Palmetto Hall - Arthur Hills Course

The Arthur Hills Course at Palmetto Hall sits in the interior of Hilton Head Island's north-central section, away from the oceanfront resorts and the plantation communities that define most golf on the island. Hills and Spencer Holt designed the course in 1991 through heavily wooded terrain where towering pines and moss-draped oaks create corridors that feel more inland Lowcountry than coastal resort.

The layout plays 6,918 yards from the tips with a rating of 73.7 and a slope of 136. That puts it among the longer courses on the island, and it plays every bit of its yardage through the tree-lined corridors. The forest setting means wind matters less than on the exposed resort courses, but the trees themselves narrow the corridors and put a premium on tee shot accuracy. The signature par-4 18th provides a strong finish, with the approach demanding both distance and direction to find the green in regulation.

As a semi-private course managed by Heritage Golf Group, Palmetto Hall operates with a different feel than the resort offerings. Public tee times are available, the atmosphere is quieter, and the absence of resort orchestration is precisely the appeal for some golfers.

The Hilton Head course that feels least like a resort experience, set in mature pine and oak corridors away from the plantation atmosphere. For golfers who value a quiet round with genuine architectural interest, this is exactly the right note.