Places to Play,” and three back nine holes — 10, 13, and 18 — have been consistently ranked among the Grand Strand’s top individual holes. The island green on hole 13 is the signature moment. It’s a course that reveals itself more deeply with each visit, which is why so many golfers return to it year after year. A golden statue of Nicklaus greets you in the parking lot. | 350 Foxtail Drive, Longs, SC

Rivers Edge Golf Club

About 30 minutes north of North Myrtle Beach in Shallotte, NC, Rivers Edge is an Arnold Palmer Signature Design that has appeared on Golf Digest’s America’s Top 100 Greatest Public Courses — a distinction that makes the short drive more than worthwhile. Palmer built the course around the dramatic bluffs and tidal creeks of the Shallotte River, and six holes play from heights overlooking two miles of grassy marshland. Hole 9, known as “Arnie’s Revenge,” is the signature moment — a risk-reward thriller along the river that golfers debate long after the round ends. Seven holes total play along or near the water. The elevation changes here are genuinely uncommon for coastal golf: from high bluffs to low marsh carries, the course shifts your perspective hole by hole. Reviews through early 2026 consistently praise both the conditions and the staff. | 2000 Arnold Palmer Drive, Shallotte, NC

Barefoot Resort & Golf — Four Legends, One Address

In 2000, Barefoot Resort & Golf made golf history by opening four championship courses simultaneously — something that had never been done in the United States before. The architects recruited were a Mount Rushmore of golf design: Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Tom Fazio, and Pete Dye. Located along the Intracoastal Waterway in the heart of North Myrtle Beach, Barefoot remains one of the most celebrated multi-course destinations on the East Coast. Each course has its own distinct personality and challenge profile.

Barefoot Dye Course (Semi-Private)

The most demanding of Barefoot’s four courses. Classic Pete Dye hallmarks are everywhere: railroad ties, aggressive waste bunkers, strategic water hazards, and greens that punish the wrong side of the hole. Ranked 30th in South Carolina by Golf Digest, it has hosted competitive events and is considered by many to be among the finest layouts on the entire Strand. Operates semi-private — call ahead for availability.

Barefoot Norman Course

The most dramatic of the three public Barefoot layouts. Seven holes run directly along the Intracoastal Waterway, with fairways that run right up to natural waste areas in classic Norman fashion. Open green complexes and emphasis on short-game precision make this one accessible and visually spectacular in equal measure.

Barefoot Fazio Course

Tom Fazio’s signature touch is unmistakable here — intricate bunkering, flowing fairways, and marsh views that reward patience and strategic thinking. Often favored by low-handicappers for its exacting demands, the Fazio Course is a consistent favorite among golfers who return to Barefoot multiple times in the same trip.

Barefoot Love Course

Davis Love III’s nod to traditional Carolina low-country design, the Love Course is the most accessible of Barefoot’s public layouts. Open, rolling fairways and replica plantation ruins — among the most photographed features in all of North Myrtle Beach golf — give it a warmth and character that stays with you after the round. | 4980 Barefoot Resort Bridge Road, North Myrtle Beach, SC

The Sweet Spot: Mid-Range Courses Worth Every Dollar

The mid-range tier is where a lot of the most memorable Grand Strand golf happens. These courses offer championship design, excellent conditioning, and experiences that rival anything in the premium category — at price points that let you play more rounds and come back next year.

Arcadian Shores Golf Club

Rees Jones’ first solo design project, opened in 1974 and still earning national recognition 50 years later. Located between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach adjacent to Kingston Plantation, Arcadian Shores plays 6,857 yards from the championship tees (slope 137, rating 73.2). Live oaks, natural lakes, and strategic bunkers define the layout. Two holes have been named to the local media’s “Grand Strand Dream 18” — the par-3 2nd and the par-4 13th, the course’s toughest hole, which demands a precise tee shot followed by an approach over water to a sloping, bunker-guarded green. A major renovation in recent years brought TifEagle Bermuda greens, improved irrigation, and repaved cart paths throughout. Part of the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail. | 701 Hilton Rd, Myrtle Beach, SC

River Hills Golf & Country Club

Designed by Tom Jackson and tucked into a wooded, residential community in Little River, River Hills is one of the quieter, more intimate rounds on the North Strand. The tree-lined fairways lead to well-protected greens that reward accurate iron play over brute force. A community-club atmosphere and consistently strong conditioning make it a favorite among returning visitors who prefer a more contemplative round. Part of the Founders Collection of courses. | 3670 Cedar Creek Run, Little River, SC

