Best public golf courses in the Southeast: GOLF’s 2021-22 ranking

By: Jessica Marksbury

May 3, 2021

TPC Sawgrass is GOLF's top-rated public course in the Southeast.

Evan Schiller

With more than 20 top-rated public courses spread across six states, the Southeast region of the United States is one of the best areas in the country for proximity to great golf.

Florida tops our latest Top 100 Courses You Can Play list with six courses, but North and South Carolina are right behind, with five courses each. How many courses are near where you live? Check out our full list below.

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE 2021-22 TOP 100 COURSES YOU CAN PLAY RANKING

GOLF’s 2021-22 ranking of the best public courses in the Southeast

(With overall rank, course name, city, state, architect and year opened)

Florida (6)

10. TPC Sawgrass (Stadium)
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Pete Dye, 1981

19. Streamsong (Red)
Streamsong, FL
Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw, 2012

27. Streamsong (Blue)
Streamsong, FL
Tom Doak, 2012

39. Streamsong (Black)
Streamsong, FL
Gil Hanse, 2017

75. Trump National Doral (Blue)
Miami, FL
Dick Wilson, 1961/Gil Hanse/Jim Wagner, 2013

79. Bay Hill
Orlando, FL
Dick Wilson, 1961

North Carolina (5)

2. Pinehurst (No. 2)
Pinehurst, NC
Donald Ross, 1907

26. Pinehurst (No. 4)
Pinehurst, NC
Donald Ross, 1919/Gil Hanse, 2017

35. Tobacco Road
Sanford, NC
Mike Strantz, 1998

41. Mid Pines
Southern pines, NC
Donald Ross, 1921

44. Pine Needles
Southern pines, NC
Donald Ross, 1927

South Carolina (5)

6. Kiawah Island (Ocean Course)
Kiawah Island, SC
Pete Dye, 1991

16. Harbour Town
Hilton Head, SC
Pete Dye/Jack Nicklaus, 1969

45. May River (Palmetto Bluff)
Bluffton, SC
Jack Nicklaus, 2004

53. The Dunes
Myrtle Beach, SC
Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1948

84. Caledonia
Pawleys Island, SC
Mike Strantz, 1994

Caledonia in South Carolina. — Caledonia Brian Oar

Georgia (2)

50. Sea Island (Seaside)
Sea Island, GA
Harry S. Colt/Charles Alison, 1929/Tom Fazio, 1999

88. Reynolds Lake Oconee (Great Waters)
Greensboro, GA
Jack Nicklaus, 1992

Mississippi (2)

43. Mossy Oak
West Point, MS
Gil Hanse, 2016

97. Old Waverly
West Point, MS
Bob Cupp, 1988

Alabama (1)

78. RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National (Links)
Opelika, AL
Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1992

Texas (1)

98. Memorial Park
Houston, TX
John Bredemus, 1936/Tom Doak/Brooks Koepka, 2019

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Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her original interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.