kitchen countertopsIn Kiawah Island, SC

Travel

The 18th hole at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course.

As part of GOLF’s course rating process for 2022-23, our fleet of 100-plus expert panelists identified the best golf courses in South Carolina. Browse the links below to check out all of our course rankings, or scroll down to see the best courses in South Carolina.

GOLF’s other course rankings: Top 100 Courses in the World | Top 100 Courses in the U.S. | Top 100 Courses You Can Play | Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S. | America’s Best Municipal Courses | The 100 Best Short Courses in the World

SYMBOL GUIDE1 = Top 100 Course in the U.S.P = Public/Resort CourseV = Top 100 Value Course in the U.S.M = Top 30 Municipal Course in the U.S.

Ed. note: Some courses were omitted from our rankings because they did not receive enough votes.

1. Kiawah Island – Ocean Course (Kiawah Island) [1, P]

The blend of tidal marshes, scrub-topped dunes, live oaks and the soothing sound of the Atlantic on every hole make this one of the South’s most memorable playing experiences. Though the course just turned 30 years old, it already has an illustrious history of hosting big-time events, none more memorable than the drama-filled 1991 “War by the Shore” Ryder Cup. Much more short grass has been added around the green complexes since then and now the design is more thought-provoking rather than terror-inducing. Many of its greens are plateaued, with some of the more pronounced coming on the 3rd, 11th and 14th holes. Phil Mickelson more than handled the putting surfaces on his way to his historic win at the 2021 PGA Championship.

2. Yeamans Hall (Hanahan) [1]

Marrying classic Seth Raynor design with coastal South Carolina topography, Yeamans presents a charming tour of Redan, Biarritz and Road holes woven through marshland and magnificent live oaks. Over the years, the course’s original wonder faded as bunkers grew in and green complexes shrank. But a two decade-long renovation based on Raynor’s original property maps — discovered in the clubhouse attic — has returned this Golden Age masterpiece to its original brilliance.

3. Harbour Town (Hilton Head Island) [1, P]

The professionals weren’t sure what to make of Harbour Town when they first tangled with it in 1969. Unlike other courses built in that timeframe, this design by Nicklaus and Dye didn’t rely on length as much as it did in demanding accuracy off the tee as the golfer shaped shots around live oaks and stately pines. Precise iron play on the uniquely configured greens was also a must. But soon pros found standout holes abound, including the V-shaped green at the short 9th and the finishing stretch from 13 in. Pete and Alice Dye’s trip to Scotland in the mid-1960s proved the genesis for bulwarking the 13th green with railroad ties. Even 50+ years after the course opened, Harbour Town’s exemplar holes remain as compelling and interesting as anything modern architecture has to offer.

4. Congaree (Ridgeland) [1]

The number of par-4s on a course generally outnumber its par-5s and par-3s, and as such, go a long way in defining a course’s quality. The better the range of such holes, the better the course. From two of Fazio’s all-time finest short two-shotters (the 3rd and 15th) to some of his best long ones (the 6th, 11th and 17th) this design excels. Layer on the club’s desire for the fastest, firmest playing surfaces possible and the course flourishes.

5. Palmetto GC (Aiken) [1]

One of the great starts to the game with a series of diverse two-shotters leading the golfer well away from the Stanford White clubhouse. Each green is so good, and no surprise why: Alister MacKenzie lent a hand to them when he was working in neighboring Augusta. Picking favorite holes is difficult in the wake of Gil Hanse’s excellent restoration. Two of the best, though, are the one-shot 7th, with its shelf green reminding many of the 6th at Royal Dornoch, and the par-5 14th, which falls downhill in the most appealing manner imaginable. The finish is fascinating, too, with a couple of short par-4s in the final four. That works at Prestwick in Scotland, and it works here too.

