Hilton Head Island, SC Outdoor Activities

Laid out by golf course architect Tommy Fazio, The Golf Club at Hilton Head Lakes effortlessly weaves through the natural fabric of the land's lakes and wetlands. More than 7,300 yards, the course challenges golfers of all ilk to navigate around curvilinear greens, chip past strategically placed bunkers, and avoid raccoons playing freeze tag. Copious fairways and five sets of tees also call for mindful decision-making, planning, and ingenuity. The club rounds out its golfing experience with a 36-acre training facility boasting target greens, bunkers, and practice greens, as well as a golf shop and café.

Cleaved through thickets of towering oaks along the Rose Hill Plantation, Rose Hill Golf Club's 18-hole course presents 6,961 yards of challenging fairways and greens. Populated by Spanish moss-swaddled trees, multiple ponds, and vibrant wildlife, the course's low country scenery and considerable difficulty—the Temptation tees boast a 74.1 course rating—form a layout worthy of grandiose nicknames. Each of the course's five tee options boasts an evocative name that suggests the tees' unique challenges; the tips are referred to as "Temptation," a nod to the Siren-like lure of playing a difficult course from its most harrowing tee placement, while the second-toughest tees' moniker is "Silver Moon," referring to the fact that those tees only appear at night.

To prepare for their round, golfers can warm up swings at the all-grass driving range or two practice holes, or let their nine-irons load up on muscle-building protein with a hot dog from the on-site grill.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole course
• Length of 6,961 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 74.1 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 139 from the farthest tees
• Five tee options

Designed by 25-time PGA Tour tournament winner Davis Love III, Eagle's Pointe Golf Club's 18-hole, 6,738-yard course unfurls an emerald map of kempt fairways sculpted through oaks and pines and kissed by native wetlands. Throughout the course, tree-lined fairways criss-cross lowland water hazards to form an intermediately long layout where off-kilter swings may result in lost balls and winded golf carts. Sporting the boldly contoured greens that have become Davis Love III's calling card, the course places a high premium on pinpoint approaches that leave manageable two-putts. To prepare for rounds, players can warm up their swings at the driving range, where grass hitting areas emulate course conditions alongside artificial mats that wait eternally for the stinging rip of a divot to validate their claim to authentic existence.

Course at a Glance

• 18-hole, par-71 course designed by Davis Love III
• Length of 6,738 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 73.1 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 136 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options available
• Link to scorecard

Designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer, Crescent Pointe Golf Club’s 18-hole, 6,773-yard course takes golfers on a journey through the shadows of skyscraping pines and oaks amid the unfurled petals of blooming magnolias. Generous fairways provide ample runways for flush drives and golf-obsessed extra terrestrials, and the course compensates with dramatically sloped, elevated greens with enough subtle breaks to give any smooth-putting golflete a case of the yips. The par 71 presents birdie opportunities at all three of its par 5's, though each one will challenge club-flailing composure with forced-carry water hazards. Expansive beach bunkers threaten to ensnare wayward balls on several holes, where conservative players would be wise to simply wedge the ball back into the fairway and pay a one-stroke fealty to their despotic sand-trap rakes. To prepare for rounds, divoteers can straighten out unsightly slices and snap-hooks at the club’s driving range or sign up for a lesson with PGA professional Stephen Neville.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer

• Length of 6,773 yards from the farthest tees

• Three tee options available

• Link to scorecard

With a sea of bent-grass greens, picturesque ponds, and strategically placed hazards, Rose Hill provides championship-level challenges for all skill levels, from putting pilgrims to golfing veterans. The professionally designed par 3 golf course features 1,250 yards of well-manicured bent-grass greens, providing a true roll unparalleled by the lesser establishments blanketed by blowing tumbleweeds and mischievous moles.

The midday sun beats down on the hat-clad heads of the passengers, but they barely feel the heat. The rapt crowd has gathered on the top deck of the Holiday, their eyes collectively glued to the waters below them where a glossy fin emerged and disappeared a second ago. The onlookers’ silence suddenly dissolves into a symphony of awed whispers and camera clicks as a trio of playful bottlenose dolphins breaks through the water and splashes about near the ship. Creating moments such as this between humans and nature has been Captain Mark's Dolphin Watch Cruise’s mission since setting sail on its inaugural excursion in 1983.

Based out of Shelter Cove Harbour, Captain Mark's Dolphin Watch Cruise's experienced crew introduces visitors to area wildlife via two varieties of aquatic adventures. Daytime and sunset dolphin watch nature cruises glide past numerous scenic points of interest including Wexford Plantation, marine creatures, oyster beds, and oyster laundry piles. Alternatively, Let’s Go Crabbing trips ferry kids and adults away aboard the Crabber J II for a lively session of crustacean catching.