If you ask a Lowcountry local where life really begins around here, don’t be surprised when they point toward the nearest tee box. Hilton Head Island and Bluffton built their reputation on world-class golf, but it’s the easygoing rhythm behind every round that keeps people coming back. Sunlight filtering through live oaks, salt air drifting off the May River, neighbors waving from rocking-chair porches. Golf is the hook. The lifestyle is the clincher.

This corner of South Carolina sits at the top of every serious golfer’s must-play list for good reason. Between Hilton Head’s legendary oceanfront fairways and Bluffton’s private championship enclaves, the options read like the lineup at a PGA fantasy camp. Sea Pines. Palmetto Bluff. Belfair. Colleton River. Oldfield. Berkeley Hall. Every community comes with its own personality, pace, and perks, and every course feels like a story waiting to unfold.

And here’s the part that turns vacationers into homeowners. Golf here isn’t just a sport. It’s a way into a community. A built-in social calendar. A front-row seat to the Lowcountry lifestyle. Many of our clients start with a tee time and end up picking out paint colors.

Why Our Golf Scene Is in a League of Its Own

Consider this your quick tour through what makes the Hilton Head and Bluffton golf landscape unmatched:

Championship pedigree
Harbour Town Golf Links and Atlantic Dunes aren’t just gorgeous. They’re icons. Every April, the RBC Heritage brings the best in the game to Sea Pines. It’s tough not to get spoiled when world-class play is practically in your backyard.

Private enclaves that feel like a retreat
Palmetto Bluff’s May River Golf Course, Belfair’s Tom Fazio duo, Colleton River’s Dye and Nicklaus designs, Berkeley Hall’s two Core courses. These communities aren’t just about fairways. They’re about lifestyle. Spa days, riverfront dining, pickleball leagues, and neighbors who quickly become your people.

Public and semi-private favorites
Hilton Head National, Old South Golf Links, Crescent Pointe, Pinecrest. Bluffton’s public access lineup holds its own against private clubs across the country. You don’t need a membership to have a great round here.

A density of courses you won’t find anywhere else
Within 15 miles of Bluffton, you’ll find:
• 57 total golf courses
• 31 public
• 26 private
• 48 eighteen-hole layouts
• 4 nine-hole tracks
If golf is your love language, you’re in the right place.

Communities That Let You Live Right on the Fairway

If you’re thinking about putting down roots near your favorite course, here's a look at the communities where the fairway is part of your backyard rhythm.

Hilton Head Island
• Sea Pines Resort (Harbour Town, Heron Point, Atlantic Dunes)
• Palmetto Dunes (Robert Trent Jones, Arthur Hills, George Fazio)
• Hilton Head Plantation (Country Club of HH, Dolphin Head, Oyster Reef)
• Indigo Run (Golden Bear)

Bluffton
• Palmetto Bluff
• Belfair
• Colleton River
• Berkeley Hall
• Oldfield
• Rose Hill
• Hampton Hall
• Moss Creek

Every neighborhood brings a different vibe. Some lean family-friendly. Some run full luxury retreat. All of them put the Lowcountry’s natural beauty on full display.

Ready To Live Where You Play?

Whether you’re chasing oceanfront fairways or dreaming of a quiet golf-side cottage under the live oaks, the Hilton Head and Bluffton market has a place that fits your swing and your lifestyle.

If you want to explore communities, compare amenities, or tour Hilton Head Homes for Sale, Bluffton Homes for Sale, or Beaufort Homes for Sale near your favorite courses, I’m here to help you map it out.

Life here really does start on the first tee. Let’s find the place that lets you play your best round yet.

