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.

Overview

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.

Tennis Features

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.

Your Call

Here's what others have had to say about Palmetto Dunes Resort, Hilton Head Marriott Beach & Golf Resort, and Hilton Oceanfront Resort Hilton Head Island.

• ""—B.W., Adv. Int., May 2008

• "I just returned from a week-long vacation at Palmetto Dunes Resort where I had another positive tennis experiece. I am a 4.5 player and took six one-hour, daily, private lessons from Scotty. The lessons were a combination of hitting with Scotty and ball machine drills.
  I am now moving into the court much better on my forehand, and I picked up a couple good tips on my serve. We also worked hard on my backhand, but I will need to hit a lot more balls in order to cement the changes. All the staff were very laid back and friendly. The facilities are good, and the pro shop has some nice clothing."—C.L., Adv. Int., May 2008

• "The tennis pros were great and gave great instruction. They were very willing to accommodate our every request and also very fun to play tennis with."—L.O., Adv., May 2008

• "Our group of twelve women have been attending tennis camp at Palmetto Dunes for five years now. Brian and the staff at the tennis center are extremely accomodating with respect to designing a clinic specifically for our group - that's why we keep coming back.
  This year we had the good fortune to have Brian, Scott, Steve, and Hank conduct our clinics. They are each excellent instructors with obvious enthusiasm for the game. Most important to us, we had a load of fun while improving our skills on the court.
  I'm planning to bring my family to Palmetto Dunes later this year and our group will be back next year!"—G.W., Int., May 2008

• "The instruction we received during our tennis team weekend was outstanding -- some of the best I've ever had. Brian and Scott did a great job. I learned some great new skills, and how to put them together to execute a game plan. I was thorougly impressed!"—J.K., Adv. Int., May 2008

• "Every year a eight women (from Boston area) ranging in rank of 3.5 to 4.0 try to find warm weather and doubled tennis instruction. We certainly lucked out at Palmetto Dunes.
  Brian Kiggen, head pro, runs a daily morning clinic. His staff is positive and moves everyone smartly using feeding and ball machine drills to enhance our doubles play.
  We had scheduled a group lesson with Brian for each afternoon. We came for doubles and for the first time in all my personal experiences with these programs, the pro actually concentrated on doubles! Approaches, techniques, and skills were all to enhance our doubles play. High percentage point construction combined with strong doubles strategy, positioning and movement has improved my game dramatically. (Oh, it didn't hurt that Brian's assistant looked like a greek god)
  The area Hilton Head Island, SC is beautiful. The restaurants are plentiful and good. Our best dining experience was at Alexanders directly across from the Tennis Center. Our house was on the golf course and minutes walk to the beach. It was huge and comfortable.
  Good weather, wonderful location, and a great tennis experience."—C.D., Adv. Int., May 2008

• "This is the 3rd year I have participated in tennis drills at Palmetto Dunes. I have done the Doubles Clinic and the Grand Slam. Both are fun and challenging. Also, both provide a serious workout, so be prepared to run a lot if you sign up. The staff (Brian/Keith/Scotty) are very friendly and knowledgeable. I have enjoyed this club each year and haven't found a need to go to any other while in HHI on vacation."—D.I., Int., April 2008

• "It was my first trip to Palmetto Dunes. Everything was first-class! We enjoyed the tennis, golf and rented bikes. It was wonderful!!"—J.A., Adv. Int., April 2008

• "I have visited Palmetto Dunes with both my family and most recently with my team. Brian and Scott did an excellent job with drills and strategy. Mary did an excellent job setting up all the details. The pro shop had an excellent selection of clothing. The Monday Night exhibition was fun even with Brian's corny jokes. I am looking forward to returning this summer with my family."—H.D., Low Int., April 2008

• "We have been going to Palmetto Dunes for years. The staff is very friendly to the point we feel like we are home every time we visit. So many of the friendly familiar faces have remained for many years. The pros and programs were excellent as always! We will be back for many, many year!!"—W.D., Adv. Int., April 2008

• "Very informative, fast-paced and interesting drills. Fun, yet professional tennis pros. Nice courts. Staff in tennis shop a bit snarly and unfriendly."—S.L., Adv. Int., April 2008

• "We had a three day weekend with 8 girls. Three day clinic. It was Great!!! Brian and Scott. Toppy. We learned a lot and had a lot of fun!! I hope I have a chance to go back soon!"—H.F., Beg., April 2008

Other Recreation

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

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.

Calendar

See Also

If you're looking for something similar to Palmetto Dunes, check out:

• Amelia Island Plantation, Florida
• Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
• South Seas Island Resort, Florida
• Wild Dunes Resort, South Carolina

Travel Essentials

Seasons. Year-round.

Rates.

Palmetto Dunes Resort

Hilton Head Marriott Golf & Beach Resort

• Palmetto Dunes Resort
  P.O. Box 7
  Hilton Head Island, SC 29938
  843-842-3006
  Toll-free: 800-448-3408
  Fax: 843-842-5960
  Web Link: Palmetto Dunes Resort
  

• Hilton Head Marriott Beach & Golf Resort
  One Hotel Circle
  Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
  843-686-8400
  Toll-free: 800-295-5998
  Fax: 843-686-8450
  Web Link: Hilton Head Marriott Beach & Golf Resort
  

  NEW!

  Book Online: Hilton Head Marriott Beach & Golf Resort
  

• Hilton Oceanfront Resort Hilton Head Island
  23 Ocean Lane
  P.O. Box 6165
  Hilton Head Island, SC 29938
  843-842-8000
  Toll-free: 800-445-8667
  Fax: 843-341-8033
  Web Link: Hilton Oceanfront Resort Hilton Head Island
  

  NEW!

  Book Online: Hilton Oceanfront Resort Hilton Head Island
  

Internet Rates! Other Hilton Head Island Lodging. Check For Internet Specials at Hotels, Condos and Villas

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.

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