Charleston knows a thing or two about golf. In fact, Charleston lays claim to the first golf club when Scottish merchants formed the S.C. Golf Club back in 1786.
Fast forward a couple hundred years and Charleston is again making history as it welcomes the 94th annual PGA Championship at the famed Ocean Course on Kiawah Island Aug. 9-12. By being named to host the 94th annual event, the oceanfront course will become only the fifth course to host each of The PGA of America’s major championships – the Ryder Cup (1991), the Senior PGA Championship (2007) and the PGA Championship (2012).
Located on the eastern-most end of Kiawah Island, The Ocean Course has more seaside holes than any other course in the Northern Hemisphere; 10 are right along the Atlantic Ocean.
If golf is on your vacation agenda, check out one of these area courses:
Wild Dunes on the Isle of Palms has two courses. The Wild Dunes Resort Links Course, a Tom Fazio course, has a finishing hole overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Also designed by Fazio, the Harbor Course is known for its challenging design and views of lagoons, marshes and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Located at the foot of the Cooper River Bridge in Mount Pleasant, Patriots Point Links on Charleston Harbor has views of Charleston, Fort Sumter, ships and Patriots Point.
Surrounded by 300-year-old live oak trees and towering pines, Legends Oaks Golf Course in Summerville was named the 2010 South Carolina Golf Course of the Year by the Golf Course Owners Association.
Charleston National Country Club, designed by Rees Jones and located in Mount Pleasant, is open to the public year round. It was rated by Golf Digest as the best non-resort course in the Charleston area.