Best golf courses near Conway, SC

Its ocean-side dunes are mostly covered with turfgrass and mature trees now, but when Robert Trent Jones built The Dunes back in the late 1940s, the property was primarily windswept sand dotted with lagoons. Those lakes come in prominently on many holes, particularly on the 11th through 13th, dubbed Alligator Alley. (The boomerang-shaped par-5 13th is called Waterloo.) The home hole, with a pond in front of the green, started as a gambling par 5 but today is a daunting par 4. The course has hosted three USGA championships, including the 1962 U.S. Women's Open and most recently, the 2017 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball.

A past member of our 100 Greatest Public list, King’s North is one of three layouts at Myrtle Beach National. The Arnold Palmer design features some of the Grand Strand’s most notable holes, including the par-5 sixth hole, aptly nicknamed “The Gambler.” Off the tee, players must choose one of the two fairways, either the island strip that shortens the hole, or the safer option to the right, making it a three-shotter. The par-3 12thfeatures an island green, and though it’s more generous than the famous TPC Sawgrass original, the wooden bulkheads lining the green provide similar intimidation.

Grande Dunes reopened in September 2022 after a complete greens and bunker renovation over the summer. Spectacular views of the Intracoastal Waterway and Grande Dunes Marina make this links-style golf course well worth the visit. Designed by Roger Rulewich Group, the course was built on a high bluff—the ideal setting for a picturesque sunset round. Expansive fairways littered with penalty areas throughout define Grande Dunes as a difficult, yet enjoyable resort course.

As evidenced by its name, the Parkland course at Legends Golf Resort is tree-lined and relatively flat, with subtly contoured fairways. There are recently renovated bunkers and plenty of native fescue lining many fairways.

Water is the defining feature at Man O’ War, coming into play on nearly every hole. The Myrtle Beach layout features back-to-back island greens, including at the par-3 15th, which we ranked among golf’s best island greens. First, the 14th is a relatively short par 4 where the second shot plays over water. The par-3 15th is short—only about 125 yards—and plays to a 48-yard wide, 65-yard-deep island green. What’s more, there’s also an “island hole,” where water surrounds the fairway and green.

Pine Lakes Country Club, nicknamed “The Granddaddy,” opened in 1927 as the first golf course in Myrtle Beach. Designed by Robert White, the first president of the PGA of America, Pine Lakes is a scenic layout less than a half-mile from the Atlantic Ocean. In 2021, the course underwent an extensive renovation, which included regrassing the greens and reshaping and adding new sand in the bunkers.

Arrowhead Country Club is a 27-hole facility with three distinct nines located just a couple miles from the airport in Myrtle Beach. The tree-lined Cypress nine winds through Carolina hardwoods with water coming into play on seven holes, mostly on the right side. Water also comes into play on many holes on the Lakes nine, including at the narrow par-5 third. The Waterway is perhaps the most player-friendly of the three nines, with wider fairways and large greens. Arrowhead boasts a “Kids Play Free” program where juniors 16 and under can play for free with a paying adult.

Situated in the heart of Myrtle Beach, just a few miles from the airport, Prestwick Country Club is a collaboration between Pete Dye and his son, P.B. The par-72 features many of Dye’s distinct characteristics, including intimidating sightlines, wooden bulkheads, dramatic mounding and deep-faced bunkers. Though the layout can be quite demanding from the back tees, set at just under 7,100 yards, there are six sets of tees.