Q: I’ve been taking Myrtle Beach golf vacations with my buddies for a long time. Is there another location in the Southeast we should consider that is equally easy to reach, offers multiple golf courses, dependable weather, and is not overly expensive? Elliot D., Westchester County, NY
Hilton Head is one of several southeastern alternatives to Myrtle Beach golf vacations.
A: The first alternative to a Myrtle Beach golf vacation that you might consider is a Hilton Head golf vacation. Hilton Head, just a little farther down the South Carolina coast, has a similarly high density of golf courses as Myrtle Beach (it doesn’t call itself “The Golf Island” for nothing), but the overall look and feel is more upscale. Not snooty, just a bit nicer and definitely still “fun” enough for a buddies trip. Prices are slightly higher than what you’ll find on Myrtle Beach golf vacations, but they’re not insane. Read more →
The dog days of summer can be well spent at Daufuskie Island Resort & Breathe Spa.
Family golf vacations are nothing new, but the trend of taking the whole family along, four-legged members included, seems to be on the rise. In 2002, the Travel Industry Association found that 14 percent of U.S. adults have traveled with a pet. In 2007, Tripadvisor pegged it at upwards of 50 percent.
Still, as you might imagine, taking pets (dogs especially) on golf vacations isn’t easy. While there are plenty of stand-alone hotels and motels that allow them, finding a golf resort that accommodates pets is a lot harder. Even tougher is finding one that is truly “pet friendly.” Read more →
You can play Harbour Town under tournament conditions on a Hilton Head golf vacation.
If you could only play one course on a Hilton Head golf vacation, I’d recommend Harbour Town Golf Links. In addition to being a highly scenic and exhilarating shotmaker’s course, it presents the rare opportunity to play a PGA Tour venue, the site of the the perennially popular Verizon Heritage tournament (held April 17-20 this year).
Of course, even more unique than playing a PGA Tour course is the opportunity to play it under the exact conditions and setup the pros do, Sunday pin placements and all, and we found a way that you can do exactly that, the day after the tournament. Read more →
Primm Valley
Despite being located 30 minutes south of The Strip, the two layouts at Primm Valley Resort, the Desert Course and Lakes Course, are among the most popular to play on Las Vegas golf vacation.
Why? Well, as Tony Korologos states in his Hooked on Golf Blog review, it helps that “both courses at Primm Valley were designed by probably the most famous designer of our era, Tom Fazio.”
Also, at $200 on Fridays and Saturdays in high season, you can’t call these “cheap” Las Vegas golf courses, but they are a lot more reasonable than Bali Hai Golf Club and Wynn Golf Club on The Strip, and you get a significant break if you’re staying at the Primm Valley Resort. Read more →
Players who enjoy seaside scenery and player-friendly openness will want to play Palmetto Dunes
Thanks to renovations a few years ago by Roger Rulewich, the roomy, resort-style Robert Trent Jones Course is again the most popular course to play at Palmetto Dunes, itself one of the most popular, multi-course complexes to visit on a Hilton head golf vacation.
Rulewich, a former senior designer of Jones’, rebuilt the existing greens and tee boxes, added championship and junior tees, expanded the lagoon, re-sculpted the bunkers, and most importantly, raised the fairways to improve shot values and course drainage.
The greens — the fastest at Palmetto Dunes — benefit from a new strain of Bermuda grass that complements the resurfaced fairways. Read more →
See Hank Haney training tomorrow
Don’t be surprised if you bump into Tiger Woods’ swing coach on your next Hilton Head golf vacation. Hank Haney, who has been helping Tiger groove his swing for the last three years, took on the job of director of instruction at the island’s International Junior Golf Academy last month.
The IJGA is similar to the famous IMG Academies, in that parents from around the world pay huge sums of money (as much as $47,000 per year at IJGA) for their kids to live, go to school and theoretically get their golf games in shape for the professional ranks. I say “theoretically,” because on my last Hilton Head golf vacation, an insider told me that the school is often just a way to keep the kids out of trouble before they’re eligible for their trust funds. But I digress… Read more →
When playing on Daufuskie, dine at the Beach Club.
We recently made a return trip to charming and quirky Daufuskie Island, S.C., the tiny spit of land that’s worth a side trip during – or even instead of – a Hilton Head golf vacation.
We say “charming” because Daufuskie is a beach lover’s paradise with a delightfully remote feel to it, despite being less than an hour by ferry from Savannah and about half that from Hilton Head. Most of the island’s mere 300 residents get around by golf cart and at least one of the local artisans operates his gallery, (which is just his open-air front porch) on the honor system.
We say “quirky” because the resort here, the Daufuskie Island Resort & Breathe Spa, while nice, makes some curious operational moves and gaffes at times. Its dining options provide a good example. Read more →
The prodigious pools are just one reason the Crowne Plaza is a preferred pick.
Whenever possible, we try to avoid staying in cookie-cutter type accommodations in favor of those that offer a more unique experience. There are plenty of villas, condos, inns and independent hotels to choose from on a Hilton Head golf vacation, but if you prefer to stay with a national chain, there’s at least one that deserves consideration.
The Crowne Plaza Resort hotel on the grounds of Shipyard Plantation is one of the most upscale Holiday Inn-affiliated properties in the United States (both are owned by parent company InterContinental Hotels Group). Highlights include large indoor and outdoor pools, a workout center, Read more →
