Golf

GOLF PARADISE

Take your best swing

Some of the prettiest courses in the Southeast are found right here in Bluffton. But the courses’ beauty often belies their difficulty. Bring your best as you step on these Bluffton links.

6th hole at Hilton Head National Golf Club

COURSES with CHARACTER

Waterside views and moss-draped greens set the scene for golf in Bluffton.

Relax on the patio at May River Golf Course

14th hole at May River Golf Course at Palmetto Bluff

Like all other aspects of life in Bluffton, golf courses draw inspiration from their riverside surroundings. Mossy oak trees, wire grass borders and May River views give the links a distinct sense of place.

Whether you’re a beginner attempting to craft your swing, member of a longtime friend group reconnecting over a round, or seasoned golfer looking for a new challenge, you’ll find your fit.

The private May River Golf Course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and is located at Montage Palmetto Bluff. Inviting for players of all skill levels, the private course features wide fairways and greens overlooking the course’s namesake river. Tee boxes and fairways are outfitted in Paspalum, the newest eco-friendly turf. Warm up at the state-of-the-art practice facility. The course challenges golfers mentally with abundant water and white-sand bunkers dominating your view, and undulating slopes demand both skill and patience.

Known for its quality play and warm customer service, Old South Golf Links is located minutes from downtown Bluffton, just before the bridge to Hilton Head Island. The public course immerses you in surrounding marshes with views of the Intracoastal Waterway. The many creatures who inhabit this natural area — wood storks, hawks, and deer — have become informal course mascots. Before or after your round, relax in the The Southern Cafe that overlooks the lagoon.

Hilton Head National Golf Club continues to garner accolades, consistently receiving “reader’s choice” honors from multiple Lowcountry publications. The public course touts several unusual characteristics. Hall of famer Gary Player designed nine holes on the course, while former PGA TOUR design consultant Bobby Weed designed the other nine. The course is also free of residences. The course is simply greens and nature. Of Hilton Head National, Player remarked: “It is truly a treat to be given 300 acres of the best treerich bottomland that I have ever seen.”

Old South Golf Links

A JOY TO PLAY

“This course was a joy to play” is the common refrain from golfers finishing their round at Hilton Head National Golf Club.

Located a mile west of the island bridges, this gem has been heralded for more than 30 years as the best consistently conditioned layout in the Lowcountry. Golf Advisor routinely lists it among the Top 15 courses in South Carolina.

Hall of Famer Gary Player and course architecture award winner Bobby Weed used their distinctive design philosophies in ways that make every club in your bag important. But, as golfers will tell you, it’s a course that’s challenging.

The course boasts immaculately groomed TifEagle Ultra greens that run fast and true. The opening holes by Weed offer several strategic risk-reward challenges. The Signature 6th, a par 4, has bordered its entire fairway by a treacherously close lagoon on the right with dangerous pot bunkers on the left. The back nine is tighter and rewards players with a good short game. Most memorable for many, however, is the abundance of wildlife, with no houses in sight. 843.842.5900 hiltonheadnational.com

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Old South was awarded the 2021 Lowcountry Golf Course of the Year by the Lowcountry Golf Course Owners Association.

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LOWCOUNTRY LINKS

Old South Golf Links is the only public course bordering the salt marshes of the Intracoastal Waterway and offers six holes with spectacular water views — especially at high tide. This unique location provides a scenic, challenging and well-maintained golf course that has become highly regarded as a favorite of locals and visitors.

The long list of accolades is the best testament to what makes Old South Golf Links special. Chosen “Lowcountry Golf Course of the Year” by local golf course owners, Old South is one of only three courses in South Carolina to be GEO Certified. Old South has been named “Best in Bluffton” and voted the locals favorite place to play for the past 10 years by Hilton Head Monthly Reader’s Choice Awards.

Be sure to shop the fully stocked Pro Shop or book a lesson with one of their PGA Professionals. The

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on-site Southern Cafe offers light breakfast and every golfer’s lunch favorites. Enjoy dining inside, on the screened porch or outside in the Shark Lounge. All seating options overlook the beautiful landscaped lagoon and large practice green.

A quick trip over the bridge to the first traffic light on the mainland rewards you with Lowcountry golf at its finest, the friendliest staff in town and exceptional value. A great day of golf is waiting! 843.785.5353 oldsouthgolf.com G oldsouthgolf e oldsouthgolfhhi