The hardest golf courses in South Carolina
The hardest 18-hole golf courses in South Carolina, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 189 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Musgrove Mill Golf Club
Clinton, SC, USASlope rating 153, 74.4 course rating, Walnut tees, 6,951 yds
PrivateArnold Palmer & Ed Seay
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.3Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Fast greens
Vintage/Independent
Mount Vintage Plantation & Golf Club
North Augusta, SC, USASlope rating 152, 75.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,224 yds
PublicTom Jackson
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 5.0Scenery
- 4.5Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Fast greens
Pete Dye
Colleton River Plantation Club
Bluffton, SC, USASlope rating 150, 76.5 course rating, Championship tees, 7,403 yds
PrivatePete Dye
- 4.0Conditions
- 5.0Layout
- 5.0Scenery
- 4.8Facilities
- Must play
- Challenging
- Driving range
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
Chanticleer
Greenville Country Club
Greenville, SC, USASlope rating 150, 74.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,864 yds
PrivateRobert Trent Jones Sr. & Roger Rulewich
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.7Layout
- 3.5Scenery
- 4.5Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Fast greens
The Dunes Golf & Beach Club
Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 148, 76.1 course rating, Gold tees, 7,370 yds
Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club
Pawleys Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 148, 75.7 course rating, Gold Bear tees, 7,031 yds
(Harbour Town) Sea Pines Resort
Hilton Head Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 148, 75.6 course rating, Heritage tees, 7,099 yds
(Ralston Creek) Daniel Island Club
Charleston, SC, USA
Slope rating 147, 76.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,446 yds
Wexford Golf Club
Hilton Head Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 147, 74.2 course rating, Palmer tees, 6,913 yds
(The Dye) Barefoot Resort and Golf
North Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 146, 76.0 course rating, Platinum tees, 7,343 yds
(Cassique) The Kiawah Island Club
Kiawah Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 146, 75.4 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,005 yds
Old Tabby Golf Links
Spring Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 146, 75.0 course rating, Palmer tees, 7,070 yds
Secession Golf Club
Beaufort, SC, USA
Slope rating 146, 74.5 course rating, Devlin tees, 7,029 yds
Long Bay Golf Club
Longs, SC, USA
Slope rating 146, 74.4 course rating, Black tees, 7,025 yds
The Cliffs at Glassy
Landrum, SC, USA
Slope rating 146, 72.7 course rating, Black tees, 6,805 yds
Springfield Golf Club
Fort Mill, SC, USA
Slope rating 145, 73.6 course rating, Championship tees, 6,906 yds
(Fazio) Barefoot Resort and Golf
North Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 145, 73.2 course rating, Platinum tees, 6,834 yds
Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links
Little River, SC, USA
Slope rating 145, 73.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,890 yds
(The Ocean) Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Kiawah Island, SC, USA
Slope rating 144, 77.3 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,356 yds
(West) Belfair Plantation
Bluffton, SC, USA
Slope rating 144, 75.3 course rating, Champions tees, 7,129 yds
The Reserve at Lake Keowee
Sunset, SC, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,112 yds
Tidewater Golf Club
North Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,044 yds
TPC of Myrtle Beach
Murrells Inlet, SC, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,950 yds
Crescent Pointe Golf Club
Bluffton, SC, USA
Slope rating 144, 73.8 course rating, Palmer tees, 6,773 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. State pages include courses across South Carolina. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Musgrove Mill Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in South Carolina at Slope 153 (74.4 course rating · Walnut tees · 6,951 yds). 189 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. State pages include courses across South Carolina. 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.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:17 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
