Guide to Top  Communities in Hilton Head, SC

Hilton Head golf communities include some of the best retirement destinations in South Carolina. Seniors who want to enjoy an active social lifestyle with plenty of golf on their schedules find it all in the luxury gated communities of the Hilton Head area.

Planned for Success

Hilton Head Island is the crowned jewel of the South Carolina Lowcountry. From the beginning, the planned communities on and around Hilton Head have featured premier golf courses as their centerpiece amenities. The world’s best golf course designers have made their marks here, from acclaimed architects like Pete Dye, Tom Fazio and Robert Trent Jones to professional champions like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Davis Love III.

The semi-tropical climate of the Hilton Head area is perfect for year-round play on the region’s best private golf courses. Hilton Head Island is framed by 12 miles of Atlantic Ocean shoreline and Calibogue Sound, while the May and Broad rivers define the adjacent Bluffton mainland. With numerous tidal wetlands, plus freshwater lakes and ponds, the waterfront golf courses in the Hilton Head area are both scenic and challenging in equal measure.

Top-Flight Golf Services

Hilton Head’s premier retirement communities know that superb golf course maintenance is key to keeping their layouts’ top rankings, as well as enhancing property values in their surrounding neighborhoods. Many of the region’s most famous courses have been completely refurbished in recent years, while all are being constantly upgraded with improvements like new hybrid grasses and irrigation systems.

The game’s best teaching professionals work in the Hilton Head area, offering innovative instructional programs for everyone from beginners to low-handicap players. Group clinics and private lessons are always available and many clubs also now feature hi-tech services like digital swing analysis.

Leading Hilton Head golf communities also host men’s and women’s leagues that offer monthly tournament play. In addition, most private golf clubs have reciprocal playing arrangements with nearby communities and the region’s many resort courses welcome local players with fee discounts.

Hilton Head Clubhouse Lifestyle

In Hilton Head’s premier retirement communities, the private golf clubhouse is the center of social activities. Most feature fine-dining restaurants and banquet space, as well as more casual lounges and sports bars. Nearly every weekend offers social events from dances to fundraisers where neighbors can quickly make new friends.

Along with superb golf courses, the best Hilton Head retirement communities also feature choice amenities like fully equipped fitness centers, swimming pool complexes and racquet sports that often include new pickleball courts.

With so many social and recreational opportunities, it’s not surprising that the premier Hilton Head golf communities have been the first choice of where to retire for so many active seniors.

As an added bonus, the cost of living in South Carolina is about 12% below the national average. The state income tax rate for most residents is 6%, but Social Security and military retirement income are exempt. Most seniors also enjoy homestead deductions on property tax rates already well below average.