The Spanish Wells Club has a private nine-hole course, built by George Cobb in 1969 and later updated by Clyde Johnston. It plays to par 36, and separate tees let you go around twice for a full 18 with a different look on the second nine.
The club is member-owned and membership is optional, and you don't have to live in Spanish Wells to join. That means you are not funding a course you don't use. Dues are monthly, with lower rates for non-residents and for members under 50, and golf members also get the club's practice facilities.
Spanish Wells HOA fees are $2,360 a year as of 2026, or about $197 a month. Spanish Wells is one of the quieter corners of Hilton Head Island, 400 acres on a narrow peninsula between Broad Creek and the Intracoastal Waterway with fewer than 300 homes, many on lots of an acre or more. Two things about the cost structure here set it apart from most of the island: club membership is optional, and short-term rentals are prohibited.
Fee | Amount | How often | What it applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
Community Association annual dues | $2,360 | Per year | Improved property |
Same dues, quarterly equivalent | $590 | Per quarter | Improved property |
Same dues, monthly equivalent | $196.67 | Per month | Improved property |
Transfer fee | 0.5% of the sale price | Once, at closing | All resales |
Town of Hilton Head Island transfer fee | 0.25% of the sale price | Once, at closing | All island purchases |
All figures as of 2026.
The association does not publish an itemised breakdown, so here is what the community maintains. Confirming what sits inside the dues is on the verification list below.
The gated entrance and security patrols.
Two miles of leisure paths. For walking and biking through the community.
The deepwater dock and covered pierhead. On Calibogue Sound, for fishing, boating, kayaking and paddleboarding.
Roads, common areas and grounds. Across 400 acres of peninsula between Broad Creek and the Intracoastal Waterway.
The Spanish Wells Club, and membership is optional. This is the distinguishing feature of the cost structure here. The club offers a par-36 golf course with practice facilities, five Har-Tru clay tennis courts, pickleball, a fenced pool complex and the Holbrook Grill. Joining is a choice, not a condition of ownership. Very few communities on Hilton Head are structured this way, and for a buyer who does not play golf it makes a substantial difference to the annual cost of living here.
Short-term rentals are prohibited. Not a fee, but it shapes the economics. Spanish Wells does not permit short-term rentals, which is part of why the community stays as quiet as it does. If rental income was part of your plan, this is not the place for it.
Two transfer fees apply and they stack, coming to three quarters of one percent of the sale price between them.
The community transfer fee - 0.5% of the sale price. Half of one percent at closing. On a $1.2M purchase that is $6,000.
The Town of Hilton Head Island transfer fee - 0.25% of the sale price. A municipal charge on every island purchase. On a $1.2M home that is a further $3,000.
Together, 0.75% of the price. About $9,000 on a $1.2M purchase.
The association sets the dues annually. With fewer than 300 homes sharing the cost of 400 acres, a gated entrance, security patrols and a deepwater dock, Spanish Wells has a smaller base of owners than most island communities, which is worth bearing in mind when you ask about the reserve position and any planned capital work.
Before you write an offer, here is what I would want confirmed in writing:
What the dues cover, and what the club charges separately
Current Spanish Wells Club membership costs, if you intend to join
The reserve position and any planned capital work, particularly on the dock
Whether a vacant lot is assessed at a different rate
The rental restrictions in full, if rental use was any part of your thinking
Whether any special assessment has been levied recently or is under discussion
What are the current HOA fees in Spanish Wells?
Spanish Wells HOA fees are $2,360 a year as of 2026 for an improved property, which is about $197 a month or $590 a quarter.
Is club membership required in Spanish Wells?
No, and it is one of the community's more appealing features. The Spanish Wells Club is optional, so you are not obliged to fund a golf course you do not use. For a buyer who does not play, that makes a real difference to the annual cost.
What do Spanish Wells fees cover?
The association maintains the gated entrance and security patrols, two miles of leisure paths, the deepwater dock and covered pierhead on Calibogue Sound, and the roads and common areas across 400 acres.
What does the Spanish Wells Club include?
A par-36 golf course with practice facilities, five Har-Tru clay tennis courts, pickleball courts, a fenced pool complex and the Holbrook Grill. Membership is optional and priced separately from your community dues.
Are there one-time fees when buying in Spanish Wells?
Yes. A community transfer fee of 0.5% of the sale price, plus the Town of Hilton Head Island transfer fee of 0.25%. Together that is about $9,000 on a $1.2M purchase.
Can you rent out a home in Spanish Wells?
Short-term rentals are prohibited in Spanish Wells. That restriction is a large part of why the community remains as quiet as it does, but it does rule out rental income as part of your plan.
Spanish Wells is one of the few island communities where you can genuinely opt out of club costs, which changes the maths considerably for some buyers. Call me and I will work out what it would actually cost you to own here.
1,408 people live in Spanish Wells, where the median age is 58 and the average individual income is $115,680. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
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Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
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There's plenty to do around Spanish Wells, including shopping, dining, nightlife, parks, and more. Data provided by Walk Score and Yelp.
Explore popular things to do in the area, including Spanish Wells Seafood & Produce, Gort Kenneth L & Carol A, and Binya.
| Name | Category | Distance | Reviews |
Ratings by
Yelp
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 0.58 miles | 8 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Shopping | 0.3 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Shopping | 0.58 miles | 3 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 0.17 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
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Spanish Wells has 672 households, with an average household size of 2. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Here’s what the people living in Spanish Wells do for work — and how long it takes them to get there. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. 1,408 people call Spanish Wells home. The population density is 7,200 and the largest age group is Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
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