Top 13 Easiest Golf Courses in Myrtle Beach (Beginner Friendly)

Not every round in Myrtle Beach needs to be a fight. Plenty of golfers come here to play a lot of golf in a few days, and a course that lets you swing freely, find your ball and post a score you are happy with is a big part of a good trip. These are the thirteen courses our planners point beginners, high handicappers and mixed ability groups toward first.

What makes a golf course beginner friendly?

A low slope rating

Slope measures how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer. The scale runs from 55 to 155, and the lower the number, the gentler the course. Most of the courses on this list sit in the 120s from the tees a typical visitor plays.

A manageable layout

Wide fairways, bunkers you can see from the tee, and water that stays out of the main line of play add up to a course where a mis hit costs you a stroke rather than a ball.

Forgiving greens

Larger, flatter putting surfaces with open fronts let you run the ball up and give you a chance at two putts even when the approach was not perfect.

Most golfers also want the round to be enjoyable rather than a test. Quiet scenery, a relaxed pace and a scorecard that does not punish every miss matter as much as the design. Here is the list, in no particular order.

The 13 easiest golf courses in Myrtle Beach

1. Waterway Hills Golf Club

A Robert Trent Jones design with 27 holes on the west bank of the Intracoastal Waterway, famous for the gondola ride that carries golfers over the water to the first tee. The fairways are broad and the greens are large, which is why it has long been a favorite for first timers. Waterway Hills is not part of our package lineup, so ask a planner about the current status before building a trip around it.

2. Myrtle Beach National South Creek Course

Aerial view of a lakeside green at Myrtle Beach National South Creek framed by autumn colour — South Creek is the gentlest of the three Palmer layouts at Myrtle Beach National.

The shortest and most forgiving of the three Arnold Palmer layouts at Myrtle Beach National. South Creek is a par 72 of 6,416 yards from the tips with a slope of 128, and the holes weave through pines with generous landing areas and water that rarely crosses the fairway. It shares a practice facility with King's North, so it is an easy warm up round on a Palmer themed trip.

3. Meadowlands Golf Club

Aerial view of a green at Meadowlands with two bunkers and a lake and treeline behind — Meadowlands pairs wide fairways with big, receptive greens.

Willard Byrd and David Johnson laid out Meadowlands in 1997 just over the state line in Calabash. It plays 7,054 yards from the back tees but the forward sets bring it right down, and the fairways are among the widest on the Grand Strand. Reviewers consistently call it fair for every ability and mention the conditioning, which is why it earns some of the best ratings of any course on this list.

4. Litchfield Country Club

Aerial view of a green at Litchfield Country Club with bunkers either side and a wooden bridge over the creek behind — Litchfield dates to 1966 and still has the wide, oak lined corridors of that era.

The oldest course on the South Strand, a 1966 Willard Byrd design at Pawleys Island that plays 6,692 yards to a par 72. Litchfield is a classic tree lined layout with mature oaks, gentle doglegs and modest bunkering, and the greens are big enough to hold a long iron. It suits groups that want a relaxed round with real character at a sensible price.

5. International Club of Myrtle Beach

Aerial view of a green at the International Club of Myrtle Beach flanked by bunkers with palms and pines beyond — Open approaches and big greens make the International Club an easy course to score on.

Another Willard Byrd course, this one from 2000 in Murrells Inlet. The International Club is a par 72 of 6,857 yards with a slope of 131 from the back, but the design is open, the greens are large, and the water sits mostly beside the holes rather than across them. It is a good value round for groups mixing beginners with regular players.

6. Crown Park Golf Club

View down a fairway at Crown Park Golf Club with a pond on the right and tall pines lining both sides — Crown Park is short, quiet and rarely crowded, which suits a first round of the trip.

Crown Park in Longs is a Robbie Byers design and one of the shortest courses in the area at 6,502 yards from the tips, with a slope of 127. The layout is parkland style with wide corridors, and the course is quiet enough that new golfers rarely feel rushed. Regulars describe it as probably the easiest course they play and always in good shape.

7. Brunswick Plantation Resort and Golf

A 27 hole Willard Byrd and Clyde Johnston layout in Calabash with three nines that can be paired in any combination. The fairways are wide, the bunkering is light and the greens are generous, and the resort setting keeps the pace relaxed. Brunswick Plantation is not part of our package lineup, so ask a planner if you would like it added to a trip.

8. Sea Trail Golf Club Byrd Course

Aerial view of a green on the Byrd Course at Sea Trail beside a lake with a wooden bridge and palms — The Byrd Course at Sea Trail plays around lakes but keeps them beside the holes rather than across them.

The gentlest of the three courses at Sea Trail in Sunset Beach. Willard Byrd's 1990 design is a traditional par 72 of 6,649 yards with a slope of 130, laid out around lakes with wide fairways and large greens that have recently been through a renovation. Sea Trail is also a resort, so it is a simple base for a stay and play golf package.

9. Beachwood Golf Club

Sunrise over a lake and fairway at Beachwood Golf Club with bunkers guarding the green — Beachwood carries the lowest slope rating of any course on this list.

A 1968 Gene Hamm design on Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach, Beachwood has the lowest slope on this list at 120. The par 72 plays 6,844 yards from the back and the holes are straightforward, with open fronts to the greens and very little forced carry. It is a budget round that works well for groups with a wide spread of abilities.

10. Azalea Sands Golf Club

Aerial view of Azalea Sands Golf Club with lakes, bunkered greens and the North Myrtle Beach skyline on the horizon — Azalea Sands sits a few blocks from the beach and plays flat and open.

Gene Hamm's 1972 layout in North Myrtle Beach is a short, open par 72 of 6,444 yards with a slope of just 123. Azalea Sands sits a few blocks from the ocean and plays flat and fast, with wide fairways and only a handful of water hazards. It is one of the least expensive rounds on the Grand Strand and an easy walk from many North Myrtle Beach hotels.

11. River Oaks Golf Plantation

Twenty seven holes in the Carolina Forest area by Gene Hamm and Tom Jackson, with three nines that offer wide landing areas and open approaches. River Oaks is a straightforward round close to the Highway 501 hotels. It is not part of our package lineup, so ask a planner if you want it included in a trip.

12. Myrtle Beach National West Course

Aerial view of a green on the West Course at Myrtle Beach National with bunkers on both sides and a lake behind — The West Course gives you the Myrtle Beach National setting with a gentler scorecard.

The West Course is the easier sibling of King's North at Myrtle Beach National, an Arnold Palmer par 72 of 6,866 yards with a slope of 126 and Mini Verde greens. Palmer built it wide and open through the pines, with bunkers placed to frame the holes rather than punish a slightly offline drive. It is a good choice for a group that wants to play the National complex without the pressure of King's North.

13. Lion's Paw Golf Links

Aerial view of a fairway at Lion's Paw Golf Links with bunkers down the left and a pond near the green — Lion's Paw is the most forgiving of the four Big Cats courses at Ocean Ridge Plantation.

A Willard Byrd links style layout from 1991 near Ocean Isle Beach, later revised by Tim Cate. Lion's Paw stretches to 7,003 yards from the back tees but the forward tees are generous, and the open, rolling fairways give you room to miss. It sits inside Ocean Ridge Plantation alongside Tiger's Eye, Panther's Run and Leopard's Chase, so it is an easy day on a package that includes its harder neighbours.

Building a beginner friendly golf package

Any of the courses linked above can go into a stay and play golf package with lodging, and the trip is quoted as one price for the whole group. Tell a planner who is in your group and how they play, and they will put the easier courses on the days that suit you and keep the tougher ones for the players who want them. Call (888) 796-4652 or build a package online.