Hammock Coast vs Grand Strand: South Carolina's Two Golf Coasts
Myrtle Beach is not one destination. It is two. The Grand Strand, the 60-mile corridor of hotels, courses, and entertainment running from North Myrtle Beach through central Myrtle Beach, is the volume side of the equation. The Hammock Coast, centred on Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet 25 miles south, is the quality side. They share a geographic footprint and an airport (MYR), but the experience they deliver is different enough that the choice of base determines the character of the trip.
The Grand Strand
Barefoot Resort's four courses (Fazio, Love, Norman, Dye, $90 to $168), Legends Resort's three courses (Doak, P.B. Dye, $65 to $93), and the central Myrtle Beach corridor courses like King's North at Myrtle Beach National ($80 to $140), Arcadian Shores ($60 to $100), and Pine Lakes Country Club ($60 to $120) provide a concentration of options that no other American destination approaches.
The Grand Strand is where Myrtle Beach earns its reputation as America's volume golf capital.
The hotel strip along Ocean Boulevard and Kings Highway offers beachfront condos from $80 per night, entertainment complexes like Broadway at the Beach, and a restaurant scene that ranges from chain seafood to the emerging craft dining at Broadway. The energy is commercial and busy, particularly from April through September.
The SkyWheel, the Carolina Opry, and Ripley's Aquarium provide evening and rainy-day options.
For the group of eight playing four rounds over four days, the Grand Strand delivers the simplest logistics and the widest course selection. Everything is within 30 minutes.
The Hammock Coast
The Hammock Coast operates at a different tempo. Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach, and Murrells Inlet are quieter, more residential, and more closely tied to the Lowcountry aesthetic of live oaks, marsh views, and unhurried afternoons. The golf here is concentrated but exceptional.
Caledonia Golf and Fish Club ($200 to $249) and True Blue Golf Club ($150 to $196) are the two Mike Strantz designs that anchor the Hammock Coast. Together, they represent the highest architectural quality on the entire Grand Strand. Pawleys Plantation ($150 to $225), a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, adds another premium option. Tidewater ($97 to $192), with its oceanfront holes on the Cherry Grove peninsula, sits between the two zones geographically.
The MarshWalk at Murrells Inlet provides the Hammock Coast's evening centrepiece: a half-mile boardwalk along the inlet with eight-plus waterfront restaurants, live music, and views across the salt marsh. Brookgreen Gardens, a National Historic Landmark with 1,400 American figurative sculptures and a Lowcountry Zoo, is a genuine cultural attraction worth a half day.
Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort ($150 to $280) and Pawleys Plantation Golf and CC ($130 to $250) provide accommodation with direct course access. The accommodations are less flashy than the beachfront high-rises of central Myrtle Beach but often more comfortable.
The Group Decision
The choice between the two zones comes down to the group's priorities.
The Grand Strand group wants volume, variety, and value. They want to play different courses every day, choose from a dozen restaurants each evening, and have the beach and the entertainment strip as the default rest-day activity. They are comfortable with the commercial energy of a tourism corridor. Budget-conscious groups find their floor here: a four-round, three-night trip is possible for $700 to $1,100 per person.
The Hammock Coast group wants quality over quantity. They are willing to play Caledonia and True Blue on consecutive days and count that 36-hole stretch as the highlight of the trip. They prefer the MarshWalk to Broadway at the Beach, Brookgreen Gardens to Ripley's Aquarium, and a rental house in Pawleys to a beachfront high-rise. The budget is slightly higher: a three-round, three-night trip with two Strantz courses and one additional round runs $1,000 to $1,600 per person.
Combining Both
The smartest approach may be to base in the Hammock Coast and drive north for one or two Grand Strand rounds. Pawleys Island to Barefoot Resort is roughly 40 minutes. Pawleys to Legends Resort is approximately 30 minutes. A three-round trip playing Caledonia, True Blue, and one Barefoot course captures both zones without moving hotel rooms.
The reverse works less well. Basing in central Myrtle Beach and driving south to Caledonia is feasible (30 minutes) but places the golfer in the commercial strip for the evenings, sacrificing the Hammock Coast's quieter atmosphere.
The Atmosphere
The Grand Strand is energy and options. It is the destination for the buddies trip that wants a lively evening, the family trip that needs entertainment infrastructure, and the budget group that wants maximum rounds per dollar.
The Hammock Coast is calm and characterful. It is the destination for the couple's trip, the small group that values dining quality over volume, and the golfer who came specifically for the Strantz courses and wants the evening to match the afternoon's tone.
The Decision
Choose the Grand Strand for the classic Myrtle Beach golf trip: volume, variety, beach, and entertainment. The course selection at Barefoot and Legends alone provides a week of golf without repetition, and the budget flexibility is unmatched.
The verdict