SUN CITY

Del Webb`s first active adult community east of the Mississippi opened in 1995. While Sun City Hilton Head is actually 13 miles from the resort island it was named for, the 5,000 acre community for those over 50, has enough attractions of its own to create a stir.

At the heart of Sun City is a community recreation campus featuring a theater, social center, arts and crafts facility plus billiard and computer rooms. A state-of the-art fitness center, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, bocce courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, bowling center and recreation park with cookout facilities contribute to the active Sun City lifestyle.

One third of the property at Sun City has been set aside for nature preservation and includes recreation trails and boardwalks. For an afternoon of fishing, residents enjoy Lake Somerset or the banks of the Okatie River. When it comes to golf, there is a 9-hole putting course or two more serious challenges designed by Mark McCumber.

THE RESIDENTS

When Sun City first opened, at least one person in a couple had to be 55 years of age of older. Recently, that age limit was reduced to 50. While residents may be approaching their "golden years," few lead a sedentary lifestyle. Activity on all fronts is the name of the Sun City game. At build-out more than 20,000 residents are expected to call Sun City Hilton Head home.

THE NEIGHBORHOODS

Sun City is divided into two distinct neighborhoods: Sun City and River Bend. There are 14 styles of home designs available in Sun City. Each can be customized according to individual design preferences. River Bend, a separate enclave across Highway # 170 is a more upscale neighborhood featuring larger homes and more mature landscaping.

• Sun City
• River Bend

CLUBS and ACTIVITIES

It would be easier to list the clubs that do not have a following at Sun City than attempt to list them all. Residents - or Sun Citizens and they are sometimes called - participate in a full spectrum of clubs, activities and special interest groups. In addition to the more than 80 clubs, there are ceramics and painting workshops, a sewing room and a popular computer room (and club) with Internet access.

The social scene is a busy one at Sun City Hilton Head with activities and events conducted for the most part in the 17000 square foot Pinckney Hall. Dances, socials and concerts are regularly scheduled and all are notified of the particulars via the community’s newsletter, Sun-Sations.

FITNESS

Few communities can boast of a fitness facility more modern and complete than that of Sun City’s Purrysburg Fitness Center. In addition to state-of-the art fitness equipment, residents enjoy a dance and aerobics studio with cushioned floors, an outdoor swimming pool, and indoor 8-lane heated pool, a therapy spa plus men’s and women’s locker rooms.

TENNIS and other SPORTS

There are four lighted tennis courts, four lighted bocce ball courts, a nine-hole natural putting course, bowling center plus facilities for croquet and horseshoes. Bike and fitness trails with exercise stations round out the selection.

GOLF

OKATIE CREEK GOLF CLUB

Okatie Creek is the first golf venue opened at Sun City and a tribute to the gifted capabilities of veteran PGA Tour pro Mark McCumber, its designer. This comfortable course integrates marshes, clever doglegs and hallways of oaks and pines to create a very playable layout. The back nine is especially effective in demanding course management. It was planned with the older golfer in mind and offers five sets of tees to accommodate all levels of ability. The best golfers will find a b challenge on the back tees; the forward tees will demand every golfer’s attention to the task before them.

HIDDEN CYPRESS GOLF CLUB

The second course entry at Sun City is a step up on the difficulty scale. While not overwhelming, it will demand the utmost of all golfers. Mark McCumber has done some of his best work here, combing the natural topography of wetlands and subtly contoured fairways with magnificent vistas of pine stands and towering oaks Some of these very trees are centered in fairways and grab the golfer’s attention. Thousands of azalea bushes have been planted and will compete for attention in spring. Expert design has placed bunkers strategically, calling for constant shot decisions. This outstanding new entry in Sun City’s golf arena is already drawing rave notices.