About Bluffton's Rose Hill Plantation

"We have just been advised by the golf club ownership that the club will be ceasing operations as of noon today. We will provide you with further information as it becomes available." With those words in January, 2006, golf at Rose Hill Plantation in Bluffton, South Carolina suddenly ceased.

A little more than a year later, a blogger summarized the subsequent deterioration, "Does anyone notice the weeds and tall grass growing all over the golf course at Rose Hill Plantation? Why continue to water the grass if nobody will take care of it? It is the most visible golf course in Bluffton from Highway 278. How many newcomers are driving down and they see that?"

Today all of that has changed after the Rose Hill Property Owners Association voted late in 2007 to buy the course for $2.3 million. In January, the association hired the Signature Golf Group out of Myrtle Beach to manage the course and in spite of many dire past predictions, the course is on track to open in September. It means everything to the future of this community and is a wonderful rebirth story.

The club will offer membership programs though most of the play at Rose Hill will be public. There have been some significant changes to the course. Nine of the original 27 holes have been removed. The course will open as an 18-hole facility with most of the 9-hole South Course being converted to a maintained park area. There is consideration now being given to creating a lake and aviary on the bulk of this land. Holes have been realigned so that the old East Course will now serve as the front nine and the old West Course will become the back nine. A unique practice space has been created. Instead of a driving range, players will now be able to warm up on two holes dedicated solely for that purpose.

With the re-opening in only five months you will see a lot of work being done in the coming weeks. And while there is much more to be accomplished over the next several months to prepare Rose Hill for public play, expect to see steady improvement as you drive along 278 this summer.