Palmetto Hall Country Club

The late Arthur Hills, prolific designer and renovator of more than 320 golf courses, was once asked about his core philosophy of design: "Build a course that is natural, that relates very carefully to the land... Variety, in terms of shot values and angles; gently plateaued greens; water, where available and appropriate; and views and vistas." Perhaps no course better exemplifies his vision of golf better than the appropriately named Arthur Hills Course.

Upon its completion in 1991, The Arthur Hills Course was almost instantly named to Golf Digest's list of America's Top 10 New Courses, and in 2008, the magazine awarded the course "4 Stars" as one of “Best Places to Play.” The course plays 6,918 yards from the back tees with a course rating of 73.8 and a slope of 139.

Be sure to head to the driving range prior to teeing off on the #1-handicap No. 1. Its narrow fairway demands a particularly straight drive — something many players find hard to do even with a warm up. As is fairly common in the region, there are elemtns of target golf, such as No. 5, which sets up with a forced-carry off the tee that must be played toward — but hopefully not in — a pond on the right. Always with an eye toward natural beauty, Arthur Hills ends this wonderful 18 with a sweeping dogleg capped by an elongated green framed by water on the left and sand on the right.

As part of the Palmetto Hall Golf & Country Club, the Arthur Hills Course comes with access to just about any and every amenity you may need to play your best, including a practice area and a pro shop stocked with top brands like Titleist, Footjoy, and Puma.

Along with The Robert Cupp Course, built in 1993, The Arthur Hills Course represents Palmetto Hall admirably as part of the Heritage Golf Collection, and remains a must-play Hilton Head experience.