Aberdeen Country Club

A short drive west of North Myrtle Beach in Longs along Highway 9, Aberdeen is a 27-hole facility with three distinct nines — Highlands, Meadows, and Woodlands — modeled after the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Scotland, the world’s sixth-oldest course. Designer Tom Jackson built it in 1989 along the Waccamaw River among towering hardwoods and wetland preserves teeming with ospreys, eagles, and alligators. Golf Digest gave it four stars in “Places to Play” and the rare dual recognition for both value and service in the Carolinas. Each nine has its own feel: Highlands rolls with links-style hills, Meadows is precision-oriented, and Woodlands is the most demanding of the three. Kids play free every day with a paid adult. Part of the Founders Collection. | 701 Buck Trail, Longs, SC

Crow Creek Golf Club

Consistently ranked as one of the most requested courses on the North Strand, Crow Creek is a Rick Robbins design from 2000 located in Calabash, NC, just across the state line. The course is a standout for its bent grass greens — one of a shrinking number of North Strand layouts that still maintains bent putting surfaces, which are known for exceptional speed and smoothness. The private-club atmosphere, meticulous conditioning, first-rate practice facility, and welcoming staff make Crow Creek feel like a private club at public prices. A favorite for groups who want a step up in experience without the premium resort price tag. | 240 Hickman Road NW, Calabash, NC

Sandpiper Bay Golf Club

A Dan Maples design in Sunset Beach, NC, Sandpiper Bay has built a loyal following among golfers who appreciate a links-influenced layout in a welcoming, unpretentious setting. Open stretches mix with wooded corridors, and the course has a reputation for being one where everyone seems to play a little better than expected. Consistently praised for strong conditions and value pricing. Part of the Brunswick Plantation package network of popular North Strand layouts. | 1900 Sandpiper Bay Drive SW, Sunset Beach, NC

Thistle Golf Club

Designed by Tim Cate in Sunset Beach, NC, Thistle operates 27 holes across three nines and has hosted major amateur events — most recently serving as the site of the playoff round for the 2025 Play Golf Myrtle Beach World Amateur Championship. The course is known for exceptional conditioning and a high-end experience. Some nines undergo periodic renovation to stay current, so calling ahead to confirm which combination of 18 holes is in play is worth the two-minute conversation. | 3840 Highway 1013, Sunset Beach, NC

Sea Trail Golf Resort

Three distinct 18-hole courses within a single resort community in Sunset Beach — designed by Willard Byrd, Rees Jones, and Dan Maples, respectively. The variety is the appeal: a golfer can play very different experiences on consecutive days without leaving the property. The Rees Jones Course and Dan Maples Course both have devoted followings among regular Grand Strand visitors. The Byrd Course is a budget-friendly option with solid conditions. The Maples Course has recently undergone renovation. | 211 Clubhouse Road SW, Sunset Beach, NC

Oyster Bay Golf Links

Dan Maples’ debut solo design, opened in 1983 and named Golf Digest’s Resort Course of the Year that same year. Located just across the state line in Sunset Beach, NC, but squarely in the orbit of the North Strand. The par-70 layout plays just under 6,700 yards and uses saltwater marshes, freshwater lakes, the Calabash River, and 63 cavernous bunkers to create rounds that stay in the memory long after you’ve left the Strand. Two island greens define the back nine — the signature 17th, where an oyster shell-walled tee box launches a shot to a green built on a mountain of shells, is one of the most photographed holes in the Carolinas. Resident alligators on the Calabash River provide a uniquely coastal form of ambiance. Part of the Legends Golf Resort family; stay-and-play packages include breakfast, lunch, and two drinks. | 614 Lakeshore Drive, Sunset Beach, NC

Budget-Friendly Courses That Punch Above Their Weight

The smartest golf trip itineraries mix premium rounds with strong value layouts. These courses deliver honest, well-maintained golf at prices that let you play more frequently — and still walk off the 18th with a genuine smile.

Beachwood Golf Club

Over a million rounds have been played at Beachwood since Gene Hamm opened this course in 1968, and every one of them has been welcomed by a staff that actually seems glad you showed up. Located on Highway 17 South in the heart of North Myrtle Beach — literally between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway — Beachwood has been voted The Most Player-Friendly Golf Course in Myrtle Beach by local golfers. The par-72 layout plays to 6,691 yards from the tips; water threatens on six holes; bunkers are placed strategically but fairly. Recently renovated, with the best driving range in North Myrtle Beach — all-grass hitting area, two large practice greens, chipping area, and a practice bunker. Partners with Azalea Sands and Eagle Nest for the North Myrtle Beach Golf Pass. | 1520 Hwy 17 S, North Myrtle Beach, SC

