Long Cove Club
Hilton Head Island, SC • Private
Rob Kaufman / Kaufman Photography
Joann Dost
Overview
Long Cove was originally routed by Frank Duane and his then-partner Arnold Palmer in the early 1970s. Then Pete Dye was offered the job, but turned it down in order to concentrate on construction of No. 52 TPC Sawgrass. Once TPC was finished, Dye was persuaded to build Long Cove. Having previously done No. 142 Harbour Town just down the road, Dye wanted to do something different, so he installed knobs and mounds and framing berms, shaped some remarkably large greens and built two holes skirting the Colleton River. His construction crew contained half a dozen youngsters who would ultimately became golf architects, including construction supervisor Bobby Weed, Tom Doak, David Savic, Ron Farris, Scott Pool and Pete’s younger son, P.B. In 2018, Weed, author of No. 107 Olde Farm, was picked to restore Pete’s original design, which had grown shaggy around the edges. Now golfers can again run the ball onto 16 of the 18 greens.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked 1983 through 2010.
Highest ranking: 19th, 1985-'86.
Second 100 Greatest:
2023-'24 ranking: 188th.
Previous ranking: 173rd.
Best in State: Ranked first, 1985-'95, 1999. Ranked inside the top five, 1983-2009. Ranked inside the top 10, 2011-'24.
2023-'24 ranking (and previous): 8th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“The Lowcountry setting of Long Cove is extremely peaceful and serene. Playing the course in the early morning light, the river/waterway that makes its way through the first few holes on each side provides a backdrop that doesn't really come into play but enhances the beauty of the course. Shrubbery, low hanging moss trees, and magnificent oaks and magnolias enhance the sleepy South Carolina feel of the golf course. Even the homes on the course add to the ambience of the community this club is a part of, but they are set so far back from the golf course that they're an enhancement, not a detractment. The course makes nice use of the marsh on the back 9 to give you that feeling you are close to the ocean, but not really in it. "
Read More2022
Review
“To put it in plain terms, on a late February day you couldn't have asked for much more from a golf course. Everything was impeccably manicured. Fairways had roll out, but didn't seem to be burnt out. The bermuda rough, while dormant, was playable and you can see how it could be a bear in the summer time. Greens were firm, yet receptive to well struck shots. Bunkers were perfectly maintained, a nice amount of sand, and didn't seem to result in unnecessary plugged lies. Greens were absolutely pure. NO blemishes whatsoever, and putts rolled like they were on glass."
Read More2022
Review
“Unlike the local works of Harbour Town and Kiawah Island Ocean, Long Cove has a softer, less severe (than the Ocean) and a more expansive, free flowing feel (than Harbour Town). Also, unlike both of these course Long Cove employs larger, sectional green complexes with multiple options to work the ball toward various hole positions. Long Cove is a softer, gentler Pete Dye where one can certainly score well if your club selection and execution are better than average."
Read More2021
Review
“I feel like Long Cove was a missed opportunity. The course felt less like one cohesive routing emblematic of an era, and more like a scatterbrained look at a multitude of different Pete Dye eras. The routing seemed a bit all over the place, and only a few holes felt like true "lowcountry golf." The start of the course felt like a natural evolution of The Golf Club and a pre-cursor to TPC Sawgrass - on the 3rd tee box I felt as if I may be on the brink of something special. Those feelings returned on #10 and #12, and #15 - #17. #3 and #9 felt like holes out of an Alabama RTJ trail or Dye's Heron Point on Hilton Head Island. #4 and #11 could have been dropped off from down the island at Harbour Town, with trees pinching in the fairway 100 yards out and strategic golf taking over. #5 seemed like Pete Dye at his worst, #6 - #8 and #18 were reminiscent of big, manufactured land movements the older Dye brought into designs like Mystic Rock at Nemacolin. The marsh holes had a different look and feel for #13 and #14, and felt like they could have been up in Charleston at Secession. I wish there was a bit more synergy into the course's feel. I don't mind when a course's character changes, like when the last two holes at Harbour Town take you out to the ocean. But when you dip in and out of a different type of design every hole, it seems less like a full album and more like a few one-hit wonders."
Read More2022
Review
“Great attention to detail, fun to play with equal chances for scoring while still offering challenging holes throughout. The variety of hazards is outstanding and the complex green surfaces are beautifully integrated with their surrounds. To me, it is the best course in Hilton Head and one of Pete's best. The bunker work has restored the original look and feel to the design and should bring it back closer to contending for our future 100 Greatest rankings."
Read More2021
Review
“Overall, Long Cove Club should be a must-experience for any fan of Pete Dye for its sleepy, exclusive lowcountry feel, and being a strong and unique Pete Dye masterpiece. Long Cove is the kind of golf club everyone wishes they belonged to."
Read More2021
Review
“Long Cove has some incredibly varied and well thought out green complexes which feature false fronts, swales and hollows and mounds to feed the ball toward or away from the hole. A recent renovation to the fairway turf and drainage has left Long Cove bouncy and firm and quite pleasant to play. From up to 15 yards off the green complexes I felt comfortable putting the ball onto the green."
Read More2020
Review
“A premium on angles is key to giving yourself a chance to score is typical of Pete Dye. He does such a great job with tricking your eyes and placing mounds in hitting areas on this course was no exception. Not always easy but very fair."
Read More2019
Review
“Mr. Dye did a fine job creating a mixture of long, open par 4's and mid-short par 4's where not only hitting the fairway is imperative (but the right portion of the fairway is equally or more important. And typical of Mr. Dye, the par 3s have a strong design variety with direction, length and design."
Read More2019
Review
“Challenging Dye layout. Can be tough for higher handicappers. Very scenic setting with lots of design variety among the holes. A memorable golf experience."
Read More2018
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