Shipyard Golf Club

Guest (cart included), played on Wednesday, May 2023 at 12:00 PM

Over the years, Shipyard Golf Club has hosted several premier events and is the former home of the Hilton Head Senior International (1982 to 1984). At the time, Shipyard was recognized as one of the finest layouts on the CHAMPIONS TOUR. Shipyard has 27 holes, creating three distinctly different 18-hole layouts. Each course offers four sets of tees and can be played by any level of player. Not too long ago, all 27 greens were resurfaced with Diamond Zosia, a grass that stands up well to the Carolina weather. Several holes offer excellent risk/reward opportunities, but you%u2019ll need accuracy off the tee and a good short game command to score well here.

The Clipper and Galleon course at Shipyard Golf Club were the first two courses and opened in 1970; nines the Brigantine Course followed in 1982. The George W. Cobb-designed Clipper Course may be the most difficult of the three nines. Most holes have A combination of long fairways lined with towering oak trees and perilous hazards such as sand bunkers and water hazards to keep you on your toes. All three nines require a good long game and soft touch around the greens.

Three holes stand out in my mind at the Shipyard. The 2nd hole on the Galleon Course is a short, 440-yard par 5 that doglegs to the left. To reach the green in two, you%u2019ll need to pound your tee shot over the fairway bunker on the left side at the corner of the dogleg. As you turn the corner, you%u2019ll find water all down the left side. Your 2nd shot plays uphill and is at least an extra club if not two. The elevated green sits behind a pond and is guarded by bunkers on either side.

The Clipper Course is the longest and provides the toughest test. Number 6 on the Clipper course is a challenging par 4 that plays 400 yards from the White Tees. It%u2019s a dogleg right with a fairway bunker at the corner. Playing your tee shot slightly left of center will provide the best angle into the green which slopes back left to front right. The bunkers on either side of the green add to the challenge.

Brigantine is the shortest to the three nines, playing 2,885 from the White tees. The second hole on the Brigantine Course is the layout%u2019s #1 handicapped hole and is the mirror image of the 2nd hole on the Galleon nine. It plays 359 yards from the White Tees and with water all down the right side and in front of the green, you%u2019ll need both accuracy and length off the tee. Playing your drive out to the left may force a longer approach shot, but it%u2019s beer than putting it in the water. Your approach shot will be over water into a very large green. depending on pin placement and prevailing winds it can be a two or three-club difference. Bunkers in front of the green and behind only add to the difficulty of this challenging golf hole.

Shipyard has excellent practice facilities including a full-length driving range, short game area, and practice green. The staff of PGA Professionals at any of these courses can help you get the most out of your game. They offer private lessons, group lessons, camps, and clinics for golfers of all skill levels. There%u2019s no excuse not to play your best when you step up to the first tee.

Heritage Golf Group has partnered with two local resorts: The Westin Resort & Spa and The Sonesta Resort. To get to the Sonesta Resort, you drive right by the Shipyard%u2019s clubhouse, making it easy to get in an extra nine holes in the evening.

The Sonesta Resort is a AAA Four Diamond family-friendly beach resort that recently underwent a $30 million renovation. The renovation included a spectacular new swimming pool complex with a shaded lap pool and Jacuzzi, a zero-entry heated lagoon swimming pool, and a children%u2019s area. The 340 spacious guest rooms and suites offer views of the Shipyard Plantation grounds, lush tropical gardens, swimming pools, and the Atlantic Ocean. The resort offers indoor and al fresco dining at Bayley%u2019s Lobby Bar & Terrace, Seacrest Restaurant and Terrace, and Sweet Cane restaurants.

At the Westin Resort & Spa, coastal splendor meets southern hospitality. The resort sits nestled amid natural dunes and Hilton Head Island%u2019s pristine white sands, The Westin Resort & Spa offers its guests oceanfront resort views from most guest rooms, the Heavenly Spa by Westin, and three outdoor pools. All of Westin%u2019s bright, open rooms include WiFi, a flat-screen cable TV, a small refrigerator, and coffee-making facilities. There%u2019s family-friendly dining in the Carolina Room, poolside dining at Splash, with additional dining at View 32 and Ingredients.

Any or all of these courses can be packaged together through The Heritage Golf Collection with a single phone call

$56 (cart included), played on Tuesday, January 2013 at 8am

Good course, we played in January so the course was not in it's peak condition.

$36 (cart included), played on Saturday, March 2011 at 8am

Staff was very helpful--great time on course and in club house for lunch

$51 (cart included), played on Wednesday, December 2008 at noon

In December the round took 5 hours. No ranger, the staff was indifferent to the problem. Our cart died far out on the course and the makeshift scorecards they gave out had no contact phone number, we had walk in to get a new cart! When we finshed up at 5 pm the golf shop was closed as well. Overall a very poor showing!

$36 (cart included), played on Sunday, November 2008 at 10am

The 27 hole Shipyard course(s) were -par- (okay) for Hilton Head Island. We had played the very nice Port Royal courses for the previous two days of an annual golf outing.

However the staff at Shipyard, led by an arrogant assistant pro, were nothing less than rude. There is nothing so elegant about this course that would lead to the snooty-ness and rudeness of their pro.

As part of our Golf Package with a noted timeshare organization we were offered "free" golf, paying only cart fees of $35 per golfer (that is $70 per cart, which in and of itself is quite high just for carts). The arrogant pro would not honor are word that we were registered, he made a scene and insisted on "proof" that we were actually registered at the condos forcing us to return to the condo to get certificates of proof. I thought at first that he needed the actual paperwork for his records, but as it turned out, he simply looked at the cards and checked them off. He had seen on his computer at check in that we had indeed played the previous two days at their sister courses at Port Royal (without any such certificate requirement), but he still subjected us to this indignity and inconvenience. Bummer!

$51 (cart included), played on Wednesday, December 2007 at 6am

Shipyard is one of my favorite Hilton Head courses.

$31 (cart included), played on Sunday, October 2007 at noon