Port Royal Golf Club - Robber's Row Course

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina | 18 holes | Par: 72 | 6657 yards

A Pete Dye redesign of a George Cobb and Willard Byrd original design helped take the Robber's Row Course at Port Royal Golf Club toward the head of the pack on Hilton Head.

A Pete Dye redesign of a George Cobb and Willard Byrd original design helped take the Robber's Row Course at Port Royal Golf Club toward the head of the pack on Hilton Head. Dye added or redesigned 43 bunkers on the front nine, changing par from 35 to 36 and did some shortening on the back nine to change par from 37 to 36.

The golf course plays little more than 6,000 yards, with a somewhat-friendly 124 slope rating from the tips. Players will have to do some work on their approach shots, as the Cobb/Dye design keeps its greens well protected with bunkers.

The golf course is a scenic delight, however, and in a nice move, you get history lessons at the tee boxes to help let you know the past of the area you are playing, which was once an important location in the Civil War.

Par, yardages and course ratings

Tee Par Yardage Rating Slope
White 72 6001 70.3 116
Blue 72 6311 71.6 129
White (W) 72 6001 75 129
Gold 72 6657 73.3 134
Gold (W) 72 6657 78.7 137
Blue (W) 72 6311 76.8 133
Green 71 4884 68.8 111

At same facility

Articles:

At a glance

  • Holes: 18
  • Designed by: George Cobb, Pete Dye, Willard Byrd
  • Type: Resort
  • Built in: 1967
  • Golf Season: Year round
  • Visitor Policy: Open
  • Tee times welcomed: Search tee times

Practice facilities

  • Driving range: Yes
  • Putting green: Yes

Tuition

  • Teaching pro:
  • Golf school / golf academy:

Services

  • Pro: Yes
  • Rental clubs: Yes
  • Rental carts: Yes - included in green fees
  • Pull carts:

Prices


10 Clubhouse Dr
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 29928
Beaufort County
P: (843) 681-1703, (843) 681-1750
F: (843) 681-3344
W: portroyalgolfclub.com


Reader Ratings / Reviews

  • 5 stars out of 5
    by Chris
    on January 29th, 2024 18:14
    We played this course in January of 2024, and for the time of year it was in great shape. We played on a golf trip of 28 player and this course played well for all handicaps and abilities. I am an 11 handicap and played from the tips/gold tee box and it was very fun layout. I only played from the tips because of the games we were playing, but managed the course just fine. It actually allowed me to grab driver on all of the holes except for the par 3s. I didnt have to worry about managing my tee shots, which I liked. The cart guys were extremely helpful and tried to get us back out for our free replay, but we had a few that didnt want to go back out. It was funny that a twosome behind our group abandoned after 10 holes because of our "slow play". They were able to play behind us at a pace of 2 hours for 9 holes. Thats right on pace, and the rangers did a good job of poking some of the slower player. I would love to go back and play this course again. From the cart staff, to the pro shop, and even the staff in the restaurant, I would highly recommend spending the day at Robbers Row.
  • 4.5 stars out of 5
    by The Golfin' Guy
    on June 09th, 2023 18:08
    Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club is located in the very pristine Port Royal Plantation and features 36 holes of championship golf. Legendary golf architects such as George Cobb, Pete Dye, and Willard Byrd have left their marks on Port Royal. The club’s golf accolades include a #7 ranking in “The Best 18 – The Greatest Holes of Hilton Head and Bluffton” by Hilton Head Monthly in 2015 and as a “Top 75 U.S. Golf Resorts,” by Golf Digest magazine. In addition to fantastic golf, Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club is also an award-winning tennis destination.

    Robbers Row Course was originally designed by George W. Cobb and William C. Byrd. It opened in 1967 and in 1994 it underwent a redesign at the hands of Pete Dye. The course sits atop some Civil War grounds and each hole features historical markers describing events on the Island. Robbers Row is located on the marsh side of the Port Royal Plantation and cuts through beautiful strands of magnolia and live oaks. It’s known for its generous fairways and well-protected greens.

    The 6th hole at Robbers Row is a 517-yard (White Tees) dogleg right par 5 that can be reached in two with just the right tee shot. By playing down the right side of the fairway, you can shorten the hole or make it even shorter by hitting your driver over the trees and giving yourself a chance to get on in two! A layup shot up the left side of the fairway will leave the best angle into the green, which is shallow and mostly flat. It’s a good chance to pick up a stroke or two.

    Port Royal 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’s 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’s 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’s 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’s 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’s 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’s bright, open rooms include WiFi, a flat-screen cable TV, a small refrigerator, and coffee-making facilities. There’s 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
  • 1 stars out of 5
    by Michael
    on October 20th, 2017 20:03
    Just a quick note from my last experience at your golf course Robbers Roost. 

    My father and I played there on Wednesday, October 18, 2017.  Our tee time was scheduled for 11:00am, and we actually teed off around 11:15am with another couple.

    On the 12th hole, the marshal met us before we got to the green and quite impolitely told us that we had to pick up our pace.  The next group in front of us was now 4 holes ahead of us, he said.  He did not mention that the group in front of us was a twosome (all four in our group watched them tee off on #1, we saw there was only two in that group).  We said OK to his request/demand.

    Just before all four of us got out of our carts at the 13th green, another employee approached us and told us that the clubhouse had received phone calls (presumably from the group behind us) complaining about our pace of play.  He told us to skip the next hole (14) and to split into 2 twosomes for the remainder of the course (15, 16, 17 &18).  We said OK.  My dad and I let the other two in our group go first at 15.  Instead of waiting for them to finish the par 3 #15, we dropped balls on the fringe of the 14th green.  We chipped and putted out, then played #15.

    When we finished the 18th, we drove to the clubhouse to drop bags.  I looked at my watch when the cart valets were removing our bags.  It was EXACTLY 3:30 pm.  It had been 4 hours and 15 minutes since we teed off on #1.  
    Posted at #1 tee is a sign that the expected pace of play is 4 hours and 30 minutes.  We were 15 minutes short of YOUR posted time for expected pace of play.  Granted, dad and I did not play all of #14, but we only missed out on maybe 2 strokes each.

    I asked the cart valets if being asked to skip holes by a marshal is normal.  Each valet (3 of them) said they have never heard of that before.  I went in to the clubhouse/pro shop and asked the employee there if in fact he had been called as stated by the marshal.  He said he had no idea what I was talking about.

    This experience is EASILY the worst experience I or my father have ever had at ANY golf course.
  • 1 stars out of 5
    by Stan
    on October 10th, 2015 14:31
    Unfortunately, this was the dissapointment of our Hilton Head vacation. It started when the starter advised us we would need to be patient. Five hours later we had reached our limit. The course was in OK shape but the greens were like shag carpet. My driver would have made a better putter. The comon bermuda rough was an inch too high. Played like US Open rough on Resort course. Miss the fairway by six inches and you had 50/50 chance to find your ball. Club management needs to learn how to speed up play. On the 12 hole, my wife and I resigned ourselves to the slow play and asked the drink cart girl fora light beer, to which we were told the guys in front of us had bought all her beer, no wonder the play was so slow, but that is a club management problem in knowing how to deal with slow play. ave played my first and last round at Port Royal
Submit your rating of the course: