Orlando vs Myrtle Beach: Family Golf Trips
CMP-10 compared these destinations on budget golf. This comparison focuses on a different question: which destination better serves the family trip where one or two members play golf while the rest of the group needs compelling alternatives? Orlando pairs resort golf with the most concentrated collection of theme parks in the world. Myrtle Beach combines 90 courses with 60 miles of Atlantic coastline. Both accommodate families well. The infrastructure surrounding the golf is what separates them.
The Non-Golf Family Experience
Orlando wins this category by a margin that makes the comparison almost unnecessary. Walt Disney World's four theme parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, and Kennedy Space Center create an itinerary that can fill two weeks without repetition. Disney Springs provides free-entry dining, shopping, and entertainment. The ICON Park observation wheel, Gatorland, and the various dinner shows add variety.
For families with children between the ages of 4 and 16, Orlando is the strongest family vacation destination in the United States.
The practical advantage for the golfing parent is that the non-golfing partner and children are occupied by attractions that generate genuine enthusiasm, not by activities arranged as consolation for someone else's golf round. A mother or father can spend a morning at Bay Hill knowing the rest of the family is having a memorable day at Magic Kingdom. That equation is powerful.
Myrtle Beach's family experience centres on the beach. Sixty miles of Atlantic coastline provides the daily baseline activity. Beyond the sand, Broadway at the Beach offers a 350-acre entertainment complex with Ripley's Aquarium ($39.99 adults, $26.99 children), WonderWorks, and restaurants. SkyWheel Myrtle Beach is a 187-foot observation wheel on the boardwalk. The Carolina Opry provides live variety shows. Brookgreen Gardens, with its sculpture gardens and Lowcountry Zoo, is a genuine cultural attraction.
These are solid family activities. But they operate at a different scale than Orlando's theme-park infrastructure. A child who has been to Magic Kingdom will find Broadway at the Beach pleasant but not equivalent.
The Golf
Myrtle Beach's course volume gives it the clear advantage for the dedicated golfer. Twenty-two courses in the GolfTrailsHQ selection span every budget level. Caledonia Golf and Fish Club ($200 to $249) and True Blue Golf Club ($150 to $196) are Golfweek-ranked Mike Strantz designs. The Barefoot Resort complex offers four courses from Fazio, Love, Norman, and Dye at $90 to $168 each. At the value end, Beachwood plays for $40 to $79.
The scheduling flexibility is ideal for the family trip. The golfer can play a dawn round and be back at the hotel or beach by 1 PM. The proximity of courses to the hotel strip, with most options within 20 to 40 minutes, minimises time away from the family.
Orlando's golf is strong but narrower. Bay Hill ($105 to $475, lodge guests only) provides a legitimate PGA Tour venue. Reunion Resort's three courses from Watson, Palmer, and Nicklaus offer resort golf at $101 to $223. Orange County National's Panther Lake ($149) provides 900 acres of dedicated golf. But the overall selection is smaller, and the drive from the theme-park corridor to many courses is 30 to 45 minutes.
For the golfer getting one or two rounds during a family week, Orlando's courses are more than sufficient. For the golfer wanting to play every morning, Myrtle Beach offers more options and easier logistics.
Trip Structure
The family golf trip typically involves negotiation. How many golf mornings are acceptable? What happens on the non-golf days? Where does the family eat dinner?
Orlando's structure favours the compromise trip. The golfer gets one or two mornings on a quality course. The family gets three or four days at theme parks. Everyone converges in the evening at Disney Springs or a resort pool. The golf and the family activities operate on parallel tracks that intersect at dinner.
Myrtle Beach's structure favours the golf-first trip with family accommodations. The golfer plays every morning. The family goes to the beach. Everyone meets for lunch or the afternoon. The golf is the spine of the trip, and the beach provides the daily family activity. This works well for older children who are happy at the beach, and less well for younger children who need structured entertainment.
Accommodation
Both destinations offer extensive family-friendly accommodation.
Orlando's options range from Disney resort hotels ($300 to $700 per night) to off-property vacation rental homes near the parks ($150 to $300). Reunion Resort provides on-course villas from roughly $200 per night. Standard hotel chains along I-Drive and near the parks run $90 to $160.
Myrtle Beach excels at family-sized vacation rentals. Beachfront condos with full kitchens, pool access, and multiple bedrooms start at $90 to $170 per night. North Beach Resort and Villas ($180 to $350) provides a resort experience with lazy rivers and multiple pools. Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort on the Hammock Coast ($150 to $280) offers a quieter alternative south of the main strip.
For families, the oceanfront condo with a full kitchen at Myrtle Beach is often the most practical and affordable option.
Price
Orlando family golf trip (five nights, two golf rounds, three theme-park days): Two rounds at $130 to $250 each. Disney tickets: $115 to $160 per person per day (four family members for three days: $1,380 to $1,920). Hotel: $120 to $250 per night. Total: $2,500 to $4,500 for a family of four.
Myrtle Beach family golf trip (five nights, three golf rounds, beach days): Three rounds at $80 to $150 each. Family activities (Brookgreen, SkyWheel, Ripley's): $150 to $250 total. Condo: $90 to $170 per night. Total: $1,200 to $2,200 for a family of four.
Myrtle Beach is $1,000 to $2,500 cheaper for the family trip, driven primarily by the absence of theme-park ticket costs and lower accommodation rates.
The Decision
Choose Orlando when the family, particularly younger children, will define the trip's success. Theme parks generate a level of excitement that no beach can match for children between 4 and 12. The golf is a personal reward for the parent who finds a morning to slip away to Bay Hill or Reunion. The total cost is higher, but the family memory is potent.
The verdict