Southeast
Southeast
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
The red-and-white lighthouse behind Harbour Town's 18th green is the most photographed finish in American resort golf, and you can book a tee time on it.
Overview
Hilton Head Island is a foot-shaped barrier island in the South Carolina Lowcountry that has spent fifty years perfecting the art of the golf trip. It is the refined alternative to Myrtle Beach two hours up the coast: live oaks draped in Spanish moss, buildings held to a strict low-rise code, 60-plus miles of paved bike paths, and resort communities that were master-planned before anyone used that phrase. Groups come here when they want serious golf without a rowdy strip, and when a few members of the party would rather be on the beach than on the range.
The headline is Harbour Town Golf Links, the Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus collaboration that hosts the RBC Heritage every April and finishes with that lighthouse framing the 18th. It plays only 7,099 yards at par 71, which tells you everything: this is a course about tiny greens, forced angles, and nerve rather than power. Sea Pines backs it with two more resort tracks, Heron Point by Pete Dye and Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III, so you can build a three-day stay without leaving the gates. A few miles north, Palmetto Dunes runs the value play with the Robert Trent Jones Course and the more forgiving Arthur Hills Course, both a fraction of Harbour Town's price.
Practically, this is one of the easiest golf destinations in the Southeast to run. Savannah's airport is under an hour away, everything on-island is a short drive or a bike ride, and the resorts are built for groups of four to twelve. The vibe is polished and family-tolerant rather than boozy, which makes it a strong pick for a buddy trip where half the group brings a spouse. Book around RBC Heritage week in mid-April unless you want to be part of it, and know that Harbour Town's dynamic pricing swings hundreds of dollars between peak and shoulder season.
Courses · 5
Harbour Town Golf Links
Resort · Championship
$375-$650
Best for: The bucket-list round of the trip and the one everyone will talk about afterward. It is short enough that mid and high handicaps can enjoy it from the right tees, though the small greens punish loose iron play.
Insider tip: This is not a driver course. At 7,099 yards from the tips and far less from the member tees, Harbour Town rewards position off the tee and precision into greens that are among the smallest on the PGA Tour. Book a caddie or at least take the forecaddie option, because the correct lines are not obvious and the local knowledge pays for itself.
Heron Point by Pete Dye
Resort · Championship
$150-$250
Best for: Golfers who want a full Pete Dye test without the Harbour Town price tag. A strong second round for a group that takes its golf seriously.
Insider tip: Heron Point is the harder course of the two Dye designs on property and plays a full 7,000 yards, so pick a sensible tee box. Because it lives in Harbour Town's shadow it is chronically underrated and rarely crowded, which makes it the best pace-of-play round on the island.
Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III
Resort · Moderate
$125-$200
Best for: Mixed-skill groups and the most relaxed round of the trip. Wide corridors and generous recovery angles make it forgiving without being dull.
Insider tip: This was a ground-up redesign of the old Ocean Course in 2016, so the conditioning and drainage are the best on the property after rain. If a storm rolls through overnight, this is the course that will play cleanest the next morning.
Robert Trent Jones Course (Palmetto Dunes)
Resort · Moderate
$100-$200
Best for: Value-conscious groups and anyone who wants a classic, readable Robert Trent Jones layout with real Lowcountry scenery.
Insider tip: The 10th is the one oceanfront golf hole on the island and the reason most people book this course, so make sure your group knows it is coming. The layout is lagoon-heavy throughout, which means wind direction matters more than yardage; check the flag before every water carry.
Arthur Hills Course (Palmetto Dunes)
Resort · Approachable
$100-$175
Best for: The arrival-day warm-up, the fourth round of a long trip, or any group with a wide handicap spread. At 6,651 yards it is the most player-friendly track on the island.
Insider tip: Use this one strategically rather than skipping it. It is the shortest and gentlest course here, which makes it the right call for the round after a late flight or the day someone in the group is nursing a sore back. The dune contouring is more interesting than the scorecard suggests.
Lodging
Premium
The Inn & Club at Harbour Town
$350-$800Sea Pines' flagship lodging, sitting steps from the 18th green and the marina. Staying here delivers the earliest tee-time windows at Harbour Town, which is the single most valuable thing you can buy on this island. Rooms are large and the service is genuinely butler-level. Best for groups who came primarily for the golf and want to walk to the first tee.
Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort
$250-$550A full-service oceanfront property inside Palmetto Dunes with direct beach access, multiple pools, and on-site dining. It pairs naturally with the RTJ and Arthur Hills courses a few minutes away. The oceanfront rooms are worth the upcharge for a group that will spend afternoons on the sand. A comfortable middle ground between resort polish and reasonable pricing.
Mid-Range
Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort
$200-$500The value engine of Hilton Head golf: three courses, a beach, an extensive tennis center, and a lagoon system you can kayak. Villas and condos here handle groups better than hotel rooms, with full kitchens and shared living space. Golf packages bundling the RTJ and Arthur Hills courses bring the per-round cost down sharply. The best pick for a group traveling with families.
Sea Pines vacation rentals
$200-$600Houses and villas scattered inside the Sea Pines gates, from two-bedroom condos to large homes with pools. Splitting a four or five bedroom house across eight golfers usually lands well under hotel pricing per person, and you get a kitchen and a common room for the evening card game. Many rentals include Sea Pines amenity access, though confirm whether golf booking privileges are part of the package before you assume them. Book six months out for spring dates.
Dining
Michael Anthony's
$$$$Italian
Widely considered the best restaurant on Hilton Head and the obvious choice for the big group dinner. Handmade pastas, a deep Italian wine list, and a kitchen that has been consistent for two decades. Reservations are essential and should be made weeks ahead for spring and fall weekends.
The Quarterdeck
$$$Seafood
Sits right at the Harbour Town marina with the lighthouse overhead and fresh catch on the board daily. The rooftop is the place to be at sunset, and it is a short walk from the 18th green after your round. Book ahead, especially for the upstairs seating.
Skull Creek Boathouse
$$$Seafood
Waterfront dining over the Intracoastal on the island's quieter north end, with a sprawling deck built for sunset. The vibe is louder and more casual than Harbour Town, which suits a group in golf shirts. No reservations on the deck, so arrive early or expect a wait.
One Hot Mama's
$$BBQ
Award-winning ribs and wings in a loud, unpretentious room off Coligny. This is the lunch or late-night stop that reminds everyone they are in South Carolina. Walk in with any size group and they will make it work.
Pro Tips
- 1
Harbour Town uses dynamic pricing that swings hundreds of dollars with demand. Playing in late spring or early fall instead of peak April can save $200 or more per round on the exact same course.
- 2
Sea Pines has three courses, so build your stay around them. Pairing Harbour Town with Heron Point or Atlantic Dunes on consecutive days gets you package pricing and priority tee times without ever leaving the gates.
- 3
RBC Heritage week in mid-April is the island's biggest event. Either plan around it entirely or lean in and buy tickets, but do not book a normal golf trip that week and expect normal availability or normal rates.
- 4
Palmetto Dunes is the better value play. Three solid courses, a full oceanfront resort, and green fees roughly a third of Harbour Town's make it the smart base for groups watching the total trip cost.
- 5
Rent bikes on arrival. The island has 60-plus miles of paved paths and biking to dinner or the beach is faster than driving William Hilton Parkway in season, plus it is the thing everyone remembers.
- 6
Book a caddie or forecaddie at Harbour Town. The greens are tiny, the correct lines off the tee are counterintuitive, and on a $500 round the caddie fee is the cheapest stroke-saving investment available.
Sample Itineraries
weekend getaway
3 daysDay 1: Fly into Savannah, drive up mid-morning, and shake off the travel with an afternoon round on the Arthur Hills Course at Palmetto Dunes; casual dinner at One Hot Mama's. Day 2: The main event, an early tee time at Harbour Town Golf Links with a caddie, then lunch and sunset drinks at The Quarterdeck overlooking the marina, followed by the group dinner at Michael Anthony's. Day 3: Morning round at Heron Point by Pete Dye, a quick lunch, and the drive back to SAV. Three days is enough to bracket the bucket-list round with two very good ones.
full trip
5 daysDay 1: Arrive at Savannah, check into a Sea Pines rental or the Omni at Palmetto Dunes, and warm up on the Arthur Hills Course; dinner at Skull Creek Boathouse for the sunset over the Intracoastal. Day 2: Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes for the oceanfront 10th, afternoon on the beach, dinner at One Hot Mama's. Day 3: Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III in the morning, bike the island paths in the afternoon, dinner at The Quarterdeck. Day 4: Harbour Town Golf Links with a caddie, the lighthouse climb afterward, then the trip dinner at Michael Anthony's. Day 5: Morning round at Heron Point by Pete Dye, or swap in a fishing charter for the non-golfers, then drive to SAV. Five days plays all five courses and still leaves beach time.
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