When it comes to the Southeast region of the United States, two sports tend to come to mind: golf and SEC football.
To us, the golf reigns supreme. Many of the world’s greatest golf resorts and destinations are located in the Southeast – Pinehurst, Kiawah Island, the Palm Beaches, Hilton Head, Streamsong, Myrtle Beach, Cabot Citrus Farms and more.
To celebrate all that great golf, we’ve created a new ranking of the best public golf courses in the Southeast, stretching from Florida in the south to Kentucky in the north. This new addition to Golfers’ Choice 2026 pits top regional courses against one another. The top golf courses in 10 different states were eligible, including Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Some of the best golf courses in Myrtle Beach, the best golf courses in Pinehurst, the best public golf courses in Florida, the best mountain golf courses in North Carolina and the best Mike Strantz golf courses are highlighted in our top 25. North Carolina led the way with seven courses represented, followed by six from Florida.
Our ranking of the best 25 public golf courses in the Southeast is based entirely on real golfer reviews from GolfPass. We create our annual Golfers’ Choice lists by curating the reviews submitted by everyday golfers. We use GolfPass’ Ratings Index logic that weights newer reviews and combine it with a course’s subcategory averages.
We make our Golfers’ Choice best-of lists user friendly for the public golfer. Simply click on the photo of each course to learn more about the facility or to book a tee time (in most cases).
Want to get involved with determining the top public golf courses in the Southeast or any other future Golfers’ Choice lists? Click here to review your latest round.
How the Rankings Are Determined
We analyzed all reviews of golf courses in the Southeast published on GolfPass in 2025 (until our Dec. 1 cutoff date) to determine the list. Each course needed reviews by real golfers to be eligible.
This was created to provide a more accurate indication of a golf course’s current overall rating. Newer reviews are weighted heavier than older ones, as are reviews from golfers who leave more reviews. (In this way, they become trusted sources).
Who This List Is Best For
Golfers’ Choice measures what every day golfers think makes a course great, including playability, enjoyment, value and service not just architectural prestige or pedigree. Golfers’ Choice ranks the best golf courses based on real golfer reviews – highlighting prestigious, architecturally significant courses alongside hidden gem public golf courses that everyday golfers genuinely love and recommend.
Best public golf courses in the Southeast
Southeast region states in Golfers’ Choice 2026
Public golf courses in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana were used to create this list. Here are the Golfers’ Choice 2026 rankings for the best public golf courses in each of these states: