In the grand scheme of Hilton Head Island golf courses, the course at Wexford is essentially still one of the new kids on the block, despite having been built in 1983. And when Willard Byrd first laid out what would be his grand design in Wexford, he didn’t stray too far from the formula that had already proven successful elsewhere on the island. Towering oaks and pines framing narrow fairways, threaded throughout with waterways, challenged golfers to thread the needle at Wexford just as its contemporaries did.
By 2011, that fresh take on Lowcountry golf had already been left behind by changes to the game itself. As golfers got stronger, equipment got more forgiving, and more sophisticated tools emerged, squeezing the fairways was simply not enough of a challenge. The opportunity presented itself, then, to reinvent what Wexford could become, creating a course that rewarded precision by offering multiple routes to the pin.
It was this strategy that guided the Arnold Palmer Design Company’s comprehensive 2011 renovation of Wexford. And while the team was able to open the course considerably, modernizing its strategic elements to layer on a wealth of choices, they still retained the essential personality of what Byrd created.
The resulting course reflects the close quarters of Lowcountry play, but with a modern approach that shapes scores equally by decision-making as by execution. Its natural beauty along Broad Creek is paired with multiple tee options, risk-and-reward opportunities, and distinctive green complexes that balance contemporary design with classic contours.
Learn more about the course and reserve your tee time at their official website, Wexford Golf Club.
Classically Modern and Eminently Playable
The biggest change that the Palmer team made to the course isn’t reflected on the scorecard so much as it is on the tee box. Where the original design challenged you right off the rip with tight corridors and plentiful bunkers, the redesign reduced bunkers, moved hazards and widened fairways to give more room to play. But this expansion didn’t necessarily make the course any easier so much as it created new avenues for strategy.
Playing to a wider fairway means being confronted with different approaches based on even the slightest change in position. You can play aggressively, gambling on your next shot to give you an advantage, or you can play it more conservative, accepting the consequences to your second shot. And even after your approach, slopes, runoffs and strategically placed hazards create more nerve-testing choices around the greens.
Creating choices instead of simply punishing mistakes, this fresh design created a course at Wexford that balanced broad appeal with a cerebral challenge for better players. And in doing so, it created one of the clearest expressions of modern golf architecture, one that offers a tough but fair experience.
Conditioning You Can Count On
Among Hilton Head Island’s gated communities, Wexford occupies its own singularly sophisticated reputation. On an island playground of the rich and wealthy, this is where opulence hangs its hat. As such, you can imagine that the conditioning of its course is nothing less than pristine.
The meticulously maintained condition of both course and practice facilities matters on a course where the architects use every slope and contour to challenge golfers, rather than simply letting them fire away to the pin.
The character that the renovations added to the green complexes are a perfect example of this ethos. Incorporating roll-offs, roll-ons and strong visuals, with some greens featuring multiple tiers and pronounced slopes, puts the grounds crew to the test on every hole. You only need to play the course to see how well they rose to the task of preserving the architects’ vision.
But this conditioning doesn’t just make the course look good – it adds to the complexity offered by its wealth of challenges. The firmness of a landing area, the closely-mown grass of a recovery area, the pristine grounds of the fairways, each lend their own set of options to your next shot. The architecture created a course that tests mind and club, while the conditioning ensures that challenge remains fresh each time.
Hole-by-Hole
Hole 1: Par 4, 375 yards from the Palmer tees
Easing you into the round, the opening hole introduces the importance of positioning by rewarding an aggressive shot down the right side with a clear line to the green.
Hole 2: Par 4, 402 yards from the Palmer tees
Having been eased into the course’s complexity, the second hole cranks up the difficulty with a long iron shot to the green and an obscured left-side swale that’s all but invisible from the fairway.
Hole 3: Par 3, 180 yards from the Palmer tees
The left side’s pond and bunkers await errant tee shots on this exciting par three, with a forgiving green complex that offers plenty of room to attack.
Hole 4: Par 4, 415 yards from the Palmer tees
You’ll want to keep your tee shot away from the pot bunker, but even if you do there’s still the deceptively contoured green to contend with. Make your approach carefully, as its slope can make an up and down difficult.
Hole 5: Par 5, 547 yards from the Palmer tees
The first par five on the course ratchets up the difficulty with every shot. Driving it down the left will set up a straight shot to a greens complex ringed by water, slopes and a large false front.
Hole 6: Par 3, 163 yards from the Palmer tees
This hole is not only shorter than the previous par three, it provides a much clearer birdie opportunity. Note that we didn’t say easier, with a well-defended green ready to punish an overly aggressive approach.
Hole 7: Par 4, 359 yards from the Palmer tees
The course’s famed emphasis on accuracy is on full display here, with a short dogleg leading to a green complex with plenty of options for capitalizing on smart play.
Hole 8: Par 5, 543 yards from the Palmer tees
Considered the easiest par five on the course, this hole nonetheless challenges with water on the right hand side and bunkers surrounding the green. Play it right, and a short iron could land you a birdie.
Hole 9: Par 4, 388 yards from the Palmer tees
The shortest par four on the course closes out the front nine with a thoroughly enjoyable challenge with bunkers, trees and water leading to a long, narrow green.
Hole 10: Par 4, 410 yards from the Palmer tees
Get ready for an uphill battle to start off the back nine, with wind playing a role in your decisions just as much as the dogleg right and bunkers to the left of the green.
Hole 11: Par 5, 555 yards from the Palmer tees
Just as the wind added to the challenge on 10, the water dominates decision-making off the tee here. Sticking to the right side (or the left side) on each shot will be crucial to threading the needle.
Hole 12: Par 4, 445 yards from the Palmer tees
Knuckle down for the toughest hole on the course, with an arrow-straight drive being the only way to avoid trees on the left and a dangerous road to the green on the right.
Hole 13: Par 3, 199 yards from the Palmer tees
A traditional redan hole, this one’s bark is worse than its bite with a layout that plays easier than it looks. Keep your approach to the right of the green.
Hole 14: Par 4, 369 yards from the Palmer tees
With the gauntlet of 12 and 13 behind you, it’s time to go on the attack with a hole that lets longer hitters enjoy an easy wedge shot to the green.
Hole 15: Par 5, 542 yards from the Palmer tees
Here we see Wexford’s risk-and-reward philosophy in all its glory, with a long tee that leads to a decision: go for the green and brave its two tiers and surrounding water, or lay up and enjoy an easier approach. The right decision can yield a birdie.
Hole 16: Par 4, 414 yards from the Palmer tees
Shaped by Biarritz standards, this hole demands your attention with water and OB, adding to the challenge on approach posed by varying pin positions.
Hole 17: Par 3, 187 yards from the Palmer tees
On an island defined by picturesque par threes, the Broad Creek views here are in a category all their own. Don’t get too distracted by the scenery, as this is easily the hardest par threes on the course.
Hole 18: Par 4, 391 yards from the Palmer tees
A peninsula fairway creates demand for a laser-focused tee shot ringed by breathtaking Broad Creek views. With a waterside green, it serves as a fitting finale in testing nerve and strategy.
The enduring appeal of Wexford is not difficult to understand. Willard Byrd provided the foundation of a course built around mature trees, spectacular water views and traditional Lowcountry architecture. In guiding the next step in its evolution, Arnold Palmer Design Company radically changed how the course was played. It wasn’t just an aesthetic renovation or a modernization. It was an inspired renewal of the course’s spirit, layering on an extra level of strategy for the modern golfer.
That history of tradition and innovation is what makes this course compelling today. For a residential course that sees repeat golfers regularly, it never asks you to play the same way twice. But it does demand that you think a shot ahead, with meticulous conditioning to ensure that strategy wins the day.
Thinking About Wexford?
As a Hilton Head native and luxury real estate advisor, I can walk you through what's available, what's coming, and whether Wexford is the right fit for your goals. Reach out here — no pressure, just honest answers.
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