The hardest golf courses in Kiawah Island, South Carolina
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Kiawah Island, South Carolina, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 26 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Summerville, Hollywood and 5 more nearby towns.
River
The Kiawah Island Club
Kiawah Island, SC, USASlope rating 150, 75.6 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,119 yds
PrivateTom Fazio
- 4.7Conditions
- 3.7Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.9Facilities
- Driving range
- Grass range
- Locker rooms
Ralston Creek
Daniel Island Club
Charleston, SC, USASlope rating 147, 76.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,446 yds
PrivateRees Jones & Bryce Swanson
- 4.3Conditions
- 2.7Layout
- 4.7Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Cassique
The Kiawah Island Club
Kiawah Island, SC, USASlope rating 146, 75.4 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,005 yds
PrivateTom Watson
- 4.8Conditions
- 4.4Layout
- 4.1Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
Great track, definitely felt like we were overseas. Just not a course you’re used to playing in Charleston. Loved the holes that flipped each day. You play a hole to the left or right depending on the day.
Written by
@Bigal
- Driving range
- Must play
- Grass range
The Ocean
Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Kiawah Island, SC, USASlope rating 144, 77.3 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,356 yds
PublicPete Dye & Alice Dye
- 4.7Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 3.4Value
- 4.5Scenery
- 4.1Facilities
Typically flat courses are more score-able, but that is not the case at The Ocean; instead, you find yourself battling the various hazards and most notably the daunting wind. Let me be clear, you will feel as if you are playing defense on this course.
Written by
@notaburner105
- Must play
- Caddies
- Challenging
Briars Creek
The Golf Club at Briar's Creek
Johns Island, SC, USASlope rating 142, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,117 yds
PrivateRees Jones & Steve Weisser
- 1.0Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 5.0Scenery
- 4.1Facilities
One of the most tranquil rounds of golf you might ever have. On a normal day you could be the one of only a few groups on the course. Very elite facilities and would be a great place to call home and work on your game. IMO a lot of the holes start to blend together…
Written by
@dpowers
- Hidden gem
- Driving range
- Grass range
(Beresford Creek) Daniel Island Club
Charleston, SC, USA
Slope rating 141, 74.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,195 yds
RiverTowne Country Club
Mt. Pleasant, SC, USA
Slope rating 141, 74.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,188 yds
(Ocean Winds) Seabrook Island Resort
Johns Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 141, 73.2 course rating, Hawk tees, 6,765 yds
(Crooked Oaks) Seabrook Island Resort
Johns Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 137, 72.9 course rating, Hawk tees, 6,780 yds
(Osprey Point) Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Kiawah Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 135, 72.8 course rating, Tournament tees, 6,902 yds
(Turtle Point) Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Kiawah Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 134, 73.0 course rating, Tournament tees, 6,911 yds
Legend Oaks Golf & Tennis Club
Summerville, SC, USA
Slope rating 134, 72.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,809 yds
(Cougar Point) Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Kiawah Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 134, 72.7 course rating, Tournament tees, 6,814 yds
Snee Farm Country Club
Mt. Pleasant, SC, USA
Slope rating 134, 72.7 course rating, Blue tees, 6,795 yds
(Oak Forest/Burn Kill) The Golf Club at Wescott Plantation
Summerville, SC, USA
Slope rating 133, 73.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,197 yds
Patriots Point Golf Links
Mt. Pleasant, SC, USA
Slope rating 133, 73.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,955 yds
(Harbor) Wild Dunes Resort Links Golf Course
Isle of Palms, SC, USA
Slope rating 133, 71.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,359 yds
Wrenwoods Golf Course
Charleston, SC, USA
Slope rating 132, 72.1 course rating, Blue tees, 6,634 yds
Yeamans Hall Club
Charleston, SC, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.7 course rating, Rust tees, 6,712 yds
(Oak Point) Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Kiawah Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 130, 71.9 course rating, Tournament tees, 6,701 yds
Country Club of Charleston
Charleston, SC, USA
Slope rating 129, 72.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,587 yds
Wild Dunes Resort Links Golf Course
Isle of Palms, SC, USA
Slope rating 128, 71.7 course rating, Black tees, 6,503 yds
(The Muni) The City of Charleston Municipal Golf Course
Charleston, SC, USA
Slope rating 128, 71.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,417 yds
(The Plantation at Edisto) The Plantation Course at Edisto
Edisto Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 128, 69.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,130 yds
Shadowmoss Plantation Golf Club
Charleston, SC, USA
Slope rating 127, 71.5 course rating, Blue tees, 6,566 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Kiawah Island, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
River at The Kiawah Island Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Kiawah Island, South Carolina at Slope 150 (75.6 course rating · Tournament tees · 7,119 yds). 26 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Kiawah Island, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Kiawah Island, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:36 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
