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The Lowcountry keeps pulling me back.
Even as I see more and more of this country and the wider world through the lens of golf, I gain an ever-deeper appreciation of the hauntingly beautiful Southern coastal sub-region that luxuriates along vast stretches of salty tidal marshes. Even in the more populated places, there is a relaxed pace to life and an easygoing gentility there.
It is no wonder that the Lowcountry attracts millions of vacationers each year, and that golf is a centerpiece of its tourism industry and culture. Several bucket-list resort courses and hidden gems, as well as some of the best private clubs in the South, await golfers. Pleasant year-round weather, easy fly-in and drive-in access and a broad range of activities outside of golf, plus sophisticated gastronomy highlighted by some of America's best seafood, make it a worthwhile stop for vacationing buddy groups and families.
Consider this a golfer's lowdown on the Lowcountry.
Defining Lowcountry golf
If you go by the strictest definition, "Lowcountry" refers to a clutch of coastal South Carolina counties. The four main ones - Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper - are typically joined by neighbors as far north as Georgetown County, which accounts for the sleepier southern third of the Myrtle Beach area. Essentially, once you hit Murrells Inlet, everything south to Hilton Head and Daufuskie Islands is the Lowcountry.
But for the sake of golfers, I'd like to extend the region a little farther south to include the Georgia coast and what amounts to a crumb of Florida's northeastern shores. The landscape all throughout this region is broadly similar, and the noteworthy golf courses are of a familiar feel. You could - and should! - build a dozen different golf itineraries to explore the stretch from Pawleys Island, S.C., in the north to Amelia Island, Fla., in the south.
There are scores of golf courses in this area, but not all of them have that true Lowcountry feel. The most authentic courses to the region weave through mature coastal forest characterized by gnarled live oaks, stately pines and scattered palms and palmettos, with much of the water coming in the form of wetlands and tidal marshes as well as ponds and lakes. Proximity to the coast means contending with areas of sandy scrub and pine straw, not to mention the occasional alligator. Lowcountry golf courses that enjoy considerable marsh frontage serve up some of the most beautiful vistas in American golf.
South Carolina Lowcountry golf highlights
South Carolina's main portion of this region can be understood in three parts: the Pawleys Island area south of Myrtle Beach, greater Charleston and greater Beaufort and Hilton Head.
Lowcountry golf in and around Pawleys Island
Compared to the more crowded and touristy areas of central and northern Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island is quieter and a bit more golf-focused. It doubles as a top-tier family golf destination, especially for summer beach time, while the fall and spring are prime buddy-trip seasons. It is a perfect introduction to Lowcountry golf, especially with the live oaks and wetlands golfers encounter at Caledonia and Pawleys Plantation's marshy back nine.
The sleeper course in the neighborhood, though, is Heritage Club, which sits next door to Caledonia and whose holes have a similar feel, owing to Mike Strantz's redesign work there which preceded his original design at Caledonia and, later, True Blue.
Another popular public course with a strong Lowcountry feel is Willbrook Golf Club, and on the private side, DeBordieu Club's Pete and P.B. Dye-designed golf course flies well under the radar.
Charleston's ever-improving golf scene
In addition to being one of America's great cities, Charleston is a heck of a golf town. The recent renovation of its charming municipal golf course - just "Muni" to those in the know - has taken it to another level. Muni is a quintessential Lowcountry golf course that blends beautifully into the city. If you can get a tee time, it is a must-play. Likewise, if you happen to know a member, the classic Yeamans Hall Club and Country Club of Charleston ooze Lowcountry charm, as do modern privates like Briar's Creek and Daniel Island Club.
About half an hour south of town, Kiawah Island is Lowcountry golf personified. All of its courses - both the resort layouts and the private Kiawah Island Club - explore different aspects of the region's scenery. Even the Ocean Course starts in a more marshy and less beachy mode before gripping the dunes with its thrilling closing stretch. Other area courses with Lowcountry charm include Dunes West and Charleston National north of town, as well as Wild Dunes Resort. South of town, the Ron Garl-designed Links at Stono Ferry has featured on South Carolina's Golfers' Choice list in the past.
Beaufort and Hilton Head are the heart of Lowcountry golf
The drive south from Charleston towards Beaufort along Rt. 17 is one of my favorite stretches of road, gliding through sparsely-populated areas that look and feel relatively untouched over decades. The development - and lack thereof - of this area has been influenced over more than a century by the decommissioning and parceling-out of former plantations and other large land holdings. This sub-region's golf scene is heavily influenced by private clubs, including some nearly impossible-to-access enclaves like Cherokee Plantation, whose membership group is well under 100 individuals. Many gated golf communities and prestigious private clubs have sprung up over the last half-century; here is a sampling:
On the public and resort side, the greatest course in the area remains the Pete Dye-designed Hilton Head masterpiece Harbour Town, followed gamely by its neighbors, Heron Point and Atlantic Dunes. Nearby multi-course resort properties like Palmetto Dunes and Palmetto Hall offer a mix of Lowcountry and more beach-town golf.
Somewhat secluded from this area but worth considering for a visit is Fripp Island, with two golf courses of its own. Of these, the Ocean Creek course, an early Davis Love III effort, has a wonderful Lowcountry feel, with gorgeous marsh views on the front nine. It's a nice contrast to the beachy Ocean Point course, a George Cobb routing renovated by Cynthia Dye McGarey in 2024.
Lowcountry-adjacent golf in coastal Georgia and northeast Florida
The same graceful scenery that makes the best South Carolina Lowcountry golf courses special can be found at courses down the Georgia coast and as far south as the northeast corner of Florida, too. Georgia's best Lowcountry-like golf courses are concentrated in its Golden Isles district, which includes St. Simon's and Sea Island as well as Jekyll Island. Sea Island Resort's three courses - Seaside, Plantation and Retreat - all enjoy different flavors of Lowcountry scenery, but my sleeper pick in this region is just south: Sanctuary Golf Club, which is a wonderfully low-profile but highly strategic course in a well-planned (i.e.g not too crowded) residential community. Another oft-overlooked public course is Sapelo Hammock Golf Club, tucked away in the quiet town of Shellman Bluff midway between Savannah and Brunswick.
Fall of 2025 will add another noteworthy course to this region in the form of the revamped Great Dunes course at Jekyll Island. Architects Brian Ross and Jeff Stein have taken the island's old 9-hole Walter Travis course and expanded on it to encompass a new 18 that could be one of the year's best new courses.
Moving down the coast just over the Florida border, the southern reach of the expanded Lowcountry is Amelia Island, whose two best courses, Oak Marsh (located at the Omni Amelia Island Resort & Spa) and Long Point (a private club with limited access for Omni guests) enjoy similar vibes to their neighbors farther north. Oak Marsh, an early-1970s Pete Dye design, was renovated by architect Beau Welling and reopened in the spring of 2025. A golfer could start here and cut a 300-mile trail north to Pawleys Island enjoying dozens of serene Lowcountry golf courses in between.
Let us know your favorite Lowcountry golf courses in the comments.
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