Insider’s Guide to a Golf Trip to Hilton Head, America’s Golf Island
The Hilton Head Island region, with its 26 courses spread over Beaufort, Bluffton and Jasper counties, gives Michigan golfers plenty of championship-caliber layouts to choose from when heading to the U.S. mid-South – and the perfect time to visit the Lowcountry is the mid-to-late fall, with highs in the 70s in November and 60s in December. Winter brings highs in the 50s and 60s with plenty of sunshine.
Transporting from our Great Lakes State to “Hilton Head, America’s Golf Island” is easier than ever for have-clubs-will travel Michigan golf lovers. Delta Air Lines offers direct seasonal service from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) to Savanah Hilton Head International Airport (SAV). Additionally, year-round, one-stop flights are offered on various airlines into both SAV and Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH).
To help kick-start your golf trip planning, here’s a sample itinerary including iconic on-island venues, like The Sea Pines Resort, and upstart off-island options, like Old South Golf Links.
Planning Your Trip
Using a local expert is absolutely key. Director of Sales Dominic Hausher at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort says there are several travel hacks out there that savvy traveling golfers can follow to have an unforgettable Hilton Head Golf Island trip. For one, start with accommodations with March to mid-May and September to mid-November as the best timing.
“I recommend building a golf plan around your budget,” says Hausher. “For budget-conscious golf groups, November and early December feature the best rates on golf and course conditions are still great. There is affordability from January to mid-March, but the days are shorter. Peak rates are in the March to mid-May and September to mid-November.”
He also points out that if you’re from Michigan and don’t mind highs that dip below 70, you can get the best rates on lodging and golf in late November and December. January through President’s Day are fairly slow, but the days are much shorter – so the 27 and 36-hole days are basically out of the question. Course maintenance generally takes place from mid-May into August.
How Best to Play America’s Golf Island Itinerary
Day One
Those arriving at “The Golf Island” via the north end and Business 278 will immediately come upon Oyster Reef Golf Club. Opened in 1982, this scenic Rees Jones-designed layout was recognized by Golf Digest as one of the best new courses in the U.S.
Tipping out at 7,000 yards with a 139-slope rating, Oyster Reef continues to beguile experienced players while also appealing to average and novice golfers with its spectacular setting. Jones returned in 2018 to lead a full-scale bunker renovation project, restoring the course to its circa 1982 splendor.
If you missed a meal in transit, grab a much-needed bite to eat and a cold beer at the LagerHead Tavern, which showcases Southern comfort food with a twist. Local favorites include slow-smoked Smithfield ham and grilled oysters plucked from the nearby May River.
Day Two
Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III is the newest course at The Sea Pines Resort, having opened in 2016. It was forged from what was once the oldest course on Hilton Head Island, the resort’s Ocean Course. Love Golf Design, led by Scot Sherman and Mark Love, restored the property’s coastal aesthetic, restoring natural dune lines and adding coquina shells and native seaside grasses.
Stick around Sea Pines in the afternoon for a round on Heron Point by Pete Dye, formerly the Sea Marsh Course. Dye returned in 2014 to oversee a series of enhancements, including softening green surrounds and contours, enlarging several putting surfaces and adding new ornamental landscape.
Day Three
No Sea Pines experience is complete without a round at famed Harbour Town Golf Links, home of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage. This Dye/Nicklaus collaboration epitomizes Lowcountry course design replete with live oak-lined corridors, diminutive greens and Dye’s trademark bulkheads lining languid lagoons.
Walking off the 16th green and toward the tee box on the par-3 17th, the Calibogue Sound comes into view with yachts and sailboats passing leisurely by. Harbour Town culminates with one of America’s most famous finishing holes, the par-4 18th playing into the iconic Harbour Town Lighthouse (the cover shot, credit Rob Tipton and The Sea Pines Resort).
Post-round, settle in for a signature cocktail at Links, an American Grill, in the stunning new Harbour Town Clubhouse. If it is remotely close to dinner (or not), order up one of Links’ signature filet, strip, or porterhouse steaks.
Day Four
The Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort is widely considered the island’s No. 2 pitcher, drawing upon a baseball analogy. Having opened in 1967 just two years before Harbour Town, the two courses’ histories are inexorably linked.
Jones’ former protégé Roger Rulewich updated the course in 2002, elevating the fairway on the signature par-5 10th hole for even better views of the Atlantic Ocean. Credited with designing the majority of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Rulewich spent considerable time reworking every tee box and green.
Before heading out for an afternoon round on Palmetto Dunes’ George Fazio Course, make time for a hearty lunch at Big Jim’s BBQ, Burgers & Pizza at the Robert Trent Jones Course clubhouse. Big Jim’s is open seven days a week serving three meals a day, making it easy for golfers to grab a bite whenever it’s convenient.
The George Fazio Course is Hilton Head Island’s only par-70, and with a slope of 144 from the 6,873-yard back tees, it’s considered by many to be the most difficult resort course on the island. With just two par 5s and a series of meaty par 4s, proper tee selection is paramount.
Extended Stay and Play
Many northern golfers like to hang their golf hat and stay for a while after making the trek south. For an extended stay, the Bluffton area just off the island is a veritable golf destination unto itself. Start with Old South Golf Links, one of the region’s best kept secrets when it comes to pure Lowcountry golf. Designed by local golf course architect Clyde Johnston, Old South is the only area public course playing along the Intracoastal Waterway.
The front and back nine views, with MacKay Creek and the Calibogue Sound in the distance, are among the best in the region and are a great way to welcome your golf group to the Lowcountry.
Hilton Head National, located just a smooth 3-wood from Old South, has long been considered one of the region’s best public venues. The design is a Gary Player/Bobby Weed collaboration, with PGA Tour design consultant Weed crafting the front nine and the Black Knight the back.
Weed’s nine presents larger greens with more severe undulations, while Player’s nine offers smaller, flatter putting surfaces. A handful of holes require forced carries over water, but there are ample opportunities to play the ball on the ground.
For those on an even longer extended golf trip or those who prefer fitting in even more golf, be sure and check out on-island courses like the Palmetto Hall Golf and Country Club (Bob Cupp course and the recently renovated Arthur Hills course), Golden Bear Golf Club and Dolphin Head Golf Club, and off-island courses like The Legends at Parris Island, Fripp Island Resort (36 holes), Pinecrest Golf Club, Island West Golf Club and Sun City (54 holes).
Where to Stay
For sheer convenience on the island, it’s hard to top a rental home or villa at The Sea Pines Resort or Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort. These vacation residences are fully-appointed with all the amenities of home, including flat screen TVs, washers and dryers, wireless internet and fully-equipped kitchens. Hilton Head Island also offers beachfront hotels at The Westin, Marriott and Sonesta.
Dining and Nightlife
There are more than 250 restaurants on Hilton Head Island covering the spectrum from local watering holes to fine dining establishments. The island is well known for its many fresh seafood dining options, so make sure to visit the exquisite Lowcountry waterfront dining options at Skull Creek Boathouse or Skull Creek Dockside.
Expert golf vacation planners are available to help you design your ideal Hilton Head Golf Island golf trip. Click here to complete a brief form and to receive a custom quote.
