SC Golf Course Ratings Panel

From The Mountains to the Ocean, List Ranks Best Golf Courses in South Carolina

By Bob Spear
Special to The State Newspaper
April 14, 2022

South Carolina is blessed with an embarrassment of riches in golf courses, a fact on display in examining one organization’s ranking of playing opportunities in the state. From the brawny Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort to the Aiken Golf Club that measures less than 5,800 yards and everything in between, the Palmetto State offers a smorgasbord of links that whets every golfer’s appetite.

The South Carolina Golf Course Rating Panel’s annual survey emphasizes the obvious again in this year’s rankings of the best classic courses, designed pre-1980, and modern layout, those designed since 1980.

The Ocean Course, scene of high-profile events ranging from the 1991 Ryder Cup to PGA Championships in 2012 and 2021, takes its usual place at the top of the modern category. Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head Island’s Sea Pines Resort, the home of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage each April, headlines the classics. And those only scratch the surface.

“There are so many great golf courses in the state,” Aiken GC owner Jim McNair Jr. said. “There’s something from everyone. We have something like 37 acres of turf; I imagine a course like the Dunes (Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach) has 100 acres or more.” McNair’s course, located within shouting distance of Aiken’s business district, ranks seventh in the classic category and drips with history. More than 100 years old, the club is among the first to have women’s tees and staged the Women’s Invitational Tournament (1937-39) that brought stars such as Babe Zaharias and Patty Berg to compete.

“We’re short by today’s standards, but we have members who say it’s too hard from the tips,” McNair said. “The green complexes are incredible. The course is about strategy, accuracy and position off the tee.”

Those are among the qualities the rating panel seeks and finds everywhere in the state. Courses represented in this year’s rankings range from Aiken’s Palmetto Golf Club, which dates to 1892; Seth Raynor’s Lowcountry gems; Camden Country Club with Donald Ross’ influence and Robert Trent Jones’ beauties among the classics. The modern layouts include the handiwork of, among others, Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Mike Strantz.

“Ranking the courses is really a challenge,” said Michael Whitaker, the association’s executive director. “As always, there are so many outstanding golf courses in South Carolina that you’re really splitting hairs in picking one over another.”

The top five in the classic category include Harbour Town, Yeamans Hall in Hanahan, Palmetto GC, the Dunes Golf and Beach Club, and Greenville CC’s Chanticleer Course. Joining the Ocean Course at the top of the modern list are the Secession Club (Beaufort), Congaree GC (Ridgeland), May River GC (Palmetto Bluff) and Sage Valley GC (Graniteville).

“To be included on a list with some of those exclusive private clubs is quite an honor,” McNair said. “That’s the beauty of the game. Courses such as ours and the Ocean Course are very different and yet are very challenging.”

The S.C. Golf Course Ratings Panel is composed of 125 golf enthusiasts who represent a diverse range of occupations, handicaps and backgrounds. The group’s objective is to promote excellence in the state’s golf course design and operation through competitive ranking, education and public advocacy. Criteria used in the judging include routing, variety, strategy, equity, memorability, aesthetics and experience. A panelist must have played the course to vote for it.

South Carolina Golf Panel 2022 Rankings

Classic Courses (Designed Before 1980)
1. Harbour Town Golf Links
2. Yeamans Hall Club
3. Palmetto Golf Club
4. Dunes Golf and Beach Club
5. Greenville CC Chanticleer Course
6. CC of Charleston
7. Aiken Golf Club
8. Camden CC
9. Greenville CC Riverside Course
10. Surf Golf and Beach Club
11. Orangeburg CC
12. Florence CC
13. CC or Spartanburg
14. Myrtle Beach National King’s North Course
15. Columbia CC
16. Palmetto Dunes Resort R.T. Jones Course
17. Palmetto Dunes Resort George Fazio Course
18. Charleston Municipal Golf Course
19. Furman Golf Club
20. Pine Lakes CC

Modern Courses (Designed Since 1980)
1. Kiawah Island Resort Ocean Course
2. Secession GC
3. Congaree GC
4. May River GC
5. Sage Valley GC
6. Cherokee Plantation
7. Kiawah Island Club Cassique Course
8. Long Cove Club
9. Chechessee Creek Club
10. Kiawah Island Club River Course
11. Bulls Bay Club
12. Caledonia Golf and Fish Club
13. Colleton River Plantation Dye Course
14. Old Tabby Links
15. Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards
16. Colleton River Plantation Nicklaus Course
17. Cliffs at Mountain Park
18. Musgrove Mill GC
19. The GC at Briar’s Creek
20. Haig Point Club
21. Barefoot Resort Dye Course
22. Wachesaw Plantation Club
23. Belfair GC West Course
24. Reserve at Lake Keowee
25. Cliffs at Glassy
26. Tidewater GC and Plantation
27. Berkeley Hall North Course
28. Belfair GC East Course
29. True Blue Plantation
30. Grande Dunes Resort Club
31. Dataw Island Cotton Dyke Course
32. Wild Dunes Resort Links Course
33. Thornblade Club
34. Prestwick CC
35. Kiawah Island Resort Osprey Course
36. Cliffs at Keowee Falls
37. DeBordieu Club
38. Callawassie Island Club
T39. Oldfield
T39. Kiawah Island Resort Cougar Point Course
41. Reserve Club at Pawleys Island
42. Sea Pines Resort Atlantic Dunes Course
43. Daniel Island Club Beresford Creek Course
44. Kiawah Island Resort Turtle Point Course
45. Grande Dunes Members Club
46. Cliffs at Keowee Springs
47. Seabrook Island Club Ocean Winds Course
48. Berkeley Hall South Course
49. Cliffs Valley Course
50. Daniel Island Club Ralston Creek Course

Background On SC Golf Course Ratings Panel

Overview

The South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel is composed of golf enthusiasts representing a diverse range of occupations, handicaps and backgrounds. These individuals have been charged with the task of identifying the best that South Carolina golf has to offer.

Objective and Purpose

The objective of the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel is to promote excellence in SC golf course design and operations through competitive rankings, education and public advocacy. The Panel serves as an ambassador for golf in South Carolina by striving to stimulate and facilitate the promotion and marketing of outstanding golf courses, resorts, and real estate developments.

1) South Carolina’s Best Courses – Bi-annually (in even-numbered years) members of the Panel identify their choices for the “50 Best MODERN Courses” and the “20 Best CLASSIC Courses” in the state, public or private.

2) The Best Courses You Can Play – Bi-annually (in odd-numbered years) the Panel releases a listing of the best non-private courses in the state. Every resort, public access, and daily-fee course is eligible for this elite listing.

How We Rate Them

In determining their ratings panelists consider the following criteria:

Routing – How the course flows from hole to hole in harmony with existing topography.
Variety – Degree to which the course demands a full range of shot requirements.
Strategy – How design features test course management.
Equity – The course’s capacity to reward good shots and penalize poor ones.
Memorability – The distinctiveness of the golf course and its individual holes.
Aesthetics – The degree to which scenery and surrounds lend to the enjoyment.
Overall Golf Experience – Includes all elements of the course: practice areas, clubhouse & more.

Structure

The Panel consists of 125+ members, twenty-five percent of which represent each of the following geographical regions: The Upstate, The Midlands, The Lowcountry, and The Grand Strand.

Categories of Membership

Golf Industry – individuals who have a direct connection to the golf industry
Players & Coaches – individuals who excel at playing or coaching the game
Media – individuals who report on golf for one or more media outlets
Business & Industry – individuals who utilize golf within the business community

# # #


Promoting excellence in South Carolina golf course design and operations through competitive rankings, education and public advocacy.
From The Mountains to the Ocean, List Ranks Best Golf Courses in South Carolina By Bob Spear Special to The State Newspaper April 14, 2022 South Carolina is blessed with an embarrassment of riches in golf courses, a fact on display in examining one organization’s ranking of playing opportunities in the state. From the brawny Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort to the Aiken Golf Club that measures less than 5,800 yards and everything in between, the Palmetto State offers a smorgasbord of links that whets every golfer’s appetite. The South Carolina Golf Course Rating Panel’s annual survey emphasizes the obvious again in this year’s rankings of the best classic courses, designed pre-1980, and modern layout, those designed since 1980. The Ocean Course, scene of high-profile events ranging from the 1991 Ryder Cup to PGA Championships in 2012 and 2021, takes its usual place at the top of the modern category. Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head Island’s Sea Pines Resort, the home of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage each April, headlines the classics. And those only scratch the surface. “There are so many great golf courses in the state,” Aiken GC owner Jim McNair Jr. said. “There’s something from everyone. We have something like 37 acres of turf; I imagine a course like the Dunes (Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach) has 100 acres or more.” McNair’s course, located within shouting distance of Aiken’s business district, ranks seventh in the classic category and drips with history. More than 100 years old, the club is among the first to have women’s tees and staged the Women’s Invitational Tournament (1937-39) that brought stars such as Babe Zaharias and Patty Berg to compete. “We’re short by today’s standards, but we have members who say it’s too hard from the tips,” McNair said. “The green complexes are incredible. The course is about strategy, accuracy and position off the tee.” Those are among the qualities the rating panel seeks and finds everywhere in the state. Courses represented in this year’s rankings range from Aiken’s Palmetto Golf Club, which dates to 1892; Seth Raynor’s Lowcountry gems; Camden Country Club with Donald Ross’ influence and Robert Trent Jones’ beauties among the classics. The modern layouts include the handiwork of, among others, Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Mike Strantz. “Ranking the courses is really a challenge,” said Michael Whitaker, the association’s executive director. “As always, there are so many outstanding golf courses in South Carolina that you’re really splitting hairs in picking one over another.” The top five in the classic category include Harbour Town, Yeamans Hall in Hanahan, Palmetto GC, the Dunes Golf and Beach Club, and Greenville CC’s Chanticleer Course. Joining the Ocean Course at the top of the modern list are the Secession Club (Beaufort), Congaree GC (Ridgeland), May River GC (Palmetto Bluff) and Sage Valley GC (Graniteville). “To be included on a list with some of those exclusive private clubs is quite an honor,” McNair said. “That’s the beauty of the game. Courses such as ours and the Ocean Course are very different and yet are very challenging.” The S.C. Golf Course Ratings Panel is composed of 125 golf enthusiasts who represent a diverse range of occupations, handicaps and backgrounds. The group’s objective is to promote excellence in the state’s golf course design and operation through competitive ranking, education and public advocacy. Criteria used in the judging include routing, variety, strategy, equity, memorability, aesthetics and experience. A panelist must have played the course to vote for it. South Carolina Golf Panel 2022 Rankings Classic Courses (Designed Before 1980) 1. Harbour Town Golf Links 2. Yeamans Hall Club 3. Palmetto Golf Club 4. Dunes Golf and Beach Club 5. Greenville CC Chanticleer Course 6. CC of Charleston 7. Aiken Golf Club 8. Camden CC 9. Greenville CC Riverside Course 10. Surf Golf and Beach Club 11. Orangeburg CC 12. Florence CC 13. CC or Spartanburg 14. Myrtle Beach National King’s North Course 15. Columbia CC 16. Palmetto Dunes Resort R.T. Jones Course 17. Palmetto Dunes Resort George Fazio Course 18. Charleston Municipal Golf Course 19. Furman Golf Club 20. Pine Lakes CC Modern Courses (Designed Since 1980) 1. Kiawah Island Resort Ocean Course 2. Secession GC 3. Congaree GC 4. May River GC 5. Sage Valley GC 6. Cherokee Plantation 7. Kiawah Island Club Cassique Course 8. Long Cove Club 9. Chechessee Creek Club 10. Kiawah Island Club River Course 11. Bulls Bay Club 12. Caledonia Golf and Fish Club 13. Colleton River Plantation Dye Course 14. Old Tabby Links 15. Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards 16. Colleton River Plantation Nicklaus Course 17. Cliffs at Mountain Park 18. Musgrove Mill GC 19. The GC at Briar’s Creek 20. Haig Point Club 21. Barefoot Resort Dye Course 22. Wachesaw Plantation Club 23. Belfair GC West Course 24. Reserve at Lake Keowee 25. Cliffs at Glassy 26. Tidewater GC and Plantation 27. Berkeley Hall North Course 28. Belfair GC East Course 29. True Blue Plantation 30. Grande Dunes Resort Club 31. Dataw Island Cotton Dyke Course 32. Wild Dunes Resort Links Course 33. Thornblade Club 34. Prestwick CC 35. Kiawah Island Resort Osprey Course 36. Cliffs at Keowee Falls 37. DeBordieu Club 38. Callawassie Island Club T39. Oldfield T39. Kiawah Island Resort Cougar Point Course 41. Reserve Club at Pawleys Island 42. Sea Pines Resort Atlantic Dunes Course 43. Daniel Island Club Beresford Creek Course 44. Kiawah Island Resort Turtle Point Course 45. Grande Dunes Members Club 46. Cliffs at Keowee Springs 47. Seabrook Island Club Ocean Winds Course 48. Berkeley Hall South Course 49. Cliffs Valley Course 50. Daniel Island Club Ralston Creek Course Background On SC Golf Course Ratings Panel Overview The South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel is composed of golf enthusiasts representing a diverse range of occupations, handicaps and backgrounds. These individuals have been charged with the task of identifying the best that South Carolina golf has to offer. Objective and Purpose The objective of the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel is to promote excellence in SC golf course design and operations through competitive rankings, education and public advocacy. The Panel serves as an ambassador for golf in South Carolina by striving to stimulate and facilitate the promotion and marketing of outstanding golf courses, resorts, and real estate developments. 1) South Carolina’s Best Courses – Bi-annually (in even-numbered years) members of the Panel identify their choices for the “50 Best MODERN Courses” and the “20 Best CLASSIC Courses” in the state, public or private. 2) The Best Courses You Can Play – Bi-annually (in odd-numbered years) the Panel releases a listing of the best non-private courses in the state. Every resort, public access, and daily-fee course is eligible for this elite listing. How We Rate Them In determining their ratings panelists consider the following criteria: Routing – How the course flows from hole to hole in harmony with existing topography. Variety – Degree to which the course demands a full range of shot requirements. Strategy – How design features test course management. Equity – The course’s capacity to reward good shots and penalize poor ones. Memorability – The distinctiveness of the golf course and its individual holes. Aesthetics – The degree to which scenery and surrounds lend to the enjoyment. Overall Golf Experience – Includes all elements of the course: practice areas, clubhouse & more. Structure The Panel consists of 125+ members, twenty-five percent of which represent each of the following geographical regions: The Upstate, The Midlands, The Lowcountry, and The Grand Strand. Categories of Membership Golf Industry – individuals who have a direct connection to the golf industry Players & Coaches – individuals who excel at playing or coaching the game Media – individuals who report on golf for one or more media outlets Business & Industry – individuals who utilize golf within the business community # # #
This message was sent from SC Golf Course Ratings Panel, P.O. Box 5856, Greenville, SC 29606. To remove your email address from our database REPLY to this email with the word "REMOVE" in the subject line or contact SCGCRP by mail.