Berkeley Hall, Bluffton SC

Buying here means joining the club. Every one of the 554 homes and homesites carries a Berkeley Hall family membership that passes to the next owner when the property is sold. This is the equity membership, and it is limited to the same 554. The club also offers a Signature membership, a non-equity category for people who do not own here, with a limited number available.

Both kinds carry unlimited golf and use of the clubhouse, spa, fitness center and River Park, plus tournament play. The club does not publish its initiation fees or dues, so ask for them in writing; for Signature membership, call (843) 815-8494.

The clubhouse is Jeffersonian in style, with a veranda over the course, and a recent renovation gets warm reviews from members. The club has its own dining, and the spa and fitness center is the wellness hub, which reviewers single out. The clubhouse also hosts events, from family holiday parties to business summits, and the Berkeley Hall Charitable Foundation serves the Lowcountry community.

Racquet sports are played on Har-Tru clay, for tennis and pickleball. Two professionals run year-round clinics for all ages, plus private lessons, and there are match-play clinics, round robins, leagues and an annual tournament, with a refreshment terrace for after play.

River Park is Berkeley Hall’s riverfront, on the Okatie River. A community dock is the place to fish or watch wildlife, and a launch takes kayaks and paddleboards onto the water. The club says the park has ten miles of nature trails, with rustic bridges under moss-draped live oaks, for walking and biking.

Fishing is part of the appeal: redfish, trout and flounder in the salt water, and largemouth bass, catfish, carp and tilapia in the freshwater ponds, which are catch-and-release. Members can borrow fishing gear at no charge. The park is also where the club holds oyster roasts and sunset cruises.

The club’s property search lists four kinds of property: completed homes, homesites for custom building, lifestyle homes and homesites, and lifestyle and golf cottages, from grand estates to Lowcountry-inspired cottages. Settings include houses overlooking the river, houses beside the fairways and quiet cul-de-sacs, and the community works with custom builders including AR Homes and Seacoast Classic Homes.

For what is on the market now, what to ask about dues, and how the membership transfers, see our Berkeley Hall homes for sale page.

The two Tom Fazio courses have their own page: see Berkeley Hall Golf Club. The courses are private, for members and their guests. For courses anyone can book, see our Hilton Head golf courses directory.