Rounds at Kiawah Island's Turtle Point and Osprey Point, the Links at Wild Dunes and Stono Ferry, with a rental home on Kiawah, are the plan. A 13% lodging tax, Kiawah's high rental rates, golf bag fees, a rental car from Charleston airport and about $650 for the Ocean Course if you add it push the total up.
Plan my golf trip for me: budget, dates and courses →Starts with a sample trip. Change any number to match yours. Set up your travel profile to fill these in for you.
Compare hotels near the Kiawah courses → Compare Charleston & Kiawah golf packages (stay and play) on Golfbreaks →Pick each course you'll play (one round per golfer) and we'll price it for your group. Prices are per golfer for 18 holes, with the season and time of day you choose. Your picks set “Green fees per golfer (whole trip)” in your budget.
4⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡5/5 Golfing Volts
18 courses around Charleston & Kiawah Island that take public tee times, by city, with peak green fees. Private member clubs are left out.
Pete Dye's oceanfront links, host of the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships; anyone can play, but non-resort guests may book only 60 days ahead, and it is walking-only except after 10 a.m. in summer.
kiawahresort.com golf.comA Fazio course where water comes into play on more than half the holes, with Paspalum greens and fairways since its 2014 redo.
where2golf.com golf.comJack Nicklaus's course runs along the Atlantic on holes 14 to 16 and is the second-easiest Kiawah course to walk.
where2golf.com golf.comA Gary Player course on the Kiawah River marsh with risk-reward par 5s; it is the friendliest Kiawah course for mid-handicaps but the hardest to walk.
where2golf.com golf.comA tree-lined Robert Trent Jones Sr. course in the gated Seabrook community; you can play only if your rental comes with a Club access card, and guests book up to 3 days ahead.
seabrookisland.com seabrookisland.comSeabrook's oceanside course, reworked by Rees Jones's firm, is open only to members and to guests whose rental includes a Club access card.
golfpass.com seabrookisland.comTom Fazio's oceanfront finish on Isle of Palms is about 30 minutes from downtown Charleston and open to outside players.
where2golf.com golfpass.comThe shorter, par-70 Wild Dunes course plays along the Intracoastal Waterway and Morgan Creek, and it ranks No. 15 among South Carolina public courses in GolfPass's 2026 golfer ratings.
where2golf.com golfpass.comThe city's 1929 muni was renovated in 2020 with Raynor-style template greens, and it is about 10 minutes from downtown at a fraction of resort prices.
charleston-sc.gov golfdigest.comAn Arnold Palmer design along the Wando River that plays 7,188 yards with a 147 slope from the back, one of the toughest public tests in the area.
greenfeetracker.com where2golf.comThe only Rees Jones course in Charleston open to the public, set among marsh and wetlands where the wind can change from morning to afternoon.
greenfeetracker.com online.charlestoncvb.comAn Arthur Hills course under live oaks along Wagner Creek; carts are required.
where2golf.com golfdigest.comThe only course with views across Charleston Harbor to downtown and Fort Sumter, minutes from the Ravenel Bridge.
golflink.com greenfeetracker.comA marsh and Intracoastal Waterway course about 25 minutes west of Charleston, rated the No. 4 public course in South Carolina by GolfPass golfers in 2026.
where2golf.com golfnow.comKiawah's most relaxed course, just off the island on old plantation land, with forgiving fairways and the lowest prices at the resort.
golf.com golfdigest.comA value course through oaks and wetlands in Summerville, open to the public and often discounted online.
golfpass.com greenfeetracker.comThe cheapest round in the area, an old-style Summerville course that you can walk.
greenfeetracker.com golflink.comA low-cost West Ashley course about 20 minutes from downtown and on the way to Kiawah.
greenfeetracker.com golfdigest.comThe sample is 4 travelers for 4 nights. Your plan ($11,116) covers the main costs most people budget for, the ones you enter on the left. Costs people forget ($3,340, about 30% more for this trip) are the fees, taxes, tips and extras listed in the calculator. Prices were last checked on October 17, 2026.
Share of the $14,456 real cost. Nights and travelers multiply most of these costs, so changing either one moves the total the most.
