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Does Lee County, South Carolina Have a Public Golf Course? (Yes — Exactly One)
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Yes. Lee County, South Carolina has exactly one golf course — Bishopville Country Club — and despite the “country club” in its name, it’s open to the public.
It’s an 18-hole course just outside Bishopville, it’s been there since the 1950s or 60s depending on which record you believe, and golfers who play it consistently describe it as affordable, friendly, and rough around the edges.
That’s the whole inventory. One course, one county.
If you live in Bishopville or Lynchburg and you want variety, this guide is really about two things: whether the one course is worth your time, and which direction you should drive when you want something different. We’ll cover both, with drive times and real prices.
Quick Disambiguation: This Is Lee County, South Carolina
There are more than a dozen Lee Counties in the United States, and searches for “Lee County golf” are dominated by Lee County, Florida — the Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Sanibel area, which has dozens of courses and is a genuine national golf destination.
This guide is not about that. This is Lee County in the South Carolina Midlands, county seat Bishopville, population about 3,000, between Camden and Florence just off I-20. If you’re planning a Florida golf trip, you’re in the wrong place.
There are also Lee Counties with golf in Alabama (Auburn), Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina (Sanford), and Texas. Worth stating plainly, because search engines and AI assistants routinely mix these up.
Bishopville Country Club: The Only Game in the County
315 Country Club Road, Bishopville, SC 29010 | (803) 428-3675
Note: some listings show 255 Country Club Road. Same facility — the club’s own contact records use 315.
Is It Actually Open to the Public?
Yes. The name causes confusion, but Bishopville Country Club is categorized as a public course and welcomes outside play. Walking is permitted. You do not need a member to bring you.
This is worth flagging because it’s the third time in four South Carolina counties we’ve covered where the “country club” naming convention obscures who can actually play.
Small-town Southern courses were often built as community clubs in the mid-20th century and kept the name long after the membership model changed. In this part of the state, “Country Club” in the name tells you almost nothing about access. Call and ask.
The Course Itself
An 18-hole, par-72 layout on Bermuda grass with water in play on several holes and a handful of bunkers. Published numbers vary quite a bit between sources — some directories list it as long as 6,877 to 6,927 yards, while the club’s own scorecard shows 6,500 yards from the blue tees (rated 68.9, slope 119) and 5,739 from the whites (65.4/108).
Treat the shorter scorecard figures as the reliable ones.
There’s a real practice setup for a course this size: a mat driving range, a putting green, and a pitching and chipping area. Pull carts and motorized carts available, club rental, a pro shop, lessons, and a restaurant. No metal spikes. Open year-round.
One record discrepancy worth noting: sources split between 1956 and 1969 as the year the course opened. We can’t resolve it from public records, and it doesn’t matter much for your round — but if you see both dates cited around the internet, that’s why.
What Golfers Actually Say
Reviews are few — this is a small course in a small county, with only a handful of ratings across the major platforms — but they’re remarkably consistent about the same things.
The praise is always about the same three things: the people, the price, and the carts. Golfers describe genuinely friendly, welcoming staff, weekday prices they consider very affordable with weekend rates that are still reasonable, carts in good shape, and a few good long par 5s.
The food gets a specific mention more than once — apparently the sandwiches are better than they need to be. One regular calls it simply his favorite place to play.
The criticism is always about the same one thing: the greens. Multiple golfers describe them as rough, with sandy patches on some holes. One visitor from Sumter also found several tee boxes badly in need of mowing and the ground on them hard enough to make teeing up difficult.
How to read that: this is a small-budget rural course doing its best. The layout and the hospitality are genuinely good. The putting surfaces are inconsistent.
If you’re the kind of golfer who can enjoy a round on imperfect greens, you’ll like it here. If green speed and trueness are what make golf enjoyable for you, you’ll be frustrated — and you should look at the drive-time options below instead.
What Does It Cost?
Here we have to be straight with you: we could not verify current published green fees. The club’s website blocks automated access, and it doesn’t currently list tee times on the major booking platforms — searches there return no availability, which usually means the course takes bookings by phone rather than online.
What we can tell you is that golfers describe weekday rates as very affordable and weekend rates as still reasonable, which in this region and at this level of course generally means somewhere in the $20s to low $30s with a cart. But that’s an inference, not a quote.
Call (803) 428-3675 and ask. Since they’re not listing online, the phone is how this course does business anyway. Ask about weekday versus weekend, walking rates, and whether they offer any kind of punch card or membership — small courses like this one often have a locals’ rate that never appears anywhere online.
Where Do Bishopville Golfers Drive?
With one course in the county, variety means a car. Here’s the honest map, sorted by drive time from Bishopville.
| Course | Town | County | Drive | Reported Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Creek Golf Club | Lydia | Darlington | ~20 min | ~$35 (18 w/ cart) |
| Governors Run Golf Club | Lamar | Darlington | ~20 min | ~$30 (18) |
| Crystal Lakes Golf Course | Sumter | Sumter | ~35 min | ~$25 (18 w/ cart) |
| Pine Creek Golf Course | Camden | Kershaw | ~35 min | $35 w/ cart, $17 walking |
| Traces Golf Club | Florence | Florence | ~35 min | Moderate |
| Beech Creek Golf Club | Sumter | Sumter | ~40 min | ~$50 reported |
The Closest Options (Darlington County, ~20 minutes)
Fox Creek Golf Club in Lydia is the nearest alternative and the better of the two. Golfers report $35 for 18 with a cart and describe the course as decent shape with a few sandy patches on greens, reasonable pace, and friendly staff.
The recurring theme in reviews is a relaxed atmosphere — low pressure, no ranger pushing you along, courteous players. There’s a driving range, and several reviewers specifically mention bringing kids and grandkids to practice. If Bishopville’s greens frustrate you and you want a low-stress round nearby, this is the move.
One warning worth having before you go: a golfer reported seeing a senior rate advertised in several places online, asked about it at the counter, and was told the course does not offer one and never has. If you’re planning around a senior discount, confirm by phone before you drive out — don’t trust the third-party listings.
Governors Run Golf Club in Lamar is cheaper at around $30 for 18 and is being actively worked on — new carts, a clubhouse renovation, a restaurant being added. But be realistic about current conditions.
Recent reviews are rough: dead and sanded greens, tee boxes in poor shape, confusing or missing signage between holes, and at least one green patched over with no warning or temporary marker on the tee. One golfer’s verdict was blunt — spend $10 to $15 more and play somewhere better.
Another noted they enjoyed the day with friends anyway. It opens at 6:00 AM, which is genuinely useful in summer. Worth revisiting in a year once the improvements land.
The Value Play (Sumter County, ~35 minutes)
Crystal Lakes Golf Course in Sumter is the best cheap round within a reasonable drive. Golfers report paying around $25 with a cart, and the consensus is that you can’t beat it for the price anywhere in Sumter.
Fairways hold up well even after rain, the greens are described as okay but not smooth, and — like almost every course in this region — reviewers note the superintendent is doing good work on a thin budget. It’s also a solid place to practice driver and accuracy without pressure.
Beech Creek Golf Club, also in Sumter, has the better layout of the two and a higher rating, with genuine risk-reward holes. But it’s roughly double the price, and recent reviews suggest the greens have been in poor shape — sanded, scalped, and inconsistent hole to hole, with at least one golfer calling it poor value at $50. Staff and clubhouse draw praise.
Worth calling ahead about green conditions before committing.
The Best Round Nearby (Kershaw County, ~35 minutes)
Pine Creek Golf Course in Camden is the strongest all-around option within 40 minutes of Bishopville — $35 with a cart on a weekday, $17 to walk, no tee times required, and free push carts.
It’s also currently mid-renovation on its greens, which means discounted rates but temporary greens on some holes. We covered it in detail in our Kershaw County guide, including the renovation status and the full rate card.
Worth Knowing About, Not Playing
Broomsedge Golf Club in Rembert, about 30 minutes southwest, is a private club that has quietly become one of the most talked-about golf experiences in South Carolina.
Reviews from the few who’ve played it are extraordinary — caddies, enormous tee boxes set up for match play, wide fairways with waste areas instead of rough, big undulating greens. Golfers describe it as the most memorable round they’ve ever played.
You almost certainly can’t play it. But if you golf in this part of the state, you should know it’s there.
Carolina Lakes Golf Course at Shaw Air Force Base is a good, affordable, well-regarded course — but it’s a military facility. If you have base access, it’s a strong option and rarely crowded. If you don’t, it isn’t one.
So Should You Play Bishopville Country Club?
Play it if: you live in Lee County and want golf close to home, you value friendly staff and a relaxed round over pristine conditions, you’re passing through on I-20 with clubs in the car, or you’re a beginner who’d rather not feel watched. The price is right and nobody there is going to rush you.
Drive instead if: green conditions are what make or break a round for you. Twenty minutes gets you to Fox Creek. Thirty-five gets you to Crystal Lakes for about the same money or Pine Creek in Camden for a genuinely better golf course.
The realistic answer for most Lee County golfers is both: Bishopville as your regular local round because it’s five minutes away and cheap, with a rotation out to Fox Creek, Crystal Lakes, and Pine Creek when you want a change. That’s a perfectly good golf life for well under $40 a round.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lee County, South Carolina have a public golf course?
Yes. Bishopville Country Club at 315 Country Club Road in Bishopville is the only golf course in Lee County, South Carolina, and despite its name it operates as a public course open to outside play. Walking is permitted and no member sponsorship is required.
How many golf courses are in Lee County, SC?
One. Bishopville Country Club is the only golf course located in Lee County, South Carolina. The nearest alternatives are Fox Creek Golf Club in Lydia and Governors Run Golf Club in Lamar, both about 20 minutes away in Darlington County.
Is Bishopville Country Club open to the public?
Yes. Although the name suggests a private club, Bishopville Country Club is listed as a public course and welcomes non-member play. This naming pattern is common among mid-20th-century small-town courses in South Carolina, where the “country club” name remained after the access model changed.
How much does it cost to play Bishopville Country Club?
Current green fees are not published online, and the course does not appear to list tee times on major booking platforms. Golfers describe weekday rates as very affordable and weekend rates as reasonable. Call the pro shop at (803) 428-3675 for current pricing, and ask about walking rates and any locals’ punch card or membership, which small courses often do not advertise.
What are the greens like at Bishopville Country Club?
Golfers consistently describe the greens as the weakest part of the course, reporting rough conditions with sandy patches on some holes. Reviews are more positive about the staff, the price, the cart fleet, and several long par 5s. One visitor also noted tee boxes needing mowing and hard ground that made teeing up difficult.
What is the cheapest golf course near Bishopville, SC?
Crystal Lakes Golf Course in Sumter, about 35 minutes away, is the cheapest well-reviewed option nearby, with golfers reporting rates around $25 for 18 holes with a cart. Governors Run in Lamar is closer at about 20 minutes and reportedly around $30, but recent reviews describe poor course conditions.
What is the closest golf course to Bishopville, South Carolina besides Bishopville Country Club?
Fox Creek Golf Club in Lydia, about 20 minutes northeast in Darlington County, is the nearest alternative. Golfers report about $35 for 18 holes with a cart and consistently describe a relaxed, low-pressure atmosphere with friendly staff and a driving range that works well for family practice.
Is Lee County, SC the same as Lee County, Florida?
No. Lee County, South Carolina is a small rural county in the Midlands with Bishopville as its county seat and one golf course. Lee County, Florida is the Fort Myers and Cape Coral area, a major golf destination with dozens of courses. There are also Lee Counties in Alabama, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas.