Arthur Hills Golf on Hilton Head Island
Two island courses by one of America’s most prolific golf architects, and how to play both.
Arthur Hills was one of the busiest American golf course architects of the last half-century, with more than 200 new courses to his name, and two of them are on Hilton Head Island: the Arthur Hills course at Palmetto Dunes, which opened in 1986, and the Arthur Hills Course at Palmetto Hall, which followed in 1991. Both sell public tee times, so a visitor can play the pair in one trip. For every other course on the island, see the Hilton Head golf courses directory.
Arthur Hills Designed Golf Courses on Hilton Head
The two courses share a designer and not much else. Palmetto Dunes’ course sits inside the oceanfront resort in the middle of the island, and Palmetto Hall’s is on the north end near the airport, at a club with a second course by Robert Cupp. Each card has the yardage, the scorecard and a tee-time button.
18 holes · Par 72 · 6,651 yds · Slope 139
Rolling terrain and lagoon views, one of Palmetto Dunes’ three resort courses.
Designer: Arthur Hills
18 holes · Par 72 · 6,918 yds · Slope 147
One of Palmetto Hall’s two courses, at an antebellum-style clubhouse just northwest of the airport.
Designer: Arthur Hills
How His Hilton Head Courses Play
Hills built courses that ask for position before power, and both island layouts show it. At Palmetto Dunes, lagoons come into play on 10 of the 18 holes, and the par-3 15th plays toward Hilton Head’s oldest lighthouse, which stands just past the green. It measures 6,651 yards from the back tees at par 72, with a slope of 139.
Palmetto Hall’s course is the longer and harder of the two: 6,918 yards, par 72, with a slope of 147 from the back. It was laid out on the site of a Civil War-era garrison, Golf Digest put it on its list of America’s Top 10 New Courses the year it opened, and in 2024 the Lowcountry and South Carolina golf course owners associations each named it Course of the Year.
Arthur Hills, Golf Course Designer (1930 to 2021)
Hills was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1930 and studied landscape architecture at Michigan State University. His first course, Brandywine Country Club in Toledo, opened in 1967, and over the next five decades his firm, later Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest and Associates, built more than 200 new courses and reworked more than 120 others, several of them ahead of USGA and PGA championships. He died on May 18, 2021.
He never had the fame of the architects behind the island’s marquee courses, Pete Dye at Harbour Town and Robert Trent Jones at the Palmetto Dunes oceanfront course. Palmetto Dunes’ own writers call him one of the best, if most underrated, architects in the game’s history.
Playing Both Arthur Hills Courses in One Trip
The two courses are a short drive apart. Book each through the tee-time button on its card, or look at a multi-course package: the Palmetto Dunes golf packages pair a villa stay with rounds on its three resort courses, and Hilton Head golf packages and deals covers the island-wide options.
Another Arthur Hills Course Nearby
The closest other Hills design is Morgan River at Dataw Island Club, which opened in 1993 on St. Helena Island near Beaufort, about an hour’s drive north. Dataw is a residential club community, so ask the club about guest play before you plan around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Arthur Hills?
An American golf course architect, born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1930, who designed more than 200 new courses and renovated more than 120 others. He died in 2021.
How many Arthur Hills golf courses are on Hilton Head Island?
Two: the Arthur Hills course at Palmetto Dunes, opened in 1986, and the Arthur Hills Course at Palmetto Hall, opened in 1991.
Can the public play the Arthur Hills courses on Hilton Head?
Yes. Palmetto Dunes’ course is a resort course open to the public, and Palmetto Hall is semi-private, with public tee times sold alongside member play.
Which Arthur Hills course on Hilton Head is harder?
Palmetto Hall’s, on the numbers: 6,918 yards with a slope of 147 from the back tees, against 6,651 yards and a slope of 139 at Palmetto Dunes.
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