For most mid-handicap groups, Myrtle Beach is the better value buddies trip and Pinehurst is the better bucket-list one. Myrtle Beach packs more than 80 championship courses into one drivable strip and sells stay-and-play packages from about $209 per person for two nights and two rounds (Visit Myrtle Beach, 2026; Golfbreaks, 2026). Pinehurst is a single resort with ten championship courses where the classic Donald Ross Golf Package starts near $1,080 per person for two nights and three rounds and climbs from there (Pinehurst Resort, 2026).

Both are legendary American golf destinations, and a group can have a great week at either. But they are not the same trip. One is a sprawling value playground built for big groups, replays, and nights out; the other is a compact, prestigious pilgrimage built around walking historic courses. This guide breaks down the real, current numbers on courses, cost, travel, and course quality so your foursome (or your group of twelve) can pick the right one. If you want to price out any trip line by line first, our companion guide on how much a golf trip costs does exactly that.

Myrtle Beach vs. Pinehurst: which is the better buddies trip?

Pick Myrtle Beach for value, course variety, larger groups, and nightlife. Pick Pinehurst for a once-in-a-lifetime round on a U.S. Open venue, walkable Donald Ross architecture, and a quieter, more upscale week. The single biggest difference is structure: Myrtle Beach is dozens of independent courses you mix and match, while Pinehurst is one resort you settle into.

The table below frames the head-to-head on the factors that actually decide a buddies trip. Every figure is sourced and dated in the sections that follow.

Factor	Myrtle Beach, SC	Pinehurst, NC
Courses available	80+ championship courses across the Grand Strand	10 championship courses at one resort (plus The Cradle short course)
Entry-level package	From ~$209 per person, 2 nights / 2 rounds	Donald Ross package from ~$1,080 per person, 2 nights / 3 rounds
Signature course cost	Most rounds bundled at value rates	No. 2 carries a $250-per-round premium on top of the package
Getting there	MYR airport, 50+ nonstop destinations	Drive from RDU (~75 mi) or FAY (~50 mi); no major airport on-site
Best for	Big groups, replays, budget flexibility, nights out	Bucket-list golf, walking, prestige, smaller upscale groups
Peak season	Spring (Mar–May) and fall (Sep–Nov)	Spring (Mar–May) and fall (Sep–Nov)

How many golf courses does each destination have?

Myrtle Beach has more than 80 championship courses along the Grand Strand and bills itself as the "Golf Capital of the World"; Pinehurst Resort has ten 18-hole championship courses in one place, plus the nine-hole par-3 Cradle and the Thistle Dhu putting course (Visit Myrtle Beach, 2026; golf.com, June 2024). That contrast is the heart of the decision. Myrtle Beach is about breadth; Pinehurst is about depth in a single, storied footprint.

For a buddies trip, breadth means you can play a different course every day for a week and never repeat, and you can tune each day to the group's mood and budget: a resort track one morning, a rowdy value course the next. Pinehurst's ten courses run from the U.S. Open host No. 2 to the newer Tom Doak-designed No. 10, so there is real variety, but you are playing one resort's roster, and the marquee courses are reserved for resort guests only.

Pinehurst is also still growing. The resort has announced No. 11, a Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design, with an expected opening in fall 2027 (golf.com, June 2024). That does not help your group this year, but it is a sign of where the resort is headed.

How much does a buddies trip to each cost?

A Myrtle Beach golf package typically runs from about $209 per person for a short 2-night, 2-round trip up to $1,000-plus per person for a premium week, while a Pinehurst Donald Ross stay-and-play starts near $1,080 per person for 2 nights and 3 rounds and rises to roughly $2,760 in the fall peak (Golfbreaks, 2026; Pinehurst Resort, 2026). In other words, a bare-bones Pinehurst trip costs roughly what a comfortable mid-range Myrtle Beach trip costs, and a premium Pinehurst week runs well beyond most Myrtle Beach packages.

Here is how the current, published pricing compares. All figures are per person unless noted.

Package tier	Myrtle Beach	Pinehurst
Budget	~$400–$700 for a 3-night, 3-round package	Donald Ross package from ~$1,080 (2 nights, 3 rounds, summer)
Mid-range	~$700–$1,000	~$1,520–$2,240 (fall/holiday Donald Ross tiers)
Premium	$1,000+	Up to ~$2,760 (fall peak, before No. 2 premium)

Sources: Myrtle Beach tiers from Myrtle Beach Golf, 2026; Pinehurst tiers from the official Donald Ross Golf Package page, 2026 rates.

Two details matter a lot for budgeting. First, Myrtle Beach's cheapest verified example is real and current: the 54-hole Legends Golf Resort has run about $293 per golfer for three nights and three rounds in winter at quad occupancy, including breakfast, lunch, and two clubhouse drinks daily (Westgate, June 2026). That is roughly $98 per golfer per day for bed, meals, and golf, and it is why Myrtle Beach dominates the value conversation.

Second, Pinehurst's headline package price is not the whole story. The Donald Ross package includes golf on Courses 1 through 10 and The Cradle, but playing the famous No. 2 adds a $250 premium per round, and No. 10 adds $125 per round, on top of the package (Pinehurst Resort, 2026). No. 2 is also resort-guests-only with a two-night minimum stay, and there is no walk-up green fee; a second round on No. 2 runs $595 in peak season and $360 off-season (golf.com, June 2024). Budget the premium in from the start if playing No. 2 is the point of the trip.

Which destination is easier to get to?

Myrtle Beach is far easier to fly to: its airport (MYR) serves more than 50 nonstop destinations across 10 airlines, while Pinehurst has no major commercial airport and most groups drive in from Raleigh-Durham (RDU), about 75 miles and roughly an hour away (Fly Myrtle Beach, 2026; LuxyRide, 2026). For a group flying in from different cities, that difference is real money and real hassle saved.

Pinehurst is reachable, just not by a quick hop. Fayetteville Regional (FAY) is the closest commercial airport at about 50 miles, Raleigh-Durham (RDU) is about 75 miles and the most-connected option, and Charlotte (CLT) is about 120 miles, a two-hour drive (LuxyRide, 2026). Most groups land at RDU for the flight options and rent a car. That is a manageable transfer, but it is one more logistics step than Myrtle Beach's fly-and-arrive simplicity.

The travel math cuts a specific way for buddies trips. If your group is spread across several cities and wants everyone to arrive on their own flights without coordinating a shuttle, Myrtle Beach is the low-friction choice. If your group can drive or is happy to land at RDU and carpool the last hour, Pinehurst's access is not a dealbreaker.

Which has better golf?

Pinehurst has the higher ceiling: No. 2 is a Donald Ross masterpiece and repeat U.S. Open host, and the resort's courses are built for walking with caddies. Myrtle Beach has the higher floor and far more variety, with 80-plus courses spanning everything from championship layouts to fun resort tracks. Which matters more depends on what your group wants out of the golf itself.

Pinehurst is a golf-architecture pilgrimage. Playing No. 2, with its crowned greens and native-area waste bunkering, is a genuine bucket-list round, and the compact resort routing means you are walking historic ground all week. That quality comes with formality: No. 2 rewards a caddie or forecaddie, and the golf.com reporting on the resort notes caddies are part of the No. 2 experience, which is another line to budget and tip (golf.com, June 2024).

Myrtle Beach trades a single transcendent round for range and repeatability. With more than 80 courses, a group can build a week that mixes highly rated championship layouts with relaxed, cart-friendly value courses, and can add a replay round without a second thought because the marginal cost is low. For a mid-handicapper who wants to play a lot of different, enjoyable golf without a formality tax, that breadth is the bigger draw. To scout specific tracks at either destination, browse our course reviews and put two or three side by side on the course comparison tool.

What about the non-golf hours: lodging, nightlife, and downtime?

Myrtle Beach is built for a group's off-course hours, with beachfront condos, a dense restaurant and bar scene, and big-group lodging that splits cheaply; Pinehurst is quieter and more refined, centered on the resort's historic hotel, cottages, and dining. This is often the tiebreaker, because a buddies trip is not only about the golf.

Myrtle Beach's group-friendly formula is the reason it is one of the country's most popular buddies-trip towns. Beachfront condos and villas split four or more ways keep per-person lodging low, and the Grand Strand's nightlife, restaurants, and oceanfront setting give the group plenty to do after the round. The cheapest packages assume quad occupancy precisely because sharing is the norm here (Westgate, June 2026).

Pinehurst offers a different kind of evening: dinner at the resort (the Donald Ross package includes breakfast and dinner daily), a drink at the Ryder Cup Lounge, and the quiet, golf-soaked atmosphere of the Village of Pinehurst (Pinehurst Resort, 2026). It is a more grown-up, lower-key week. Groups that want a raucous night out will prefer Myrtle Beach; groups that want good food, easy conversation, and an early tee time will prefer Pinehurst.

Which should your group actually pick?

Choose Myrtle Beach if you are optimizing for cost per round, want to play many different courses, have a large or mixed-budget group, or care about nightlife. Choose Pinehurst if playing No. 2 is the goal, your group values walkable classic architecture and a refined week, and the budget can absorb a premium. Use this quick decision guide:

Big group (8 or more), mixed budgets: Myrtle Beach. Lodging splits cheaply, packages scale, and everyone can find a comfortable price point.
Value-first foursome: Myrtle Beach. A verified example runs about $98 per golfer per day, meals included, at quad occupancy (Westgate, June 2026).
Bucket-list, once-in-a-lifetime round: Pinehurst. Nowhere in Myrtle Beach matches a lap around No. 2.
Group flying in from many cities: Myrtle Beach. MYR's 50-plus nonstop routes beat coordinating drives to RDU.
Walkers who love architecture: Pinehurst. The resort is built for walking historic ground.
Nightlife and the beach matter: Myrtle Beach, easily.