6. Long Cove (Hilton Head Island)

7. Chechessee Creek (Okatie)

8. Secession (Beaufort)

9. CC of Charleston (Charleston)

10. Sage Valley (Graniteville)

11. May River – Palmetto Bluff (Bluffton)

12. The Dunes (Myrtle Beach) [P]

13. Kiawah Island – River (Kiawah Island)

14. Bulls Bay (Awendaw)

15. Caledonia (Pawleys Island) [P]

16. Kiawah Island – Cassique (Kiawah Island)

17. Greenville – Chanticleer (Greenville)

18. Camden (Camden)

19. Old Tabby Links (Okatie)

20. Musgrove Mill (Clinton)

For GOLF’s course rankings lists, each panelist is provided a list of hundreds of courses and “buckets,” or groupings. If they believe the course to be among the best in its category (World, U.S. Value, etc.), they check the corresponding box to place it in a specific bucket. Panelists are also free to write in courses they felt should have been included on the ballot. Points were assigned to each bucket; to arrive at an average score for each course, we divide its aggregate score by the number of votes. From those point tallies, the courses are then ranked accordingly.

The key to the process is the experience and expertise of our panel. Hailing from 15 nations and all the worldwide golf meccas, each of our 115 handpicked panelists has a keen eye for architecture, both regionally and globally. Many of our panelists have played more than 1,000 courses in 20-plus countries.

Because we don’t prescribe a set method to assess courses as other ranks do, no one opinion carries the day — our rank is a democracy. Some panelists believe that enjoyment is the ultimate goal, and thus prioritize design attributes such as width and playing angles, while frowning on upon having to constantly hunt for balls in thick rough. Other panelists value challenge and the demands of hitting every club in the bag. Still others consider a course’s surroundings and overall environment of paramount importance, thereby emphasizing the setting and naturalness of the course. In the end, allowing raters to freely express their tastes is what produces the desired eclecticism in our Top 100 lists.

Panelist integrity is vital. Voters with any ties or associations to eligible courses must flag such conflicts. Panelists also know not to let the quality of their play influence their ballot — same for a luxe experience or clubhouse. While opulence may make for a more a memorable outing, it’s not what GOLF’s course lists are about. Our focus is on design and architecture. We study the course, not the trappings around it.

Need help unriddling the greens at your home course? Pick up a custom Green Book from 8AM Golf affiliate GolfLogix.

A longtime supermarket that serves shoppers of Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns islands could be relocated and enlarged under proposed plans.

The existing 38,000-square-foot Harris Teeter Village Market grocery store could expand to nearly 54,000 square feet in a newly built store as part of a proposed retail development on a nearly 22-acre parcel behind the existing Freshfields Village Shopping Center.

Property owner Riverstone Properties LLC of Richmond, Va., wants to rezone the undeveloped site on Kiawah Island Parkway from low-density residential use to a commercial planned development. The Charleston County Planning Commission recently deadlocked 4-4 on changing the land use and the effort failed.

County spokeswoman Kelsey Barlow said the commission only makes recommendations. The proposed change will now be considered by County Council’s Planning and Public Works Committee on March 16.

Representatives of Riverstone Properties, which is affiliated with the owner of Kiawah Island Golf Resort, and Harris Teeter did not respond to requests for comment on the plans.

Planning commission member Logan Davis said developers indicated at an earlier meeting one reason the supermarket chain wants to relocate to a larger store is so the grocer will have better entry and exit space for deliveries.

Some planning board members wanted a new traffic study while others were concerned about a lack of clarity for the proposed connection to Freshfields Village. The shopping center is owned by Columbia-based Edens, which paid nearly $125 million for the property in June.

One board member expressed concerns that the connection to Freshfields appeared to be near the entrance to a convenience store off Hedgerow Lane and he was worried about the connection across a planted median on Freshfields Drive. He preferred a different connection point.

The development would allow drive-thrus for a pharmacy but not fast food under the current proposal.

The property proposed to be developed most recently was used as a parking area for people attending the PGA Championship Tournament at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island in 2021.

Site plans also show 10,000 square feet of retail space set aside for future expansion of Harris Teeter and 10,000 additional square feet of other retail space on the opposite side of the planned grocery store.

