South Carolina Tops Rankings in Golf Digest Public Golf Lineup

COLUMBIA - South Carolina dominated the list of the 100 top public golf courses in the United States just released by Golf Digest magazine.

The Palmetto State placed 11 courses on the list, followed by California with nine. Florida and North Carolina had five each. The rankings are based on extensive criteria established by Golf Digest and used by hundreds of expert golfers to assess each course.

The highest ranked South Carolina course on the list was The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, ranked number four. Kiawah Island Golf Resort also had another course on the list, Turtle Point at No. 48.

Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island was ranked No. 13, while the May River Golf Club at Palmetto Bluff was ranked No. 22.

Seven of the eleven courses are on the Grand Strand, home to more than 100 courses and one of the world's most popular golf destinations. They are The Heritage Club at Pawleys Island (No. 33), the Dunes Golf & Beach Club in Myrtle Beach (No. 38), Tidewater Golf Course & Plantation at North Myrtle Beach (No. 41), Caledonia Golf & Fish Club at Pawleys Island (No. 66), the Resort Club at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach (No. 77) and a pair of courses at Barefoot Resort & Golf Club in North Myrtle Beach - the Fazio layout at No. 96 and the Dye course at No. 99.

There are more than 380 golf courses in South Carolina. The S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism maintains a Web site specifically targeted to golfers at www.SouthCarolinaGolf.com along with the state's official general tourism site at www.DiscoverSouthCarolina.com.