Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Wexford is one of Hilton Head Island's most distinctive private communities - a rare combination of a lock-controlled inland harbour, Arnold Palmer golf, and a purely residential lifestyle with a six-month minimum rental requirement.
About the Community
Tucked off William Hilton Parkway toward the south end of Hilton Head Island, Wexford sits on 525 gated acres in a well-established, fully developed community. Every core amenity is in place - which matters when you are buying a second home or planning a retirement you have earned. No phased build-out to wait on, no resort traffic cutting through.
The community centers on a 37-acre inland harbour with roughly 100 million gallons of water kept at a constant depth of at least 8 feet by one of a handful of lock systems on the entire East Coast. Homes line the harbour perimeter, many with private deep-water docks directly accessible at any tide.
Short-term vacation rentals are not allowed. Wexford covenants require a minimum rental period of six months. You will know your neighbors. The community stays quiet, private, and residential year-round - a distinction that is increasingly rare on Hilton Head Island and one that meaningfully protects long-term property values.
I have been working the Hilton Head luxury market since 2009, with a consistent focus on the island's top-tier gated communities. Communities like Wexford, where the amenity package is genuinely extraordinary and the no-rental covenant is ironclad, attract a specific buyer - someone who wants a home they can enjoy, not a revolving-door investment property next door.
If you are considering Wexford for retirement or as a second home, I can walk you through the membership structure, help you with the HOA financials, and help you identify which locations inside the community deliver the best combination of value and lifestyle for your priorities.
Schedule a ConversationResident Amenities
All amenities are resident-only. Membership in the Wexford Club is required with ownership and is included in annual dues.
A 37-acre inland harbour with 280 boat slips, accommodating vessels up to 70 feet. The tide-free lock provides Intracoastal Waterway access around the clock with no wait longer than 10 minutes - one of only a handful of such lock systems on the entire East Coast.
An 18-hole par-72 course at 6,913 yards, renovated in 2011 by Arnold Palmer Design. Rated among Golfweek's Top 100 Residential Golf Courses for four consecutive years. With just 50 rounds per day, you will rarely wait for a tee time.
Six Har-Tru clay courts, four with nighttime lighting, plus upper and lower viewing decks and a courtside clubroom. A tennis professional provides lessons, clinics, and league play. Pickleball courts are also available for residents.
Wexford's clubhouse is currently undergoing a significant expansion and renovation. I have seen the exterior work firsthand. The project is active and ongoing. Buyers should ask directly about the construction timeline, any temporary disruption to amenities during the build, and how the completed project may affect dues going forward. Based on what is visible, this is a meaningful investment in the community's long-term appeal.
A heated swimming pool with lap lanes, poolside food and beverage service, and a separate adult area. Group fitness classes - including water aerobics, yoga, and Pilates - are offered throughout the week for residents.
A staffed gate with a full security team operates around the clock. Wexford requires a minimum six-month rental period, keeping the community genuinely residential with no vacation rental traffic. Architectural review standards keep Wexford's visual character intact.
Croquet and bocce courts, book clubs, discussion groups, organized social events, and an active Wexford Yacht Club keep the social calendar full without being obligatory. Residents here tend to be engaged neighbors, not absentee investors.
Miles of landscaped leisure trails wind through the community past majestic oaks, stately pines, and coastal marshland. The combination of harbour views and natural lowcountry canopy makes Wexford one of the most beautiful communities to simply move through on foot or by bike.
Quick access to Coligny Beach, the Cross Island Parkway, world-class dining, Shelter Cove Harbour, and Hilton Head's best shopping. Everything the island offers is within easy reach - but you would never know it once you are inside the gate.
The Defining Feature
Wexford's inland harbour is not a canal or a creek. It is a fully engineered, tide-controlled 37-acre body of water holding roughly 100 million gallons at a maintained minimum depth of 8 feet at all times. Entry and exit to the Intracoastal Waterway run through a private lock system, a genuinely rare feature among residential communities anywhere on the East Coast, with no lock transit taking more than 10 minutes.
Of the roughly 280 boat slips in the community, 138 sit adjacent to private residences. A number of Wexford homeowners walk off their back porch directly onto their boat. The remaining slips are available through the Wexford Yacht Club for owners whose homes do not have direct harbour frontage.
Vessels up to 70 feet in length with up to 19-foot beams are accommodated. A full-time harbour staff works around the clock. If deep-water boating is part of how you plan to live in retirement or spend time at your second home, there are very few communities in the entire southeast that can match what Wexford offers.
Arnold Palmer Signature Course
Wexford's 18-hole golf course was originally designed by Willard C. Byrd and opened in 1983. In 2011, Arnold Palmer Design completed a comprehensive renovation that retained the course's original character while adding significant risk-reward strategy, bold green contours, and a modern short game challenge.
