Hilton Head Golf Courses Ranked: The 2026 Tier List
Twelve championship courses inside twenty minutes. Harbour Town on top, the value picks underneath, the one course you can skip. A local's ranked list.
Hilton Head has more championship golf per square mile than anywhere in the US except Pinehurst. Twelve courses inside a twenty-minute radius, four nationally ranked, and one (Harbour Town) that hosts the PGA Tour every April. Most visitors play one or two and leave. The optimized golf trip plays four in five days and picks each for a reason. Here is the ranked list we send to every golf group.
The 2026 Hilton Head golf landscape at a glance
Most Hilton Head golf is resort-play, which means you book through the resort at either the guest rate (cheaper) or the non-guest rate. Stay-and-play packages almost always beat retail green fees; we have priced dozens. Here is the compressed view:
| Course | Designer | Location | Peak green fee (retail) | Public/resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbour Town Golf Links | Pete Dye | Sea Pines | $400-550 | Sea Pines resort guests + Heritage |
| Heron Point by Pete Dye | Pete Dye | Sea Pines | $190-250 | Sea Pines resort guests |
| Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III | Davis Love III | Sea Pines | $170-230 | Sea Pines resort guests |
| Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront | Robert Trent Jones | Palmetto Dunes | $195-245 | Public + Palmetto Dunes guests |
| Arthur Hills Course | Arthur Hills | Palmetto Dunes | $165-210 | Public + Palmetto Dunes guests |
| George Fazio Course | George Fazio | Palmetto Dunes | $165-210 | Public + Palmetto Dunes guests |
| Shipyard Golf Club (27 holes) | George Cobb / Willard Byrd | Shipyard | $130-175 | Public |
| Port Royal Golf Club (3 courses) | Fazio / Cobb / Jones | Port Royal | $135-185 | Public |
| Palmetto Hall (2 courses) | Arthur Hills / Robert Cupp | North island | $125-165 | Public |
| Oyster Reef Golf Course | Rees Jones | North island | $120-160 | Public |
| May River Golf Club | Jack Nicklaus | Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton | $275-350 | Montage Palmetto Bluff guests |
| Old South Golf Links | Clyde Johnston | Bluffton | $90-140 | Public |
Stay-and-play pricing beats retail by 20-40% on every course above. Book through the resort (Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes, Montage) and pair green fees with lodging for the best math. For Harbour Town specifically, there is no public-play equivalent; you need to be inside the gate.
- 01
Harbour Town Golf Links (Sea Pines)
Pete Dye · Par 71 · 6,973 yards · Sea Pines resort priorityThe best single course in the Southeast and the crown jewel of Hilton Head golf. Host of the RBC Heritage every April. Famous for the 18th hole with the red-and-white lighthouse framing the green. Tight fairways, small greens, and a finishing stretch that rewards shot-shaping. Stay-and-play through Sea Pines Resort is the only reliable way to book; 120-day priority window for resort guests.
- 02
Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront (Palmetto Dunes)
Robert Trent Jones · Par 72 · 7,004 yards · PublicThe 10th hole plays directly along the Atlantic, making RTJ the only course on Hilton Head with an oceanfront golf shot. Ranked top-50 resort course by Golfweek. Recently re-bunkered and greens regrassed. Best time to play: early morning for the ocean breeze and light. Pair with Arthur Hills and Fazio on a 3-day Palmetto Dunes package.
- 03
May River at Palmetto Bluff (Bluffton)
Jack Nicklaus · Par 72 · 7,174 yards · Montage guestsTechnically off-island (20 min in Bluffton) but worth the drive. Nicklaus design threading live oaks and marsh. The service level at Montage Palmetto Bluff is unmatched in the region. A round here plus one night at the Montage plus dinner at the May River Grill is the S-tier Lowcountry golf experience. $275-350 green fees.
- 04
Heron Point by Pete Dye (Sea Pines)
Pete Dye · Par 71 · 7,035 yards · Sea Pines guestsSea Pines' second Dye course, renovated in 2007. Wider fairways than Harbour Town, slightly more forgiving, still Pete Dye-strategic. The best-value S-tier round on the island at $190-250. Most golf groups actually prefer this to Harbour Town for day-to-day play; Harbour Town is ceremony, Heron Point is golf.
- 01
Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III (Sea Pines)
Davis Love III · Par 72 · 7,010 yards · Sea Pines guestsThe newest Sea Pines course (renovated 2016 from the old Ocean Course by Davis Love's firm). Links-style feel, exposed dunes, challenging winds. Reasonable difficulty for mid-handicappers. Best call when Heron Point is booked. $170-230 retail.
