"No member assessment!" That promise closes the list of highlights on the Hampton Hall Club clubhouse flyer, right after the line saying the project will use "existing capital and reserve funds." Hampton Hall is spending $6.6 million on its main clubhouse without asking members for a special payment.
The money still has to come from somewhere. At Hampton Hall it comes in at the closing table, and if you are comparing Bluffton golf communities, that changes how you should read the entry fee.
The Check You Write Before You Get the Keys
The Club's own fee schedule, titled "2026 Dues & Fees" and revised in December 2025, says Social Membership "is required for all property owners." Owning in Hampton Hall means joining the Club. The membership FAQ says the same thing: all residents are Social Members, and Social dues pay for the homeowners association's care of streets, landscaping, security and the social amenities.
Here is what the 2026 schedule lists:
| Item | When it is paid | 2026 amount |
|---|---|---|
| Social Membership fee | One time, at closing | $35,000 |
| Capital Fund Contribution | One time, at closing | $1,593 |
| Social dues, HOA included | Monthly | $531, or $6,372 a year |
| Cottage Homes added maintenance | Monthly | $189 |
| Carriage Homes added maintenance | Monthly | $274 |
| Resident Equity Golf, optional | One time | $25,000 |
| Resident Equity Golf dues, optional | Monthly | $665 |
The two closing-day items add up to $36,593 before anyone has swung a club. For a Carriage Home buyer who stays a Social member, the first year costs $46,253 once you add twelve months of Social dues and the $274 monthly maintenance. Add Resident Equity Golf and that figure becomes $79,233. Each of these totals is simple arithmetic on the published 2026 rates, and the sheet notes that "prices, fees and membership offerings are subject to change without notice."
"Both Social and Golf Membership Fees fund the Club's capital needs and are nonrefundable," the sheet states below the rates.
Where a No-Assessment Renovation Comes From
Put the fee sheet next to the flyer. One says entry fees fund the Club's capital needs. The other says the clubhouse will be paid for with existing capital and reserve funds. The Club has not published a breakdown linking any one buyer's fee to any one project. What the documents do show is the structure. The capital accounts fill as households join, and the clubhouse draws on money already in them.
General manager and COO Eric Bischofberger put it this way to The Bluffton Sun: "Our financial strength allows us to invest proactively rather than reactively." In the same article he said the Club can fund the project "while preserving flexibility for future phases, all without placing an additional burden on our members." Members approved the plan by more than 80% at the end of 2025.
The clubhouse now in the pipeline is being paid for with money that is already there. A buyer who closes this winter is not paying for that renovation. Their $35,000 and $1,593 go into the capital pool, and future phases will draw on that pool.
The Plan Was Built to Run in Phases
The clubhouse was never meant to stand alone. The Bluffton Sun describes it as "the first phase of a broader master plan." The architect is Chambers, a firm that plans private clubs. Its project page says the Club hired it to understand homeowner priorities and to develop "a fiscally responsible method for funding the enhancements in phases over time." A member survey in 2022 set the priorities.
The phases, in the order the documents present them:
- Main Clubhouse, now approved. Per the flyer: an expanded, fully renovated kitchen; a new casual dining area and bar with large windows and an operable window wall; direct access to a covered, screened porch with lake views; a private dining room with a fireplace; a renovated dining room for private functions; and a new porte cochère with upgraded corridors. The Island Packet reported just under 2,000 square feet of added space and a "significantly larger" bar. Shoreline Construction is the general contractor.
- Fitness Center, a later phase. Chambers describes a larger workout space with higher ceilings, three dedicated group exercise rooms, and access to a Splash Café, a year-round outdoor bar and dining patio beside the pool deck.
- Pete's Grill, a later phase. Chambers lists an expanded, renovated kitchen and a larger, screened outdoor patio for more seating. The flyer also names the Fitness Center and Pete's Grill as future phases.
The documents give no dates or costs for phases two and three. Both outlets reported that clubhouse construction would begin in 2026, and no completion date has been announced.
Why the Club Ties This to Home Values
The Club states its reasoning in writing. The mission in its strategic plan is to provide an amenity-rich experience "with golf optional, resulting in enhanced property values." The same plan commits both the Club and the golf operation to keep making "appropriate investments towards Reserve and Capital accounts" so that community and golf assets can be maintained and improved. Chambers frames the master plan as a way to strengthen the value proposition for residents "and the value of their homes."
This gives the entry fee two roles. For a buyer, the $36,593 is a sunk cost that will never come back. The fee sheet says it is nonrefundable. Collectively, those fees are how the Club pays for upgrades without asking current owners for more. Because membership is mandatory, every home sale brings in new capital. A buyer pays the fee once, on the way in. As an owner, that same buyer then benefits when later buyers pay in after them.
Golf follows the same pattern, separately. Resident Equity Golf costs $25,000 up front, and the sheet says Golf fees also fund capital needs and are nonrefundable. The strategic plan keeps golf reserves apart from Club reserves. Social members can also play up to six rounds a year at the accompanied guest rate.
Where These Charges Surface in the Paperwork
In South Carolina, association costs appear on a form the seller completes for the buyer. The state's Residential Property Condition Disclosure Statement, effective June 1, 2023, asks the seller to list association charges and to say whether there is a transfer fee. It also asks separately whether a non-association membership transfers with the property. The underlying statute, S.C. Code Title 27, Chapter 50, covers disclosure of whether a property is governed by a homeowners association and when the disclosure must be delivered, with certain exemptions.
A buyer comparing communities on list price alone can miss a five-figure difference that only shows up on these forms and on the club's fee schedule. This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm how these fees and disclosures apply to your purchase with your attorney, lender or tax advisor, and confirm current rates directly with the Club.
Quick Answers
Is the $35,000 Social Membership fee optional? No. The 2026 schedule says Social Membership is required for all property owners, and both one-time Social charges are due at closing.
Do I get the fee back when I sell? The fee sheet says Social and Golf membership fees are nonrefundable.
What does Social Membership include? Use of the Main Clubhouse, Pete's Grill, tennis and pickleball courts, the fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, the playground, the basketball court and bocce courts, for the member, spouse and dependent children under 23.
Can someone outside the community join for golf? Yes. The Club offers a limited number of Non-property Owner Golf Memberships. The 2026 rate is $30,000 one time plus $665 a month.
If you are weighing what Hampton Hall's entry fees, dues and phased amenity plan mean for a home you own or plan to buy, BOWES properties can show you how the community's full cost of ownership compares with other Bluffton golf clubs on the same terms. Request a Private Valuation, and we will cover the costs that come after the list price as carefully as the price itself.