Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III

Atlantic Dunes is functionally a new course on the site of the original Ocean Course, the first golf course ever built on Hilton Head Island. Davis Love III, a Lowcountry native, completed the rebuild in 2016 with his own design firm. The course shares its predecessor's address and nothing else. Spanish moss hangs from the live oaks, native grasses and coquina shell accents give the corridors a texture that feels indigenous, and water appears on almost every hole as a defining element rather than a punitive hazard.

You're playing 7,065 yards, par 72, rating 74.3, slope 143. Legitimate length, with the difficulty distributed across strategic decisions rather than brute-force carries. Fairways give you room off the tee, but approach angles change meaningfully depending on where your drive finishes. Love's green complexes are receptive from the correct angle and resistant from the wrong one. Plan two shots ahead and the course rewards you. Default to firing at flags and it doesn't.