- 02
Arthur Hills Course (Palmetto Dunes)
Arthur Hills · Par 72 · 6,651 yards · PublicThe most forgiving of the three Palmetto Dunes courses. Lagoon-laced layout with generous landing areas. Best for mid to high handicappers or the first round of a trip when you want to warm up. Pairs well with the tougher RTJ on Day 2.
- 03
George Fazio Course (Palmetto Dunes)
George Fazio · Par 70 · 6,873 yards · PublicTighter than Arthur Hills, with only two par-5s (rare). Rewards accuracy over distance. Often overlooked by visitors who assume “Fazio” means Tom Fazio (it doesn't; George was Tom's uncle). A legitimately good test; lower green fees than the bigger names.
- 04
Port Royal Golf Club (3 courses)
Robert Trent Jones / George Cobb / Pete Dye · PublicThree 18-hole tracks in one location. Planters Row (RTJ) is the strongest; Robbers Row (Cobb) the most historic. Good choice when Sea Pines and Palmetto Dunes are booked or when you want variety at a lower price point. Worth it in the mid-March to mid-May sweet spot.
- 01
Palmetto Hall Plantation
Arthur Hills / Robert Cupp · Public · North islandTwo solid courses 25 minutes north of the action. Lower green fees ($125-165), less crowded on weekdays. Good value if you're staying on the north end or if the main-island courses are booked. Otherwise, the drive is an additional tax.
- 02
Oyster Reef Golf Course
Rees Jones · Public · North islandA Rees Jones design (Robert Trent Jones' son) with a legitimate par-3 over salt marsh. Not destination-worthy on its own, but a respectable value round. Best for a group that wants more golf than Sea Pines and Palmetto Dunes can provide in a 5-day trip.
- 03
Shipyard Golf Club (27 holes)
George Cobb / Willard Byrd · Public · Mid-islandThree nines (Brigantine, Clipper, Galleon) combined into 18-hole rotations. Brigantine plus Galleon is the good round. Clipper is always the weakest nine; skip it if the tee sheet lets you. Decent value ($130-175) and convenient mid-island location.
- 04
Old South Golf Links (Bluffton)
Clyde Johnston · Public · 20 min off-islandThe best budget round in the region ($90-140). Clyde Johnston layout on a former rice plantation. Not a championship test but genuinely enjoyable for a mid-trip afternoon round when the S-tier courses have priced you out.
Tee-time booking priority, by course
The single biggest mistake on a Hilton Head golf trip is assuming you can book Harbour Town walk-up or 30 days out. You cannot. Here is how each course's tee sheet actually opens:
| Course | Resort-guest priority | Public booking | Booking reality (peak) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbour Town Golf Links | 120 days (Sea Pines Resort only) | 30 days (rare cancellations) | Book Sea Pines lodging 4+ months out |
| Heron Point / Atlantic Dunes | 90 days (Sea Pines Resort) | 30 days | Good availability inside 45 days |
| RTJ Oceanfront / Arthur Hills / Fazio | 60 days (Palmetto Dunes stay) | 30 days (all 3 open) | Tee times inside 2 weeks are feasible |
| Shipyard / Port Royal / Palmetto Hall | No resort priority | 60 days open to public | Walk-up Monday-Thursday often works |
| May River (Montage) | 90 days (Montage stay only) | Not public | Stay at Montage or skip |
| Old South / Oyster Reef | No priority tier | 60 days open | Easy to book inside 1 week |
Stay-and-play math, honestly
Retail green fees plus separate lodging is almost always worse economics than a stay-and-play package. A three-round Sea Pines stay-and-play (Harbour Town + Heron Point + Atlantic Dunes over 4 nights at the Inn & Club at Harbour Town) runs roughly $299-399/player/night with breakfast, rounds, and villa lodging included. Same three rounds retail plus the same lodging runs $300-450/player/night more. The stay-and-play is simply a better number.
The one exception: if your group is 8+ and you want a standalone villa, direct villa booking plus retail green fees can beat the resort package because the villa economics scale. We run the numbers both ways for every group.
A 4-round, 5-day Hilton Head golf trip
The optimized trip most groups ask us for:
- Day 1: Arrive, warm-up round at Atlantic Dunes. Casual, get the body moving.
- Day 2: Heron Point morning. Afternoon range session or bike ride.
