The 5 Best Mid-Range Golf Courses in Myrtle Beach (Picked by Our Golf Director)
The five best mid-range golf courses in Myrtle Beach are Crow Creek, Shaftesbury Glen, Oyster Bay, Tiger’s Eye and the Moorland Course at Legends. Each one plays like a top-tier course but usually costs less than the big-name layouts, which leaves room in the budget for an extra round.
By mid-range, I mean the courses that sit between the bargain tracks and the premium names. Good conditions, memorable holes, and a rate that works for a group trip. I book these five more than almost anything else when someone tells me they want great golf without paying top dollar every day.
Three of them are just across the state line in North Carolina. They’re still part of the Grand Strand and most are 30 minutes or less from North Myrtle Beach.
1. Crow Creek Golf Club (Calabash, NC)
Crow Creek is the easiest course on this list to recommend to any group. It’s a Rick Robbins design that opened in 2000, and Robbins was a design associate for Jack Nicklaus before going out on his own.
The course is fair from the regular tees and stretches past 7,100 yards from the tips, so a 5-handicap and a 20-handicap can play together and both have a good day. Expect tall pines, lakes, the Caw Caw River running through the property, and bentgrass greens that are usually in great shape.
“If you only have room for one course on the north end, make it Crow Creek. The par 3s are the best set in the area at this price, and I’ve never had a group come back unhappy.” — Brian Noblin
Good to know: It’s right off Highway 17, about 10 minutes past North Myrtle Beach. The clubhouse grill overlooks the 18th green, which makes it an easy lunch stop between rounds.
2. Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club (Conway, SC)
Shaftesbury Glen is the course I send people to when they care most about greens. Clyde Johnston designed it in 2001 with an old English, Tillinghast-inspired look, and it was named the 2009 Golf Course of the Year by the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association.
The fairways are wide, so you can tee it up and swing. The real test is around the greens, which are elevated, fast and guarded by big sculpted bunkers and sandy waste areas. Recent bunker renovations made some of the greenside sand a little less penal.
“Shaftesbury is a sleeper. It’s tucked out in Conway away from the traffic, the greens roll as true as anywhere on the Strand, and it’s one of the most relaxing rounds you’ll play all week.” — Brian Noblin
Good to know: It’s about 20 to 25 minutes inland from Myrtle Beach. There are suites above the clubhouse if a few guys want to stay right at the course.
Book Shaftesbury Glen tee times →
3. Oyster Bay Golf Links (Sunset Beach, NC)
Oyster Bay has the best back nine on this list. The Dan Maples design opened in 1983 and won Golf Digest’s best new resort course honors that year, and it still holds up.
It’s a par 70 at just under 6,700 yards, but don’t let the number fool you. There’s water on 16 of 18 holes, the greens have real movement, and the par 4s are long. The stretch from 13 to 17 is the reason people come back: a drivable par 4 at 13, an island-green par 3 at 15, a brutal par 4 at 16, and the island-green 17th, ringed by the oyster shells the course is named for.
“Everybody remembers 17. You’ll take more pictures on that tee box than anywhere else on your trip. Just bring an extra ball.” — Brian Noblin
Good to know: It’s part of the Legends group, so it pairs easily with Moorland in a multi-round package. The Calabash seafood restaurants are a few minutes away.
4. Tiger’s Eye Golf Links (Ocean Isle Beach, NC)
Tiger’s Eye is the best-looking course on this list and the one that gets the most “wow” from first-timers. Tim Cate carved it out of a pine forest at Ocean Ridge Plantation, and it’s the flagship of the Big Cats courses.
It plays a little over 7,000 yards from the back with a slope in the low 140s, so it’s the toughest test here. You’ll see big elevation changes for the coast, coquina boulders, waste areas, native grasses, and a waterfall behind the 18th green. The TifEagle greens went in in 2018.
“Tiger’s Eye feels like you paid premium money. It’s a thinking course, so play the right tees and it’s a blast. The par 3s alone are worth the drive.” — Brian Noblin
Good to know: It’s the farthest drive on this list, about 35 to 40 minutes from central Myrtle Beach. Pair it with Crow Creek or Oyster Bay on the same day to make the trip worth it.
5. Legends Resort, Moorland Course (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Moorland is the most talked-about hole-for-hole round on this list, and the only one in Myrtle Beach proper. P.B. Dye, Pete Dye’s son, designed it in 1990, and Golf Digest once ranked it among the toughest courses in the country.
It’s only about 6,750 to 6,800 yards, but it’s a true Dye course: pot bunkers, waste areas, railroad ties, multi-tiered greens and some blind shots. The famous hole is the 16th, a 270-yard par 4 you can drive, with a massive waste bunker called Hell’s Half Acre waiting for anything that misses.
“Every group needs one round that everybody talks about at dinner. That’s Moorland. Go for 16. You’ll either make birdie or have a story.” — Brian Noblin
Good to know: Legends has three courses on site plus villas, which makes it easy for a group to stay, play 36 and eat at the Ailsa Pub without getting back in the car.
Book Legends Moorland tee times →
Common Questions
What is the best mid-range golf course in Myrtle Beach? Crow Creek is the best all-around pick for most groups. It’s fair for higher handicaps, challenging from the back tees, and consistently in great shape.
Which of these courses is easiest for high handicappers? Shaftesbury Glen and Crow Creek. Both have wide fairways and play fair from the forward and middle tees. Tiger’s Eye and Moorland are the toughest of the five.
Are Crow Creek, Oyster Bay and Tiger’s Eye in Myrtle Beach? They’re just over the state line in Calabash, Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. They’re part of the Grand Strand golf market and are commonly included in Myrtle Beach golf packages.
Can I play two of these courses in one day? Yes. Oyster Bay and Crow Creek are close together, and Tiger’s Eye is a short drive from both. At Legends you can play Moorland and a second course without leaving the property.
What’s the best time of year to play these courses? Spring and fall have the best conditions. Late fall and winter usually bring lower rates if your dates are flexible.
Build a Trip Around These Five
Tell us your dates, group size and budget, and our team will put together a package with any mix of these courses, plus replays, lodging and transportation if you need it.
Get a package quote.
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