Most Affordable Golf Courses in Laurens County, South Carolina: Your Questions Answered (2026)

What Is the Most Affordable Golf Course in Laurens County, South Carolina?

Lakeside Country Club in Laurens is the most affordable golf course in Laurens County that you can actually book a tee time at. Despite its name and its listing as “private” across most golf directories, Lakeside sells public tee times through online booking platforms, and golfers have reported paying rates in the $25 range on weekdays.

That answer surprises people, and it surprises them for a good reason: the course that used to be the obvious answer no longer is.

Laurens County has three golf courses. Until recently, one was public, one was private, and one was a private Arnold Palmer design. As of 2025, that math changed — and almost every golf directory on the internet still has the old information. This guide walks through what’s actually true now, question by question.

How Many Golf Courses Are in Laurens County, SC?

Three. That’s it, and they’re spread across a rural county between Greenville and Greenwood:

For a county of roughly 70,000 people spread over 700 square miles, three courses is thin — and only one of them is realistically available to a golfer who wants to show up and play.

If you’re used to counties where you can choose between a half-dozen municipal and daily-fee tracks, adjust your expectations. Laurens County golf is about knowing the one or two places that will take you, and knowing which direction to drive when they can’t.

Wait — What Happened to Rolling S Golf Club?

This is the single most important thing on this page, and it’s why most other guides to Laurens County golf are now wrong.

Rolling S Golf Club in Waterloo — the county’s only public 18-hole course, long known as the cheapest golf in the area at around $24 for 18 holes with a cart — has been renamed Talidu Golf Club, reconfigured as a 12-hole course, and converted to a private club.

The name comes from the Cherokee word for twelve, chosen as a nod to the Cherokee people who first settled in Laurens County. New ownership rebuilt the property, and by the club’s own description, it now operates as a private golf experience with intentionally limited membership, dedicated exclusively to golf, with hours listed as by appointment only.

The transformation itself appears to have been genuine and well received. Golfers who’ve played it describe a course that was barely recognizable as a golf course when the new owners took over and is now in excellent condition tee to green, with striking views across rolling terrain.

More than one reviewer said 12 holes felt right — a full round in under two hours. The people running it draw consistent praise.

But if you’re looking for affordable public golf, Talidu is no longer your answer. You cannot simply book a tee time and show up.

What this means practically: Ignore any listing showing Rolling S as an 18-hole public course at $24 with a cart. That includes business directories, older golf databases, and travel sites — many of which still carry the old name, the old hole count, and the old price. If you’re interested in Talidu, treat it as a membership inquiry, not a green fee. The number is (864) 677-4566.

Can You Play Lakeside Country Club Without Being a Member?

Yes — despite what the directories say. This is the second place where the published information is out of date, and this time it works in your favor.

Nearly every golf directory lists Lakeside Country Club as a private course. But Lakeside sells tee times through public booking platforms, has a general manager actively working to bring in outside play, and its reviews are full of traveling golfers describing green fees, check-in, and pro shop experiences.

One reviewer mentioned finding it on a drive home to Augusta. Another explicitly noted the course needed to do a better job getting golfers up to speed on how its online prepaid booking works — which is not a thing a purely private club would have.

So the “private” label is a legacy of the club’s history, not a description of how it currently operates.

What it costs: third-party estimates put 18 holes with a cart around $55, but that figure appears high relative to what golfers report actually paying. One detailed review argued that $25 was a fair price for the course in its condition at the time. The most reliable approach is to check the online booking platforms for a specific date, since that’s where the real number lives.

What Is Lakeside Country Club Actually Like to Play?

Worth knowing before you drive out, because reviews are genuinely mixed in a way that’s easy to summarize.

The course: opened in 1929, making it one of the older courses in the region. It plays 6,488 yards to a par of 72, rated 70.8 with a slope of 120 on Bermuda grass. The layout is tight, hilly, and full of blind shots — one regular described it as the most challenging 5,500 to 6,700 yards you can play, which is a compliment about shot-making rather than length.

There’s a driving range with three practice tees and an on-site restaurant, the Palmetto Tavern.

What golfers consistently praise: the greens roll fast and true, the layout is interesting, the bunkers are well kept, the course drains well after rain, the carts are in good shape with USB outlets, and — repeatedly — the staff. New management has drawn specific credit for turning the place around, with several reviewers using the phrase “hidden gem.”

