Dolphin Head Golf Club

Dolphin Head Golf Club is the island’s oldest course still in play and its most affordable round — a Gary Player design open to the public since 1974, tucked inside Hilton Head Plantation. It plays short by resort standards, but tight, tree-lined fairways and marsh carries mean it rewards accuracy over length. For the island’s other eighteen courses, see the full Hilton Head golf courses directory.

Dolphin Head Golf, Hilton Head Island’s Oldest Course

Gary Player and Ron Kirby opened Dolphin Head in 1974 as Hilton Head Plantation’s first golf course, and it’s still the oldest course on the island in continuous play. The greens were rebuilt in 1993 by Clyde Johnston, but the routing keeps Player’s original character — a front nine that winds through tall pines with his signature bunkering, and marshland coming into play on most holes. It plays short and puts a premium on hitting fairways and greens rather than raw length.

Unlike the resort courses at Sea Pines or Palmetto Dunes, Dolphin Head is public, daily-fee golf — no resort stay or membership required, and generally the least expensive round on Hilton Head Island.

Where Is Dolphin Head Golf Club?

Dolphin Head Golf Club is on High Bluff Road inside Hilton Head Plantation, on the northern end of Hilton Head Island, SC. Some booking sites list the Dolphin Head golf course HHI, SC address as 56 High Bluff Rd — Hilton Head Plantation is a gated community, but the course itself is open to the public, so check in at the community gate as a golf guest on your way to the clubhouse.