Short answer: Long Cove Club is a gated, single-family community of just over 600 acres in the middle of Hilton Head Island, on Broad Creek. Every property owner is a member of the Long Cove Club Owners' Association, which runs the Pete Dye golf course, marina and clubhouse. For 2026, annual dues are $20,867, the initiation fee due at closing is $75,000 for contracts after April 15, 2026, and each property owes a $7,866 clubhouse assessment. Rentals under six months need the association's written permission.
Key facts
- Membership: every property owner is a member of the Long Cove Club Owners' Association; the association is the club (Covenants, Article V).
- 2026 annual dues: $20,867, covering unlimited use of the amenities and what a POA would usually charge (Long Cove Club 2026 Schedule of Fees).
- Initiation fee: $75,000 per home or lot, due at closing, for sales under contract after April 15, 2026 (Ninth Addendum to the Covenants). It was $35,000 after April 18, 2022.
- Clubhouse assessment: $7,866 per property for the enhancement project that began in July 2026; some owners are paying monthly over 8 years with interest (2026 Schedule of Fees).
- Annual capital assessment: set at $3,900 by the Eighth Addendum, recorded June 19, 2024.
- Leasing: no rental under six consecutive months without written permission; tenants get no amenity privileges (Covenants, Article III, Section 13).
- Right of first refusal: the association can buy any home or lot offered for sale at the buyer's price within 30 days (Covenants, Article III, Section 10).
- Flood zones: in our check of about 500 improved parcels, roughly 61% are in Zone AE with a 7-foot base flood elevation, 33% in shaded X and 6% in X (Town FEMA 2021 layer).
Where is Long Cove Club?
It sits on Broad Creek in the middle of the island, with its security gate at 8 Long Cove Drive. By road, the gate is about 2.5 miles from Coligny Circle, about 6.5 miles from Hilton Head Island Airport and about 7.5 miles from the US 278 bridges (our measurements on OpenStreetMap road data). It's inside the Town of Hilton Head Island.
The club sold its first lots on August 11, 1980. It has one Pete Dye course, a deep-water marina on Broad Creek, tennis, pickleball and bocce, a pool, a dog park and a community garden. There's no ocean beach inside the gates.
Is club membership required in Long Cove?
Yes. This is the main thing that sets Long Cove apart. Article V of the covenants makes every property owner a member of the association, and the association owns and runs the amenities. There's no separate POA fee and no option to decline the club.
Ownership rules follow from that. Only one Designated Member per property gets member access, and where several people or a company own a home, they must name that person by January 1 each year. A company that owns a home must designate one adult, and the board can refuse a designee who doesn't hold at least a one-third interest or work at least one-third time for the company. No home or lot may have more than three owners, and timesharing or interval ownership is banned. A tenant can't be a Designated Member.
What does it cost to buy and own in Long Cove?
Plan for four separate numbers:
| Charge | Amount | When | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initiation fee | $75,000 per home or lot | At closing, contracts after April 15, 2026 | Ninth Addendum |
| Annual dues | $20,867 (2026) | Yearly | 2026 Schedule of Fees |
| Annual capital assessment | $3,900 | Billed January 1 and June 1 | Eighth Addendum (2024) |
| Clubhouse special assessment | $7,866 per property | Lump sum, or monthly over 8 years with interest | 2026 Schedule of Fees |
The fee schedule says the dues "include traditional HOA/POA type fees." It doesn't say whether the $3,900 capital assessment is inside the $20,867 or on top of it, so ask for the current billing statement in the resale documents. Whether an unpaid balance of the clubhouse assessment stays with the house at sale is also a question for the closing attorney and the association.
The covenants waive the initiation fee for an owner who sells and buys another Long Cove property with no more than 365 days between memberships, and for transfers to parents or children or as part of a bona fide estate plan. None of it is refunded when you sell. Golf carts are extra ($2,400 single or $3,300 double a year for 2026), but there are no food and beverage minimums and no extra charge for a boat slip. The marina takes boats up to 40 feet, and space is limited.
The Town's 0.25% real estate transfer fee is on top of all of this. See community transfer fees.
How we help
Before you make an offer in Long Cove, we get the association's resale documents and current billing so you know exactly what's due at closing and every year after. We also check the parcel's flood zone and ask for any elevation certificate, since most of Long Cove is in Zone AE.
What happens when a Long Cove home sells?
The association has a right of first refusal. When a home or lot is offered for sale, it can buy the property at the price and terms of any written bona fide offer, and it has 30 days after the offer is presented to decide. If it declines, it signs a recordable Waiver of Repurchase Option with the seller and buyer. Build those 30 days into your contract timeline.
Can you rent a Long Cove home?
Only longer term. The covenants bar renting a home for less than six consecutive months without the association's written permission. A copy of every lease must be filed with management, must prohibit subleasing, and must say the tenant has no amenity privileges. A guest suite can't be rented separately from the house. The Town's short-term rental permit doesn't override these covenants.
What needs architectural review?
Any new home or exterior change goes to the Architectural Review Board, which charges application fees and holds refundable compliance deposits. Its 2026 guidelines suggest a minimum of 2,500 square feet of enclosed living area, at least 1,800 of it on the main floor for a two-story home, and no more than 27.5% of the lot in heated space. Removing a tree costs $50 a tree under 18 inches in diameter and $100 for larger trees, with exceptions for dead or dangerous trees. Private golf carts permitted before August 1, 2023 may stay on the roads with their original owners, but the club stopped permitting new ones after that date.
What flood zones are in Long Cove?
Most of it is in the 1% annual chance floodplain. Of about 500 improved parcels we checked against the Town's FEMA map layer (effective March 23, 2021), about 61% fell in Zone AE with a 7-foot base flood elevation, 33% in shaded X and 6% in X. A lender will require flood insurance for an AE home with a federally backed mortgage, and the Town's building rules put new lowest floors at least 3 feet above base flood elevation or 13 feet above sea level, whichever is higher. Ask for the elevation certificate and price flood insurance before you commit.
How do guests get in?
Every vehicle needs a member decal or a gate pass. Members can request unlimited guest passes, for 1 to 30 days at a time, through the Proptia system or by calling the security gate. Vendors must buy a daily or annual commercial pass and can't come in on a guest pass.
Questions
Can I buy in Long Cove without joining the club?
No. Every property owner is a member of the Long Cove Club Owners' Association, which is the club. The $75,000 initiation fee is due at closing and annual dues ($20,867 for 2026) follow.
Do I get the Long Cove initiation fee back when I sell?
No. The covenants say no part of it is refunded on sale. The only relief is for an owner who buys another Long Cove property within 365 days, and for family or estate-plan transfers.
Is Long Cove on the beach?
No. Long Cove is on Broad Creek, with a members' marina and kayaks. The nearest Town beach park, Coligny, is about 2.5 miles by road from the gate.
Sources
- Covenants of Long Cove Club Owners' Association, with First to Tenth Addenda (updated July 2026), Long Cove Club (checked October 2026)
- 2026 Schedule of Fees, Long Cove Club (checked October 2026)
- Rules and Regulations (updated June 2026), Long Cove Club Owners' Association (checked October 2026)
- ARB Design Guidelines and Procedures (revised October 7, 2026), Long Cove Club (checked October 2026)
- FEMA 2021 flood zones layer, Town of Hilton Head Island (sampled October 2026)
- Build Responsibly, Town of Hilton Head Island (checked October 2026)