Azalea Sands Golf Club

Opened in 1972 and designed by Gene Hamm, Azalea Sands holds one distinction that almost no other Grand Strand course can claim: not a single home or condo is visible from any fairway. Just you, the layout, and whatever wind comes off the coast. Located on Highway 17 in the heart of North Myrtle Beach, Azalea Sands is under new management and has been freshly renovated. The design will make you use every club in the bag — deceptively open in places, it rewards course management over power. Fast greens, good pace of play, welcoming to all ages. Part of the North Myrtle Beach Golf Pass with Beachwood and Eagle Nest. | 2100 Hwy 17 S, North Myrtle Beach, SC

Eagle Nest Golf Club

Just north of North Myrtle Beach in Little River, Eagle Nest is best known for one of the most memorable finishing holes on the Grand Strand: an 18th hole par-5 stretching to 626 yards from the tips that puts every club in your bag and every decision you’ve made that day to the test. Gene Hamm designed this course with an honest fairness that makes it enjoyable for all skill levels while never becoming a pushover. A budget-friendly layout that plays better than its price suggests. Part of the North Myrtle Beach Golf Pass. | 1 Eagle Nest Drive, Little River, SC

Crown Park Golf Club

One of the North Strand’s best-kept secrets, Crown Park sits just minutes from North Myrtle Beach off Highway 9 in Longs. The Robbie Byers-designed layout winds through a Carolina pine forest with no housing on any fairway — a genuine rarity. TifEagle putting surfaces are known for being smooth and fast. The par-72 course plays 6,477 yards from the back tees with a slope of 128 and rating of 71.3 — not overly punishing, which makes it ideal for a first round of the trip or a departure day layout. An expansive grass driving range, putting green, and chipping area are on site. Part of the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail. | 2225 Hwy 9 W, Longs, SC

Diamondback Golf Club

A Russell Breeden design tucked off Highway 9 in Longs, Diamondback is the quiet overachiever of the North Strand — a course that surprises golfers who write it off as an out-of-the-way budget option. The 6,928-yard layout carves through towering pines and natural wetlands with multiple forced carries that reward smart club selection. Signature hole 16 is a 209-yard par-3 with lowcountry marsh spreading from left to right. The staff here consistently gets glowing reviews. A perfect add for arrival or departure day when you want quality without fuss. | 615 Log Cabin Road, Longs, SC

Meadowlands Golf Club

Named the 2019 Myrtle Beach Golf Course of the Year, Meadowlands is a Willard Byrd design from 1997 located in Calabash, NC, less than 10 minutes from the North Carolina border. It was built on land owned by the same family that operated the now-closed Farmstead Golf Links next door, and Meadowlands continues operating under the family’s stewardship. TifEagle greens, a layout that is welcoming to golfers of all skill levels — particularly women — and consistent value pricing make this a dependable choice. | 1000 Meadowlands Trail NW, Calabash, NC

Brunswick Plantation & Golf Resort

A 27-hole resort in Calabash, NC with three nine-hole courses — Azalea, Dogwood, and Magnolia — each offering a different feel and challenge. Voted one of the top 50 courses in the United States, the Willard Byrd and Clyde Johnston-designed layout features Champion Bermuda greens guaranteed to be in top condition year-round. The resort serves as a hub for North Strand golf packages, with easy access to Crow Creek, Meadowlands, Sandpiper Bay, and many other courses within 20 minutes. The 14,000-square-foot plantation-style clubhouse with Jasmine’s restaurant is a proper stop after the round. | 512 Whitefield Way SW, Calabash, NC

Just Across the Line: More NC Courses in the North Strand Orbit

The North Carolina state line north of North Myrtle Beach runs through golf country, and several outstanding courses in Brunswick County are so closely tied to the North Strand experience that no complete guide to North Myrtle Beach golf can leave them out. These are legitimate day trips from any North Myrtle Beach vacation rental — most are 20 to 35 minutes away.

