The hardest golf courses in Sunset Beach, North Carolina
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Sunset Beach, North Carolina, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 30 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Shallotte, Calabash, Ocean Isle Beach and Bolivia.
The Dunes Golf & Beach Club
Myrtle Beach, SC, USASlope rating 148, 76.1 course rating, Gold tees, 7,370 yds
PrivateRobert Trent Jones Sr. & Rees Jones
- 3.5Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 2.5Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
- Driving range
- Walkable
- Grass range
The Dye
Barefoot Resort and Golf
North Myrtle Beach, SC, USASlope rating 146, 76.0 course rating, Platinum tees, 7,343 yds
PublicPete Dye
- 3.8Conditions
- 3.7Layout
- 3.1Value
- 3.6Scenery
- 3.2Facilities
- Views
- Driving range
- Putting area
Heron/Ibis
Carolina National Golf Club
Bolivia, NC, USASlope rating 146, 74.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,961 yds
PublicFred Couples & Gene Bates
- 3.5Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
- Driving range
- Grass range
- Putting area
Long Bay Golf Club
Longs, SC, USASlope rating 146, 74.4 course rating, Black tees, 7,025 yds
PublicJack Nicklaus
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
- Challenging
- Tourist trap
Fazio
Barefoot Resort and Golf
North Myrtle Beach, SC, USASlope rating 145, 73.2 course rating, Platinum tees, 6,834 yds
PublicTom Fazio
- 3.5Conditions
- 4.7Layout
- 3.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
- Resort
- Challenging
- Pristine
Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links
Little River, SC, USA
Slope rating 145, 73.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,890 yds
Tidewater Golf Club
North Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,044 yds
The Grande Dunes Resort Club
Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 142, 77.3 course rating, Gold tees, 7,618 yds
Farmstead Golf Links
Calabash, NC, USA
Slope rating 141, 75.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,242 yds
(Love) Barefoot Resort and Golf
North Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 141, 74.9 course rating, Platinum tees, 7,047 yds
(MacKay/Cameron) Thistle Golf Club
Sunset Beach, NC, USA
Slope rating 141, 74.4 course rating, Thistle tees, 6,997 yds
(Norman) Barefoot Resort and Golf
North Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 141, 74.2 course rating, Platinum tees, 7,035 yds
(Cameron/Stewart) Thistle Golf Club
Sunset Beach, NC, USA
Slope rating 141, 73.6 course rating, Thistle tees, 6,801 yds
(Leopard's Chase) The Big Cats Golf Course of Ocean Ridge Plantation
Ocean Isle Beach, NC, USA
Slope rating 140, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,155 yds
(Stewart/MacKay) Thistle Golf Club
Sunset Beach, NC, USA
Slope rating 140, 74.0 course rating, Thistle tees, 6,898 yds
Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club
Conway, SC, USA
Slope rating 140, 74.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,935 yds
Rivers Edge Golf Club
Shallotte, NC, USA
Slope rating 140, 72.7 course rating, Gold tees, 6,909 yds
Arcadian Shores Golf Club
Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 138, 72.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,857 yds
(Maples) Sea Trail Golf Resort & Convention Center
Sunset Beach, NC, USA
Slope rating 138, 72.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,384 yds
Oyster Bay Golf Links
Sunset Beach, NC, USA
Slope rating 136, 72.1 course rating, Gold tees, 6,685 yds
Pine Lakes Country Club
Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 134, 72.3 course rating, #4 tees, 6,675 yds
(Palmetto) Myrtlewood Golf Club
Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 133, 73.7 course rating, Blue tees, 7,015 yds
(Pinehills) Myrtlewood Golf Club
Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 132, 72.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,640 yds
(East) The Pearl Golf Links
Calabash, NC, USA
Slope rating 132, 71.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,793 yds
(Open/Championship) World Tour Golf Club
Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Slope rating 132, 71.8 course rating, Tournament tees, 6,525 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 Sunset Beach, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
The Dunes Golf & Beach Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Sunset Beach, North Carolina at Slope 148 (76.1 course rating · Gold tees · 7,370 yds). 30 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 Sunset Beach, 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 Sunset Beach, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:17 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
