The 11 Best Golf Courses Near Charleston (2026)
From the Ocean Course's major-championship dunes to the public rounds locals actually play — Lowcountry golf, ranked.
Charleston golf means marsh, wind, and water on almost every card — the Lowcountry's courses are routed through tidal creeks and live-oak corridors where the penalty for a loose swing is usually salt water. The area's reputation rests on Kiawah Island, but the everyday golf scene is a mix of resort tee sheets, storied private clubs, and public rounds that cost a fifth of the headline rates.
The bucket-list tier is Kiawah: the Ocean Course — Pete Dye's windswept championship layout along three miles of Atlantic dunes, host of the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships — plus the resort's supporting cast of Turtle Point (Nicklaus), Osprey Point (Fazio), and Cougar Point (Player). The private tier runs deep for a city this size: the Country Club of Charleston's 1925 Seth Raynor design hosted the 2019 U.S. Women's Open, and Bulls Bay's hilltop clubhouse looks over a Mike Strantz course unlike anything else in the state.
The public tier is where locals actually play: the Links at Stono Ferry under the oaks in Hollywood, Oak Point at Kiawah's gate, and The Plantation Course at Edisto for the day-trip round. Order within sections moves with community votes and Google ratings. Last reviewed May 2026.
The Bucket List — Kiawah Island
The Ocean Course is the reason golfers fly here: Pete Dye along three miles of dunes, the 'War by the Shore' 1991 Ryder Cup, PGA Championships in 2012 and 2021, and the stiffest wind test in American golf. The resort's other layouts are destinations in their own right — Turtle Point's Nicklaus routing through the island's interior lagoons, Osprey Point's Fazio parkland, and Cougar Point's Gary Player redesign along the Kiawah River marsh.
Kiawah Island Golf Resort — Ocean Course
Kiawah Island4.7★304 reviewsThe Ocean Course is as close to a pilgrimage as American golf gets — a walking-only, caddie-mandatory Pete and Alice Dye design stretched along the Atlantic, built on fill dirt raised expressly to keep the ocean in view on every hole.
Turtle Point Golf Course
Kiawah Island4.6★577 reviewsJack Nicklaus-designed course on Kiawah Island, threading through maritime forest and tidal marshes along the Atlantic.
Osprey Point Golf Course
Kiawah Island4.6★284 reviewsAudubon-certified 18-hole layout on Kiawah Island winding through maritime forest and tidal marshes off Governors Drive.
Cougar Point Golf Course
Kiawah Island4.5★313 reviewsCougar Point is widely regarded as the most approachable and scenic of Kiawah's courses, earning consistent praise for immaculate conditioning, dramatic marsh and river views, and its player-friendly layout after the 2017 Gary Player renovation.
The Public Rounds
Where the weekend game actually happens. The Links at Stono Ferry plays under the live oaks along the Intracoastal in Hollywood — the prettiest inexpensive round in the area. Oak Point sits at Kiawah's gate at a fraction of resort rates, and The Plantation Course at Edisto is the day-trip: marsh golf an hour south with nobody pushing the group behind you.
Oak Point Golf Course
Seabrook Island4.6★225 reviewsLowcountry public golf course on Johns Island, set among live oaks and marshland off Hope Plantation Drive.
The Plantation Course at Edisto
Seabrook Island4.5★293 reviewsSemiprivate 18-hole course winding through maritime forest and marsh on Edisto Island, about 45 minutes from Charleston.
Links At Stono Ferry
Johns Island4.4★607 reviewsLowcountry golf course threading through tidal marshes and live oaks in Hollywood, about 20 miles southwest of downtown.
The Private Clubs
For a mid-size city, Charleston's private golf runs deep. The Country Club of Charleston is a 1925 Seth Raynor design that hosted the 2019 U.S. Women's Open — its Redan and Biarritz greens are pilgrimage material for architecture nerds. Bulls Bay is Mike Strantz at his boldest, Briars Creek is the quiet Rees Jones retreat on Johns Island, and the Daniel Island Club fields 36 holes (Fazio and Rees Jones) for the island's residents.
Bulls Bay Golf Club
Mount Pleasant4.7★130 reviewsBulls Bay is widely regarded as the top private golf club in the Charleston area — a pure, golf-only layout with no homes, pools, or tennis courts encroaching on the experience.
Daniel Island Club
Daniel Island4.7★228 reviewsThe only private club in the country pairing a Tom Fazio and a Rees Jones course out of the same clubhouse, Daniel Island Club occupies a genuinely distinctive position in South Carolina golf — and the ranking panels agree, with Ralston Creek consistently placing inside the state's top 40 and co-hosting the 2023 U.S.
Country Club of Charleston
James Island4.5★182 reviewsCountry Club of Charleston is a strictly private, members-only club built around a historic 1925 Seth Raynor layout that local golf enthusiasts consistently call underrated on a national level.
The Golf Club at Briar's Creek
Kiawah Island4.5★53 reviewsRees Jones-designed private course on Johns Island, winding through maritime forest and salt marsh.
How this ranking is built
Every course is within roughly an hour of downtown Charleston. Resort and public courses are rated on the full-visitor experience (conditions, pace, value); private clubs are included for completeness and ranked on community reputation. Order within sections is community votes blended with Google ratings, Bayesian-smoothed. Read the full methodology →
Charleston itself has been ranked the #1 small city in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler readers for four consecutive years, and the #1 city in the South by Southern Living readers for ten. See every external award Charleston holds on Charleston Ranked.
Frequently asked
- What is the best golf course in Charleston?
- The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island — Pete Dye's oceanfront championship layout that hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships. It's routinely ranked among the top public-access courses in America. For a locals' round, the Links at Stono Ferry is the value answer.
- Can the public play the Ocean Course at Kiawah?
- Yes — it's a resort course, so public tee times are available, with priority and better rates for Kiawah Island Golf Resort guests. Expect premium green fees, a caddie program, and wind that adds a club or two to everything.
- What are the best affordable public golf courses near Charleston?
- The Links at Stono Ferry (Hollywood, along the Intracoastal), Oak Point (at Kiawah's gate, a fraction of resort rates), and The Plantation Course at Edisto for a day trip. All three stay well under resort pricing year-round.
- How many courses does Kiawah Island have?
- The resort operates five: the Ocean Course, Turtle Point (Nicklaus), Osprey Point (Fazio), Cougar Point (Player), and Oak Point just off-island. The private Kiawah Island Club adds two more for members.
- When is the best time of year to golf in Charleston?
- March through May and October through November — 60s-70s, lower humidity, firm conditions. Summer is playable but book dawn times; winter rounds are the value play, with occasional frost delays and the Lowcountry wind doing the defending.