Another 46,400 square feet of retail space would be clustered in seven smaller buildings while a gas station also is part of the site plan.

Chris Corrada of Riverstone Properties told commission members the fuel site would be set 100 feet off of Kiawah Island Parkway and would be buffered by trees and other foliage.

An additional entryway into the site is planned off the parkway. No homes are being proposed for the property.

Note: This story has been updated with a new date for the proposal to be considered by County Council’s Planning and Public Works Committee.

The weather might not be the best for golf in South Carolina right now, but it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead.

Warmer days will be here before you know it, providing ample opportunities to step out onto the green, maybe try out those new clubs you got for Christmas and, hopefully, avoid sand traps.

But if you want to enjoy several rounds of golf in South Carolina this year, why not play on the best courses the state has to offer?

Golf Magazine ranks golf courses across the U.S. every year using a large team of expert panelists. The magazine recently unveiled its 20 best South Carolina golf courses for 2023.

According to Golf Magazine, to determine the ranking, each panelist is given a list of hundreds of courses and groupings and check off which ones they believe to be the best. They are also free to write in courses.

The panelists themselves are all handpicked and hail from 15 nations and all the golf meccas around the world. Many of the panelists have played more than 1,000 courses in 20-plus countries, the magazine’s website states.

Here are descriptions of the top five South Carolina golf courses for 2023.

Located on the eastern-most end the Kiawah Island, the Ocean Course has the most seaside hills in the Northern Hemisphere. The course was designed to give players an unobstructed view of the coastline from every hole. The course can also be particularly challenging, due to strong winds from the Atlantic.

The Yeamans Hall Club golf course was designed in 1925 in Charleston. The course offers a “charming tour of Redan, Biarritz and Road holes woven through marshland and magnificent live oaks,” Golf Magazine states. A two decade-long renovation has restored the course to its original glory.

This perennial favorite among PGA Tour players is located on Hilton Head Island. The course has undergone recent enhancements, such as new Celebration Bermuda grass for the fairways and a new irrigation system. Since 1969, it has been home to the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

Found in Ridgeland, the 18-hole Congaree golf course opened in 2018. The course was built on a historic, 18th-century estate and is surrounded by more than 2,000 acres of forest and lakes.

Founded in 1892, the Palmetto Golf Club is the oldest, continually operated 18-hole golf course in its original location in the Southeast, the golf club’s website states. The course has seen its fair share prominent players and famously people over the years, from Masters Champions Byron Nelson and Ben Crenshaw, to Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and William Taft.

Here is a list of the rest of the 20 best South Carolina golf courses for 2023.

This story was originally published January 5, 2023 8:00 AM.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - While most Lowcountry counties woke up to a wind chill advisory for the second morning in a row on Christmas Day, a big warmup is on the way.

The National Weather Service issued the advisory Saturday night for Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Colleton and Beaufort Counties until 10 a.m. with expected wind chill values as low as zero far inland and as low as 8 to 14 degrees along the coast.

But winds weren’t as strong on Sunday morning as they had been on Saturday, and wind chill values across the Lowcountry ranged from 21 in Moncks Corner, Kingstree and McClellanville to 15 on Johns Island and Kiawah Island.

A Wind Chill Advisory means that very cold air and strong winds will combine to generate low wind chills. This will result in frostbite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not taken. Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat and gloves.

Locations across the Lowcountry were within a few degrees of all-time record lows on Christmas Eve morning after an unusually strong Arctic cold front moved in Friday.

If you are ready for a warmup, however, there is good news in the forecast. Live 5 Meteorologist Chris Holtzman said temperatures will begin rising on Christmas Day to a high around 40. That will start a warming trend over the course of the week that will bring highs into the 70s by next weekend, he said.

Live 5 Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh said Saturday’s record low at the Charleston International Airport stands at 16 degrees while the record downtown stands at 20. The Lowcountry woke up on Christmas Eve morning to temperatures just above those figures, but not by much.