- Day 3: Harbour Town Golf Links. The ceremony round. Book the 10 a.m. tee time, lunch at Quarterdeck after.
- Day 4: Recovery day. Beach, pool, and a walk to the lighthouse.
- Day 5: May River at Palmetto Bluff or RTJ Oceanfront as the finale. Different vibe, different designer, strong closing round.
For the full trip logistics including lodging, dinner reservations, and non-golf programming, see the Hilton Head golf trip guide and the Hilton Head golf packages landing page.
Hilton Head golf courses: frequently asked questions
- What is the best golf course on Hilton Head?
- Harbour Town Golf Links, without serious debate. It's a PGA Tour venue, hosts the RBC Heritage every April, and has the most iconic 18th hole in the Southeast (lighthouse, Calibogue Sound, small green). Heron Point and Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront are the closest seconds; Heron Point for Pete Dye purists, RTJ for the oceanfront shot.
- Can the public play Harbour Town Golf Links?
- Technically yes, but reliably no. The course prioritizes Sea Pines Resort guests with a 120-day booking window. Public tee times open at 30 days and are almost always full by that point. If you want to play Harbour Town, book a stay-and-play package through Sea Pines Resort 4+ months out. Non-guests who show up looking for a walk-up round nearly always leave disappointed.
- How much does a round at Harbour Town cost?
- Peak-season green fees run $400-550 for non-guests and $325-450 for Sea Pines Resort guests. Stay-and-play packages effectively net the round to $200-275 per player when bundled with 4+ nights of lodging. Heritage week (April 13-19, 2026) the course is closed to public play.
- Is Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront really oceanfront?
- The 10th hole plays directly along the Atlantic, with the beach visible from the tee. It's the only actual oceanfront golf hole on Hilton Head. The rest of the course is inland but within 300 yards of the ocean. Call it “oceanfront” in the literal PGA-marketing sense; not every hole is on the water.
- How many golf courses are on Hilton Head Island?
- Twelve championship-grade courses inside Hilton Head and Bluffton (20 minutes off-island). Counting the three nines at Shipyard and the three courses at Port Royal as one “course” each, the total is 12. Within 30 minutes including Palmetto Bluff and beyond, the count exceeds 20.
- When is the best time of year to golf on Hilton Head?
- March through May and October through early November. Course conditioning peaks in March after winter overseeding. October delivers dry, 75°F afternoons with the greens still dense. Summer golf is playable but the humidity and afternoon storms force morning-only play. Winter golf is the budget play: cooler air, slower greens, 30-40% lower green fees. See the weather and best time guide.
- What is a stay-and-play package on Hilton Head?
- Bundled lodging plus green fees plus usually daily breakfast, sold by the major resorts (Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes, Montage Palmetto Bluff). Prices run $299-399/player/night for S-tier courses and $225-325/player/night for A-tier. These beat retail pricing 20-40% and handle the booking priority simultaneously. See the Hilton Head golf packages page.
- Which Hilton Head course is easiest for a beginner or high-handicapper?
- Arthur Hills Course at Palmetto Dunes for a full championship layout with wider fairways and forgiving landing areas. Old South Golf Links in Bluffton at a lower price point. Oyster Reef is also reasonable. Avoid Harbour Town if you're over a 20 handicap; the small greens and demanding approach shots will frustrate you at $450 a round.
- Is Shipyard Golf Club worth playing?
- Yes on the Brigantine and Galleon nines; the Clipper nine is the weakest 9 holes in the main Hilton Head course rotation and we routinely steer groups away. Shipyard's pricing ($130-175) makes it a fine value round when the bigger names are booked.
- How far ahead do I need to book a Hilton Head golf trip?
- Harbour Town stays: 9-10 months out for RBC Heritage week, 4-6 months out for March-May peak. Other Sea Pines and Palmetto Dunes packages: 3-4 months out in peak. Non-resort public courses (Shipyard, Port Royal, Palmetto Hall): 2-4 weeks out is fine. For a full trip plan, see the golf trip guide or contact us.
Plan your Hilton Head golf trip
A Hilton Head golf trip lives or dies on the Harbour Town tee time, the stay-and-play structure, and the non-golf nights (S-tier dinners matter). If you want us to handle the whole thing, the Hilton Head golf packages page is the trip-type planner, and the $450 itinerary service includes the 4-round schedule plus lodging plus dinner reservations. For the full trip overview, see the Hilton Head golf trip guide.
Let us plan your trip around it.
The guide is free. A custom itinerary is $450 flat. Takes the research off your plate entirely.
