Longboat Key Club/Resort
On Florida's SW coast;home of New 20-court Tennis Gardens
www.longboatkeyclub.com
TOPS'L Resort
Top 10 U.S. Tennis Resort Tennis pkgs: 888-248-4964
www.topsl.com
Here's what others have had to say about Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, Hilton Head Marriott Beach & Golf Resort, and Hilton Oceanfront Resort Hilton Head Island.
"Excellent instruction with drills that really work on both the fundamentals of the game, tailored to your specific needs, as well as fitness."—D.M., Adv. Int., March 2010
"Palmetto Dunes is easy to get to and the staff is fantastic. The tennis center is well run with very good teaching professionals for all levels. Hilton Head has a great deal to offer, whether you have kids or not. It's not a super budget vacation spot so be aware of that but there are plenty of way to cut costs."—C.C., Adv., March 2010
"2010 is the third year in a row we have been to Palmetto Dunes. This year, our group of eight from Atlanta stayed at a very nice home in Palmett Dunes, played tennis for three days, and even managed to sneak in a round of golf. Our pros, Brian and Scotty always give us a great workout and great tennis pointers. The best souvenier I'm bring home from Hilton Head this year is a much improved overhead. Thank you, Palmetto Dunes!"—M.B., Adv. Int., March 2010
"The tennis instruction is tailored to meet your group needs. The resort is professionally managed in a beautiful setting. The tennis pros are some of the best I have ever encountered."—S.M., Adv., February 2010
"Went with Exploritas for 6 days/ 5 nights. The tennis instruction was excellent, Scott Lumpkin and Mike Uchno. Lots of instruction and afternoon doubles. Highly recommend the instructors and tennis center for fun, enlightening tennis located in lovely Hilton Head, South Carolina."—T.M., Int., November 2009
""—W.P., Pro, November 2009
"Instructors Mike Uchno and Scott Lumpkin are exceptionally good. They are perceptive, enthusiastic and adept at assessing needs and combining drills with instruction .
And they are pleasant and fun to spend the week with.
I would recommend them highly for your tennis instruction."—D.L., Adv. Int., November 2009
"The pro shop was very well stocked and the staff was very friendly. The courts were in very good condition and well groomed. Will return in the future."—J.T., Adv., October 2009
"Head pro was great -- emphasized strategy and moving to the ball. Support staff are very friendly and helpful."—S.G., Adv. Int., October 2009
"we just spent 8 days in Hilton Head and we both took lessons at Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center. I took both the Edge class and the Doubles Class. I learned so much from Brian, Michael, and Keith. Each has their own unique teaching style.
My girlfriend wants us to play on a doubles team and I was apprehensive at first, me not being a doubles player. After having a weeks worth of lessons I am convinced we could play together and have fun without killing each other...lol lol. I love the way they teach...firm instruction...immediate correction when you are doing something wrong and praise when you do something good. The way Brian breaks down the stroke... the strategies. was so helpful... It is not what you say its how you say it... He is perfect and funny... he has the jokes too. lol
Would we go again.... Do you have to ask.. Yes yes yes.. Oh don't forget The Dunes House.. an hidden serendipty. on the beach restaurant/bar.. You must have the Fish Taco ..wow I ate it everyday.. the best.."—D.S., Int., September 2009
"We just had an unbelievable weekend of fantastic tennis instruction. We'd played a match on the previous Thursday and could have used all of the great techniques they taught us!! Fun, smart, positive, effective - everything you could want in a tennis instructor. Keith, Brian and Hank were fantastic! I'll be coming back soon!"—C.A., Adv. Int., September 2009
"I did 2 one hour lessons while vacationing in Hilton Head. The instruction I received was far superior to anything I have received at other clubs and in my hometown. The lessons were fairly intense so you felt like you got a great workout while improving your strokes. I definitely would have done 2 more lessons or participated in some of their many daily clinics but the weather did not permit it. I definitely will be returning!"—J.B., Adv. Int., May 2009
Rate Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort , Hilton Head Marriott Beach & Golf Resort, and Hilton Oceanfront Resort Hilton Head Island
This 2,000-acre resort begins along three miles of mid-island 
beach and extends inland, across Hwy. 278, to a shopping plaza and marina called Shelter Cove. Contained within are two oceanfront hotels, some 500 vacation homes and villas, 25 tennis courts, three designer golf courses, 10 miles of lagoons, a marina, and more than 50 stores and shops.
