Golf Digest's most recent list of "America's Top 100 Public Golf Courses" featured eleven layouts from the state of South Carolina, the most by any state.
In honor of South Carolina's newfround supremacy, here is a look at the eleven courses to make the list in order of their Golf Digest ranking.
4. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island
Highest-rated course in South Carolina among Golf Digest's "Top 100 Public Courses in the U.S." This Pete Dye design has hosted some of professional golf's premier events, including the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2007 Senior PGA Championship. The course will again welcome the world's best players when the 2012 PGA Championship comes to town.
Located on the easternmost end of Kiawah Island, The Ocean Course has more seaside holes than any other course in teh Northern Hemisphere - 10 right along the Atlantic Ocean with the other eight running parallel to those.
From the tournament tees, The Ocean Course measures 7,356 yards. It's rated a 77.2 and sloped at 144, making it one of the most difficult courses in America.
The Ocean Course made its big screen debut in November 2000 when the movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance" opened in theaters nationwide.
For more information on The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, go to www.kiawahresort.com/golf .
13. Harbour Town Golf Links
Harbour Town is the course that put legendary architect Pete Dye on the map. In 1969 Harbour Town debuted as host of the Verizon Heritage. The inaugural event was won by Arnold Palmer, who hailed Harbour Town as a "thinking man's course."
The course's hallmarks are its narrow fairways and tiny greens, the smallest on the PGA Tour. The 18th hole is one of the most picturesque finishing holes in all of golf, as players approach Hilton Head's signature candy-striped lighthouse as the breeze blows in off Calibogue Sound.
During a recent interview with the American Society of Golf Course Architects, Dye spoke about his initial design philosophy.
"The freedom I was given in planning Harbour Town allowed us to defy many of the prevailing norms of course architecture," he said. "Instead of huge, multi-layered greens, I built smaller ones with virtually no contour. I constructed railroad tie bulkheads, included ornamental flourishes of Bahai and pampas grass, and gave golfers spectacular ocean views. My goal was for the course’s sandy waste bunkers, narrow fairways, and dramatic angles to leave striking images in players’ minds."
You can read more about Harbour Town at www.seapines.com .
22. May River Golf Club
May River is a true throwback where walking is recommended in order to really enjoy the natural beauty of this Lowcountry landscape complete with century-old live oaks.
The course is an 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus signature course, weaving throughout the May River Forest and featuring several holes right on the banks of the river.
At 7,171 yards, this amazing course is a spectacular blend of championship-level design and natural beauty that will challenge golfers of all skill levels. All tee boxes and fairways feature Paspalum, the newest eco-friendly turf.
Wide, inviting fairways are strategically bunkered and feature natural waste areas. Your nerves will be tested on the approach by Champions Bermuda greens which are well guarded by white-sand bunkers and feature gentle undulating slopes to challenge your putting skills. Finally, the back nine features three par 3's, three par 4's, and three par 5's.
For information on golf and lodging, visit www.palmettobluffresort.com/golf .
33. The Heritage Club
Part of The Legends Golf Group, the Heritage Club, a par-71, serves as the focal point for Heritage Plantation.
Heritage features spacious, rolling fairways and large, undulating greens, surrounded by lush stands of crepe myrtle, camellias and azaleas. Heavily landscaped areas of wildflowers and flowering shrubs will maintain the beauty of this historical setting for generations to come.
Located in Pawleys Island, the Heritage Club was designed by Myrtle Beach developed Larry Young, and in the mid-1990s the greens were rebuilt by the late Mike Strantz.
Visit www.legendsgolf.com .
38. The Dunes Golf & Beach Club
The Dunes Club golf course was built in 1948 and is recognized as one of Robert Trent Jones' finest designs.
Its live oaks and rolling terrain perfectly compliment views of the Atlantic Ocean. At 7,165 yards with a slope rating of 141, the Dunes will test you off the tee and on the fairways and greens.
