'New' Kid on the Block: Palmetto Dunes Resort¹s Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course

Palmetto Dunes Resort’s Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course on Hilton Head Island enters Golfweek magazine's 2016 “Best Courses You Can Play” at No. 9 in South Carolina

(HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C.) — Golfweek magazine’s rating panel took a fresh look at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort’s venerable Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course, and as a result the resort masterpiece has catapulted into the 2016 rankings of the “Best Courses You Can Play in South Carolina” at No. 9 in the state.

The Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course has been long been rated by Golfweek readers among the best courses in the Southeast, and now the magazine’s ranking panel concurs. One of only two oceanfront holes on Hilton Head Island, the RTJ Course’s signature hole, the dramatic par-five 10th, which was named a “South Carolina Dream Hole,” offers sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean and is widely considered one of the most spectacular holes in the United States.

An extensive 2003 renovation of the Jones Oceanfront Course involved reshaping and restructuring tees, greens and bunkers. Workers also elevated and reshaped the fairways, and improved natural drainage with the addition of the unique, 11-mile lagoon system that weaves its way through and around all three resort golf courses. Adding a set of junior or “short course” tees to the Jones Oceanfront Course’s layout enabled the resort to launch the Palmetto Dunes Junior Golf Academy and underscored Greenwood Development’s commitment to the next generation of golfers.

When renovation work was completed, the South Carolina Board of Directors of the National Golf Course Owners Association named it the 2003 South Carolina Golf Course of the Year. The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, an Audubon International program, has also designated the course a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” for its commitment to providing a sanctuary for wildlife.

All three golf courses at Palmetto Dunes — each one distinctively different and uniquely appealing — have been named the South Carolina Golf Course of the Year, including designs by Arthur Hills and George Fazio.

Golfweek's eclectic ranking panel consists of 675 voters from seven countries who rely on 10 criteria to rate a golf course, including overall land plan, variety and memorability of golf holes, conditioning and ecology, and the “Walk in the park test,” which rates the sense of the course as worthy of spending four hours on it. The number of courses per state varies based on course supply, population and level of play; and the Golfweek rankings include daily-fee layouts and golf courses accessible via resorts.

For information about activities or reservations, call 877-567-6513 or visit www.palmettodunes.com.