There is also a hybrid worth naming: the two destinations are about 143 miles apart, roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive, so an ambitious group could anchor a week in Myrtle Beach and drive up for a single Pinehurst day. That splits the difference between value and prestige, at the cost of more driving.

Sample buddies-trip plans (planning estimates)

The figures below are illustrative planning estimates that combine the sourced package prices above with typical group costs. They are not quoted totals; confirm live rates for your dates. Both assume a foursome sharing lodging.

Myrtle Beach value long weekend (per person, planning estimate):

Package (3 nights, 3 rounds, value courses): ~$400–$700 (Myrtle Beach Golf, 2026)
Flights to MYR: estimate $150–$350 depending on origin
Food, drinks, tips, and extras beyond the package: estimate $200–$350
Rough per-person total: about $750–$1,400 (estimate)

Pinehurst bucket-list trip (per person, planning estimate):

Donald Ross package (2 nights, 3 rounds, breakfast and dinner daily): from ~$1,080 in summer (Pinehurst Resort, 2026)
No. 2 premium (one round): $250 (Pinehurst Resort, 2026)
Caddie fee and tip for the No. 2 round: estimate $100–$175
Travel (flight to RDU plus rental-car share): estimate $250–$450
Rough per-person total: about $1,700–$2,300 (estimate)

The takeaway is consistent with the headline: a value Myrtle Beach trip can come in under the starting price of a Pinehurst package, while a Pinehurst trip buys prestige and a signature round rather than volume. Before you commit, log your clubs and yardages in your golf passport so the group can compare setups, and skim our guide to the best value golf trips in the U.S. for other destinations in the same conversation.

Frequently asked questions

Is Myrtle Beach or Pinehurst cheaper for a buddies trip?

Myrtle Beach is cheaper for most groups. Its packages start around $209 per person for two nights and two rounds, and a verified value example runs about $98 per golfer per day with meals at quad occupancy, while Pinehurst's entry-level Donald Ross package starts near $1,080 per person for two nights and three rounds (Golfbreaks, 2026; Westgate, June 2026; Pinehurst Resort, 2026).

How much does it cost to play Pinehurst No. 2?

Pinehurst No. 2 is reserved for resort guests with a two-night minimum stay, and there is no walk-up green fee. It is bundled into a stay-and-play package with a $250 premium per round on top of the Donald Ross package rate; a second round on No. 2 runs $595 in peak season or $360 off-season, before caddie fees (Pinehurst Resort, 2026; golf.com, June 2024).

How many golf courses does Myrtle Beach have?

Myrtle Beach has more than 80 championship courses along the Grand Strand and markets itself as the "Golf Capital of the World" (Visit Myrtle Beach, 2026). That breadth lets a group play a different course every day and mix resort courses with value tracks.

What is the best time of year to go to each?

Both peak in spring (March to May) and fall (September to November), when weather is mild and conditions are best (Golfbreaks, 2026). Winter is the cheapest window in Myrtle Beach, which is when the sub-$100-per-day value packages appear, and it is also the lowest tier of Pinehurst's package calendar (Westgate, June 2026; Pinehurst Resort, 2026).

Which is better for a large group of 8 or more?

Myrtle Beach is the stronger choice for large groups. Its beachfront condos and villas split cheaply across four or more golfers, its packages scale to different budgets within the same group, and its 80-plus courses make it easy to book multiple tee times together (Visit Myrtle Beach, 2026; Westgate, June 2026).

Can you play both on one trip?

Yes, if you are willing to drive. Myrtle Beach and Pinehurst are about 143 miles apart, roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive, so a group could base in Myrtle Beach and take a single day trip up to Pinehurst. It adds driving and a premium-priced round, but it lets one trip capture both the value and the bucket-list experiences.

Sources

Visit Myrtle Beach: Golf (2026): 80+ championship courses, "Golf Capital of the World"
Golfbreaks: Myrtle Beach Golf Vacations FAQs (2026/27): package length, from $209 pp / 2 nights / 2 rounds, best seasons
Myrtle Beach Golf: How Much Does a Golf Package Cost? (2026): budget/mid/premium package tiers
Westgate Reservations: Best Myrtle Beach Golf Packages (June 29, 2026): Legends Golf Resort ~$293/golfer, 3 nights / 3 rounds, quad occupancy
Fly Myrtle Beach (MYR) (2026): 50+ nonstop destinations, 10 airlines
Pinehurst Resort: Donald Ross Golf Package (2026): from $1,080 pp / 2 nights / 3 rounds; No. 2 +$250, No. 10 +$125; breakfast and dinner daily
golf.com: What it costs to play all 11 courses at Pinehurst (June 13, 2024): 10 championship courses + The Cradle, No. 2 access rules, second-round fees, No. 11 opening fall 2027
LuxyRide: What Airport Do You Fly Into for Pinehurst? (2026): FAY ~50 mi, RDU ~75 mi / ~1 hr, CLT ~120 mi