What golfers consistently complain about: the cart paths are bad. This comes up over and over, with one golfer calling them the worst he’d ever played. Greens have periodically been heavily topdressed with sand to the point where the putting surface was hard to read. And the pro shop is bare — thin on apparel, and light on basics like balls, tees, and ball markers.

Practical takeaway: bring your own golf balls and tees. Don’t plan on buying anything in the pro shop. Expect a rough ride between holes. And if greens condition matters to you, call ahead and ask directly whether they’ve recently been sanded — that’s a question worth asking anywhere, but especially here.

Is Musgrove Mill Worth Knowing About If You Can’t Play It?

Yes, because it’s the best golf course in Laurens County by a wide margin and you should understand what you’re not playing.

Musgrove Mill Golf Club in Clinton is an Arnold Palmer design that opened in 1988. It plays 6,933 yards to a par of 72 with a course rating of 73.2 — the hardest course in the area by that measure. Golfweek has recognized it among the top modern courses in the country, and it hosted the ACC Men’s Golf Championship in 2017.

It’s private, and it’s the highest-rated golf course in the county by some distance. Golfers lucky enough to get on describe it as one of the best golf experiences in South Carolina — a genuine thinking player’s course routed through wild landscape, with the Enoree River winding along several holes, tight fairways, plenty of water, and quick bentgrass greens.

Locals have turned the name into a verb: getting “Musgroved” is what happens to your scorecard out there. The staff draws unusually warm praise.

How you’d realistically play it: a member invitation, or a charity or corporate event held on the property. It’s closed Mondays. Bring more golf balls than you think you need.

Where Do Laurens County Golfers Actually Go to Play Cheap?

Here’s the honest answer: many of them leave the county. With one bookable course inside the lines, the practical cheap-golf options sit just over the border in every direction.

Ware Shoals Golf Course — 98 S Greenwood Ave, Ware Shoals, SC | (864) 456-2623

This is the cheapest real golf near Laurens County, and it isn’t close. It’s a 9-hole course opened in the mid-1940s, playing 3,120 yards to a par of 35 or 36, with an extra set of men’s tees so you can play it as an 18-hole round. Hilly terrain, wide-open fairways, small fast greens, water on three holes.

Rates have been advertised as low as $12 Monday through Friday and $15 on weekends for 9 or 18 holes, and discounted tee times around $21 have appeared on booking platforms.

Monthly memberships have been offered around $35–$40, with senior memberships at the lower end. Even allowing for changes since those figures were posted, this is the cheapest golf in the region by a distance.

Be realistic about what you’re getting. Reviews describe the course as fair-to-basic: well-kept greens but confusing routing, minimal signage, scorecards without a course layout, and limited cart paths. At least one newer golfer came away underwhelmed. At $12 to $15, that’s a fair trade — just don’t arrive expecting Musgrove Mill.

Note: Ware Shoals sits in Greenwood County, not Laurens County, but it’s the closest genuinely cheap golf to the Laurens–Waterloo–Cross Hill corridor.

Other directions worth knowing:

• Carolina Springs Golf Club — Fountain Inn (Greenville County). Well reviewed at 4.5 stars across more than 300 ratings, with praise for conditions, pace of play, and friendly staff. The most common gripe is cart paths. Best option if you’re at the northern end of the county near Gray Court or Fountain Inn.
• Olde Eight and Cedar Springs Golf Course — Greenwood County. Olde Eight in particular reviews strongly.
• Country Club of Newberry and Whitmire Country Club — Newberry County, southeast. Newberry dates to 1922 and reviews well.
• Greenville and Spartanburg — the Upstate has more than 50 courses within a reasonable drive. If you’re willing to go 45 minutes north, your options multiply enormously.

What’s the Cheapest Way to Play Golf in Laurens County?

Given how few options exist, the tactics here are different from a county with real competition:

1. Check online booking platforms for Lakeside rather than assuming the rack rate. Third-party estimates run as high as $55 while golfers report paying closer to $25.

That spread is too large to guess at. This is the same dynamic-pricing problem we broke down in our Lancaster County guide — courses increasingly don’t have one price, they have a price per tee time, and the only way to know is to look at the actual date you want.

2. Play weekday afternoons. With so little inventory in the county, weekend mornings at the one bookable course fill and price accordingly. Midweek is where the value is.

