Lagoons on eleven holes and a par-five tenth that climbs to a green above the beach.
Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort sits in the middle of Hilton Head Island, with three miles of beach, an 11-mile lagoon used for kayaking and canoeing, and three public courses. The Robert Trent Jones Course is the original of the three and the only one that reaches the ocean. The resort says a lagoon winds through more than half its holes, and the par-five 10th climbs to a raised green with a view of the Atlantic. There is no caddie requirement and no resort-stay condition, so it suits a trip where the beach and the golf share the week.
Tee times are sold online around the clock through palmettodunes.com and the resort’s golf app, and the resort says its best rates are online; internet rates are not offered by phone. For quotes and packages call (888) 909-9566. To change or cancel, ring (866) 380-1778 at least 24 hours ahead to avoid a penalty. Guests in Palmetto Dunes vacation rentals get a golf discount, though the resort does not say how much. The Birdies, Brews and Island Views package pairs a three-night villa stay with three rounds, carts and range balls. The Group package is for 12 or more golfers. Package bookings made within 30 days of arrival must be paid in full and cannot be refunded. No green fee is published, so the rate only appears when you pick a tee time.
The original Palmetto Dunes course. Par 72, 7,005 yards from the Gold tees, with lagoons through more than half the holes and the ocean-view 10th. It has the resort’s Toptracer driving range, with bays you can reserve and lights until 9 p.m.
The resort calls it the only par-70 course on Hilton Head Island. There is no driving range here; the resort sends players to the Arthur Hills range to warm up. Nine-hole rates start after 2 p.m. and are booked by phone, not online.
The third Palmetto Dunes course once staged college events that included Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and David Duval. It has a traditional grass range, and nine-hole rates start after 2 p.m.
Robert Trent Jones Sr. built the course in the late 1960s (GolfPass gives 1967), and his long-time associate Roger Rulewich managed a renovation in 2002. Jones’s raised greens, splashed bunkers and long, square tees remain. The resort lists a par of 72 and 7,005 yards from the Gold tees, rated 74.8 with a slope of 141, and five more sets of tees down to a 2,625-yard junior set. GolfPass describes the 10th as about 550 yards played into the prevailing wind off the sea, with an approach to a raised green looking out to sea. The 8th is a par three over water of up to 227 yards, to a green the resort calls very shallow. GolfPass counts lagoons around eleven holes, so the round is more about choosing which carry to take on than about bunkers. The same review notes that parts of the front nine run beside a busy road.
Check the maintenance calendar before you commit to a date. The resort lists holes 3 and 4 on temporary greens from 9 to 22 November 2026 while the putting surfaces are replaced, and the greens are aerated on 9–12 June and 4–7 August 2027. After overseeding on 2–3 November 2026, the course is cart path only until 14 November. Club rental costs US$65 for 18 holes, and ShipSticks club shipping starts at US$44.99. Doug Weaver, the director of instruction, gives a free exhibition at the Jones course every Monday at 4 p.m. Children aged 10 and under play free after 4 p.m. with a paying adult, one per adult; junior rates for ages 11 to 17 are only available by phone or in person.
Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH) is about 15 minutes north of Palmetto Dunes by road. Savannah/Hilton Head International (SAV) has wider connections and is roughly 45 minutes to an hour away, depending on bridge traffic onto the island. The resort entrance is on Queens Folly Road off William Hilton Parkway.
Nearby: 1. Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III (8 km) · 2. Harbour Town Golf Links (10 km) · 3. Kiawah Island Ocean Course (82 km) · Compare all Hilton Head Island tee times
Palmetto Dunes is a rental resort: villas, condominium complexes and larger houses, many on the lagoons or the beach, booked through the resort itself. The Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort is also inside the gates if you would rather have a hotel. Across the parkway, Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina has restaurants, boat hire and dolphin cruises. A rental with a kitchen and bikes is the usual pattern for a family trip built around golf.
Play all three Palmetto Dunes courses before moving on: the par-70 Fazio and the Hills, where Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson once played college events. The Sea Pines courses, Harbour Town and Atlantic Dunes, are about 20 minutes south. For a second base, Wild Dunes and Charleston National are around two hours north near Charleston. Off the course, hire bikes from Hilton Head Outfitters for the island’s paths, or take a dolphin cruise from Shelter Cove.
These packages have a confirmed round at Robert Trent Jones Course, Palmetto Dunes in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
5 nights self-catering, 4 rounds
Rounds: Robert Trent Jones Course, Palmetto Dunes · Harbour Town Golf Links · Turtle Point or Cougar Point (Kiawah) · The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island
Stay: 3 nights at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, 2 at Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Harbour Town and Kiawah’s Ocean Course in one five-night trip, with a forecaddie at Harbour Town and a walking caddie on the Ocean Course.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
Spring and autumn give the most comfortable golf, and the island fills around the RBC Heritage in mid-April. Summer days are long but hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms, and the Atlantic storm season lasts from June through November.
Explore golf by monthYes. All three Palmetto Dunes courses take public bookings online, whether or not you stay. Staying in one of the resort’s vacation rentals brings a golf discount, and active or retired military golfers get a discount on tee times booked no more than 24 hours ahead.
The Robert Trent Jones Course. Its par-five 10th plays towards the coast to a raised green looking out over the Atlantic. Neither the George Fazio nor the Arthur Hills course reaches the beach.
The resort does not publish a fixed rate. Prices change by date and time and are shown in the online booking engine, which the resort says carries its best rates. Packages such as Birdies bundle three rounds with carts and range balls.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
How we research our guidesPhoto credits and licencesThe Pacific sets the scene. The little seventh steals the show.
Walking golf, shifting winds, and days measured in rounds.
Home of The Players, and a 17th green that sits alone in the water.
