Bob Hope is famous for saying “I always shoot in the 70’s. If it gets any colder than that, I don’t play.” We spoiled Golf Islanders can get that way too. My brother-in-law probably played three or four times a week all winter when he first moved to the Lowcountry a few years ago from Michigan. He just wouldn’t let a “decent” day go by that first couple of winters. He’s gone soft now too, guessing that tomorrow will be an even better day than today, which is hard to imagine.

It’s a question I, and a lot of my Lowcountry resident golf lovers get asked all the time- “Can you play year-round on Hilton Head Island and the neighboring mainland’s 30 or so golf courses?”  The answer is a resounding ‘yes’, which surprises many of our fall and spring visitors! With only minor exceptions for an overly rainy day, or for a frost delay (admittedly, there are a handful of those), nearly every course in the Lowcountry is open every day except Christmas.

Christmas Day averages a high around 60 degrees, though we’ve seen much higher temps, and Santa’s been spied between Christmas and New Year’s with a quite fancy cart tooling our links. Then the highs consistently drift into the mid-60’s by Valentine’s Day, the unofficial start to our golfers Season of Love.  And your likelihood of getting rained out is at a low point in our winter as well- though I know I’m tempting the golf gods with that note.

Because of our more southern latitude, our winter golf season’s even a couple of weeks longer on each end than any of our more-northern golf neighbors. Winter’s a great season, with most courses offering off-peak rates and some courses offering all-you-can-play options for snowbirds who want to spend some serious golf time here while it’s snowing up north. 

Pristine courses with their terrific conditions will be a delight to play. If that first flake has fallen in your back yard, come visit ours. If you’re willing to shoot in the 60’s (in Bob Hope’s parlance), you’ve come to the right place. Happy Holidays indeed!