Shipyard Beach Club, Hilton Head SC

Around the Beach Club

Shipyard Beach Access

Beside the club is Shipyard’s own way onto the sand: a parking lot, a drop-off spot for unloading, restrooms and rinse stations, and a boardwalk over the dunes to a clean, quiet stretch of beach. Like the Beach Club, the Shipyard Plantation beach access is private, for people living in or staying in the community, and security turns other cars away.

Who Can Use the Beach Club

The Beach Club belongs to the community, so it is for Shipyard property owners and for guests staying in a Shipyard home, villa or timeshare. A pass that gets you through the gate for something else does not cover it: golf club, tennis center and Sonesta passes, daily visitor passes and contractors’ passes all exclude the beach facilities. The sand itself is public below the high-tide line, as every beach in South Carolina is, but the roads, lot and boardwalk that lead to it here are private.

The deck is not open around the clock. The association’s insurers want a staff member there whenever it is open, it hosts private events, and so it keeps set hours rather than opening on a key card. The association schedules Owner Deck Days on top of those hours. Ask your rental company or the Shipyard Property Owners Association what is on during your stay.

Getting to Shipyard Beach

The Beach Club is at the very end of Shipyard Drive, next to the Sonesta. From the Pope Avenue gate, follow Cordillo Parkway to the roundabout and turn east on Shipyard Drive; from the US 278 gate, stay on Shipyard Drive all the way to the ocean. Most people staying inside come by bike, since golf carts are not allowed on Shipyard’s roads or paths, and Beachwalk, the complex closest to the beach, is a walk of five to seven minutes. Both gates and the club are pinned on the Shipyard map.

Weddings and Events on the Deck

The club is also booked for private events, and weddings are what it is best known for. Couples hold the ceremony on the deck by the gazebo, with the ocean behind them, then move to the reception room inside and the recently updated bar. The outdoor patio is snug for a big guest list, and the room inside is where a large party spreads out.

Not Staying in Shipyard?

Then use a public beach. Coligny Beach Park is a short ride from the Pope Avenue gate, with parking, restrooms and showers, and our Hilton Head beach access guide lists every public way onto the sand. For the rest of the community, see the Shipyard guide.