Unlike Sea Pines Resort or Shipyard Plantation, Palmetto Dunes has no guard posted at the main entrance. Anyone can just drive in, following a tree-canopied artery to the resort's hotels and skirting the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center along the way. Its private, gated communities—which encompass both residences and rental homes and villas—lie to the right and left off that main road. Once you enter, you're enveloped by the same serenity and tasteful design typical of the other plantations.
The Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center consists of a main complex of 17 hard and clay courts set in a landscape of pine trees and a satellite facility, with 8 clay courts and broad decks, a a five-minute walk away. The main clubhouse is new, having opened in March 2001. Within its 3,000 square feet is a bright, spacious pro shop, showers for men and women, and offices for the professional staff. The reception is extremely friendly—these aren't kids behind the desk but adults. All of them play tennis—many in fact are on teams—and so they really do understand tennis players and their needs.
The resort has recently completed an upgrade of all the courts. The project included physically rebuilding many of them, while adding new fencing with California (angled) corners and re-landscaping the perimeters. Some have small, shingle-roofed courtside pavilions and chilled water fountains.
The Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center caters to a mixture of groups and vacationers. It is typical of the more active Hilton Head Island complexes in offering a wide range of weekly programs, including clinics, drill sessions, and daily round robins of various sorts. Moreover, during the busier March-October season, the tennis center adds a weekly exhibition and happy hour and a weekly demo day.
Pro Shop: 843-785-1152 or 800-972-0257
Tennis Staff. Tennis director John Kerr played Division III tennis for Hiram College in Ohio and then taught at indoor clubs before coming to Hilton Head Island in 1986. Originally, he taught at Shipyard Plantation but moved over to Palmetto Dunes as head pro in 1990, taking over as director in 1996. He now heads a staff of 6 full-time pros, among them head pro Brian Kiggans, who had previously spent 15 years at South Beach Racquet Club in Sea Pines, and Jackie Reynecke, who directs the annual ResortQuest Banana Open Challenge and works with Mary Jackson to coordinate group and package programs and the social activities.
Tennis Programs. One of Kerr's first acts was to re-craft the program. "When I first came to Palmetto Dunes the structure of the teaching programs was very confusing," he remembers. "So we tried to simplify the choices but still give a variety of options to players." Rather than offer tennis camps, Palmetto Dunes runs back-to-back group clinics and drills so that as a guest you can carpenter together a program day by day that could be as short as one hour or as long as 4½.
Among the options are a 90-minute Grand Slam clinic (a series of fast-paced drills and ball machine workouts), a 90-minute Competitive Edge Doubles clinic, and a 90-minute Competitive Edge drill session—all scheduled to run one after the other and geared to intermediate-advanced players. Beginners and intermediates, meanwhile, can choose from less demanding 60-minute stroke-of-the-day, daily drill, and cardio tennis sessions, also scheduled back to back. Because of this thoughtful, modular schedule, those who want activity after activity can easily spend a whole morning and part of the afternoon on court. What's more, as a boon to parents, the junior clinics run at the same time as the adult clinics, so the whole family can come and go as a group. Beyond that the tennis center runs a daily round robin, supervised by a member of the staff. And from March to October there is a weekly exhibition and happy hour and a demo day.
Stop by the pro shop, as I did, and you'll find an experienced staff who are at once friendly and very service conscious. Game matching remains a priority: if you give them 24 hours notice and book a court, they promise to have someone for you at that time. All in all, the center offers an excellent series of programs.
