Moss Creek, Hilton Head, SC
A private, member-owned gated community on the marsh at the foot of the Hilton Head bridge, with two Fazio golf courses, a private marina and two nature preserves.
Where Moss Creek Is: Hilton Head or Bluffton?
Moss Creek is the last community on the mainland before Hilton Head Island. Its one entrance is on Fording Island Road (US 278), at the first traffic light after you come off the bridges from the island, just past the Moss Creek Village shopping center, and about 15 miles east of I-95 at exit 8. It sits on the marsh of Mackay Creek, and the association counts 11 small sea islands in its waters.
The name causes some confusion. Moss Creek is in Beaufort County on the Bluffton side of the water, so some maps and listings show it as Moss Creek, Bluffton, SC, but its mailing address is Hilton Head Island, SC 29926, which is why most people know it as Moss Creek Hilton Head, or Moss Creek HHI for short. You will also see it called Moss Creek Plantation. The association itself goes by the Moss Creek Community and the Moss Creek Owners Association. It is not the Moss Creek Fish House, a restaurant in Mississippi, or any of the other Moss Creeks in South Carolina.
- Where: Mainland, at the first light off the Hilton Head bridge
- Golf: Two private Fazio courses
- Water: A private marina on Mackay Creek
- Dues: $8,775 a year for a home (2026)
- Renting: Allowed, one month minimum
Visiting Moss Creek: The Gate and Guest Passes
Moss Creek is private and gated, and the gate on US 278 is staffed. Residents drive in on a decal. A guest gets in only if the member they are visiting has told Security first, by calling the pass line at (843) 837-2220 or through the association’s website; the gate then issues a visitor’s pass for the dashboard. Security officers enforce the community’s rules and South Carolina’s traffic laws inside, and speeding is fined hard: 40 mph or more is an automatic $1,000.
There is no public way in. The golf courses, the Clubhouse and its restaurants are for members, their guests and renters, so unlike Hilton Head Plantation, a round of golf or lunch won’t get you a pass on your own. If you are thinking of buying, the association’s Member for a Day program lets a prospective buyer spend a day using the amenities; your realtor books it, or the gate’s realty company does if you don’t have one.
Golf: Two Private Fazio Courses
Golf is the center of Moss Creek. Its two courses, Devil’s Elbow South and Devil’s Elbow North, were designed by George and Tom Fazio, and South, which opened in 1975, runs along the salt marsh of Mackay Creek. Both belong to the members: there are no public tee times, and renters and a member’s unaccompanied guests are kept out of the members’ morning starting times. Every owner is a member, and the optional annual Activity Fee, $1,700 in 2026, buys unlimited golf; without it, members pay by the round. Yardages, ratings and the club’s contacts are on our Moss Creek Golf Club page.
If you are visiting and want to play, the public courses on the mainland are in our Bluffton golf guide, and the island’s, just over the bridge, are on our Hilton Head golf courses list.
The Marina, Clubhouse, Courts and Preserves
The Marina and Bostwick Point
Moss Creek has one of the few private marinas on the mainland, on Mackay Creek, with wet slips from 20 to 50 feet, dry storage for boats and RVs, kayak racks, a launch ramp, five fishing docks and two crabbing docks, on Cedar Island and Peninsula. From the marina it is a short run out to the Intracoastal Waterway. Beside it, Bostwick Point Park has a pavilion with a fire pit, a playground, a fenced half-acre dog park, two bocce courts and two horseshoe pits. For boating off the island, see our Hilton Head boating guide.
The Clubhouse, Pools and Fitness Center
The Clubhouse is where the community eats and meets: a dining room for dressier nights, the Grill for lunch after a round, and the covered Verandah over the marsh for a drink. It is open to members, their guests and renters, not the public. Down at the water, the Bostwick Point pool and fitness complex has a lap pool, a beach-entry pool and a children’s pool, all heated and cooled so they open all year, and an indoor fitness center with classes. The Mackay Creek Grill serves by the pool in season. Stable Gate and Royal Pointe, two of the neighborhoods, have pools of their own.
Tennis, Pickleball and the Equestrian Center
The Moss Creek Racquet Center has seven Har-Tru clay courts, five of them lighted, and four pickleball courts, with leagues, drills and a teaching pro. At the entrance, the association owns a horse barn with fenced paddocks, run by an outside manager who handles boarding and riding lessons ((843) 816-4209). For courts open to visitors, see our Hilton Head tennis and Hilton Head pickleball guides.
