The short answer: Hilton Head Island has more than 20 courses, most walled inside gated resort communities, so the resort you pick decides which courses you can play without a drive. The Sea Pines Resort owns the marquee, Harbour Town Golf Links; Palmetto Dunes (Omni and Marriott) has the island's best oceanfront golf; Port Royal sits at the Westin; and Shipyard anchors the Sonesta. All four were verified operating in June 2026.
By Morten Andersen, Co-Founder · Last updated: June 11, 2026
We may earn a commission when you book through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Rankings are editorial; we never accept payment for placement. Course designers, hole counts and hotel status below were checked in June 2026 against resort and course sources and PGA Tour coverage. Tee-time access and stay-and-play rates change seasonally, so confirm directly before you book.
The four resorts, by the numbers
On a gated island, the useful metric is not how many courses exist but how many you can reach from your room. Here is how the four stack up on the course each one is built around.
| Resort | Community | Home course(s) | Headline |
|---|
| The Sea Pines Resort | Sea Pines | Harbour Town + 2 more | PGA Tour's RBC Heritage venue |
| Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront | Palmetto Dunes | 54 holes, 3 courses | RTJ Oceanfront, a rare ocean hole |
| Westin Hilton Head | Port Royal | Port Royal, 3 courses | Three layouts at the gate |
| Sonesta Resort | Shipyard | Shipyard, 27 holes | Three nines, walkable from the room |
How this guide was checked
This is a short, course-led list rather than a full directory. Each resort was confirmed operating and bookable in June 2026, and each entry leads with the verifiable golf fact, designer, hole count, tournament pedigree, that actually separates them. One timely note: Harbour Town Golf Links closed in May 2025 for a six-month restoration and reopened in November 2025, in time to host the 2026 RBC Heritage (April 13–19). Where a resort shares a course complex with a neighbour (Palmetto Dunes serves both the Omni and the Marriott), that is stated plainly.
The resorts, course pedigree first
1
Sea Pines · The marquee
Harbour Town Golf Links · RBC Heritage venue
The fact that matters: Sea Pines owns Harbour Town Golf Links, co-designed by Pete and Alice Dye with a young Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1969, the course that put Hilton Head on the golf map and still hosts the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage each April beside its red-and-white lighthouse 18th. It is one of three resort courses here, alongside Heron Point (Pete Dye) and Atlantic Dunes (Davis Love III).
Recent news: Harbour Town reopened in November 2025 after a six-month restoration of greens, bunkers and bulkheads led by Love Golf Design, then hosted the 2026 RBC Heritage in April. For lodging right on the course, the on-property Inn & Club at Harbour Town sits by the 18th.
Honest note: Harbour Town is the priciest, hardest-to-book round on the island, and tee times around the April tournament vanish months ahead. It is also a precision course that punishes wayward driving, less forgiving for high handicaps than the island's resort layouts.
Source: The Sea Pines Resort; Hilton Head Sun.
Read our Sea Pines review →
2
Palmetto Dunes · Oceanfront golf
Palmetto Dunes · 54 holes
The fact that matters: the Omni sits inside Palmetto Dunes, a 54-hole golf community whose star is the Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course, opened in 1968, whose par-five 10th is one of only two true oceanfront holes on the entire island. The complex adds the George Fazio course (a par-70 that stretches close to 7,000 yards) and the Arthur Hills layout.
Worth knowing: Palmetto Dunes also houses the Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa, so the same three courses serve two resorts; pick on the hotel, not the golf.
Honest note: the famous ocean view is one hole, not the whole round, much of Palmetto Dunes plays inland through lagoons. It is a strong, varied complex, but do not book it expecting eighteen holes along the Atlantic.
Source: Palmetto Dunes; Hilton Head Island Visitor & Convention Bureau.
Read our Omni Hilton Head review →
3
Port Royal · Three courses at the gate
Port Royal Golf Club · 3 courses
The fact that matters: the oceanfront Westin sits in Port Royal Plantation, beside the Port Royal Golf Club and its three courses, including the well-regarded Barony. For a golfer who wants variety without leaving one community, three layouts at the gate is the draw.
