Do I need to go ahead and make my tee times now, or wait until I get there to try and score a deal?

I plan on playing all 3 courses in Palmetto Dunes (4 day stay).

Normally in July it's not a problem to get on anywhere on the island so I would probably wait until you're within a couple weeks of your trip. That way too you can check course conditions as mid Summer in South Carolina means some courses aren't in as good of condition as others. Many of the HHI courses get stressed during the hot months and it would suck to book times for a nice trip only to find out the courses you picked aren't in very good shape.

One thing I would look into though - I was down there in March and Palmetto Dunes was running a 50% off deal because business was down but there were limited times available each day and you had to book in advance or the times were gone. You could have played any of the courses for about $55 and that was in the high season. Give them a call now and see if they're running that special for the summer. If not, wait until a week or two out and check course conditions then book.

Of the three courses in Palmetto Dunes, my favorite is Robert Trent Jones, followed by Arthur Hills. I go every April or May, and don't particularly care for Geroge Fazio, so I tend to buy their three-round package and play Jones, Hills, Jones and skip Fazio.

This year a guy I got teamed up with just finished playing Fazio and warned me that the greens were in really bad shape. If you're set on playing these three, I'd at least suggest asking specifically if the greens have recovered.

Have fun!

You can get on anywhere usually within an hour to an hour and a half on the day of in July. You should not have any problems. I don't know how much you plan on spending but, if you are looking for a great place at a smaller price than the island courses, you should give Hilton Head National a try. As you are leaving the Island it will be on the left after you pass the first outlet mall. No houses, just golf. If you are a single the staff will match you with some folks on or close to your level. The National is the only course I play every time I am down there.
Also, for a great lunch after a round, hit the Sea Shack. It's on Executive Park Road. Take the Coligny Traffic Circle towards N. Forest Beach, it'll be on the left.

Thanks for the tips, guys!

Hilton Head National was my favorite there, I suggest playing it if you can. Not sure what days you are going but we played 27 for 82 or something like that. I am sure the prices will be different in July. The RTJ course was nice, when I was there in March I remember them doing a lot of work on the course, at least the front 9.

I live here, so let me see if I can help....

As far as HH National, they are re-doing 9 holes because they are going to loose a few holes to the new Parkway that is coming thru. Right now they have 18 open and are in decent shape, but one of the nines they have open is pretty weak from my stand point.

Trent Jones is a great course and I would play it twice or see if you can cut a deal to go over and play at Palmetto Hall. Both are Greenwood Development I think.

You can check now on tee times, but I would think you can wait until it gets closer to make the tee times. Make sure you play in the morning, we are like the tropics here and get rain storm every afternoon.

Good luck and have fun. Feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions.

My family and I go down there every summer. We will actually be there this year from July 25-August 8. Our only vacation of the year so we stay 2 weeks. You don't need much advance notice for tee times especially if you aren't looking at the prime, early morning in July, tee times. You may want to consider some of the off island options. I really like Hilton Head National. Also consider Old South. We also like Oyster Reef and the Hilton Head Country Club. If you really want to get adventuous, I hear that the courses on Daufuskie Island are awesome. I haven't played there yet but that's what I hear. You have to take a ferry to get there though. We have run into some aerating(sp?) issues down there at this time of year but that hasn't been the norm but definitely worth asking ahead of time. We got a deal at the Jack Nicklaus course one year because they had aerated recently and the greens were beyond bad. They said they were almost back but it wasn't even close. Enjoy the trip, we love it down there.

Can you rent scooters on the island? Google isn't turning up much in the way of a search.

There are lots and lots of bicycles and roller blades (at least in the Sea Pines section in which I stay) and lots of safe bike trails. Haven't seen any scooters though, if you mean the motorized kind.

Yeah, I did mean the motorized kind. I did some Googling and found that you just can't rent them at all.

What about golf carts? Can you rent those? I guess I want to rent something so that a couple of couples can travel to restaurants and have a couple of drinks without having to worry about driving a car. Plus it seems like it could be a PITA to drive a car all over the island other than getting to/from the airport.