The Pearl Golf Links — East & West

Two 18-hole Dan Maples designs side by side in Sunset Beach, NC, The Pearl East and West offer 36 holes of championship coastal golf on a shared property. Both courses are well-maintained and regularly praised for conditioning. East is considered the more challenging of the two; West is more player-friendly and accessible. Together they give a group the flexibility of two very different rounds in one stop. Part of the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail. | 1500 Pearl Blvd SW, Sunset Beach, NC

Surf Golf and Beach Club

One of the oldest courses in the Southeast, Surf Golf and Beach Club was established in 1959 and renovated in 1992. Its seaside layout features water and sand hazards on most holes, and the Atlantic winds that funnel through challenge even experienced players to think their way around rather than overpower the design. A semi-private course with a genuine history in the North Myrtle Beach golf community. | 1701 Springland Lane, North Myrtle Beach, SC

Carolina National Golf Club

The only Fred Couples Signature Course in the Brunswick County and Myrtle Beach region, Carolina National winds through 27 holes of wetlands, marshes, and river views that make it one of the most scenic tracks accessible from North Myrtle Beach. Located about 35 minutes north, it’s well worth the drive for golfers who want a Couples design without the typical price tag of celebrity-architect courses. Consistently praised as one of the area’s most underrated layouts. | 1643 Goley Hewett Road SE, Bolivia, NC

The Big Cats at Ocean Ridge Plantation

About 20 miles north of North Myrtle Beach near Ocean Isle Beach, NC, Ocean Ridge Plantation is home to four Tim Cate-designed layouts known collectively as the Big Cats — each named for a different big-cat species. All four are championship-caliber courses set within a private community on the Brunswick County coast, and all accept public tee times. They represent some of the most distinctive golf in the entire region.

Tiger’s Eye Golf Links

The highest-rated of the four Big Cats, Tiger’s Eye is a high-end layout that plays 7,014 yards from the championship tees with dramatic elevation changes uncommon for the Brunswick coast. Multiple holes carry over wetlands and marshes, and the course’s tight fairways and demanding greens reward precision over distance. Consistently appears on top-10 Grand Strand lists. | 351 Ocean Ridge Pkwy SW, Ocean Isle Beach, NC

Leopard’s Chase Golf Course

The newest of the Big Cats, Leopard’s Chase is a high-end links-influenced layout with wide, windswept fairways and bold bunkering. The visual drama is immediate — the course feels more open and exposed than its siblings, with a genuine links character that suits golfers who want to shape shots against coastal wind. | 351 Ocean Ridge Pkwy SW, Ocean Isle Beach, NC

Lion’s Paw Golf Links

The most player-friendly of the Big Cats, Lion’s Paw is designed by Willard Byrd with a layout that remains challenging but accessible for a wider range of handicaps. Its generous fairways and less penal rough make it a good first-round choice for groups that want an Ocean Ridge experience without the full difficulty of Tiger’s Eye. | Ocean Ridge Pkwy SW, Ocean Isle Beach, NC

Panther’s Run Golf Links

A TifEagle-surface Tim Cate design that sits between the accessibility of Lion’s Paw and the demanding nature of Tiger’s Eye. Panther’s Run has earned a devoted following for its playability and scenic coastal terrain. The course drains well and tends to hold up better than average after rain, making it a practical choice when the forecast is uncertain. | Ocean Ridge Pkwy SW, Ocean Isle Beach, NC

Tips for Planning Your North Myrtle Beach Golf Trip

Book Tee Times Early — Especially in Spring and Fall

Prime weekend tee times at Tidewater, Barefoot Resort, and Glen Dornoch fill weeks in advance during March, April, and May. If your trip is planned, your tee times should be booked at the same time. Most courses open their booking window 30 to 90 days out. Don’t assume you can call the week you arrive and get what you want.

Mix Premium and Value Rounds

The smartest itineraries pair one or two premium rounds — Tidewater, Barefoot Dye, Glen Dornoch, Long Bay — with two or three value layouts like Crown Park, Beachwood, Diamondback, or Meadowlands. You play more rounds, spend roughly the same money, and the variety between course styles makes each round feel fresher than the last.

Early Morning in Summer, Anytime in Spring or Fall

Summer golf in North Myrtle Beach is perfectly doable — grab the first available tee time, finish your round by midday, spend the afternoon at the beach. Spring and fall are when North Myrtle Beach golf peaks: mild temperatures, lower humidity, and conditions on the greens that you’ll be talking about when you get home.

Check for Aeration Before You Book

Most North Myrtle Beach courses aerate greens in summer and overseed in late October. Aeration schedules are published months in advance — check them before finalizing your itinerary if you’re traveling between May and November. A two-minute call to the pro shop can save you from showing up to sand-filled greens when you were expecting peak putting surfaces.

Stay Close to the Courses You’re Playing

Traffic on Highway 17 during peak season is real. Staying in a vacation rental close to the courses you’ve booked makes the difference between a relaxed trip and a stressful commute. North Myrtle Beach properties in Cherry Grove, Crescent Beach, Ocean Drive, and Barefoot Resort put you within minutes of Tidewater, Barefoot Resort, Beachwood, Azalea Sands, and Eagle Nest. Planning accommodation alongside your tee times is the move.

Frequently Asked Questions