From South Carolina’s coast to the mountains, you’ll discover a varied landscape and wide variety of venues that will fit any outdoor sport
South Carolina Sports Alliance members are professionals dedicated to the success of your outdoor competitions and have the venues and sites to assure that achievement. Here’s a sampling to get you started.
BASEBALL/SOFTBALL
You could spend far too much time trying to count all the diamonds in South Carolina. In Myrtle Beach, there’s the Grand Park Athletic Complex, Ned Donkle Field Complex and The Ripken Experience. Add to the mix the North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Center and Central Park Sports Center along with Georgetown and Horry County fields and the state is capable of hosting the largest tournaments. Which it often does.
There are also championship venues at TicketReturn.com Field and Coastal Carolina University.
Aiken is no stranger to big-time baseball and softball with 15 lighted fields and eight batting cages. Spartanburg’s Tyger River Park welcomes events with 12 fields, a championship stadium and all the necessary amenities. With 15 parks operated by the parks & recreation department, Beaufort has no problem hosting your event.
Baseball, softball and the accompanying amenities are a part of the 64-acre Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center. The Shipyard Park in Charleston has 5-field youth facility with water on all-sides. They host tournaments 46 weekends a year. Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field and Founders Park in downtown Columbia are on the University of South Carolina campus. Columbia’s minor league stadium, Segra Park, will also host a championship game.
Dixie Boys World Series, Citizens Park in Aiken
Easley’s JB “Red” Owens Park and Seneca’s Shaver Complex have hosted some major championship tournaments as well. Easley’s JB “Red” Owens Park has hosted some major championship tournaments as well. In Greenville, Furman University has multiple baseball options while Flour Field downtown is a top minor league stadium. Elsewhere in Greenville County, David Jackson Park, Northwest Park, Conestee Park and Corey Burns Park are all baseball/softball ready. In Greenwood County, baseball and softball are played at Wilbanks Sports Complex and Lander University’s Jeff May Recreation, Wellness and Sports Complex.
Lexington features baseball and softball facilities at Lexington Sports Complex, Pine Grove Softball Complex and Oak Grove Sports Complex. A South Carolina suburb of Charlotte, Rock Hill plays baseball and softball at Cherry Parks Sports Complex, South Pointe High School Sports Complex and Winthrop University’s Recreation Complex.
SOCCER & LACROSSE
Many of the multi-purpose fields that follow are easily set up for quidditch, ultimate Frisbee, rugby and others. In Rock Hill, Manchester Meadows features regulation and championship fields. Myrtle Beach’s Grand Park Athletic Complex welcomes competitors to its multi-purpose lighted FieldTurf fields. North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex features multiple all-purpose fields.
Greenwood County features soccer at its Wilbanks Sports Complex and Lander University’s Jeff May Recreation, Wellness and Sports Complex. Bush Creek Soccer Complex has multipurpose fields, as do Pavilion Recreation Complex, MeSA Soccer Complex, Herdklotz Park, Gary L. Pittman Memorial Park, and Piedmont Athletic Complex in Greenville County. Furman University in Greenville also has multi-purpose fields. Lexington County Soccer Complex features lighted, natural grass fields.
The University of South Carolina’s Stone Stadium is a championship venue. Polo Road Park in northeastern Columbia has lighted, natural grass fields. Freedom Florence Recreation Center is a 126-acre venue and includes multi-purpose fields.
Beaufort’s parks each have multi-purpose fields. Citizens Park and Odell Weeks Recreation Center in Aiken regularly hosts soccer tournaments. The Hammonds Ferry Soccer Complex in North Augusta features multi-purpose fields. Also in North Augusta, Lions Field is a stadium for both soccer and football.
WATER SPORTS
Whether you need freshwater or saltwater for your event, there are plenty of options in South Carolina. Anderson’s Greenpond Landing provides three deep-water launch lanes into Lake Hartwell, a competitive boating and fishing destination. Lake Hartwell is also accessed from Seneca and Westminster. Lake Greenwood Recreation Area in Greenwood County hosts fishing, kayaking, canoeing and rowing events. Lake Joccasse in Salem and Seneca’s Lake Keowee are prime fishing and water sports destinations. The City of Clemson and Clemson University are the choice for winter and spring crew training on area waterways.
Moree’s Sportsman Reserve in Society Hill is a great fishing destination. Closer to the coast, saltwater tournament fishing events are launched from Little River, Murrells Inlet Georgetown’s Winyah Bay, Charleston Maritime Center and Hilton Head Island.
GOLF
Regardless of whether you are planning a tournament or just getting away for some recreation time, most agree golf is synonymous with South Carolina. There’s not a region in the state that can’t handle your tournament. The upstate mountain terrain is both scenic and host to some great collegiate events on Clemson University’s Walker Course, a top 10 college course, and Furman University Golf Club. In the midlands, Cobblestone Park is home to the University of South Carolina. Coastal Carolina hosts its tournaments at TPC Myrtle Beach.
Any destination that can host the World’s Largest Handicap Tournament utilizing 60 Myrtle Beach courses and numerous youth tournaments is capable of handling your featured event. The Santee region off I-95 is also not a stranger to handling tournaments. With 360 golf courses, there are amateur tournaments happening every weekend.
At the professional level, each professional tour has South Carolina events on their schedule. Most noticeable are the May 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course and RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island’s Harbour Town Golf Links. The Carolinas PGA schedule includes numerous South Carolina stops, while the Carolina Mountain Professional Golf Tour is the oldest tour outside of Florida. Each reflects the world-class golf courses found in the Palmetto State.
TENNIS
South Carolina tennis legacy is similar to golf with professional, amateur and youth events happening regularly. Daniel Island, just outside the City of Charleston, is home to the LTP-Daniel Island, a professional style venue. Hilton Head Island has long been a tennis mecca for both competition and recreation. Myrtle Beach’s Kingston Plantation and other tennis facilities feature courts with various surfaces. A stadium court along with lighted courts is found at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center at Otarre Pointe, Cayce. The Florence Tennis Center features a nice mixture of hard and clay courts.
Sumter’s Palmetto Tennis Center regularly hosts professional circuit competitions. North Augusta’s Riverview Park Tennis Center sports lighted courts. Lexington Sports Complex offers lighted hard courts and seating for 500 at the stadium court. All courts at Rock Hill Tennis Center are lighted with seating for 300. In Greenwood County and the Greenville-Greer area, numerous golf clubs and courses have tennis courts available for competitive events.
Be assured there are also venues for mountain bikes, road cycling and BMX outdoors. Track & Field, marathons and Iron Man competitions are regulars to South Carolina as are equestrian events in multiple locations. Did we miss anything?
We probably did, but you can find the answers at discoversouthcarolina.com/sports-alliance.
by David Bodle
