A complete reconstruction of Hilton Head's first golf course, with water on nearly every hole and Spanish moss overhead.
The original Ocean Course at Sea Pines Resort was the first golf course built on Hilton Head Island. By 2014, it needed more than a renovation. Davis Love III, a Lowcountry native who grew up on Sea Island and whose design firm had already established a reputation for sensitive restorations, was brought in to build what is functionally a new course on the old site. The result is Atlantic Dunes, which shares its predecessor's address and nothing else.
Love's design leans into the natural features of the Sea Pines landscape. Water appears on almost every hole, not as a punitive hazard but as a defining element that shapes strategy and frames views. Spanish moss hangs from the live oaks that line the corridors, and native grasses and coquina shell accents give the course a texture that feels indigenous rather than manufactured. The aesthetic is distinctly Lowcountry, and it distinguishes Atlantic Dunes from the manicured resort look that characterizes many of its peers.
At 7,065 yards from the tips with a par of 72, the course offers legitimate length. The rating of 74.3 and slope of 143 indicate a layout that demands quality ball-striking, though the difficulty is distributed across strategic decisions rather than brute-force carries. The fairways provide room off the tee, but approach angles change meaningfully depending on drive placement. Love's green complexes are receptive from the correct angle and resistant from the wrong one, a design approach that rewards the golfer who plans two shots ahead.
The course's position within Sea Pines means that the same $9 gate fee for non-residents applies. Green fees of $120 to $180 place Atlantic Dunes in a different category from its famous neighbor at Harbour Town. For golfers staying at Sea Pines, the combination of a Harbour Town round and one or two rounds at Atlantic Dunes represents a strong use of the resort's golf inventory. The course provides a less pressured, more relaxed atmosphere than Harbour Town while maintaining a design standard that reflects Love's professional playing career and architectural ambition.
Atlantic Dunes may lack the tournament history that gives Harbour Town its weight, but it offers something Harbour Town does not: a round where the Lowcountry landscape feels like the primary character rather than the backdrop. The water, the moss, the native plantings, and the light through the oaks combine into one of the more atmospheric rounds on the island. It is the Sea Pines course that grows on you.
The only Arnold Palmer design in the area, with six sets of tees and green fees that start at $34.
The lighthouse, the tournament, and a Pete Dye design that has not stopped being relevant for more than fifty years.
Pete Dye returned to Sea Pines nearly four decades after Harbour Town and built a course that plays like a conversation between two eras.
Two distinct design voices on a single routing, with time-of-day pricing that rewards flexible scheduling.
Lowcountry marsh golf at mainland prices, with a slope of 141 that keeps the design honest.
The thinking player's course at Palmetto Dunes, where lagoons wind through ten holes and accuracy matters more than distance.
The only par 70 on the island, built around long par 4s and Diamond Zoysia greens that separate the Palmetto Dunes trio by temperament.
The first course at Palmetto Dunes, and the one that best represents the Jones Sr. philosophy of bold bunkering and strategic risk-reward.
A wooded corridor through towering pines and moss-draped oaks, away from the plantation resort atmosphere.
One of the first courses on the island, where small greens and thick rough reward accuracy over ambition.
Twenty-seven holes across three nines, with a green fee range wide enough to accommodate nearly any budget.