Long Cove Club...so much more than a private community
offering a golf experience unlike any other.

Our History

In the beginning…

In the early 1970's, three young men — David Ames, Joseph Webster III and Weston “Wes” Wilhelm — honed their skills and development philosophies working for the Sea Pines Company on Hilton Head. In 1976, the trio ventured out on its own and created Development Associates Inc., in the process turning its focus to developing a cutting-edge community all its own.

During that time Sea Pines, Port Royal, Shipyard and Palmetto Dunes stood as gated resort and residential communities on Hilton Head, yet most of the golf courses on the island were open to the public.

All of that changed when the trio discovered that the perfect piece of ground for their dream development was sitting right under their noses.

The vision of Long Cove is born…

The developers knew they had found the perfect piece of land to build a community that returned to the simple and exclusive principles of private, single-family residential living, removed from the hubbub created by island tourists. In 1981 when Long Cove Club was unveiled it lured to the island a bevy of selective golfers seeking world-class golf with a Pete Dye masterpiece as its crowning jewel.

The developers of the Club, David Ames (left), Joseph Webster and Wes Wilhelm (not pictured), inspect Phase 1 progress.

A group of early residents go walking down one of the first dirt roads in Long Cove Club.

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