Thistle Earns Top-5 Nationwide Honors in GolfPass Golfers’ Choice 2025 Ranking

After more than 274,000 reviewers submitted feedback on nearly 7,300 courses around the world in 2024, GolfPass has released its Golfers’ Choice 2025 rankings with one of the Myrtle Beach area’s most in-demand designs, Thistle Golf Club, earning top five honors among its Top 25 Public Courses in the U.S.

Thistle comes in at No. 5, surpassed only by Pine Mountain Lake Country Club (Calif.) at No. 4, Occano (N.C.) at No. 3, Omni Bedford Springs Resort (Penn.) at No. 2, and Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course (Nev.) at No. 1.

On GolfPass reviewers’ five-point scale, Thistle’s 670 reviews have earned it an overall rating of 4.8 boosted by 517 five-star reviews and 120 four-star votes, with more than 98 percent of reviewers publicly recommending the 27-hole, Sunset Beach, N.C. design.

Unlike golf course rankings published by industry insiders who have access to golf courses the public may never have the opportunity to play, the Golfers’ Choice lists are entirely consumer driven by recreational golfers. Ages, handicaps and budgets of golfers using the GolfPass website run the gamut, as the 2.4 million reviews accumulated by GolfPass and GolfNow showcase the golf course characteristics that are most important to avid golfers across the country in any given year.

Thistle’s GolfPass honor comes on the heels of its appearance among Golfweek’s Top 10 Public Access Courses You Can Play in North Carolina for 2024.

Click here to learn more about this GolfPass Top 25 ranking.