Palmetto Hall Golf & Country Club, Hilton Head Island, SC

Heritage Golf Group – the fastest-growing golf course ownership company in the country – acquired Palmetto Hall Golf and Country Club on Hilton Head Island in 2022. For Heritage Golf Group’s President and CEO Mark Burnett, the decision to purchase Palmetto Hall was easy. “With the resurgence in golf travel and the number of choices golfers have for golf getaways, it’s crucial that we promote our region’s amazing golf, lodging, and culinary assets,” Burnett said. He added, “We are thrilled with the recent addition of Palmetto Hall Golf and Country Club to our portfolio and excited for its inclusion in Hilton Head Golf Island alongside Oyster Reef, Port Royal, and Shipyard.”

Immediately after the acquisition, Heritage Golf Group committed to a multi-million-dollar golf course improvement project. A complete renovation of the Arthur Hills course was completed in the fall. The renovation included new Tiff Eagle Bermuda greens, renovation of all the bunkers and installation of the Better Billy Bunker system, the best drainage system in golf, and extensive tree work.


Palmetto Hall features two golf courses designed by two iconic golf course architects: Arthur Hills and Robert Cupp. Together, these courses have long been considered among the best layouts in the Lowcountry; Heritage Golf Group’s goal is to return them to their former glory. The courses present a compelling contrast – the computer-designed Robert Cupp Course with its ultra-modern shaping and geometric bunkers and the Arthur Hills Course with its traditional look and feel.

The Arthur Hills Course at Palmetto Hall opened in 1991 to rave reviews and that same year was named to Golf Digest’s list as one of America’s Top 10 New Courses. Over the years the magazine has awarded the course 4-stars as one of its “Best Places to Play.” The Arthur Hills course plays 6,918 yards from the back tees with a course rating of 73.8 and a slope of 139. At 6,257 yards (70.6/128), the White Tees will prove to be a formidable foe for most golfers, while ladies will find the course enjoyable from the Red Tees (5,006/70.3/119).

Hills’ signature style is on full display with undulating fairways and a lot of mounding as the course winds its way through heavily wooded forests of moss-draped oaks and towering pines that frame the fairways of many holes. Palmetto Hall’s lush fairways and crystalline lakes give way to large greens that are protected by strategically placed bunkers.

The completely remodeled Arthur Hills course at Palmetto Hall starts you off with the most challenging hole on the course and ends with the Number 2 handicap. The first hole is a 405-yard par 4 (White Tees) that is relatively flat with marshlands on the left side and trees tight on the right. The green has a large false front and sits at an odd angle to the fairway. It’s protected all down the right side by a sand bunker. Did I mention the greens are very quick?

The 8th hole is a challenging par 4 that plays 354 yards from the White Tees. The water on the left side can be carried with a good tee shot, leaving a much shorter approach shot into the green. However, if you push your tee shot right, you could easily find the woods that line the fairway. There are two fairway bunkers in the landing area on the right side that also see a lot of play. Par is a good score here!

Number 18 is the #2 handicapped hole on the golf course and plays 389 yards from the White Tees. It’s a dogleg left par 4 with water all down the left side that most players are going to have to cross twice. Push your drive right and the trees will get you. A good drive will leave a mid-iron into a green with water on the left that comes right up against the green and two traps on the right. It’s one of Hilton Head’s best finishing holes!

Palmetto Hall Golf and Country Club offers a variety of membership categories. It is a bundled community, so if you live in the Palmetto Hall community you must purchase at least a social membership.

Palmetto Hall Golf and Country Club has joined three other classic golf courses on Hilton Head Island - Port Royal, Oyster Reef, and Shipyard Golf Club -and is now part of Heritage Golf Group’s Hilton Head Collection. Visit them online to book your next round or golf vacation package.