Temperatures around the area as of 6 a.m. Saturday ranged from 20 degrees in McClellanville and Kiawah Island down to 17 in Kingstree and 16 in Orangeburg.

The wind chill, or “feels like” temperature, however, dropped those figures to single digits for many areas. Summerville and Georgetown reported a wind chill of 7, while Goose Creek, Johns Island and Kiawah Island listed a 6-degree wind chill. North Charleston’s stood at 5 and in Walterboro and Orangeburg, it felt like just 3 degrees outside.

The drastic drop in temperatures from Friday morning’s high of the low 50s followed the combination of an Arctic cold front which chilled most of the nation and gusty winds driving the single-digit wind chills.

Experts advised those traveling by car this weekend to keep their phones charged, pack extra clothes and blankets and bring extra food in case they become stranded.

They also urged people to bring pets inside and provide adequate shelter for livestock, and to protect outside faucets and pipes before the cold temperatures arrive.

The National Weather Service said people should avoid outside activities if possible, but that those who must go outside should dress warmly in coats, gloves and hats.

In the Lowcountry, Walsh said the winds will begin to calm down on Christmas Eve with sunny skies and highs only in the upper 30s, about 25 degrees below average for late December.

Low temperatures will be in the 20s again Saturday night.

Sovine said Sunday will be the coldest Christmas morning since 1989, the year Hurricane Hugo devastated the Charleston area. It will also likely be the third-coldest Christmas in 85 years, he said.

Christmas Day should be dry and sunny but the high temperature will only reach the low to mid-40s.

The team declared Friday and Saturday “First Alert Weather Days” this past Sunday to alert people to the big drop in temperatures.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Some highly recognizable names and a few interesting newcomers highlight the venues hosting USGA championships in 2023. This year’s schedule features the western part of the country, with nine of the 15 championships to be contested in the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica.

Pebble Beach Finally Gets its U.S. Women’s Open

That list begins with one of the world’s most iconic layouts: Pebble Beach. It has been coined the “greatest meeting of land and sea,” and in July, the best female golfers on the planet will get the opportunity to showcase their talents on the Monterey Peninsula.

Pebble Beach, which hosted six memorable U.S. Open Championships starting with Jack Nicklaus’ triumph in 1972, is the site for the 78th U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica, from July 6-9. Only twice in its history has the USGA contested a women’s championship at Pebble Beach: the 1940 and 1948 U.S. Women’s Amateurs, won by Betty Jameson and Grace Lenczyk, respectively.

Since those two competitions, Pebble Beach has been the site of nine men’s USGA competitions: three U.S. Amateurs and the six U.S. Opens. Champions include Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods and up-and-coming star Viktor Hovland. Few places can match its breathtaking views, especially the holes that hug the coastline.

Now the women get that stage.

“It’s my favorite place on earth,” said 2022 runner-up Mina Harigae, who grew up in the area and has played Pebble Beach at least 50 times.

U.S. Amateur Returns to Classic

Pebble Beach isn’t the only U.S. Open venue hosting a USGA championship in 2023. Cherry Hills Country Club just outside of Denver is the site of the 123rd U.S. Amateur. In 1960, Cherry Hills produced one of the more memorable U.S. Opens when Arnold Palmer rallied from a seven-stroke deficit, shooting a final-round 65 to claim his lone U.S. Open title, holding off four-time champion Ben Hogan and Nicklaus, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. It remains the largest final-round comeback in U.S. Open history.

It was also where Birdie Kim holed out from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole to win the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open over a pair of amateurs, Morgan Pressel and future U.S. Women’s Open champion Brittany Lang. And in 2012, Steven Fox emerged from a playoff to earn the No. 63 spot in the draw and defeated Michael Weaver in a dramatic 37-hole championship match.

2023 USGA Championship Venues

Los Angeles Back in the Spotlight

For the first time in 75 years, the U.S. Open is returning to Los Angeles as The Los Angeles Country Club hosts the 123rd iteration. In 1948, Hogan claimed the first of his four titles at The Riviera Country Club in neighboring Pacific Palisades. Both courses were designed by architect George C. Thomas, who also routed Bel-Air Country Club, which is the site for the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur in August.