The par-72 layout plays to 6,913 yards and winds through tall oaks and stately pines before opening to harbour views and coastal marshland. Design inspiration draws from classic templates: The Road Hole, Redan, Alps, and Biarritz, interpreted for a lowcountry setting.
With an average of just 50 rounds per day on a resident-only course, pace of play is excellent. An accomplished director of golf and full instructional staff provide lessons, clinics, and a junior program.
One of the most common questions I hear is whether Wexford's initiation fee and annual dues are worth it compared to other golf communities. The honest answer depends entirely on what you value.
If you want a course that feels private - because it genuinely is - and you want to play with the same group of neighbors year after year without strangers cycling through on resort memberships, Wexford is a strong fit. The course itself is among the best-maintained on the island.
I am happy to walk you through a comparison of Hilton Head's gated golf communities based on your specific priorities. Reach out and we can talk through it directly.
Talk Golf Communities with CarlIs Wexford Right for You?
Wexford is a focused community. It is not trying to be all things. That clarity is exactly what makes it a strong fit for certain buyers - and a clear pass for others.
You have spent decades building equity, working hard, and deferring the lifestyle you actually want. Now you are ready to stop deferring. You want a home where you can walk out the door and have something genuinely worth doing - whether that is a morning round of golf, a boat ride down the Intracoastal Waterway, a tennis match at 9 AM, or simply coffee on a harbour-view porch without hearing a rental neighbor's music.
Wexford's six-month minimum rental requirement means the community stays quiet and genuinely residential. Your neighbors chose to live here. The social scene is active but never forced. Many retirees find the structured amenity calendar gives their week welcome shape without any obligation.
You are based in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic - perhaps New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Connecticut - and you want a warm-weather home you can actually enjoy. Not a vacation rental. Not an investment property. A real home that is there when you want it, exactly as you left it.
Wexford's 24-hour security and six-month minimum rental requirement protect that. The community's centrally located amenities mean you can arrive and immediately be in the middle of everything. And when the time comes to transition from second home to primary residence, the infrastructure is already in place.
What Buyers Need to Know
This is a genuine luxury community with significant annual carrying costs. Understanding them before you fall in love with a property is the right order of events.
Every property owner is required to join the Wexford Club, and membership is mandatory at closing. Initiation fees and annual dues apply and vary depending on whether you are purchasing a single-family home or a lot. Annual dues cover full access to all amenities including golf, harbour, tennis, and the pool, and are paid quarterly. A food and beverage minimum also applies. For current fee figures, visit Carl's Hilton Head HOA and Transfer Fees page or reach out directly.
Wexford's clubhouse is currently under active construction - a significant project that is visible from the exterior. The scope of the finished facility and its full amenity impact are not yet known. Buyers should ask directly about the construction timeline, any temporary disruption to current amenities, and whether the completed project will affect annual dues or initiation fees going forward. This is material information for anyone buying into the community right now.
The Wexford Architectural Review Board is actively involved in maintaining visual consistency across the community. Exterior modifications, new construction, and landscaping changes require prior ARB approval. Most approved homes feature stucco surfaces with brick and stone accents, columned entrances, and gas-lit lamps. This is part of what keeps Wexford looking the way it does.
Wexford's harbour-front and marshland-adjacent properties are in designated flood zones. Flood insurance is a real cost to budget for, and not all carriers offer the same coverage in coastal South Carolina. Carl's experience in the Hilton Head luxury market includes guiding buyers through the flood insurance and coastal homeowner's insurance landscape so there are no surprises at closing.
Hilton Head's salt air, humidity, and storm exposure are factors in every purchase decision. HVAC systems typically have a 10-to-12-year lifespan here, shorter than national averages. Roofing materials matter - standing seam metal performs best along the coast. Most SC insurers will not write new policies on roofs more than 25 years old. Carl can help you ask the right questions during inspection and understand what deferred maintenance actually costs in this climate.
Your Guide to Wexford
I have lived in the SC Lowcountry since December 1996 and have been a licensed Broker and Realtor since 2009. I specialize in Hilton Head Island luxury gated communities - Wexford, Colleton River, Palmetto Dunes, Sea Pines, Shipyard, Hampton Hall, and others - with a particular focus on buyers relocating from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic who are purchasing a retirement home or a second home.
My largest single transaction on Hilton Head was a $4 million-plus sale in Palmetto Dunes in 2020. I understand the complexity of high-value coastal transactions - the insurance landscape, the HOA questionnaire process, the architectural review considerations, and the negotiation dynamics in a market where inventory at this level is genuinely limited.
I hold Century 21's Master's Diamond and Master's Ruby Awards and have earned more than 100 five-star reviews across Google, Zillow, and Realtor.com. I am affiliated with Century 21 Integra Realty and work with buyers across Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Beaufort, and the broader SC Lowcountry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wexford inventory moves quietly. The buyers who find the right home here are the ones who are already in conversation before a property hits the market.
carl@SCLowcountryRealEstate.com | 843.247.9373 | sclowcountryrealestate.com
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