Former Hilton Head golf course opens as public land tract. What to know if you go
Those looking for a new place to hit the trails on Hilton Head Island are in luck: 103 acres in the mid-island area just opened to the public. You just have to watch where you step.
The town announced Thursday that the site of the former Planter’s Row Golf Course has opened as a public tract, and the $350,000 tree removal project that started in October is complete.
Eventually, the town plans to turn the “Mid-Island Tract” into a park with features that may include bicycle paths, athletic fields, disc golf courses and a playground. Town Council will be discussing its Parks and Recreation Master Plan, including the hiring of a consultant to design the park, at its workshop Tuesday.
The land, bordered by William Hilton Parkway, Dillon Road and Union Cemetery Road, is undeveloped but, according to a press release, is “substantially neater and accessible” than before, when it was overrun with downed and dead trees. It has sat idle since the town’s 2013 purchase of the former golf course.
In 2016, the plot was damaged by Hurricane Matthew and used as a debris cleanup site. The site was formerly owned by Heritage Golf Group before the town bought it and leased it back to the group. After several years, the town decided not to renew the lease and instead incorporate the land into its visioning process.
“Rather than have it just sit and continue to become overgrown, we decided to initiate some beautification work to give the tract a neat appearance and make it safe,” the late Scott Liggett, Hilton Head’s chief engineer and director of Public Projects and Facilities, said in October.
According to the news release from the town, contractors trimmed trees along existing cart trails; mowed overgrown vegetation around the drainage channel and ponds; and placed split-rail fencing in more open areas of the tract and connected it with the existing cart paths. Visitors can park at a 20-space lot at the Union Cemetery Road entrance. Prepare for mud.
Some portions of the property have been left untouched, including 10 acres for bird and wildlife habitats and five acres around stormwater ponds for riparian habitats.
This story was originally published February 20, 2021 at 4:25 AM.