LACC, which underwent a recent renovation by Gil Hanse, was the site for the 2017 Walker Cup Match. Multiple members of the victorious USA side are already exempt into this year’s U.S. Open, including two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, and 2022 U.S. Open runners-up, Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris. Scheffler claimed his first major last April at the Masters.

First-Timers

Two courses are making their USGA championship debuts in 2023, headlined by the United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colo., for the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Originally scheduled to host in 2020 but postponed due to COVID-19, the Blue Course at the Eisenhower Golf Club will be the first military venue to host a USGA championship.

The other first-time venue is the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C., site of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Both the Ralston Creek and Beresford Creek Courses will be used for the stroke-play portion of the competition, with all the matches conducted on Ralston Creek, a Rees Jones design that opened for play in 2006.

More than 30,000 annuals are planted each year on the Flower Hole at SentryWorld, site of the 2023 U.S. Senior Open. (SentryWorld)

Seniors in the Spotlight

SentryWorld, in Stevens Point, Wis., is set to host the U.S. Senior Open, its third USGA championship since the Robert Trent Jones Jr. design opened in 1982. The daily-fee course will certainly challenge the best 50-and-over players as it did for the 1986 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior. Its signature hole is the 16th, a par 3 that features more than 30,000 flowers that are planted each spring.

The 5th U.S. Senior Women’s Open goes to the West Coast for the first time as Waverley Country Club in Portland, Ore., hosts the event for the top 50-and-over female golfers. Waverley was the site of Woods’ last of three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur titles in 1993, as well as where Lanny Wadkins won the 1970 U.S. Amateur. Members include 2004 U.S. Senior Open champion Peter Jacobsen and three-time U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Lara Tennant.

Running it Back at Pinehurst No. 6

Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 6 will once again serve as the host site for the U.S. Adaptive Open. The competition was a rousing success in 2022 as 96 players with a variety of physical and intellectual impairments inspired the golf community with their remarkable performances last July. Simon Lee (male) and Western Michigan women’s golf coach Kim Moore (female) are expected to defend their respective titles.

Four-Balls Going Coast to Coast

The two Four-Ball competitions are being conducted at opposite ends of the country. The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., a public venue operated by the Pacific Northwest and Washington State Golf Associations, is hosting the 8th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. It previously was the host site for the final U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in 2014 and served as the stroke-play co-host for the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2021 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.

Kiawah Island (S.C.) Club will host the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, with the River and Cassique courses serving as the stroke-play venues, with all the matches on the latter. The club was the site of the 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur when Nathan Smith captured the second of his record four titles.

East Coast Venues on Tap for Mid-Ams

Speaking of the 25-and-over demographic, the U.S. Mid-Amateur is headed to Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. The C.B. Macdonald design, which hosted the 2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur, opened in 1913 and was recently renovated by Gil Hanse and George Bahto. Nearby Fenway Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., will serve as the stroke-play co-host.

Stonewall, in Elverson, Pa., will host the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur seven years after Stewart Hagestad won a memorable U.S. Mid-Amateur final on the club’s Old and North Courses when he rallied to defeat 2014 champion Scott Harvey in 37 holes. This year, all the golf will take place on the North Course, a Tom Doak design that opened in 2003.

Senior Ams Head West

Martis Camp, in Truckee, Calif., and Troon Country Club, in Scottsdale, Ariz., also make their return to the USGA calendar for senior events. The U.S. Senior Amateur is set for Martis Camp in late August, a Tom Fazio design that hosted the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur won by Scheffler. It is nestled at the base of the Northstar Ski Resort, giving members plenty of year-round activities.

Troon C.C. was Tom Weiskopf’s first foray into course design as he and partner Jay Moorish carved out a challenging desert layout that will test the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur field. This is the first of two upcoming USGA championships for Troon C.C., which will also host the 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur 35 years after Jim Stuart won the same title at the venue.