Behind the Bluff: Will Howard on Developing Anson Point Golf Course

Anson Point Golf Course at Palmetto Bluff: A Coore & Crenshaw Nature-Forward Design 

Meet Palmetto Bluff’s Vice President of Development, Will Howard, a Georgia native who found his home in Bluffton over 20 years ago. As VP of Development, Will has a wide range of responsibilities, including overseeing all development of Palmetto Bluff, from planning and permitting to construction and all the small details that bring each vision to life. And for the past four years, Will’s focus has been on the new Anson Point golf course, a Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw vision where nature is deeply rooted and celebrated at every hole. 

For Will, this golf course symbolizes the continuum of the legacy he hopes to leave for his daughters and future grandchildren—a legacy in which they can look out over the Palmetto Bluff landscape and proudly say, “I know who did that.”

Anson Point Golf Course: Inspired by Nature Itself 

The development of Anson Point is intended to clearly reflect its inspiration from nature.

Will speaks with great admiration and fondness for Bill Coore and his course design ideologies. “Bill always says there’s such a connection between nature and the golf course,” Will explained, sharing that there will be no harsh fairway cuts to roughs or residential aspect to Anson Point. Instead, “everything transitions from the golf course into native land.” 

While the turf and materials will be of the highest quality for golfers, the whole intent is to “let the turf do what it wants to do—which is to blend into the native landscape.” Anson Point is intended to look as if it’s been here for over 100 years, feeling natural and blending seamlessly with the native soil. 

Conservancy and Construction of Anson Point 

Bill Coore is famous for saying, “The course was already here, it’s just revealing itself.” Will agrees wholeheartedly with that sentiment. “As much as we walked the property, it wasn’t until we started clearing the trees that we realized there was a lot more topography and discovered more and more character in the land itself.” 

The only earthwork involved elevating the greens for drainage, but everything else you see is shaped by the land. To ensure nature and conservation stay at the forefront of this course, the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy will help manage the acres in and around Anson Point, maintaining the delicate balance between golf and the surrounding ecosystem.

Anson Point Compared to May River and Crossroads

With the opening of Anson Point on January 2nd, 2026, Palmetto Bluff now offers three distinctive golf experiences, each with its own personality and purpose. The May River Golf Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course, is manicured and refined, set within Wilson Village. Crossroads, the reversible nine-hole King-Collins design, offers playful versatility, shifting from 1,000 to 3,000 yards depending on the direction of play.  

But Anson Point, Will explained, is “a completely different type of golf.” Where May River embraces traditional country club elegance, Anson Point leans into the raw beauty of the Lowcountry. The nature of the course, both around and within it, is what truly sets it apart. Instead of creating a golf course that dominates the environment, Coore and Crenshaw designed one that invites the environment in, letting native grasses, wildflowers, and four distinct forest types define the character of each hole. 

Together, these three private courses give members an unparalleled range of golf experiences: the classic championship challenge at May River, the casual flexibility of Crossroads, and the immersive, nature-forward journey at Anson Point.

Where the Fairways Meet the Marshes

Will is genuinely fond of each hole at Anson Point, acknowledging how each one shows players a different picture of the Lowcountry. But when asked about standouts, his answer came quickly: Holes 17 and 12. 

Both are par threes positioned on and around the marsh, and both offer the most breathtaking views on the course. Standing on these tees, golfers are treated to sweeping vistas where native palms frame the spartina grass, and the marsh stretches toward the horizon. These holes capture everything Anson Point represents—a course that doesn’t just sit on the land, but becomes part of the landscape itself. 

From the tee boxes at Anson Point, four years of planning and construction suddenly make sense. This is more than a golf course. It is a collective vision brought to life by each person involved, shaped by collaboration, purpose, and a passion for golf.

The Next Chapter in Palmetto Bluff Golf 

Anson Point opened January 2nd, 2026, and it’s more than a new golf course; it’s an invitation to Members. An invitation to be part of a community where development means partnership with nature, where your legacy can unfold alongside the marsh and the oaks, and where the next chapter is just beginning. 

Whether you’re considering a home at Palmetto Bluff or exploring Membership at the Palmetto Bluff Club, there’s never been a better time. View our properties and contact our team to discover what life looks like when you’re part of something this intentional, this beautiful, and this rare.