Hilton Head and Golf

[Ed T]

We have never used our points to stay at Hilton Head however we are thinking that June would be our first attempt. What is like in June? We want to play golf. What is the closest golf course to DVC HH and how many different course are within a few miles off the resort. Are there any within walking distance? Ok golfers you can send any comments.

Thanks

Ed

 

[R.J.'s Dad]

Golf in Hilton Head is great- I'm pretty sure the closest course is Palmetto Dunes. Prob. a couple mile walk- I wouldn't advise that. There are literally a dozen courses within a half- hour of the Disney property. I was there last year and prices are all over the map. Most expensive is Harbour Town- roughly $250/ round. I strongly recommend Oyster Reef and Hilton Head National. Both are less than $100 and the courses were in tremendous shape. I'd also recommend golfcourse.com and type up Hilton Head Sc. and they will give you a guide to all courses in the area with reviews from people who've recently played there. One course I'd stay away from is the Golden Bear. You'd think a course with Nicklaus' name on it would be great, but the course is in poor shape and the staff is rude. You'll love it at the resort. Have fun!

 

[Simba's Mom]

DH loves to go to HH, but I think he secretly resents that I'll only "allow" him to golf twice each trip. There's a person at the front desk, Matt, who's pretty knowledgeable about the different courses around. And yes, there must be at least a dozen within 1/2 hour, and about half of those are within 5 or 10 minutes. There's a trio of courses just a couple miles away. DH hasn't gotten to them yet (so many golf courses-so little time!), but I know Matt recommends the Arthur Hills course over there and the Robert Trent Jones course. There's also a course a few miles down on the right, can't remember the name, but I'll ask DH when he gets home.

 

[dis-happy]

The HH Golfer's Guide says "there are more than 20 public golf courses in the HH area." I'll be there tomorrow night (on the way to WDW---yahoo!!!)---if you want me to try and pick one up and send it to you, let me know.

It can rain a bit in June; something to keep in mind, but it is still nice and the ocean is comfortably warm by then. A lot of people hit the outlet malls when it rains.

 

[vernon]

I always pop into a local golf equipment shop and pick up a couple of their free golf magazines (there's one shop about a mile from the DVC resort. Turn right on the main road as you exit the resort and it's on the right hand side of the road in a small parade of shops). These magazines usually have a number of offers in them in the form of coupons etc. They also usually have maps/phone numbers and directions to the courses.

IF he's a VERY keen golfer it is worth checking out Harbour Town to see if they have any "specials" on. While it's rare to get a discount on the rate for HArbour Town course itself, I did get a deal where I could pay each of their three courses once. The deal meant that basically the third (cheapest) course was free.

I don't think there are any courses in walking distance, but there are a number that would be less than $10 in a cab.

 

[Disneyaholic]

You could probably also take the resort shuttle to the Palmetto Dunes courses -- I would check with the front desk first to make sure, but it's not really out of the way. Also, last summer, there was a free shuttle service offered by Palmetto Dunes, which takes people from the Palmetto Dunes area to Shelter Cove and vice versa. I don't know why you couldn't take that from Shelter Cove (right across the bridge from the resort) to any of the Palmetto Dunes courses as well.

And FWIW, DH and DS absolutely love the Indigo Run Golden Bear course -- probably their favorite on the island! They also enjoy all of the Palmetto Dunes courses (favorite is Robert Trent Jones, because of the "ocean" hole), the courses at Port Royal, and Shipyard. Last year they were lucky enough to play the Harbourtown course and (of course!) loved it, but they know not to get too attached to it, unless we win the lottery.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Now I remember which one he liked-it was Shipyard! But he's looking forward to trying the 2 across the street.

 

[UConnJack]

The Palmetto resorts (Dunes and Hall) also ususally give discounts to DVC memebers. The front desk can clue you into these. They are also some of the closest to the resort.

I've played three of the four courses (Hills, Jones, Cupp) and can recommend them all. I suprisingly liked the Cupp course the best, followed by the Jones and Hills. All were were very good, however. The Cupp course may seem gimicky based on its advertising (angular shapes, designed on a computer), but you don't really sense it while playing on the ground. All I saw was a very soild, fun, fair, and well maintained course. I am sure the Fazio course (a par 70) is very good as well, his usually are, but it is the hardest of them I hear.