Dataw Island Club, Dataw Island, SC
Gated 870-acre island with two golf courses, a marina and a community center near Beaufort, where owners join both the Dataw Island Owners Association and the Dataw Island Club and no minimum-age rule appears in the recorded declaration.
Last reviewed
About Dataw Island Club
Dataw Island Club is in Dataw Island, in the Beaufort, Bluffton & Hilton Head region of South Carolina. Status: Open. Not age-restricted; it is included for retiree-oriented amenities.
Dataw Island Club is the membership club of Dataw Island, an 870-acre private island embraced by the Morgan River and Jenkins Creek with a Beaufort address at 121 Dataw Drive. The community's own pages describe two championship golf courses, tennis, pickleball, croquet and bocce, a marina with community docks and kayak launches, a clubhouse overlooking Jenkins Creek, the Carolina Ballroom, and a community center with fitness, wellness and creative spaces. Historic Beaufort and Hunting Island State Park are each described as about 15 minutes away. See Dataw Island for the place-level picture.
The community markets itself to relocation, retirement and second-home buyers and calls itself often the best active adult lifestyle community in Beaufort. That is a marketing description, not an occupancy rule. The recorded Second Amended Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Dataw Island restricts all lots exclusively to single-family residential use, subject to the Dataw Island Design Guidelines, and does not set a minimum age for owners or residents. Because no age rule appears in the declaration, a buyer should not assume every neighbor is retired; compare this with a 55-plus community.
Membership is the defining feature. Under the declaration, every owner is automatically a member of the Dataw Island Owners Association, with membership tied to ownership of a lot or home. Every person who became an owner after May 31, 2001 is also required to be a member of the Dataw Island Club, and the Club initiation fee is payable at closing as a condition of delivery of the deed. The Club's membership categories and dues are set by its board and adjusted from time to time. An owner of more than one improved property or lot who acquired the additional property after February 28, 2015 owes Club dues on each, after a 24-month abatement.
Sports are sold a la carte and renewed by calendar year. The 2026 Resident Membership flyer lists benefits that include an outdoor pool, a community center with fitness facility, indoor pool, dance studio, art room and card room, casual and fine dining, bocce courts, community docks and kayak launches, and access to member clubs, community gardens, trainers, fitness classes and spa services. Households may play each sport up to six times a year on a pay-as-you-go basis without a sports package. The flyer states that sports packages reflect a calendar-year commitment with no refunds, including medical exemptions, and no carry-over of unused rounds or court times.
The community's real estate page lists homes as a Traditional Home, a Patio Home, a low-maintenance Villa, or a custom home on a lot, and says it works with two local brokerages, ERA Wilder Real Estate and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group, from an on-island Sales and Welcome Center. It offers a 3-day, 2-night discovery package called Experience Dataw. The island has a 24-hour manned security gate, per the same page, and visitors are welcome at the Marina and Morgan River Grill.
The tradeoffs are cost and structure rather than age. Fixed charges are a large share of the cost of living here, and the declaration allows additional and special assessments, so ask the owners association for its budget, reserve study and any planned assessments, and the Club for its financial statements and capital plans, before making an offer. Coastal exposure is covered in the coastal hurricane and flood insurance guide.
Age restrictions at Dataw Island Club
No age restriction applies. The recorded Second Amended Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Dataw Island restricts lots to single-family residential use and contains no minimum-age occupancy requirement; its only age references concern the children under 21 of co-owners for use of the recreational amenities. The Club's 2026 membership flyer similarly defines a membership as a member, spouse or significant other, dependent single children under 21 and any disabled child, with adult family members 21 and older able to opt into a multi-generational membership at $87 a month each.
Housing types at Dataw Island Club
- Traditional homes, patio homes, villas and custom homes on lots, per the community's real estate page
Pricing at Dataw Island Club
The community's real estate page says homes are priced from the $300s to $2 million. That is a range from the developer-side page, not a price list; use recent closed sales from a local agent for the home you are considering.
South Carolina's homestead and property tax rules for owner-occupied residences, including relief for owners over 65, are covered in the South Carolina retirement tax guide; confirm the county and millage with the Beaufort County auditor for the specific address.
HOA and fees at Dataw Island Club
Owners belong to the Dataw Island Owners Association. The Club's 2026 Resident Membership flyer lists the Owner's Association assessment at $1,026.75 per quarter ($4,107 per year).
The declaration authorizes annual assessments, additional assessments and fines, and says unpaid assessments, Recreational Charges or fines can lead to loss of good standing. Ask for the current budget, the reserve study and the resale disclosure in writing.
The Dataw Island Club's 2026 Resident Membership flyer lists the following. Initiation fee for improved property: $60,000 upon closing; for an unimproved home site, $30,000 at closing and $30,000 upon completion or purchase of a home. Club dues for improved property: $501 a month ($6,012 a year), or for lot owners $1,650 twice a year ($3,300 a year); if you rent, reside or own additional improved property in Beaufort County, improved property dues and fees apply. Optional multi-generational members can be added for $87 a month each. A Level Service Fee for dining is $33 a month ($396 a year), and the flyer says there is no food and beverage minimum.
Sports are extra. Per the flyer, unlimited golf is $412 a month and restricted golf $309 a month, with a cart fee of $37 per person for 18 holes ($23 for nine) or a cart lease at $237 a month. Unlimited tennis is $111 a month, unlimited pickleball $25 a month, unlimited croquet $52 a month, and a trail fee is $132 a month. Guest fees include $92 for an adult family guest and $125 for a non-family guest for 18 holes of golf.
As our arithmetic from those flyer figures, an improved-property household with no sports package pays $6,012 in Club dues, $4,107 in owners association assessments and $396 in the dining service fee, or $10,515 a year before any optional charges; adding unlimited golf at $412 a month ($4,944 a year) brings that to $15,459, before cart costs. These are the 2026 flyer's amounts and the Club adjusts them over time; confirm current figures in writing.
Amenities at Dataw Island Club
- Two championship golf courses
- Clubhouse overlooking Jenkins Creek and the Carolina Ballroom
- Community center with fitness facility, indoor pool, dance studio, art room and card room
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Tennis, pickleball, croquet and bocce
- Marina, community docks and kayak launches
- Community gardens and a 33-acre maritime nature preserve
- Member clubs and organizations
- 24-hour manned security gate
Healthcare near Dataw Island Club
Beaufort Memorial Hospital, at 955 Ribaut Road in Beaufort, has an emergency room and lists primary care and specialty practices across the county. Dataw's pages put historic downtown Beaufort about 15 minutes away; confirm the route and drive time to the hospital and your physicians from the address. See the healthcare access guide.
Airport access from Dataw Island Club
The community's home page says Hilton Head, Savannah and Charleston are within easy reach but gives no drive time to an airport. Check airline schedules at Savannah/Hilton Head and Charleston and test the drive before relying on either.
Why Dataw Island Club is included
Gated golf, tennis and boating island community near Beaufort that markets itself to retirement and relocation buyers as an active-adult lifestyle community; it has no age restriction, and its recorded declaration requires every owner to join both the owners association and the Dataw Island Club.
Alternatives to Dataw Island Club
Guides relevant to Dataw Island Club
Sources and review date
Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources below; where a rule or figure can change, check the linked source before relying on it.
- Dataw Island — Dataw Island Club (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Dataw Real Estate — Dataw Island Club (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Membership — Dataw Island Club (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Dataw Island Resident Membership 2026 — Dataw Island Club (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Second Amended Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Dataw Island (with 1st Amendment) — Dataw Island Owners Association (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Beaufort Memorial Hospital — Beaufort Memorial (accessed 2026-09-30)