Jameson's at Hidden Cypress Closes on New Year's Eve. What Replaces It Is Still Up to Sun City.

Who will run the restaurant at Hidden Cypress after December 31? Right now nobody is lined up. According to the Sun City Hilton Head Community Association's October 13 update, the Board and Association management asked other restaurant providers whether they wanted to take over the location, and those providers chose not to. So the Association is not swapping one operator for another. It is renovating the room while the golf course is closed and asking residents what it should become.

That changes what the next few months mean for anyone who eats or plays at Hidden Cypress. The decisions about the clubhouse's next restaurant will be made this winter, while the course behind it is closed. Residents get a say in the restaurant, and the first public conversation about the golf side happens this afternoon.

The calendar between today and January 4

Several Hidden Cypress changes overlap with routine seasonal work elsewhere in the community. Here they are in order, taken from the Association's Membership Announcements page, last updated October 26, 2026.

The Hidden Cypress outdoor pool has already reopened after its share of the community-wide pool improvements. Of the outdoor pools, only Hidden Cypress and the Lakehouse are heated through the winter. The Association's notices so far describe renovation work on the golf course and the restaurant only. They don't say whether the pool, fitness center or pro shop will run differently once the course closes.

Why no new name is going on the door

The Association has been clear about how this started. In its words, "this change was requested by the provider." The current restaurant provider asked to amend its agreement and remove Jameson's Charhouse at Hidden Cypress from the contract, citing "the upcoming golf course closure and other considerations." The partnership continues at the other two on-site restaurants, The Clubhouse at Okatie Creek and AL's Pub at Argent Lakes.

The reasoning holds together. A clubhouse restaurant at a closed golf course loses the before-round and after-round traffic it was built around. The Association's update names the course closure as part of why the provider asked out, and as part of why the timing works for a renovation. With no other operator interested, the Board decided to "step back, take a fresh look at the space and create an experience that better serves the community for the future."

To do that, the Association is working with RealFood, which it describes as a national hospitality consulting company, "to help us rethink the facility and overall dining experience." This is the stated goal:

"We want it to be a welcoming, comfortable gathering place where residents can meet friends, catch up with neighbors, enjoy a drink or a meal, and where golfers can relax before or after a round."

That brief describes a gathering place first and a steakhouse second, if at all. The Association hasn't said what the room will look like, what it will serve, or who will run it once it reopens. Those answers depend partly on what residents send in.

How to get your ideas in

The Association has set up a dedicated email address for feedback on the restaurant: [email protected]. It has also said a resident survey "will be coming soon."

The renovation is happening while the course is closed, and the consultant is being brought in before any operator. So comments sent this winter arrive while the plans are still being drawn. A few specifics give the planners more to work with than general praise or complaints:

1. When you would use it. Weekday lunch after nine holes, an early dinner, or a drink after a club meeting all lead to different hours and staffing.
2. Who you would bring. A table for two, a foursome, a neighborhood group of twelve, or visiting family each need a different kind of room.
3. What the other venues already cover. The Clubhouse at Okatie Creek, AL's Pub and the Brackish Bar & Lounge are all staying open, so ideas that fill a gap between them give Hidden Cypress its own role.
4. How it should feel without golf. The Association's vision mentions golfers "before or after a round," and it also mentions neighbors who are just meeting friends. A design that works on a non-golf afternoon will keep working when the course reopens.

Where lunch and dinner move after December 31

Once Jameson's at Hidden Cypress closes, Sun City has three on-site dining options left. The Association's on-site dining page lists them all, and they're open to residents and their guests. Their schedules don't match, and the differences matter more when there are only three.

The Clubhouse at Okatie Creek, 60 Sun City Club Lane, sits on the 18th green of Okatie Creek. It serves lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, with a fireplace between the dining room and bar and two outdoor patios. Its posted hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The page lists a brunch menu but doesn't post separate Sunday hours.

AL's Pub and Pizzeria at Argent Lakes, 1291 Sergeant William Jasper Blvd. on the north side of Sun City, opened in fall 2020. It serves pizza, shared appetizers, and a full bar with tap, bottle and local craft beers. Bar and kitchen hours are posted as Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. It doesn't take reservations, and seating is first come, first served.

The Brackish Bar & Lounge, 1236 Sundance Drive in Sun City West, is the newest of the three. The Association's dining page describes it as drinks and bites served inside or by the pool. Its hours are listed as Thursday through Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.

Put those schedules together and the gaps are clear. On Mondays, Okatie Creek is the only posted option. On Sundays, the choices are brunch at Okatie Creek or drinks and bites at Brackish. Every posted closing time is 8 p.m. And a group that wants a guaranteed table at AL's Pub has no way to reserve one. Those posted hours could change before January, so check the pages before planning a holiday gathering or a standing weekly dinner.

The golf questions on today's agenda

The town hall today, Thursday, November 5, runs from 3 to 5 p.m. at Magnolia Hall, with the Board of Directors, Association management and golf staff. The Association lists the topics as course conditions, operations, long-term planning, sustainability, and an overview of the Hidden Cypress renovation. It also says future golf planning will follow four principles: "business, logic, fairness and balance."

Golf operations also have new leadership heading into the closure. John McLaughlin, a PGA Professional, became Director of Golf Operations on October 12, according to the Association's October 6 announcement, which was made with Troon. He was most recently Director of Golf at The Club at Savannah Harbor, and before that Head Golf Professional at Haig Point Golf Club on Daufuskie Island.

Here's what closing Hidden Cypress means in yardage. Per the course pages on golfinsuncity.com, Hidden Cypress is a par 72 at 6,549 yards. It was designed by ten-time PGA Tour winner Mark McCumber, with undulating greens and what the course page calls "menacing collection areas." McCumber also designed Okatie Creek, a par 72 at 6,407 yards. Argent Lakes is an 18-hole executive course of 3,851 yards, par 61.

So for the length of the renovation, Okatie Creek becomes the only full-length course inside the gates. That's a factual reason to bring practical questions this afternoon. The Association's public notices haven't yet given the scope of the course work, a reopening date, the cost or funding source, or any change to tee times at Okatie Creek and Argent Lakes. Those are the questions this town hall is set up to answer. Here's what to ask:

• When is Hidden Cypress expected to reopen, and is the restaurant on the same timeline as the course?
• Will tee-time booking at Okatie Creek or Argent Lakes change while Hidden Cypress is closed?
• Will the Hidden Cypress pro shop, outdoor pool and fitness center keep their current schedules?
• When will the restaurant survey go out, and when will residents see the results?

The Association's golf tee-time page is still the resident booking link, and resident tee times aren't open to the public. Any changes for the winter will most likely show up there and on the Membership Announcements page first.

If the Hidden Cypress renovation has you thinking about how golf, dining and clubhouse access fit into daily life across different gated communities, Richard Kadesch at Go Gated Realty can walk you through how Sun City's three courses and three restaurants compare with the amenity setups elsewhere in Bluffton and on Hilton Head. Request a free buyer consultation, and bring your town hall notes.