Wexford Plantation, Hilton Head

For good reason, Wexford Plantation, with its grand homes, many with deepwater docks, is considered one of the finest golf, tennis and yachting club communities in the Southeast. Twenty years after its conception, Wexford Harbour remains the envy of the boating community; Wexford’s golf course is as private and pristine as Willard Byrd dreamed it would be; and the tennis facility is one of the finest on the island and gearing up for a major facelift. The unique natural beauty envisioned by the developers has matured into the reality that is Wexford Plantation today. With the past 20 years in mind, in April of this year, residents celebrated their community’s past and future in style at a sold-out black-tie event.

Wexford Plantation was the dream child of Marathon Oil Company. Marathon Oil chose The Hilton Head Company to develop and carry out their idea. The developer chose renowned golf course architect and land planner, Willard Byrd, to design the golf course as well as the community. Byrd, inspired by a National Geographic article about the inland canals of Ireland, conceived the idea of a lock-controlled harbor that would be the centerpiece of the plantation. The Governor’s Mansion in Williamsburg, Virginia and The Cloister resort in Sea Island, Georgia also provided inspiration.

Wexford is derived from the Norse word, Weissford, which means “fjord of fresh water and mud flats.”History tells us that Alexander Trench sailed from Wexford, Ireland to Port Royal Sound in 1690. In fact, Hilton Head was, for a time, called Trench’s Island. Geography shows us there is a sister harbor in Wexford, Ireland on the southeastern coast.

Three and one-half miles of pre-stressed reinforced concrete were used to bulkhead the harbor. To carve out the surrounding golf course fairways, 600,000 yards of earth were moved. Seven bridges were built to span the harbor, providing access to homesites. Originally, 525 home sites were planned, but some lots have been combined and the master plan altered so that only 460 sites exist today. However, the community has had its struggles.

After the Marathon Oil/U.S. Steel merger, U.S. Steel decided they did not want to be in the real estate development business. They sold their holdings to Bobby Ginn, a major developer on the island at that time, who leveraged a buyout. The subsequent bankruptcy of Ginn forced all his holdings, including Wexford Plantation, into bankruptcy. The property reverted back to Marathon Oil, who no longer desired to develop it. Fortunately, Gaelic Properties, a corporation that included several Wexford property owners, negotiated the purchase of all Wexford assets. Despite difficulties, the creativity on the part of many individuals kept Wexford out of a secondary bankruptcy.

The now thriving community frequently uses its elegant clubhouse as a center for significant social gathering. Pink Georgian marble in the foyer and Tiffany-style glass skylights in the reception area, along with fine quality furnishings and accessories, make the British Colonial-style clubhouse a delightful place to entertain. The club offers champagne cruises in the harbor on a club-owned pontoon boat, delivering members and guests to the clubhouse to dine, and then returning them by boat to their own docks. The first Christmas boat parade was held in 1985, with five decorated boats participating, followed by hot toddies and snacks in the clubhouse. The commodore (chief officer in charge of the harbor) had his first annual Cocktail Party and Buffet in 1989. Nowadays, traditions and entertaining go hand in hand at Wexford.

In 1986, there were 40 vessels registered in the plantation’s yachting community. Today, there are well over 100 boats registered in Wexford Harbour, which opens to Broad Creek and provides access to the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. Boaters there are notorious for planning cruises to somewhere special. Fishing has always been an important sport in and around Wexford waters. There have been king mackerel, cobia and in-harbor fishing tournaments from the earliest days. A good deal at the Wexford Harbour Center involves complete washing and detailing services at reasonable rates to its members.

Social events might include a Mystery Night, complete with a pretend crime to solve where residents travel by golf cart to five different homes and the club provides the courses for a progressive dinner. For a more formal environment, men have been required to wear jackets for evening dinners on Fridays and Saturdays, yet in the summer there are casual cookouts around the pool and patio. On the informal side of things, residents enjoyed a Bingo night with spaghetti dinner and a western jamboree at the maintenance barn. Residents can also look forward to an annual President’s Ball, a black-tie affair to honor past and current presidents. To check out other opportunities, such as Breakfast with Bob or Croquet and Chardonnay, Wexford residents can read the community newsletter, “Club Times,” produced with the assistance of several helpers by General Manager Bob Guesella.

Tennis and golf are also in full swing at Wexford. Events are organized to fit every level and interest in both sports. Additional amenities include croquet and bocce ball lawns and biking and walking trails. Dick and Loretta Healey have been residents of Wexford since 1992. Dick Healey, broker-in-charge at Wexford Realty, said, “The best part of Wexford is the friendly people. We can’t put a price on that. Loretta and I agree, we have never lived in a more friendly community.” The Healeys reported that they have had more kids come to their door to “trick or treat” than they had in Michigan or Ohio. Apparently, the community is teeming with young families, not just retirees.