Hilton Head Island Courses

• Harbour Town Golf Links (Sea Pines Plantation): Public, 18 holes. Designed by Pete Dye with consultant Jack Nicklaus, opened in 1967. Signature 18th hole flanks a famous red-and-white lighthouse. Hosts the annual PGA Tour RBC Heritage (since 1969). (Scenic Carolina Lowcountry layout; Dye’s breakthrough design.)
• Heron Point (Sea Pines Plantation): Resort course, 18 holes. Remodeled by Pete Dye in 2007 on the site of the old Sea Marsh course. Pete Dye’s “diabolical genius” shows in its reshaped fairways, dramatic mounds, and small undulating greens. Guest-playable all year.
• Atlantic Dunes (Sea Pines Plantation): Resort course, 18 holes. Designed by Davis Love III (with Mark Love and Scot Sherman), opened in 2016 as a reconstruction of the old Ocean Course. A classic oceanfront links, dotted with coastal dunes and native grasses, offering wide views and a “breath of fresh ocean air.” (Newest Sea Pines layout.)
• Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course (Palmetto Dunes): Resort course, 18 holes. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., opened 1968. Seaside layout with wide fairways; underwent renovation in 2002. (First of Palmetto Dunes’ three courses.)
• George Fazio Course (Palmetto Dunes): Resort course, 18 holes. Designed by George Fazio, opened 1974. Features mature maritime forest and water hazards along the Intracoastal Waterway.
• Arthur Hills Course (Palmetto Dunes): Resort course, 18 holes. Designed by Arthur Hills, opened 1986. A dune-driven layout with continuous lines of sandhills and palmettos. Golf Digest lauded this as “one of the island’s best golf experiences”.
• Arthur Hills Course (Palmetto Hall Plantation, Hilton Head): Semi-private, 18 holes. Designed by Arthur Hills, opened 1989. Known for its picturesque setting and a dramatic finishing hole (#18) that challenges long approaches. Golf Digest deemed it an instant “classic” upon opening.
• Robert Cupp Course (Palmetto Hall Plantation): Semi-private, 18 holes. Designed by Robert Cupp, opened 1993. Complements the Arthur Hills course in Palmetto Hall Plantation resort community (also offers tennis/pools).
• Barony Course (Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club): Public (resort style), 18 holes. Designed by George W. Cobb in the early 1960s as one of Hilton Head’s first courses. Wide fairways demand precision on approach shots into well-guarded greens. (Historic resort layout, often paired with Robber’s Row.)
• Robber’s Row Course (Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club): Public, 18 holes. Originally by George Cobb and William Byrd (1967), later redesigned by Pete Dye in 1994. Scenic routing through live oaks and marsh, with water on several holes and four strong par-3s. Historical Civil War markers at the tees reflect its heritage site setting.
• Shipyard Plantation Golf Club: Resort, 27 holes (three 9-hole nines: Brigantine, Clipper, Galleon). Designed by George W. Cobb, opened 1970. Players can mix any two nines for an 18-hole round. Brigantine/Clipper combo: 18 holes, Cobb (1970). Tall pines, magnolias and water hazards dominate the scenic three-course layout. (Clipper/Galleon is the toughest 18-hole pairing with long fairways and elevated, bunkered greens.)
• Golden Bear Golf Club (Indigo Run community): Public, 18 holes. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, opened 1992. Nestled in Indigo Run, features rolling terrain, lagoons and generous fairways. Emphasizes strategy over power – wide landing areas reward smart shot placement. (Named after Nicklaus’s nickname, “The Golden Bear.”)
• Dolphin Head Golf Club (Hilton Head Plantation): Semi-private, 18 holes. Designed by Gary Player, opened 1974 as his first Sea Island-area course. Classic Lowcountry layout carved through dunes and marsh, with panoramic saltmarsh views. (Hilton Head Plantation’s oldest course.)
• Oyster Reef Golf Club (Hilton Head Plantation): Public, 18 holes. Designed by Rees Jones, opened 1982. Coastal-mooring feel with tidal creeks; quickly earned recognition as a Top-25 new U.S. course. (A favorite of locals; lush pines and oak-lined fairways.)
• Bear Creek Golf Club (Hilton Head Plantation): Private, 18 holes. Designed by Rees Jones, opened 1979. Championship par-72 (6,804 yards) with five tee sets for all skill levels. Features extensive natural wetlands and tall pines, earning Audubon Sanctuary certification. Noted for its very fast Super-Dwarf TifEagle Bermuda greens.
• Country Club of Hilton Head: Private, 18 holes. (Built 1986 by Pete & P.B. Dye; also known as Hilton Head Plantation Country Club.) Classic Dye style among oaks. (Designed by Pete Dye, 1986 – often cited but outside our sources.)

Bluffton Area Courses

• Belfair Plantation (Bluffton): Private club with two 18-hole courses by Tom Fazio – West Course (opened 1996) and East Course (opened 1999). The East Course plays as a challenging parkland layout; the West (links-style) is renowned on Golf Digest’s Top-100 list. Fun fact: Belfair was the first golf community ever to host the PGA Professional Championship in 2019.
• Berkeley Hall Club (Sun City, Bluffton): Private, two 18-hole courses (North and South). Both are Pete Dye designs (opened ~2002). The North Course winds through lakes and pines; the South Course features dramatic mounding and buttressed greens. (Dye’s son P.B. co-architect.)
• Hampton Hall Club (Bluffton): Private, 18 holes. Designed by Pete Dye, built 2004. A classic Dye signature layout in a residential setting – wide fairways and open landing zones but challenging long par-4s. Well-regarded for its precision shot-making requirement.
• Hilton Head National Golf Club (Bluffton): Public, 18 holes (now). Originally a 27-hole Gary Player design opened in 1989. Sited just off the bridge from the island. (Eminent domain in 2009 reduced it to 18; back nine now by Gary Player, front nine by Bobby Weed.) Measures 6,730 yards. Touted for its superb conditioning and natural setting.
• Crescent Pointe Golf Club (Bluffton): Public, 18 holes. Arnold Palmer signature design, opened 2000. 6,773 yards, par 71. Highlights include a famed island-green par-3 9th (219 yards over marsh) and a dramatic three-hole finish along the Colleton River. “Pure Palmer” style with generous fairways and large bunkers.
• Eagle’s Pointe Golf Club (Bluffton): Semi-private (New Riverside community), 18 holes. Designed by Davis Love III, opened 1998. Par 72 (6,780 yards). A gentler Love III layout with wide fairways and five sets of tees. Noted for spacious design – a contrast to many lowcountry courses, and with strategically placed ponds.
• Old South Golf Links (Sun City/Bluffton): Public (managed by Hilton Head Group), 18 holes. Designed by Clyde Johnston, opened 1991. 6,772 yards, par 72. Trailing holes skirt McKay’s Creek and the Intracoastal Waterway, offering sweeping marsh and sound views.
• May River Golf Club (Palmetto Bluff, near Bluffton): Resort/private (Montage Palmetto Bluff), 18 holes. Jack Nicklaus design, opened 2004. 7,171 yards of championship golf through woods and wetlands along the May River. The back nine uniquely alternates 3-3-3 par combinations (three 3s, four 4s, two 5s). Walking/caddies required (Auberge resort style).
• Colleton River Club (Okatie, near Bluffton): Private, two 18-hole courses. Jack Nicklaus Course (opened 1991) and Pete Dye Course (opened 1996). Both meander through tidal marshes. (Nicklaus’s routing won Golf Digest’s Best New Private in 1993.)
• Oldfield Club (Okatie, Bluffton area): Private, 36 holes (two 18s). One by Pete Dye (built 1980s) and one by Rees Jones (built 1990s). Lush coastal oaks and river views. (Home to a British-founded club with English golf traditions.)