One-time fees join the golf club in Bluffton’s largest private community are increason.
Palmetto Bluff
One-time fees for golf memberships are going up in Bluffton’s largest private community.
The Palmetto Bluff Golf Club is raising joining fees for all memberships effective May 1, according to a March 13 email to members from president of operations Rob Duckett.
Effective May 1, the joining fee for a Tier I membership will increase from $200,000 to $300,000, according to the update. For Tier II membership, the fee is increasing from $100,000 to $120,000, while the Sports Membership fee is increasing from $20,000 to $30,000.
Membership in the Palmetto Bluff Golf Club is optional for homeowners; the community’s three private courses are reserved only for club members. Guests of the Montage Palmetto Bluff hotel have access to two out of the three.
Golf fees in Palmetto Bluff are increasing. Palmetto Bluff
People on the waitlist for a Tier I membership before the email was sent will be grandfathered into the current joining fee of $200,000, according to the update. To qualify, those interested must initiate the upgrade and pay no later than April 15.
In addition to the one-time joining fee, members of the Palmetto Bluff also owe annual dues depending on their membership level. Annual dues are $22,000 for Tier I members, $12,500 for Tier II members and $5,000 for Sports members, unchanged from the current rates.
It’s unclear exactly why the joining fees are increasing. Duckett’s email said the demand for golf at Palmetto Bluff is increasing.
Duckett declined to answer a reporter’s questions via email Wednesday morning, writing that the information “is not something we share with the general public.”
Palmetto Bluff Golf Courses
Palmetto Bluff has three golf courses: Anson Point, May River and Crossroads.
The May River Golf Course has been the community’s signature course for 20 years. Designed by American golf legend Jack Nicklaus, the 18-hole course was recognized as one of the best in South Carolina by Golf Digest in 2025.
Tier I members get unlimited access to the May River course, while Tier II members can reserve up to 15 tee times per year.
Michael Minks, superintendent at Palmetto Bluff’s May River Golf Course, took this beautiful photo on the course. Michael Minks Submitted
Crossroads is a nine-hole course located in Moreland Village that features a fun, reversible design. Those that opt for the “Sports Membership,” receive unlimited access to Crossroads, as do Tier I members. Tier II members are allowed 15 tee times per year at Crossroads. This course is also open to Montage Palmetto Bluff guests, according to a July 2024 post on social media by the resort.
Anson Point is the Bluff’s newest shining jewel. Unveiled in January, the premier course features small greens that weave through four different ecosystems found in the Lowcountry. A round of golf at Anson Point takes players through pine forests, live oak groves, maritime forests and salt marshes.
The newest golf course for Palmetto Bluff was designed to blend in with the natural beauty of the Lowcountry. Small greens are woven through pine forest, live oak groves, maritime forests and salt marshes. Palmetto Bluff
Anson Point is the only golf course in Palmetto Bluff open exclusively to members of the Palmetto Bluff Club. Tier I members get unlimited access to Anson Point, while Tier II members get four tee times per year.
Officials are currently searching for a location to construct a fourth golf course for Palmetto Bluff, according to Duckett’s email update.
What else do you have to pay?
In Palmetto Bluff, the golf membership is separate from the base club membership. Homeowners are required to be a member of the base clubs, which gives them access to pools, fitness centers and restaurants, but golf club membership is optional.
As of Jan. 1, the joining fee for the base club membership at Palmetto Bluff is $0. Previously, it was $50,000. The fee was reduced in response to a lawsuit challenging the legality of the community’s mandatory club membership requirement.
Residents of Palmetto Bluff also have to pay $15,246 in annual dues to the Palmetto Bluff Trust.
The Island Packet
Li Khan covers Hilton Head Island for the Island Packet. Previously, she was the Editor in Chief of The Peralta Citizen, a watchdog student-led news publication at Laney College in Oakland, California.