Your guide to every course, current conditions, local news, and insider tips for golf in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
Hilton Head Island stands as one of America's premier golf destinations, home to more than 30 courses woven through the moss-draped Lowcountry landscape of coastal South Carolina. The island's crown jewel is Harbour Town Golf Links — a 1969 Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus masterpiece inside Sea Pines Resort that annually hosts the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage, South Carolina's only recurring Tour event. From the tidal marshes of Calibogue Sound to the Atlantic-facing dunes of Palmetto Dunes Resort, Hilton Head's courses offer a rare combination of world-class design, subtropical beauty, and year-round playability.
Greens: Tif Eagle Bermuda
One of the most iconic courses in American golf, Harbour Town Golf Links opened in November 1969 just in time for the inaugural Heritage Classic — now the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, the PGA Tour's annual Hilton Head stop typically held the week after The Masters. Pete Dye, with Jack Nicklaus as design consultant, crafted a tight, tree-lined par-71 layout that prizes shotmaking over distance. Small Tif Eagle Bermuda greens, strategic railroad-tie bunkering, and the unforgettable par-4 18th framed by the candy-striped Harbour Town Lighthouse and Calibogue Sound have made this course a perennial fixture on national Top 100 lists. The course underwent a complete restoration in 2025, reopening in November.
Non-resort guests pay an entry fee of approximately $9 per vehicle to access Sea Pines. Caddies available (recommended gratuity $100 single, $75 double). Course closed May–November 2025 for restoration.
Greens: Tif Eagle Bermuda
Heron Point is Pete Dye's second signature at Sea Pines Resort, born from a multimillion-dollar reconstruction of the original 1963 Sea Marsh Course. Dye moved more than 400,000 yards of dirt to reshape the corridors, creating dramatic mounding, swales, and a layout that keeps players constantly off-balance with shifting elevations and risk-reward decisions throughout all 18 holes. A 2014 refinement softened green contours and enlarged several putting surfaces, transitioning greens to the same Tif Eagle Bermuda found at Harbour Town. With a marsh-side setting and Dye's trademark theatrical bunkering, Heron Point is the island's best-value top-tier test.
Shares the modern clubhouse complex with Atlantic Dunes. Forecaddies and walking caddies available. Same $9 Sea Pines entry fee applies.
Greens: Bermuda
Atlantic Dunes is the newest of Sea Pines Resort's three courses, a complete rebuild of the old Ocean Course by Davis Love III — a five-time RBC Heritage champion who knows this island intimately. Love's design moves toward the Atlantic through sweeping fairways framed by native dunes and coastal vegetation, with the par-5 17th at 592 yards (Love tees) playing as the course's longest and most dramatic hole. The wide, receptive fairways make Atlantic Dunes the most beginner-friendly of the three Sea Pines courses while still presenting a true championship test from the back markers (74.3/143).
The 'punchbowl' green on the par-5 14th and the oceanside par-3 15th rank among the most photographed holes on the island. Shares the Heron Point clubhouse.
Greens: Champion Bermuda
The original Palmetto Dunes course and the first built on the property (completed 1969), the Robert Trent Jones layout winds alongside the resort's famous 11-mile lagoon system, with water coming into play on more than half the holes. The par-5 10th reveals an inspiring ocean view, a rare treat on this inland-feeling layout. A $4 million renovation in 2002 by Roger Rulewich — a former RTJ understudy — elevated the 10th green and added junior tees to modernize the course while preserving Jones's strategic intent. Toptracer Range is located on this course for interactive pre-round warm-up.
Palmetto Dunes operates a military discount (mention at booking, present ID at check-in, valid for tee times booked within 24 hours). Cart fee included. Tee times: 866-380-1778 or online.
Greens: Diamond Zoysia
The only par-70 public golf course on Hilton Head Island, the George Fazio Course compensates for its reduced par with a relentless string of demanding long par-4s — beginning with the 432-yard opener and closing with a 462-yard finisher. The course was one of the youngest ever to appear on Golf Digest's 100 Best Courses list and was named South Carolina Golf Course of the Year by the SC Golf Course Owners Association. Diamond Zoysia greens add firmness and speed rarely found at other island courses. With only two par-5s on the card, scoring opportunities are limited and the layout is widely regarded as Hilton Head's toughest per-par challenge.
