The Dr. Sandy S. Termotto Polo Field sits inside Rose Hill, at the Rose Hill Equestrian Center on Equestrian Way. For years, matches there came and went. On October 25, 2026, general admission gates open at 11 a.m. for the second match of a schedule built to repeat every spring and every fall.
The October match matters because it is the second one. With a spring match already held and a fall match on the books under the same organizer, polo at Rose Hill now has a schedule. Down the road at the golf clubhouse, the same thing has been happening on a different timeline.
The Field Has Been Here Longer Than Most of the Streets Around It
Polo came to the Hilton Head area in the late 1970s at Honey Horn Plantation. Dr. Sandy S. Termotto and other community members brought it there, and the field moved to Rose Hill in the early 1980s, according to the Bluffton Sun. Organizers describe it as the only regulation-size polo field between southern Florida, Charleston, and Aiken.
The same Bluffton Sun report says polo has appeared only now and then at Rose Hill in recent years. Organizers call 2026 a more structured effort to bring back regular matches. Emily Termotto-Trott, founder and board president of Equus Charities of the Lowcountry, told the paper the nonprofit was set up as a 501(c)(3) to keep the tradition going while supporting community causes, with a spring match in April and a fall match in October.
The spring match went ahead on April 12, 2026. Equus Charities reports that roughly 2,000 guests came out and $5,000 was raised for Heroes on Horseback, a Bluffton therapeutic riding program. The October match is the first chance to see whether that turnout carries into a second season.
How October 25 Unfolds
Each match benefits a different local group. This fall it is the Lowcountry Autism Foundation, a South Carolina nonprofit that connects families affected by autism spectrum disorder with resources and services.
Here is the published schedule for Sunday, October 25:
- 10:00 a.m. VIP and sponsor gates open
- 11:00 a.m. General admission gates open
- 12:30 p.m. Preshow exposition begins
- 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. The match, with two of the area's top polo teams
General admission starts at $25, and VIP and tent options are also sold. General admission comes without seating, so bring chairs or blankets unless you've reserved tent space.
Food vendors are Meg's Sweet Treats, Littlefish Boateak, Low Country Soda Company, and Fair Winds Bar & Grill. VIP guests get a curated menu from Christy Pinski and the Sippin' Cow team, plus a full open bar.
As of mid-October, the organizer had not yet published three logistics details. Wristband pickup dates and locations, parking, and road closures are all listed as "to be announced closer to the event." That last one matters more for people who live here than for visitors. In April, around 2,000 guests came to a field inside a gated community, so road closure details for October will affect anyone driving near the equestrian center that afternoon.
The Equus Charities page also lists a polo clinic for riders who want to learn the basics. Its date, time, and location are still to be announced.
The Clubhouse Took a Similar Route Back
Fair Winds Bar & Grill appears on the polo vendor list, and that links the field to the other shared space with a revival story. Rose Hill Golf Club is a Gene Hamm design that opened in 1983. A third nine was added in 1995, and the club later went back to 18 holes. In a November 2025 column for the Hilton Head Sun, Dr. Jean Harris wrote that the closed nine is now a park for residents.
The same column credits IGM's management and agronomy group for the course's turnaround. It quotes head professional Mark Teed describing his role this way: "I am in charge of people's leisure time. It all starts with the friendly bag drop, starter, pro shop personal, and course ranger." Rose Hill Golf Club now lists Best of Bluffton public-course recognition in both 2025 and 2026.
Three course details from the Hilton Head Sun column are worth knowing:
- The greens are mini-verde ultradwarf, which the column says stay in good shape year-round.
- Four sets of tees cover a range of skill levels, and the back nine plays harder, especially No. 14.
- Pricing has three tiers. Rose Hill residents can buy a membership that includes the range. Residents of Beaufort, Jasper, and Chatham counties get reduced rates that include cart, and visitors make up the third tier.
The column also says late-afternoon rounds bring deer, especially on the No. 8 tee box. That makes a fall tee time around 4 p.m. a different round from a morning one.
Fair Winds Is Open to Everyone, Including Your Guests
Fair Winds Bar & Grill is at 4 Clubhouse Drive and is open to the public. The golf club describes the menu as family-friendly American, with indoor and outdoor seating, course views, and a full bar. A May 2026 notice from the Society of Bluffton Artists lists the restaurant as open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch, brunch, dinner, and drinks, with live music, open-mic nights, and seasonal events.
Because it's open to the public, you can take visiting family there without signing them in anywhere. It also makes Fair Winds an easy stop on polo weekend, since the restaurant is serving at the field that day.
Six Days Later, the Party Moves to the Fairway
On October 31, Fair Winds hosts "Nightmare on the Fairway." The club's own announcement calls it the restaurant's "biggest, wildest and most fabulous Halloween party yet."
| Rose Hill Charity Polo Match | Nightmare on the Fairway | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | October 25, 2026 | October 31, 2026 |
| Time | Gates from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.; match 2 to 6 p.m. | Doors 7:50 p.m.; party 8 to 11 p.m. |
| Where | Termotto Polo Field, Rose Hill Equestrian Center | Fair Winds Bar & Grill, 4 Clubhouse Drive |
| Ticket covers | Entry; VIP adds hospitality and open bar | Entry, food and appetizers, raffle entry |
| Entertainment | Two polo teams, preshow exposition | Live music by Corduroy, costume contest |
| Who benefits | Lowcountry Autism Foundation | Hosted by the restaurant |
The costume contest has individual and group categories, judged by a four-person panel, with prizes valued at up to $500. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite, and the club notes that availability is limited.
Two Places That Kept Going
Both the polo field and the golf club date to Rose Hill's early years. The field arrived in the early 1980s and the course opened in 1983. Both went through stretches where their future looked uncertain. Polo turned up only now and then, and the course shrank from 27 holes to 18. In fall 2026, both are back on a regular schedule. Polo has a nonprofit organizer with a spring date and a fall date, and the clubhouse has a public restaurant running weekly hours and seasonal events.
On October 25, the two overlap, with Fair Winds serving food at the edge of the polo field. Watch the Equus Charities page in the days before the match for road closure and wristband details, since those will affect your drive home as much as anyone's ticket.
I grew up watching these Lowcountry traditions come and go and come back again, and helping neighbors understand what makes a community like Rose Hill worth staying in is a big part of my work. If the return of polo has you wondering what your Rose Hill home is worth this fall, John Campbell and The Native Islander Group can help. Get Your Instant Home Valuation, and I'll follow up with the local context a number alone can't give you.
