Crafted by many of the sport’s most recognized architects, golf courses on the Hammock Coast are some of the nation’s best. Designed with multiple skill levels in mind, this diverse collection offers both traditional and modern layouts. Several of the courses are included in the well-known Waccamaw Golf Trail and many have garnered national accolades, including Golf Magazine’s “Top 100 You Can Play” and “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” by Golf Digest.
The area’s natural terrain displays its history with Spanish moss-draped grand oaks, pines, natural marsh and tall grasses. But the hospitality is what brings players back time and again. Set amid the classic southern charm is world-renowned dining, ample accommodations, shopping and uncrowded beaches that have been part of family traditions for generations.
Explore all the incredible golfing opportunities the Hammock Coast has to offer. Whether you tee off on one, or play them all, your experience will be one for the record books.
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club was ranked among the “Top 100 Courses You Can Play” by Golf Magazine, and it sits high on the list of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” by Golf Digest.
The exquisitely charming Caledonia course was the first solo design by legendary architect Mike Strantz. Noted for its enchanting ambiance, the multi-tiered greens thrive amidst avenues of centuries-old live oak trees and are intertwined with ponds and streams.
Beauty aside, an impressive level of creativity and strategy is needed for each hole with plenty of risk-reward options. Myriad dangerously positioned sand traps and a combination of straight tee shots and small greens keep the game challenging, offering a fun day for all levels of players.
To wrap up your round, relax on the patio of a clubhouse that’s known as one of golf’s greatest 19th holes. It sits close enough to the green for you to watch fellow golfers as they play one of the game’s best finishing holes.
Players Tip: The signature hole is the par 4 18th, a dogleg right that requires golfers to carry water on the approach.
For more information on this course, visit: https://caledoniagolfandfishclub.com/.
DeBordieu Colony Golf Course has been consistently ranked among the top 10 private clubs in South Carolina.
DeBordieu Colony, a private course, was designed by father-son duo Pete and P.B. Dye. Renovated in 2014, DeBordieu has played host to many regional championships including the Carolinas Mid-Amateur and Carolinas Senior Amateur Championships. Winding through a stunning maritime forest, DeBordieu offers 6 tee boxes — playing to 7,284 yards from the championship tees and providing enjoyable golf for players of all abilities.
Though a private course for DeBordieu Colony residents, members that carry a golf membership may invite guests — including home renters — to experience the course year-round.
Players Tip: Hole 4 is an all-carry at 170 yards with a shallow green that angles around the corner of a pond.
For more information on this course, visit: https://www.debordieuclub.com/Play/Golf.
Founders Club at Pawleys Island ranked among the “30 Best Courses You Can Play in South Carolina” by the SC Golf Course Rating Panel.
Previously known as Sea Gull Golf Club, the relatively flat course was renovated and reopened in 2008. Designed by Thomas Walker, Founders Club now includes rolling fairways, elevation change and plenty of mounding. The course is almost devoid of cart paths and the waste bunkers — filled with native beach sand — creates a visual contrast on this stunning course.
As the newest course on the Hammock Coast, Founders Club has five sets of tee boxes that range in length from 4,805 to 7,007 yards. Founders Club is able to deliver a challenging, yet imminently fair, round of golf to players of all skill levels.
Players Tip: Hole 12 looks like a straight shot, but unless you're a long ball hitter, you’ll want to hit a layup shot short of the pond, then play your approach shot to the large green with a deep bunker front left.
For more information on this course, visit: https://foundersclubpawleysisland.com/.
The Heritage Club ranked #2 in “Top Courses in South Carolina” by Golf Advisor and earned 4.5-stars in Golf Digest’s “Best Places to Play” guide.
This par 71 is renowned for its Lowcountry beauty. More than 600 acres of rolling property are trimmed with grand magnolias and 300-year-old soaring live oak trees that shape holes and tee shots. The course is lined with the marshy waters of the Waccamaw Neck, and a large lake comes into play on 5 holes on the back nine.
The Dan Maples design offers a choice of 5 tee boxes that measure between 5,201 and 7,118 yards. A notorious split fairway, the par 5 2nd hole, allows players to select their layout. Choose wisely!
Equally impressive to the course design is the 12,000-square-foot clubhouse most appreciated for its incredible view overlooking the Waccamaw River.
Players Tip: The par 3 13th hole, which plays a hefty 175 yards, requires a carry over water to one of the course’s most challenging greens. Golfers putting from the wrong spot might consider themselves lucky to three putt.
For more information on this course, visit: https://legendsgolf.com/the-heritage-club.
Golf Digest awarded Litchfield Country Club 4.5 stars in its “Best Places to Play” guide.
Litchfield Country Club opened in 1966 as the first golf course on the Hammock Coast.
The smaller stature of this course — playing 6,752 yards from the tips — translates to narrow fairways, a multitude of sharp doglegs and ample opportunities to hit various clubs off the tee.
Designed by Willard Byrd, Litchfield Country Club embodies the best of classic golf course architecture and is very walkable. Set amongst grand oak and pine trees, the country club environment is both welcoming and affordable.
Players Tip: You may find trouble hitting through the doglegs. Keep it in the fairway for the best chance of success.
For more information on this course, visit: https://www.litchfieldgolf.com/.
Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club was labeled one of “America’s Top Courses” by Zagat.
Designed by 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus, Pawleys is one of the most attractive and best public courses in all of South Carolina.
Lined with trees and majestic lakes, the front 9 holds its own in both scenery and challenges; however, it’s the closing stretch that attracts attention. The majority of the back 9 is woven within natural waterways and vast, open views. The course’s iconic 13th hole plays to a peninsula green that is exposed to a salt marsh and the wind off the nearby Atlantic Ocean. It’s a challenge golfers don’t forget.
The par 72 course offers five sets of tee boxes that give golfers of all levels a chance to enjoy this classic course.
Players Tip: Holes 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18 will be a test to your shot hitting capabilities as each brings the scenic tidal marsh into play.
For more information on this course, visit: https://www.pawleysplantation.com/.
River Club received 4.5 stars from Golf Digest’s “Places to Play” guide.
For the last 35 years, this par 72, Tom Jackson signature course has delighted golfers with the perfect combination of playability and challenge. The course has five tee boxes from 5,084 to 6,677 yards that offer up plenty of options for golfers to test their skills.
Don’t let the surrounding maritime forests, natural wildlife and moss-draped trees fool you. River Club includes more than 100 sand traps, bunkers, natural and man-made water on 14 of 18 holes.
Players Tip: The course’s most acclaimed hole is the 18th, a risk-reward par 5 that ranks among the area’s best. Daring golfers can challenge a lake that fronts the green in an attempt to reach the putting surface in two, but wayward shots will meet a watery end.
For more information on this course, visit: https://playriverclub.com/.
Tradition Golf Club was named “South Carolina Golf Course of the Year” by the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association.
This Ron Garl design is a par 72, parkland-style course that opened in 1996. Tradition Club has spacious, rolling fairways that extend more than 6,800 yards. The club features a massive practice complex with a full-length driving range, large chipping green and multi-tier putting green.
There are no blind tee shots or hidden hazards at Tradition, but sandy beach and water holes are scattered throughout the course. Five tee boxes — dropping to 4,106 yards — sets each player up for a fun, yet challenging day. This high-quality course layout is considered one of the area’s quiet stars, but (shhh!) don’t tell anyone.
Players Tip: The 18th hole is a hefty 455 yards, par 4. A drive placed down the right side will provide an excellent angle into the green and give ample breathing room from the twisting waste bunker bordering the left side of the fairway.
For more information on this course, visit: https://www.traditionclubmyrtlebeach.com/.
True Blue Golf Club is ranked among the nation’s top 100 public courses by Golf Magazine and Golfweek.
The sister course to Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, True Blue is another Mike Strantz design and is as impressive as you’d expect. The course is endlessly creative, challenging golfers to hit a variety of shots while wowing them with visuals created by imaginative bunkering and water. The surrounding longleaf pines, grand oak trees and natural grasses showcase the allure of the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Players have embraced the premium layout of this par 72 course, with five par 5s and five par 3s. True Blue bucks convention from the first tee shot to the final putt.
Players Tip: The 3rd hole is a forced carry to a long, narrow green with a surrounding bunker that beautifully dissolves into the lake. There is water in play down the entire length of the 18th hole, so hit ’em straight!
For more information on this course, visit: https://www.truebluegolf.com/.
Touted as the “Premier Private Country Club” on the Hammock Coast.
The members-only Wachesaw Plantation Club is an early Tom Fazio design that extends to 6,833 yards. Lined with picturesque forests and low-density housing, this par 72 course has interesting elevation changes not typically found in the Lowcountry. Take extra enjoyment on the perched 18th green that overlooks the Waccamaw River.
Wachesaw’s practice facilities include a 30,000-square-foot driving range, 3-hole short game area and both pitching and putting greens.
Though a private course, members may invite guests — including cottage renters — to experience the course year-round.
Players Tip: The 347 yard 11th hole includes a dogleg right that encourages driving close to a bunker, the best approach angle.
For more information on this course, visit: https://www.wachesaw.com/
Golfweek Magazine ranked Wachesaw Plantation East one of “America’s Top 100 Residential Courses.”
Upon opening in 1996, Wachesaw Plantation East hosted the first of four LPGA Tournaments. This Clyde Johnston design features tree-lined fairways, undulating greens, grass berms and freshwater lakes.
World Golf Hall of Famer Karrie Webb was a two-time champion on this course. Multiple lines of play offer up a host of shot options. Challenges vary throughout the round, but those that take a strategic look at the course fare best.
Players Tip: The par 4 18th green, bends slightly around a small pond, thus earning the notoriety of being one of the region’s most challenging finishing holes.
For more information on this course, visit: https://www.wachesaweast.com/.
Running through acres of native magnolia trees, dogwoods and azaleas, Wedgefield Country Club was designed to flow with the natural contours of the land, offering players a different experience at each hole.
Originally designed in 1972 by Porter Gibson and Bob Toski, Wedgefield, located just outside Georgetown, is a par 72 course that extends 7,072 yards, backing up to the Black River. The course wraps up with a beautiful 18th hole that plays into the historic Manor House built in 1909.
Players Tip: The landscape includes hills and mounds the further you play into the course. Be ready to switch up your game.
For more information on this course, visit: https://www.wedgefieldcountryclub.com.
Willbrook Plantation made Golf Digest’s list of America’s “Top 50 Courses for Women” several times.
Willbrook has everything players are looking for in a Lowcountry golf course. Designed by Dan Maples, the course’s natural beauty has made it one of Hammock Coast’s most popular. The layout winds through landscape that showcases natural marshes, wetlands, native grasses and an abundance of wildlife. Be sure to take the time to read the historical markers throughout the course that provide interesting facts and details of the land.
Recognized as one of South Carolina’s most popular courses for women, the multiple tee options — and good mix of straight and dogleg holes — give players of all skill levels the challenge they're looking for. And yes, that means for the gentlemen, too!
Player Tip: Accuracy is vital, especially when avoiding large trees that line the fairways. You’ll need your thinking cap to get around this otherwise serene course.
For more information on this course, visit: https://www.willbrookgolf.com/.