Colleton River Club
Ranked · 8 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf Courses in Hilton Head

Hilton Head Island is the Lowcountry's golf capital, a quiet barrier island of moss draped oaks, salt marsh and Bermuda fairways that holds more than twenty courses within a short drive. At its heart is Harbour Town, the Pete Dye classic that hosts the PGA Tour each spring. Here are the eight rounds we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Colleton River Club, Noel Hayes, via Google

How we chose them

Few American resort destinations pack as much good golf into as small a radius as Hilton Head. The two anchor resorts, The Sea Pines Resort and Palmetto Dunes, between them hold six courses you can book with a room, and across the bridge in Bluffton sit some of South Carolina's finest private clubs. Pete Dye's fingerprints are everywhere, from the world famous Harbour Town to Heron Point and Long Cove, alongside Davis Love III, Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Arthur Hills.

Every fact here, from designers and opening years to host events, was checked at the time of writing. The verdicts are ours, and the order reflects our editors' view rather than any single published list. We weight the public and resort courses most heavily because they are the ones you can actually book, and flag the private clubs clearly. Green fees quoted elsewhere on the site are indicative and seasonal, dearest around the RBC Heritage in April. If you want these built into a costed trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.

The ranking

01

Harbour Town Golf Links

Pete Dye with Jack Nicklaus, 1969 · par 71 · Sea Pines Resort

The most famous course on the island and one of the most recognisable in American golf. Pete Dye, with a young Jack Nicklaus consulting, built a tight, tactical par 71 of small greens, tree lined corridors and the candy striped lighthouse that frames the closing hole along Calibogue Sound. It has hosted the RBC Heritage every spring since 1969 and reopened after a full restoration ahead of the 2026 event. The number one round in the Lowcountry, and a public resort course you can book with a stay.

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02

Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III

Davis Love III, 2016 · Sea Pines Resort

A complete reconstruction of the island's original course, the old Ocean Course, reimagined by Davis Love III and his brother Mark and opened in 2016. The result is a flowing, natural Lowcountry layout of coquina shell, sandy waste areas and sea grass that was named National Golf Course of the Year in 2017. Walkable, characterful and a fine modern complement to Harbour Town, it is the other course Sea Pines guests should not miss.

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03

Heron Point by Pete Dye

Pete Dye, redesigned 2007 · Sea Pines Resort

The third course at Sea Pines and a thoroughly modern Pete Dye design, rebuilt by the architect in 2007 and named Course of the Year in 2016. Water, wetlands and Dye's trademark angles give it more bite than its quiet setting suggests, and it completes one of the strongest three course resorts in the country. A demanding, well conditioned round that rewards a trip beyond Harbour Town alone.

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04

Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course

Robert Trent Jones · par 72 · Palmetto Dunes

The signature course at Palmetto Dunes and the one with the rarest asset on the island, a genuine oceanfront hole. Robert Trent Jones routed it so the par 4 tenth runs straight toward the Atlantic, a view few Hilton Head courses can offer. The rest is classic resort golf of generous fairways, lagoons and palms, eminently playable and the most popular round at the resort. A relaxed, scenic counterpoint to the Dye courses.

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05

George Fazio Course

George Fazio · par 70 · Palmetto Dunes

The toughest test at Palmetto Dunes, a tight par 70 from George Fazio with only two par 5s and a set of demanding par 4s. Named Course of the Year in 2015, it is the thinking player's round at the resort, less about scenery than about strategy and ball striking. A good pairing with the easier Oceanfront and Hills courses for golfers who want variety across a few days.

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06

Arthur Hills Course

Arthur Hills · Palmetto Dunes

The third Palmetto Dunes course, an Arthur Hills design that winds through rolling dunes, lagoons and a network of water that comes into play on much of the round. More undulating than its neighbours and full of risk and reward shaping, it rounds out a resort that can keep a group busy for three full days without leaving the gates. Friendly, attractive Lowcountry golf with a bit more movement underfoot.

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07

Long Cove Club

Pete Dye, 1981 · private members club

Many who know the island rate Long Cove as its finest course, a Pete Dye masterwork of large greens, framing mounds and two holes skirting the marsh that his crew, which included a young Tom Doak and Bobby Weed, built after he finished TPC Sawgrass. It sits among Golfweek's top residential courses in the country. Private and members only, so access takes the right introduction, but worth knowing for a special occasion trip.

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08

Colleton River Club, Dye Course

Pete Dye, 1992 · private, near Bluffton

Across the bridge on the mainland, the Dye Course at Colleton River is the one Pete Dye himself called the best he ever built, finishing on a peninsula flanked by the Colleton River with the marsh and water everywhere. A private club paired with a Jack Nicklaus course on the same property, it is the standout of the Bluffton estates. Access is for members and their guests, so plan ahead, but the golf is championship class.

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Designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026. Courses one to six are public resort courses you can book with a stay; Long Cove and Colleton River are private. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Play the best of Hilton Head

Tell us which of these are on your list and roughly when, and whether you want to base at Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes or add a private club. One concierge arranges the access, tee times and base and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.

Hilton Head golf questions

What is the best golf course in Hilton Head?

Harbour Town Golf Links at The Sea Pines Resort is the clear number one, the Pete Dye design that has hosted the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour every spring since 1969 and that reopened after a full restoration ahead of the 2026 event. Atlantic Dunes and Heron Point, both also at Sea Pines, are its closest public rivals. Reasonable people will reorder the courses below the top one.

When is the best time to play golf in Hilton Head?

Hilton Head plays best in spring, from March to May, and again in the autumn from September to November, when the Lowcountry is warm and dry and the Bermuda turf is at its best. Summer is hot and humid with afternoon storms, and rates are highest around the RBC Heritage in April. Winter is the value season but greens can be overseeded and cooler.

Can you play Harbour Town as a visitor?

Yes. Harbour Town Golf Links is a resort course open to the public, with the best access and rates for guests of The Sea Pines Resort booking a stay and play package. Tee times are dynamically priced and dearest around the RBC Heritage and through the spring peak. Always confirm directly before booking.

How many golf courses are there in Hilton Head?

Hilton Head Island and the neighbouring mainland around Bluffton hold more than twenty courses, including the three at The Sea Pines Resort, the three at Palmetto Dunes, and a cluster of private clubs such as Long Cove and Colleton River across the bridge. It is one of the densest resort golf destinations in the United States.

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.