Fording Island and Blue Heron Sanctuary
Two nature preserves are kept wild for the residents. Fording Island, near the middle of the community, is an 11-acre island of maritime forest over a tidal creek and oyster beds, reached by two raised boardwalk bridges, with walking trails and two observation decks. Blue Heron Sanctuary, at the north end, is 36 acres of small islands and fresh and brackish water, with a raised trail and boardwalk through it, where wading birds, ducks and alligators live. Leisure trails and a bike path tie them to the neighborhoods.
Moss Creek Vacation Rentals
Moss Creek allows rentals of a month or more. That rules out nightly and weekly vacation rentals, but a home can be let by the month, to winter visitors and other seasonal guests, which is far shorter than Hilton Head Plantation’s six-month minimum or Sun City’s 90 days. So Moss Creek vacation rentals are monthly stays. The association sets the rule, so confirm the current minimum with it before you take a booking.
Renters live by the same rules as owners. The owner or the rental agent tells Security when a renter will arrive and how long they are staying, and the gate issues their pass. Renters can use the courses, courts, pools and Clubhouse by paying the association’s renter fees, though not during the times set aside for members, and tenants staying three months or more buy a $25 long-term rental decal for their car. The owner answers for a renter’s debts and any damage. Most of the area’s vacation rentals are across the bridge, in Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes, Shipyard and around Folly Field, and our Hilton Head vacation rentals guide covers the companies that rent them.
Living in Moss Creek: Dues and Membership
Moss Creek homes for sale near the Hilton Head bridge: live listings, 2026 dues, the $45,000 membership certificate and the rules for renting a home out.
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Moss Creek is member-owned: every property owner is a member of the Moss Creek Owners Association, which owns the golf courses, the Clubhouse, the marina and the preserves and runs the gate and security. The 2026 annual assessment is $8,775 for a home and $7,275 for an empty lot, paid by January 31 or in twelve monthly payments, and it covers the fitness center and pools as well as the upkeep of everything shared. Golf, tennis and a boat slip come with the optional $1,700 Activity Fee. The association even runs the community’s water and sewer, through its own Water Oak Utility.
The number that surprises buyers is the Membership Certificate: every sale of a Moss Creek property requires one, and in 2026 it costs $45,000. With the dues, it pays for running the community and its capital projects. Homes range from marsh-front and golf-course houses to patio homes and attached homes, and most sales are resales. Listings and what to check before you buy are on our Moss Creek homes for sale page, and our Hilton Head neighborhoods guide compares Moss Creek with the other gated communities in the area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Moss Creek on Hilton Head Island?
No. Moss Creek is on the mainland in Beaufort County, on the Bluffton side of the bridges, but it has a Hilton Head Island mailing address (29926). Its entrance is on US 278 at the first traffic light after you leave the island.
Is Moss Creek a gated community?
Yes. It is private and gated, with a staffed gate on US 278. Guests are admitted only after the member they are visiting tells Security, by phone or online, and the gate issues a pass.
Can the public play golf or eat at Moss Creek?
No. Its two Fazio courses, Devil’s Elbow South and North, and the Clubhouse are for members, their guests and renters. There are no public tee times.
Are short-term rentals allowed in Moss Creek?
Not nightly or weekly: rentals must run at least a month, so confirm the current minimum with the association. Monthly and longer rentals are allowed; the owner or rental agent registers each stay with Security, and renters pay renter fees to use the amenities.
What are the HOA fees in Moss Creek?
The 2026 annual assessment is $8,775 for a home and $7,275 for a lot. An optional $1,700 Activity Fee adds unlimited golf, tennis and pickleball, and every sale requires a $45,000 Membership Certificate.
What is there to do in Moss Creek?
Two Fazio golf courses, seven Har-Tru tennis courts and four pickleball courts, a private marina with fishing and crabbing docks, a Clubhouse, heated pools and a fitness center at Bostwick Point, an equestrian center and two nature preserves with boardwalks.
What do reviews of Moss Creek say?
There are only a few, on the Owners Association’s Google listing. Residents thank the staff for getting problems solved and praise the setting on the marsh. The complaints are about how renters and would-be buyers are treated, upkeep, and dues that weigh heavily on residents who don’t golf.
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