Beyond the round: the Westin is a full oceanfront resort with a spa and three pools, which makes it an easy pick for a mixed golf-and-beach group.
Honest note: Port Royal is solid resort golf rather than a bucket-list course; nobody flies in specifically for it the way they do for Harbour Town. Treat the three-course access, not a single signature layout, as the reason to stay.
Source: Golfbreaks; HiltonHead.com.
Read our Westin Hilton Head review →
4
Shipyard · Walkable golf
Shipyard Golf Club · 27 holes
The fact that matters: the Sonesta anchors Shipyard, one of the larger resort communities, and its Shipyard Golf Club offers 27 holes across three nines (the Clipper and Galleon nines date to 1970), giving you flexible nine- or eighteen-hole combinations a short hop from the room.
Who it suits: golfers who value an easy, walkable base and ocean access over a trophy course, often at gentler rates than Sea Pines.
Honest note: like Port Royal, Shipyard is dependable rather than famous. If a single landmark round is the point of the trip, this is a comfortable base from which to drive to Harbour Town rather than the destination itself.
Source: Sonesta Hilton Head; HiltonHead.com.
Read our Sonesta Hilton Head review →
One more, just off the island
If you will travel for the golf, the strongest Lowcountry round near Hilton Head is not on the island at all. Montage Palmetto Bluff, about 30 minutes inland at Bluffton between Hilton Head and Savannah, is built around the May River Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course that opened in 2004 (Nicklaus returned to restore it in 2017) and runs 7,171 yards through ancient oaks on eco-friendly Paspalum turf. It is semi-private, open to members and Montage guests, and the most polished single course in the area outside Harbour Town.
How to plan a Hilton Head golf trip
Three rules keep the trip efficient on a gated island. First, stay where you want to play: most courses sit inside resort communities, so a hotel in Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes, Port Royal or Shipyard buys you the easiest access to that community's golf. Second, book Harbour Town early or skip the April window; the RBC Heritage drives the island's busiest, priciest week, and tee times go months ahead. Third, lock in stay-and-play packages and tee times when you reserve the room, since guest rates and prime slots are arranged in advance, not on arrival. Any of these four resorts works as a hotel; the differences are entirely about the course at the gate.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Hilton Head resort has the best golf?
- The Sea Pines Resort, home of Harbour Town Golf Links. Co-designed by Pete and Alice Dye with a young Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1969, Harbour Town hosts the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage each spring and is the most decorated course on the island. Sea Pines also runs Heron Point and Atlantic Dunes, giving guests three resort courses on one property.
- Can you play Harbour Town Golf Links if you are not a tour pro?
- Yes. Harbour Town is a resort course open to guests and the public by tee time, not a private club, though it is the most expensive and most sought-after round on the island, especially around the RBC Heritage in April. It reopened in November 2025 after a six-month restoration of greens, bunkers and bulkheads led by Love Golf Design with Davis Love III as consultant. Book well ahead.
- Which Hilton Head resort is best for oceanfront golf?
- Palmetto Dunes, home to the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort and the Hilton Head Marriott. Its 54 holes include the Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course, which opened in 1968 and whose par-five 10th is one of only two true oceanfront holes on all of Hilton Head Island, alongside the George Fazio and Arthur Hills courses.
- How many golf courses are there on Hilton Head Island?
- Hilton Head Island has more than 20 golf courses, most grouped inside its gated resort communities (or plantations): Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes, Port Royal and Shipyard among them. Where you stay usually decides which courses you can reach without leaving the gates, which is why this guide is organised by the course attached to each resort.
- When is the best time for a Hilton Head golf trip?
- Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) bring the most comfortable temperatures and firmest conditions. April is busiest and priciest because of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town. Summer is hot, humid and family-heavy; winter stays playable but cooler. Book marquee tee times and any stay-and-play package when you reserve the room.
