By Len Ziehm
Harbour Town Links, with its iconic lighthouse behind the 18th green, gives Hilton Head Island most of its international exposure, but the island golf destination is much more than just Harbour Town, Atlantic Dunes and Heron’s Point, the three courses that make up the Sea Pines Resort.
“We’re the drivers of why people come here,’’ said Cary Corbitt, president of the South Carolina Lowcountry Golf Course Owners Association and vice president of Sea Pines, “but not everybody wants to just play Harbour Town and Atlantic Dunes – and we’re fine with that.’’
Both Harbour Town and Atlantic Dune’s demand higher cost greens fees and are extremely well-conditioned. They draw approximately 30,000 rounds annually, but there’s also public courses nearby that are less expensive.
“Sea Pines is a family destination resort. We’re not bashful about what we charge, but we don’t feel we’re uppity or better than anyone else,’’ said Corbitt. “The other courses help round everything out.’’
Hilton Head has 40,000 full-time residents that benefit from the island’s beautiful beaches as well as golf. More than 300 restaurants on the island serve locals and tourists alike.
In addition, over 6,000 villas, condos and homes, plus more than 20 hotels and inns provide suitable accommodations for visitors.
Hilton Head got its name because a ship owned by William Hilton first spotted the island over 300 years ago. Charles Fraser, son of one of the families that owned most of the island, created the master plan for a resort community in 1956, but golf did not arrive until 1962.
The Ocean Course was the first course on the island. Davis Love III recently renovated it and the name was changed to Atlantic Dunes. Famed architect Pete Dye, who designed Harbour Town Lnks, with consulting help from Jack Nicklaus, also is responsible for Sea Pines’ other course, Heron’s Point, which was formerly known as Sea Marsh.
The beginnings of golf on Hilton Head has now spawned 16 courses on the island and another 13 nearby off the island.
Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort has three courses spread over 2,000 acres and bounded by three miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline and a sheltered Intracoastal Waterway. 
This resort’s featured course is the Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course, which has one hole on the ocean and was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1967. The others at the resort were creations of George Fazio (the island’s only par-70) in 1974 and Arthur Hills in 1986.
The Heritage Collection, seven courses and 81 holes spread over three clubs. Oyster Reef, a Rees Jones design with possibly the best putting surfaces 
on the island, is not to be missed.
The recently expanded Hilton Head Island Airport makes it easy for golfers to step off the airplane and onto the first tee.
With every type of accommodation, a variety of courses and dining options, shouldn’t Hilton Head be the top of your golf vacation wish list?
