Palmetto Dunes Resort

PALMETTO DUNES RESORT is world-renowned for its golf and tennis facilities. The resort is among the top family destinations on the East Coast. Located on beautiful Hilton Head Island, it abounds in outdoor activities where wildlife and nature co-exist.

Palmetto Dunes offers an abundance of outdoor fun for all ages. From biking and walking to kayaking and fishing; the 2,000-acre resort has it all. One of the most interesting features of Palmetto Dunes is its 11 miles of interconnected man-made saltwater lagoons, which can provide a leisurely day of exploration for kayakers of all levels.

The eleven mile saltwater lagoon system in Palmetto Dunes Resort is one of the East Coast's largest nurseries for an incredible variety of saltwater species. Fish for citation redfish, tarpon, stripers (rockfish), trout, bluefish, flounder, black drum and a host of other species in Hilton Head's huge lagoons. These fish have become landlocked in the lagoon system and grow to incredible sizes. It is quite a unique experience.

The lagoons, which play a key role in providing drainage for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course, one of three Palmetto Dunes courses, are also an ideal venue for boating, fishing and touring. The resort is situated on three miles of hard-packed, sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean that are perfect for a day of bike riding along the shore, crabbing, sunbathing, collecting shells or picnicking. The waves are reasonably tame - just right for boogie-boarding, surfing or a refreshing swim.

The beaches that front the Atlantic Ocean were reinforced using tons of sand dredged from the resort's lagoon system and Shelter Cove Marina and positioned to form the resort's characteristic dunes. Within the resort, biking and walking trails abound, providing a great way to take in the scenery while getting your daily exercise. In addition, more than 25 miles of smooth, paved paths wind through Hilton Head, so you can ride, walk or rollerblade your way around the island.

The Palmetto Dunes Resort offers three 18-hole, public golf courses that are all named after their designer. The Arthur Hills Course is 6,651 yards of rolling landscape that offers a challenging game of golf. The course plays to a par of 72. True to its name, dunes and palmettos are scattered throughout the golf course. There are many opportunities for off-balance lies due to the elevation changes caused by the rolling dunes. Tree-lined fairways and a nice ocean breeze add more challenging elements to the course. Water hazards also come into play on at least ten holes. When they were in college, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson honed their golfing skills on the Arthur Hills Course.

The Robert Trent Jones course at Palmetto Dunes Resort is the oldest of the courses at the resort, but still one of the most cherished. The tree-lined course is pure Jones: Calm and easy where good shots are rewarded and bad ones are punished - just not too much as compared with some other courses.  It also has a couple of holes that provide sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the youngest courses to ever appear on Golf Digest's list of America's 100 best, the par-70 George Fazio continues to offer a stimulating challenge to golfers. With only two par 5s, the heart of the course lies in a series of long par 4s, beginning with the 432-yard first hole and ending with the 462-yard 18th.

The tree-lined fairways are open and roll gently on the front nine, while the back nine becomes tighter and more severe, demanding good position off the tee. The greens are fairly small and provide quite a test with their severe undulations.

One of the best ways to experience Hilton Head Island is by boat; so, if spending time on the water is your cup of tea, head over to Shelter Cove Harbour and Marina, located just across U.S. Highway 278 from the Palmetto Dunes front entrance. Here you'll find a variety of water activities that will take you out to sea or let you meander through Calibogue Sound and Broad Creek. You can also try your hand at deep-sea fishing aboard a charter or learn about the Lowcountry's wildlife and nature habitats during a dolphin or nature cruise, where you'll also get to see more than 40 species of indigenous birds and fish. Rentals and instruction are available for boats, water-skiing, tubing, sailing and wake-boarding. Boaters who dock at Shelter Cove Marina receive full privileges and preferred rates at the Palmetto Dunes Resort.

Shelter Cove Harbour offers year-round waterfront dining, shopping and entertainment, plus spectacular views of Broad Creek. This laid-back Mediterranean-style village combines the Island's best shops, restaurants and waterfront activities all within walking distance of the Palmetto Dunes Resort.

The resort offers a wide array of activities geared toward children, including biking, fishing, canoeing and kayaking. Kids can also take lessons to learn golf, tennis, boating, sport crabbing, nature activities, water-skiing and surfing. Tennis Magazine ranked Palmetto Dunes Resort among the "50 Greatest U.S. Tennis Resorts."

The tennis center features 23 clay courts and two Nova Pro Bounce courts, eight of which are lighted for night play. The center offers a full schedule of seasonal activities, instructional programs and daily round-robin tournaments, accommodating players of all ages and skill levels. Palmetto Dunes Resort boasts three expertly designed and challenging golf courses: The renowned Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course; the Arthur Hills Course; and the George Fazio Course.

The Palmetto Dunes Resort learning centers offer instruction in golf, tennis, fly-fishing, kayaking and sport crabbing, while nature excursions led by trained naturalists delve into the habitat of herons and ospreys, dolphins dining on menhaden in the shallows or fiddler crabs scurrying across the mud flats. The Palmetto Dunes Resort has been ranked as the No. 1 family resort in the United States by Travel + Leisure Family magazine because it offers a wide range of activities for every member of the family.