No driving range on-site; use the Arthur Hills range before your round. The signature par-4 15th ('Fazio Signature Hole') at 445 yards features lagoon right and bunkers left with no bailout — the island's most demanding approach shot.
Greens: Tifdwarf Bermuda
Built in 1986 on a series of rolling sand dunes and tight tree-lined corridors, the Arthur Hills Course is the most topographically interesting of Palmetto Dunes's three layouts. Ten holes border water, and Hills's use of the natural dune ridges creates elevation changes unusual for the Carolina coast. The course hosted college tournaments in the 1990s featuring Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and David Duval, and earned a Fodor's Golf Digest 4.5-star rating and South Carolina's '2009 Course of the Year' honor. The newly renovated Arthur Hills Grill and clubhouse make this the most comfortable 19th hole in the Palmetto Dunes complex.
After 2 p.m., 9-hole rates available — ideal for families or beginners. Traditional driving range open to the public with or without a tee time.
Greens: Bermuda
Robber's Row sits on the scenic marsh side of Port Royal Plantation on ground that served as Civil War battlefields — historical markers scattered across the course describe actual events that unfolded on the island. Originally designed in 1967 by Cobb and Byrd, the course received a significant 1994 redesign by Pete Dye that sharpened its strategic demands while preserving the generous tree-lined fairways. Despite those wide driving zones, the approach game is where Robber's Row extracts its toll: well-protected Bermuda greens tucked among magnolias and live oaks punish imprecise irons. Carts included in green fee.
Port Royal Golf Club (Heritage Golf Group) manages two 18-hole courses: Robber's Row and the Barony Course. Both open to the public year-round. Driving range on property.
Greens: Diamond Zoysia
Shipyard Golf Club is a 27-hole facility built in 1970 by Cobb and Byrd, consisting of three interconnected nine-hole loops — Clipper, Galleon, and Brigantine — that can be combined into three distinct 18-hole experiences. The Brigantine nine is a particular standout, winding around lagoons through classic Lowcountry terrain. The course's relatively modest rating and slope compared to the Sea Pines triumvirate make Shipyard a popular choice for mid-handicappers seeking an enjoyable resort round without the premium price point. Managed by Heritage Golf Group alongside Port Royal.
27 holes allow three different 18-hole combinations (Clipper-Galleon, Clipper-Brigantine, Galleon-Brigantine). Year-round public access. Driving range available.
Know a Hilton Head-area course that should be on this list? Let us know.
Report a CourseHilton Head Island itself does not host a four-year university, but the nearest collegiate golf program is the University of South Carolina Beaufort Sand Sharks, located approximately 30 miles northwest on the mainland in Beaufort, SC. The Sand Sharks compete in NCAA Division II golf in the Peach Belt Conference. The program finished fourth at the 2026 Peach Belt Conference Championship and has produced competitive results in recent NCAA Regional play. The island's resort economy does not revolve around a local college program — Hilton Head's golf identity is defined entirely by its resort and private club ecosystem, anchored by the PGA Tour's annual RBC Heritage at Harbour Town.
USC Lowcountry Spartans golf competes in the Big South Conference. The Hilton Head-based program draws on the region's strong golf infrastructure with competitive teams and strong local recruiting ties.
Five championship courses including The Ocean Course — host of the 2021 PGA Championship and 1991 Ryder Cup. Pete Dye oceanfront links masterpiece routinely ranked among the top public courses in America.
The cradle of American golf. Nine championship courses headlined by the legendary No. 2 — a Donald Ross masterpiece and perennial U.S. Open host.
Six championship courses along the shores of Lake Oconee featuring designs by Jack Nicklaus, Bob Cupp, Rees Jones, and Tom Fazio.
New Hampshires only 18-hole Nicklaus Design course. Ranked #6 best Nicklaus-Designed course by value worldwide. 36 holes total with the new Vineyard Course. Luxury rental homes and year-round mountain recreation.
Three distinct championship courses — Red (Coore/Crenshaw), Blue (Tom Doak), Black (Gil Hanse). All three consistently rank among the top 100 public courses in America.
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