Here’s where golfers stay on Hilton Head for RBC Heritage, and what it’s like to rent to them

Editor’s note: The photos in the article have been removed at the request of parties involved with the homes.

Recently, professional golfer Jon Rahm has been leaving things until the last minute.

Trailing by 2 entering the final round, he won the 2023 Masters on Sunday by 4 shots. And, with much less impact on his PGA tour statistics, he waited until recently to book his Sea Pines home rental for RBC Heritage on Hilton Head this week.

“(It was) very last minute. He reached out in the last, probably three weeks,” said Dru Brown, co-founder of short-term property management firm Island Time Hilton Head.

Leading up to the tournament, property managers navigate renting homes to professional athletes, spectators, event staff, sponsors and volunteers flocking to the island in the thousands. Unlike Augusta which struggled to house the influx of visitors for the Masters last week, Hilton Head’s short term rental market meets demand even with this year’s event’s elevated status and newly introduced short-term rental regulations.

“Augusta is way different because it’s not a short-term rental or vacation location (outside of the Masters),” said Ann Maloney, marketing director for The Vacation Company property management firm.

Of Hilton Head’s 5,942 active rentals, 83% of them will be full at least on day between April 11 and April 16 — that’s over 25 percentage points more than the 56% maximum rental occupancy the week after, from April 19 to April 23, according to AirDNA. The analytic company gathers its data by monitoring listings on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo.

The busy time frame didn’t translate in to higher costs. On average, short term renters will pay about $260 per night this week compared to about $257 per night — after the final putts are swung and the Heritage Plaid is awarded — next week, according to AirDNA.

“It’s one of the years that it’s definitely a little bit busier than normal simply because you’re tying in the tournament traffic with those that would be on spring break,” Brown said of the tournament dates, which are after Easter this year.

Where are golfers staying?

Heritage is played at Harbour Town Golf Links in Sea Pines, therefore most professional golfers stay in Sea Pines, Brown said referencing his experience with Island Time Hilton Head.

Brown co-founded the company in 2019 and manages property for about 125 home and villa owners on the island. This year in addition to Jon Rahm, Brown said they’ve facilitated rentals for half a dozen or more players including names like Keith Mitchell.

Rahm is staying in a seven-bedroom and seven-bathroom home in Sea Pines. The home features a private pool, game room, and view of a Sea Pines golf course.

It rents for anywhere from $6,277 to $14,020 a week and can accommodate up to 17 people — a good thing considering the Spanish golfer is bringing his entire family along, according to Brown.

“He’s bringing all of his family and actually having some family from Europe (stay) as well,” he said. “It works out really well, especially (because he) just won the Masters to be in a position where he’s really able to enjoy some downtime with the family while he’s playing the tournament.”

Accommodating the pros

Golf can be dramatic, whether it be Tiger Woods limping through the Masters or Rory McIlroy withdrawing from Heritage on Monday.

When it comes to housing, the professionals leave the theatrics on the course.

“They’re actually super easy and accommodating,” said Brown, explaining that the golfers are use to staying in rentals all across the U.S. during the PGA tour.

Brown said the process for hosting a player like Rahm starts by Heritage reaching out to Island Time Hilton Head. Then, the company’s reservations manager works to make sure everything in the home is prepared, including details like stocking the fridge.

“We’ve had people with very interesting diets,” Brown said. “Probably the most extreme vegan that I’ve ever seen in my entire life was a couple of years ago.”

Hosts are also warned not to give players gifts that don’t align with their sponsorship or companies they own, he said.

As far as preparation time, it can be anywhere from “a year in advance until a week before,” said Maloney of The Vacation Company property management. She didn’t share which players book through her company, which has been on Hilton Head for over 30 years.

“They may not know that they’re in the event until closer to time,” Maloney said.

What about everyone else?

Golfers might be the only VIPS teeing off, but they’re not the only ones on the green who need rentals on the island.

“We host the whole shebang,” Brown said, explaining that everyone from caddies to CVS and Coca-Cola executives to local real estate firms rent short term during the tournament.

Commonly, local businesses or sponsors will rent a house for their clients to visit, cool off and grab a snack throughout the match called “hospitality homes.”

For the past 15 years local Realtor James Wedgeworth has rented out the same villa on the first fairway for family, friends and clients.

“We serve barbecue sandwiches Thursday through Sunday, and it’s just a good time to visit with friends,” he said.

Sponsor Coca-Cola is renting a five-bedroom and five bathroom Sea Pines home that sits on the 11th fairway and 15th green of the Harbour Town Golf Course, according to Brown. The home features a private pool and game room, and it costs anywhere from $5,460 to $9,913 a week to rent.

“The Heritage is kind of like a big family event,” said Maloney, who has gone from attending the tournament as a child to organizing golfers’ rental property stays. “Even the tour players bring their families here because they love Hilton Head so much. It makes for a really special event.”