Dispatch № 12Spring 2026
Hilton Ahead
№ 01Golf

Hilton Head golf courses

There's no single 'best' Hilton Head course — there's the best course for your group. Start with the lay of the land, then let the finder narrow twelve options to your three.

The 12 courses · at a glance

Where each course sits on the island.

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  1. 1
    Harbour TownSea Pines

    Pete Dye · $550 · S-tier

  2. 2
    RTJ OceanfrontPalmetto Dunes

    Robert Trent Jones · $245 · S-tier

  3. 3
    May RiverBluffton

    Jack Nicklaus · $350 · S-tier

  4. 4
    Heron PointSea Pines

    Pete Dye · $250 · S-tier

  5. 5
    Atlantic DunesSea Pines

    Davis Love III · $230 · A-tier

  6. 6
    Arthur HillsPalmetto Dunes

    Arthur Hills · $210 · A-tier

  7. 7
    FazioPalmetto Dunes

    George Fazio · $210 · A-tier

  8. 8
    Port RoyalPort Royal

    Trent Jones / Cobb / Dye · $185 · A-tier

  9. 9
    Palmetto HallNorth Island

    Arthur Hills / Robert Cupp · $165 · B-tier

  10. 10
    Oyster ReefNorth Island

    Rees Jones · $160 · B-tier

  11. 11
    ShipyardShipyard

    George Cobb / Willard Byrd · $175 · B-tier

  12. 12
    Old SouthBluffton

    Clyde Johnston · $140 · B-tier

Quiz · 30 seconds

Find your three-course lineup.

Five answers. We rank the 12 Hilton Head + Bluffton courses for your group and budget.

Group's typical handicap
Scenery you came for
Access flexibility
Per-round budget
Days of golf — 3
1 day5 days
Your lineup
  1. 1. RTJ OceanfrontS-tier

    Robert Trent Jones · $245

    • Ocean views you asked for
  2. 2. Heron PointS-tier

    Pete Dye · $250

  3. 3. Arthur HillsA-tier

    Arthur Hills · $210

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How the courses differ

Pedigree — designer and tournament history

At the top sits Harbour Town Golf Links, the Pete Dye design that hosts the RBC Heritage each April. Other courses carry names like Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio, and Arthur Hills, and Bluffton's May River at Palmetto Bluff is a Jack Nicklaus signature. The finder weights this as course 'tier.'

Access — public vs. resort-guest

Some courses welcome any public booking; others give priority (or better rates) to guests of the affiliated resort, and a couple are private. If you're not staying inside Sea Pines or Palmetto Dunes, filter the quiz to public-play so you only see what you can actually book.

Scenery — ocean, marsh, or Lowcountry forest

The views are part of the round. A few holes touch the Atlantic or Calibogue Sound, many wind through salt marsh, and others run under live oaks and Lowcountry pines. Tell the quiz what you came to see and it favors courses that deliver it.

Hilton Head golf questions

№ 01How many golf courses are on Hilton Head Island?

Counting the island and immediately neighboring Bluffton, there are about a dozen courses commonly played on a Hilton Head golf trip — a mix of resort, semi-private, and public layouts. The map above pins all twelve we track, with designer, location, and green fee for each.

№ 02What is the best golf course on Hilton Head?

By reputation and ranking it's Harbour Town Golf Links — the RBC Heritage host with the iconic lighthouse 18th. But the 'best' course for your trip depends on your handicap, budget, and what you want to see. That's exactly what the quiz above sorts out, returning a three-course lineup tuned to your group.

№ 03Which Hilton Head golf courses are open to the public?

Several courses take public tee times directly; others prioritize resort guests or offer them better rates, and a couple are private clubs. Set the access filter in the quiz to 'public-play only' and it drops anything you'd need a resort stay to book.

№ 04What are the most forgiving courses for higher handicappers?

Generally the resort and value-tier courses play more forgiving than the championship layouts — wider corridors, fewer forced carries, and friendlier green complexes. Set your handicap band to 19+ in the quiz and it nudges its picks toward the more playable tracks while still keeping the scenery you asked for.

№ 05How much does a round of golf cost on Hilton Head?

Most courses run roughly $100–$250 in season including cart; premium tracks like Harbour Town climb past $300 in peak weeks. Twilight, winter, and summer-afternoon rates are meaningfully cheaper. Each pin on the map shows the course's peak green fee.

Plan the rest of your golf trip

An invitation

Tell us when you're coming.
We'll handle the rest.

Three minutes of questions. One business day until we come back with a quote. No sales pitch. The trip gets built for you, not for whatever the algorithm happens to be boosting this week.