14 of this trip's numbers link to a published price or rate. The rest are our estimates, and each one says what it is based on. You can also read how we calculate every trip.
| Cost | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Green fees per golfer (whole trip) | $1,000 per traveler | Four peak rounds for non-resort guests: Turtle Point $305 and Osprey Point $305 (Where2Golf, fees updated 2024; Kiawah publishes no rate card), Wild Dunes Links about $275 (GolfPass reviewers paid about $250–$280) and Stono Ferry $110 Monday–Thursday. $995, rounded to $1,000. Judgment call. Source |
| Rental home per night (whole group) | $900 a night | AirROI (Nov 2025–Oct 2026): Kiawah Island 4-bedroom rentals average $879 a night and 3-bedroom $558; the overall average runs about $733 in May against $682 for the year. $900 for a 4-bedroom home in spring. Judgment call. Source |
| Airfare per person | $419 per traveler | US DOT (BTS) average domestic itinerary fare for Charleston (CHS), Q2 2026: $418.96 (Q1 2026 was $403.95). Source |
| Food per person, per day | $92 per traveler, per day | GSA FY2027 meals and incidentals (M&IE) rate for Charleston (Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties): $92 a day. Source |
| Cost | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Checked bag fees | $90 per traveler | Major US airlines charge about $35 to $50 for a first checked bag each way, so about $90 round trip. Source |
| Golf bag fees | $110 per traveler | American, Delta, United and Southwest treat a golf bag as a standard checked bag; a second bag is $55 each way. Source |
| Shipping your clubs Off by default | $108 per traveler | Ground shipping for a golf bag starts around $54 each way. Source |
| Lodging taxes | 13% of the rental home (whole group) | Kiawah Island Golf Resort's 2026 group rate sheet lists 7% South Carolina state tax plus 6% local tax (13%) and a 9% resort service fee. The Town of Kiawah Island's tax packet and Charleston County's tax pages could not be opened. Downtown Charleston and Isle of Palms rates differ slightly. Source |
| Rental car | $105 a day | KAYAK at CHS (Nov 2026): SUVs average about $95–97 a day (March priciest at about $116, September cheapest at about $83); vans about $148, a Honda Odyssey listed at $83. $105 a day for a minivan or large SUV in spring. CHS to Kiawah is about 30 miles. Judgment call. Source |
| Resort service fee Off by default | 9% of the rental home (whole group) | Kiawah Island Golf Resort charges a 9% resort service fee on all villa rentals (on-island transport, calls, coffee). Source |
| Rental clubs Off by default | $340 per traveler | Kiawah rents adult Titleist sets for $85 for 18 holes; four rounds = $340. Source |
| Ocean Course caddie tip Off by default | $120 per traveler | Kiawah charges no caddie fee; it recommends a $120 tip per player for a walking caddie and $60 for a forecaddie. Source |
| Drinks on the course | $80 per traveler | Our estimate of about $20 a round for beverage-cart drinks and snacks. Judgment call. Our estimate |
| Golf balls | $55 per traveler | A dozen Titleist Pro V1 balls lists at $55. Source |
| Tips for bag drop and cart staff | $20 per traveler | A few dollars at bag drop and the turn; we use $5 a round. Judgment call. Source |
| Side bets and prizes | $50 per traveler | Our estimate for skins, team bets and a small trophy. Our estimate |
| Lessons and extras you picked Off by default | $0 for the trip | Set by the extras you pick in the tee-time planner. Our estimate |
| Travel insurance | 6% of your plan | Squaremouth says a comprehensive plan averages about 6% of the trip cost, usually 4% to 10%. Source |
| Pre-trip shopping | $60 for the trip | Our estimate for travel-size toiletries, sunscreen and small things bought before a trip. Our estimate |
| Pet boarding or sitter | $50 a day, if you check Pets | Dogster puts regular kennel boarding at about $35 to $85 a night. Overnight sitters at home cost more. Source |
For 4 golfers spending 4 nights in peak spring season, with four rounds each, a rental home, flights and food, plan on about $11,120. Once you add golf bag fees, lodging taxes, rental car, drinks on the course, balls, tips and side bets, it's closer to $14,460, or about $3,610 each. Use the tee-time planner above to price the courses you want.
Yes. Resort guests can book any time during their stay, and everyone else can book up to 60 days ahead. Plan on about $650 for non-guests in peak season. It's walking only, except after 10 am in June, July and August. There's no caddie fee, but the resort suggests a $120 tip for a walking caddie or $60 for a forecaddie. Source
Winter, from December to February, has the lowest rates and quiet tee sheets, and summer rates ease too, though it's hot and humid. Spring and fall are peak season. The city's Municipal course charges $90 with a cart all year, and twilight at Charleston National is about $55. Source
Charleston International (CHS). It's about 15 minutes from downtown Charleston and about 30 miles from Kiawah, so plan on a rental car. Its average fare was about $419 in mid-2026. Source
Proper golf attire. Denim, athletic shorts, bathing suits, shorts more than 5 inches above the knee and sleeveless shirts without collars are not allowed. If you don't bring clubs, Titleist rental sets are $85 a round. Source