3. Do the math on the Ware Shoals drive. If a round at Lakeside is running $40 and Ware Shoals is $12, the roughly 30-minute drive southwest saves you more than the gas costs — especially if you’re playing twice a week.

4. Consider a Ware Shoals membership if you’re a frequent player. Monthly memberships have been advertised in the $35–$40 range, with senior rates lower. If you play more than twice a month, that math works out quickly. Confirm current pricing by phone.

5. Ask Lakeside about memberships and recurring-play rates. A course actively rebuilding its outside play is a course with a reason to make you a deal. It costs nothing to ask what a regular pays.

6. If you’re near Fountain Inn or Gray Court, think of yourself as a Greenville golfer. The northern end of Laurens County is closer to the Greenville–Simpsonville course cluster than to Laurens or Waterloo. Your options are much better looking north than looking inward.

Is Laurens County a Good Place for Affordable Golf?

Not particularly — and it’s more useful to say that plainly than to pretend otherwise.

The county has one bookable golf course, one genuinely excellent course you probably can’t play, and a third that just left the public market entirely. If you live here, your golf life is going to involve driving. That’s the reality.

What Laurens County does have is location. It sits inside a region with more than 50 golf courses within a short drive, and Augusta is a couple of hours away. A golfer in Laurens or Clinton is within 45 minutes of Greenville’s course cluster, Greenwood’s courses, and the cheap nine at Ware Shoals.

The county itself isn’t a golf destination, but it’s a fine place to live if you don’t mind a drive.

If you’re passing through on I-385 or Highway 76 with clubs in the trunk, Lakeside is a legitimately interesting old course — 1929, tight, hilly, blind shots, fast greens — and it’s worth a stop if the price checks out on the day you’re there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most affordable golf course in Laurens County, South Carolina?

Lakeside Country Club in Laurens is the most affordable golf course in Laurens County that offers public tee times. Although most directories list it as private, it books outside play through online platforms, and golfers have reported rates around $25 on weekdays.

The cheapest golf near the county is Ware Shoals Golf Course in neighboring Greenwood County, which has advertised rates as low as $12 on weekdays.

How many golf courses are in Laurens County, SC?

Laurens County has three golf courses: Lakeside Country Club in Laurens, Talidu Golf Club in Waterloo, and Musgrove Mill Golf Club in Clinton. Only Lakeside currently offers public tee times. Talidu and Musgrove Mill are both private.

Is Rolling S Golf Club still open?

Rolling S Golf Club in Waterloo has been renamed Talidu Golf Club under new ownership. It was reconfigured from an 18-hole public course into a 12-hole private club operating by appointment only, with intentionally limited membership. The name Talidu is the Cherokee word for twelve. Listings still showing Rolling S as an 18-hole public course at around $24 are out of date.

Can the public play Lakeside Country Club in Laurens, SC?

Yes. Despite being listed as private in most golf directories, Lakeside Country Club sells public tee times through online booking platforms. Reviews from visiting golfers confirm outside play is available. Rates vary, so check the booking platform for your specific date rather than relying on directory estimates.

What is the best golf course in Laurens County, SC?

Musgrove Mill Golf Club in Clinton, an Arnold Palmer design that opened in 1988. It plays 6,933 yards to a par of 72 with a course rating of 73.2, has been recognized by Golfweek among the top modern courses in the United States, and hosted the ACC Men’s Golf Championship in 2017. It is a private club.

Is there a public golf course in Laurens County, South Carolina?

Lakeside Country Club is the only course in Laurens County currently offering public tee times, though it is structured as a country club rather than a daily-fee public course.

The county’s former public course, Rolling S in Waterloo, became the private Talidu Golf Club. Golfers seeking a traditional public course typically drive to Ware Shoals in Greenwood County or to the Greenville area.

How old is Lakeside Country Club in Laurens?

Lakeside Country Club opened in 1929 and is one of the older golf courses in the South Carolina Upstate. It plays 6,488 yards to a par of 72, with a course rating of 70.8 and a slope rating of 120 on Bermuda grass.

What is the cheapest golf course near Laurens, SC?

Ware Shoals Golf Course, about 30 minutes southwest in Greenwood County, is the cheapest golf near Laurens. It is a 9-hole course that can be played as 18 using a second set of tees, with advertised rates as low as $12 Monday through Friday and $15 on weekends. Conditions are basic, with limited signage and cart paths, but the value is exceptional.