Can’t wait to hit the links?
Pack the clubs because spring is in full swing on South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island
We’re standing on the tee of the par3 eighth hole of the Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, clubs in hand, but we’d probably be better off with fishing poles.
It’s a long carry over the water that lurks between us and the green some 200 yards away. At least with fishing poles, we could catch ourselves some dinner — one of the hefty yellowtail sea bass that come to swim in the brackish waters surrounding the green would hit the spot.
Doug Weaver, the affable head pro at RTJ, tells us that, at different times of the year waterways around the course are opened and sea water flows in to mix with fresh water, and along with it come the fish.
Doug’s one heck of a guy and an experienced guide to have with us as we make our way around the par72, 6,570-yard (from the blues) RTJ track.
He’s one of four golfers who famously recorded hole-in-ones on the par-3 sixth hole at Oak Hill Country Club during the second round of the 1989 U.S. Open. And he was named South Carolina’s No. 2 teaching pro in the November issue of Golf Digest, so he knows what he’s talking about and he’s happy to give pointers.
Unfortunately, we’re beyond help on this sunny day. My playing partner sends a couple of balls into the water before giving up and placing one in the drop area. Luckily, I avoided both water and bunkers, and sail a 3-hybrid onto the front edge of the green.
Not surprisingly, there is plenty of water on Hilton Head. The South Carolina island is just an hour’s drive northeast from Savannah, Ga., and bordered on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and on the other by the Harbor River. Inlets, rivers and streams, traversed by esthetically pleasing wooden bridges, wind their way through the landscape, so there’s plenty of the wet stuff to contend with, whether at one of the three courses on the Palmetto Dunes resort or at any of the other 18 that dot the island.
Robert Trent Jones courses are always a pleasure to play and the one at Hilton Head, one of the few on the island with a view of the Atlantic, is no different. Well bunkered, but with generous fairways and expansive greens, the course is enjoyable for players of all skill levels.
The other two courses on the resort were designed by Arthur Hills and George Fazio.
The Hills course, with water on 10 of its holes, tree-lined fairways and plenty of doglegs, is a good test for most golfers. Blind shots into several of the greens make for some difficult approaches.
This par-72 course, which maxes out at 6,651 yards, emphasizes accuracy and precision over distance. It’s also home to one of the island’s most historic lighthouses.
The only par-70 public golf course on Hilton Head, Fazio’s design — voted the best South Carolina course in 2014 — tops out at 6,873 yards and is the most challenging of the three courses.
With only two par-5s, the teeth of this course lies in its punishing par4s. When the wind kicks up there, as it did during our round, it’s almost impossible for the average golfer to reach some of these holes in regulation from the blues. The final four holes are among the most difficult we played all week.
Now, if you never want to leave the Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, a complex of hotels and villas, you don’t have to. It has everything you need, from a general store to a slew of restaurants, including the casual Big Jim’s and more upscale establishments at the Shelter Cove Harbour and Marina.
If you do feel like getting off the property, it’s an easy drive along 278, a major thoroughfare that cuts through Hilton Head and passes many restaurants, bars and grocery stores that comprise the upscale community.
FANTASTIC VIEW
We stayed at the well-positioned Omni Oceanfront Resort, part of the Palmetto Dunes Resort community, which has a fantastic view of the Atlantic and a huge beach. If you’re lucky, you can watch dolphins and whales breach the surface of the water from your balcony.
The Omni has several outdoor heated pools and a spa to enjoy. As well, there are fantastic dining options, including the elegant HH Prime restaurant, which serves delicious steak and seafood.
If you don’t feel like eating out, you can always cook in the kitchenette of one of the recently renovated and well-appointed rooms that come with a fridge and all the gear needed to prepare and eat a meal.
OYSTER REEF AND HARBOUR TOWN
Visions of Forrest Gump flash through my head as Ted, a retired military officer we’re grouped with, points out a shrimp boat chugging along an inlet of Port Royal Sound. We can see it plainly from the par3 sixth hole of the scenic and challenging par-72 Oyster Reef golf course. It’s one of two courses we played that aren’t part of the resort.
The other is the Harbour Town Golf Links, a favourite among PGA Tour pros and a must-play for any visiting golfer.
Be sure to find a deal on a golf discount website because playing here can be exorbitant if you pay the |regular fees.
With weather warming south of the border, Hilton Head Island is the perfect place for a Canadian golf enthusiast to get a jump on the season.