Courts & Fees. The Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center has 25 courts altogether: 17 courts at the Tennis Center proper (15 clay and 2 ProBounce, a cushioned hard surface), and another 8 clay courts a short walk away. Those at the Center fan out from a contemporary, 3,000-square-foot clubhouse. Palms, maples, pines and live oaks border the courts as do oleander and other low shrubbery. All of the courts have chilled water fountains though not all have shade. Eight courts have lights on a token system so people can play when they want just by showing up. Court fees: $25/hour.
Beach. Palmetto Dunes fronts three miles of beach. It tends to be most crowded near the center, where the two hotels are located, but you don't have to walk far to the east or west to have large expanses of sand all to yourself. And the farther you get from those hotels, the less obtrusive the architecture
Golf Courses. Palmetto Dunes itself has three designer golf courses, each named for its designer: Arthur Hills, George Fazio, and Robert Trent Jones. However, the same company that owns those also owns another two at Palmetto Hall, a private residential community not far from Palmetto Dunes. Guests of ResortQuest have playing privileges at all five and can book discounted greens fees at another 15 in the area. There are also a golf school.
Spa & Fitness Center. The resort itself does not have a fitness center; however, both of the hotels do.
Lodging choices within the resort consist of two beachfront hotels and a large number of condominiums and homes in various locations, from beachfront to golf course to marsh.
Apr. 30-May 2, 2010: 4th Annual Banana Open Junior Challenge
www.palmettodunes.com/hilton-head-tennis-tournaments.php Phone: 843-785-1152
Boys' and Girls' singles and doubles, novice and tournament level. Benefits the Charles P. Darby Children's Research Center at MUSC. Presented by Coligny Plaza.
June 4-6, 2010: 31st Annual Banana Open
www.palmettodunes.com/hilton-head-tennis-tournaments.php Phone: 843-785-1152
Men's and Women's Singles and Doubles and Mixed in even NTRP ratings of 3.0, 4.0, and 5.. Presented by Larry's Giant Subs.
Sept. 3-5, 2010: 2nd Annual Tennis Fall Classic
www.palmettodunes.com/hilton-head-tennis-tournaments.php Phone: 843-785-1152
Men's and Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
Oct. 1-3, 2010: Palmetto Dunes Banana Open Challenge (Closed)
www.palmettodunes.com/hilton-head-tennis-tournaments.php Phone: 843-785-1152
Men's and Women's singles, doubles, and mixed (this is a closed tournament)
Nov. 5-7, 2010: 16th Annual Wild Wing Cafe Nutty Buddy Classic
www.palmettodunes.com/hilton-head-tennis-tournaments.php Phone: 843-785-1152
Sponsored by Wild Wing Cafe, this is a fun men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles tournament for NTRP levels 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 and Open.
If you're looking for something similar to Palmetto Dunes, check out:
Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort
Palmetto Dunes has 1-to-4-bedroom villas, all with kitchens, that occupy various locations throughout the resort, including oceanfront, golf course, and the harbor. As a guest of Palmetto Dunes, you receive one hour of free daily court time per bedroom, per night up to 4 hours/day. There is a three-night minimum at selected times of the year.
Hilton Head Marriott Beach & Golf Resort
A 10-story hotel with 512 rooms and suites.
Hilton Oceanfront Resort Hilton Head Island
All 323 units have kitchenettes
Seasons. Year-round.
Travel Instructions. By Air: Palmetto Dunes is 45 miles from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) in Georgia and 95 miles from Charleston International Airport (CHS). Major airlines serve both of those gateways. It is also possible to fly directly to Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH), on commuter service from US Airways Express, via Charlotte, NC. Rental cars and shuttles are available at all three airports.
General Tourist Information. Visit the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau web site or contact them at 1 Chamber Dr., P.O. Box 5647, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938; 843-785-3673 or toll-free 800-523-3373.