By Shane Sharp, Senior Editor, GolfCarolina.com a TravelGolf.com publication

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- On one hand, there is the rest of the south, embroiled in an eternal struggle to sell its historical wares in the competitive market of eco-tourism. On the other hand, there is Charleston.

Sure, downtown Savannah delights many a visitor with Mr. Oglethorpe's well-planned wards, and St. Augustine holds many keys to our country's past, but only Charleston has the power to do battle with the historic towns of New England and the mid-Atlantic.

A city of nearly 100,000 people, Charleston was once the fifth largest city in the fledgling United States, as well as the most hated civic symbol of the south by the Union army. Not surprisingly, the Civil War began in Charleston as the first shots were fired upon Ft. Sumter in 1861.

No city in the United States has persevered through more natural (and unnatural setbacks). The fire of 1861, the havoc inflicted by the British during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and hurricane Hugo all come to mind, and that is not even an exhaustive list.

"Charles Town," as it was originally founded in 1670, was named after King Charles II, and to this day, not much has changed about the city's quaint downtown. Perhaps no city in the United States has maintained more of its original structures and character than Charleston.

True, a flurry of modern residential and commercial developments have sprung up around Charleston, and it's beautiful island communities. The downside of such growth comes in the form of traffic, pollution, and aesthetic compromise, but the upside comes in the form of golf courses, and darn good ones at that.

While Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head may be the main golfing destinations in the Palmetto State, Charleston also possesses it's own rich golfing culture.

The home of golf in the United States is a hotly debated topic, but Charleston can actually lay claim to the nation's first golf course and golf club - Harleston Green and the South Carolina Golf Club, both of which were established in 1786.

Unlike golfing in Myrtle Beach, golfing in Charleston is fathomable, and flat out relaxing. Despite it's popularity as a travel destination, the old town plays host to a limited number of golf courses, most which sport designer names and are not afraid to charge accordingly. Some golfers may view this as a drawback; others may view it as charming and manageable. If you do not want to deny yourself one of the true golfing pleasures in life, please choose the later viewpoint.

Unlike golfing in Hilton Head, golfing in Charleston is distinctly southern. You can go Hilton Head and literally not run into someone from the South, much less South Carolina. But Charleston attracts its own, as southerners and northerners alike are drawn to the purity and challenge of true Lowcountry golf.

Says Scott Martin, co-author of The Insiders' Guide to Golf in the Carolinas about our muse:

"Charleston is one of the most popular destinations on the Eastern Seaboard and while the Myrtle Beach area gets all the attention from the golf world, the Charleston area boasts some fantastic golf. Charleston is a great place for couples, especially if one of the two isn't a golfer."

Charleston area golf is strewn throughout a series of islands and peninsulas that collectively make up one of the most breathtaking golfing venues in the country. The most famed, revered, and even feared of these golf facilities makes it's home on Kiawah Island, just south of the city.

"Kiawah'" as it is simply referred to by golfers, is home to five golf courses, the most famous being the Ocean Course designed by the venerable Pete Dye. Many players and writers consider the Ocean Course to be one of the most difficult in the United States, what with it's gusty, variable winds and legion of seaside holes.

The course hosted the Ryder Cup in 1991, just a year after it opened, and may be the closest thing on the east coast to a true "links-style" course. Of course, with fame comes demand and with demand comes inflation - if you decide to play the Ocean Course, it may be the only golf outing you can afford on your trip!

Great courses tend to attract other great courses, and that best describes the evolution of golf on Kiawah Island. Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Clyde Johnston and Gary Player are all represented on this little slice of Lowcountry just 45 minutes from downtown Charleston.

Nicklaus' Turtle Point Course opened in 1981, "round about" the time the Golden Bear started designed courses with a chip on his yellow sweater. Fazio's Osprey Course opened in 1988, and legend has it that arguably the greatest course designer of our time had to swallow a little pride when Dye's Ocean Course burst onto the scene like a scalded three-wood.

Isle of Palms is the island most conveniently located in relation to downtown Charleston, and it just happens to be home to the area's second most popular golfing destination - Wild Dunes, where Tom Fazio has constructed the Harbor Course and the Links Course, both to critical acclaim. Just a twenty-minute ride from the city, and you can be golfing on a course (Harbor) that Fazio actually considers one of his favorites.

But not all the great golf in Charleston is out on the barrier islands. In fact, some of it is actually in Charleston, or in this case, nearby Mt. Pleasant. Crowfield Plantation has been, and will continue to be one of the premier courses of the area due to its hardwood-lined fairways, near perfect conditions, and historical charms. The course is buffered by the original plantation house and it's gardens, and every round at Crowfield is like stepping back in a time machine. Well, a time machine with bogeys.

A complete sampling of Charleston golf this is not. Think more in terms of a teaser, that first little cocktail on a southern front porch that could lead to an entire evening of revelry, relaxation, and relentless partying.