This legendary course by the sea is one of the most revered golf courses on the Grand Strand.
For additional info, visit www.thedunesclub.net .
41. Tidewater Golf Club & Plantation
One of the most scenic coures on the Grand Strand, Tidewater is located between the Intracoastal Waterway and Cherry Grove. It's a combination of natural beauty and challenging play.
Designed by Ken Tomlinson, who was inspired by such legendary venues as Merion and Pine Valley, which he visited prior to building Tidewater. Tomlinson made sure to respect the time-honored tradition of crafting a layout that harmonized with the landscape. He steadfastly refused to incorporate artifical elements and delivered a golf experience that can only come from such a special place.
To this day, Tidewater remains the only layout ever to be named "Best New Course" by both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine.
There is much more information available about this course online at www.tidewatergolf.com .
48. Turtle Point at Kiawah Island
One of Jack Nicklaus' early designs and steeped in the finest traditions of classic golf course architecture.
Because of its traditional design, many of the better players visiting Kiawah Island Golf Resort would rather play Turtle Point than any of the other courses on the island. With narrow fairway corridors, small greens, strategically placed water hazards and plenty of out-of-bounds, Turtle Point calls for great accuracy and intelligent strategies.
This exciting course was selected to hold many important championships including the Carolinas’ Amateur, the Carolinas’ PGA, the South Carolina Amateur and the 1990 PGA Cup Matches, the club professionals version of the Ryder Cup.
Head to www.kiawahresort.com/golf to read more.
66. Caledonia Fish and Golf Club
Designed by the late Mike Strantz , Caledonia is as much a work of art as it is an architectural masterpiece. Known for his "visually audacious" designs as Golf Digest put it, Strantz built a challenging yet welcoming layout complete with sandy waste areas, severely undulating greens and fairways and blind shots intent on concealing the trouble ahead. Caledonia was the first solo effort for Strantz, who lost his battle with cancer in June 2005 at the age of 50.
Playing just 6,526 yards from the black tees, Caledonia demands accuracy, imagination and a delicate touch, and generates tough angles and approaches without going to spectacular lengths. The course is rated at 70.9 from the tips and is sloped at 132.
Visit Caledonia online at www.fishclub.com .
77. The Resort Club at Grande Dunes
Was voted as the 2009 Golf Course of the Year by the National Golf Course Owner's Association.
Grand Dunes has been ranked as one of the best daily fee courses in the U.S. by Golf magazine and last year was ranked by Golfweek as one of South Carolina's 10 "Best Courses You Can Play."
Designed by Roger Rulewich, the Grand Dunes Resort Club offers a dramatic design featuring seven holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway. With its numerous elevation changes, wide Bermuda fairways, generous bent grass greens, and more than 34-acres of freshwater lakes, this course sets a new standard for world-class play.
Playing more than 7,600 yards from the back tees, Grand Dunes Resort Club is one of the longest courses on the East Coast.
visit www.grandedunes.com for more information.
96. Barefoot Resort - Fazio Course
One of four courses at Barefoot Resort and Golf, the Fazio Course is a classic Lowcountry golf course filled with live oaks, pines, sand, natural areas and native grasses.
"It’s my personal favorite," said Barefoot Head Professional Mike Ross, who’s been at the resort from the start. "It requires the most amount of shot making. And you’re just not going to see another course in Myrtle Beach with these kind of elevation changes."
More information is available at www.barefootgolf.com .
99. Barefoot Resort - Dye Course
There is no secret about the Dye Course at Barefoot Resort, it's tough. Don't let the beauty of this course fool you, Pete Dye has filled it with his infamous pitfalls that challenge even the most experienced golfers.
His creation features plenty of water, impossibly high rough of centipede and zoysia and a dizzying number of fairway and greenside bunkers. You can measure some of his frequent waste bunkers in acres.
Get all the details at www.barefootgolf.com .