Hilton Head National is a good one, also check out Palmetto Hall. I live in SC and was there a few months ago....I have not been that impressed with the Palmetto Dunes courses. I would also stay away from Port Royal...unless something has changed recently. Oyster Reef is a good bet and wont be that much $$. Haven't played shipyard in many years...but was not impressed there either.

I know years ago you could rent scooters but the problem was that you weren't allowed to take them into Sea Pines. Not sure about the other plantations.

Leaving in 9 days and haven't made any reservations yet

So I'm gathering that if I'm going to play 3 rounds, I need to get in:

Hilton Head National
Oyster Reef
PD Robt Trent Jones

I'd like to get on Harbour Town but $225 is simply too much to spend on a round of golf.

I was down there last week and it did not appear the courses were very busy. Talked with one of the pros and he said that the number of rounds were really off.

Car is really going to be your only mode of transportation, other than the PD shuttle which is probably a pain. The island is to big for golf cart travel everywhere, and right out of PD is a 4 lane highway, which isn't safe for golf cart's..as for round of golf...i would say the sea pines experience is worth checking out and you can play on Heron Pointe which is a new Pete Dye design that is well worth $120, and you can see harbour town, the clubhouse, light house, marina, etc.

If you really want to play Harbour Towne and are planning to play 3 rounds of golf on the island, I would consider the Sea Pines Ultimate 54 package: Sea Pines Golf Packages


For $345 you get a round with cart on each of the 3 Sea Pines courses. The other 2 Sea Pines courses are quite good as well, The Ocean Course is a Mark McCumber design and Heron Pointe is the newest of the 3 and is their second Pete Dye design. You can find the phone number on the page in the link to check availability. I've done this package before and it's a nice deal and will save you some dough on Harbour Towne.

I would do palmetto hall insteda of palmetto dunes. Have played all of the PD courses and they seem over played and fairways were thin in March...imagine they are worse now. OF the PD courses...the RTJ is the one I would play if I had to choose one.

Thanks for the advice!

Good to see you going to HHI. I am leaving tomorrow for the island.

My lineup for courses is:

Hampton Hall in Bluffton
Daufuskie Island - Melrose Course
Heron Point in Sea Pines

Hampton Hall is my favorite course in the area. The course is owned by Toll Brothers and will eventually be a private club. For $80 you get the country club for a day feel. The course is never very crowded and has always been in immaculate condition. Their practice facility is the best I have seen. Clubhouse is nicely appointed. Overall, you can't go wrong. It is off island but worth the trip.

I always enjoy the entire Daufuskie experience. I enjoy going over simply because the courses are never crowded and the finishing stretch on the Melrose course is better than Harbour Town in my opinion. Very nice Nicklaus design. Many people do not play the course because of the ferry ride. Their other course is closed now but in the past I have gone over for 36 holes with lunch for $100. Can't beat that price.

Have not played Heron Point since the renovation. Hoping to have a good experience.

Enjoy your trip.

With regards to PD. The Jones course is the best but my personal opinion is that it is not worth it. Just my .02. I enjoyed the Palmetto Hall courses much more.

One last quick question... the wives say they want to play 9 with us. Where's the best place to get them on for 9 holes with us and then finish out 18 without having to pay full greens fees for them?

Those are 3 great courses. Heron Point was called Sea Marsh when i was growing up and it was my High school course. Also, just a quick correction, Hampton Hall is owned by a Joint Venture between Toll Brothers and Reed Development Group. Reed is the top community developer in the area and has done the Top 3 private golfcourses in Bluffton...Colleton River, Belfair and Berkeley Hall.

I have the great honor of working for Reed Development group and I happen to live in Hampton Hall.

I am sure you will enjoy those courses...have fun!

Pratt

Just finished up at Oyster Reef... really enjoyed the course and the breeze coming off the sea really altered a lot of shots. Some burn spots on the greens but no big deal. Only real complaint is that there's no yardage book or hole layout of any kind to follow.