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4.3
22 Reviews (22)
5 Stars
9
4 Stars
8
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
3
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.7
Value
4.5
Layout
4.4
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.7
Amenities
4.0
94.3%
Recommend this course
18 out of 22 reviews
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About

Holes 18
Type Public/Resort
Par 70
Length 6873 yards
Slope 144
Rating 74.7

The George Fazio Course is one of three 18-hole golf courses at the Palmetto Dunes Resort, all named after their designer. The public course is considered one of the most difficult championship courses in the area and it is routinely ranked as one of the top 100 courses in America. Palmetto Dunes' Fazio Course is 6,873 yards at its longest tees and it is one of the only par-70 courses in the island of Hilton Head. The course is characterized by long par 4s. Precision is required due to the amount of bunkers and water hazards that come into play. The well-maintained course has Bermuda grass on its fairways and greens.

Course Details

Year Built 1974
Greens Diamond Zoyzia Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect George Fazio (1974) Clyde Johnston

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
Clubs Yes
GPS Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range No
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No

Food & Beverage

Bar, Grill

Reviews

4.3
22 Reviews (22)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 335
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Golf Advisor
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

'That 70s Golf Course' - a fun throwback

I appreciate when golf courses embrace their history and heritage. That is quite rare among courses built from 1960 onward, but in the case of Palmetto Dunes' Fazio course, opened in 1974, I got the sense that any recent enhancements to the course did a nice job of respecting its vintage, which is admirable. The runway tees, wavy-gravy amoeba-shaped greens and broad bunkering all work together nicely, and there's some good variety to the holes.

I particularly liked 7 and 17, both of which cross one of the canals that wind throughout Palmetto Dunes and are a haven for boaters and kayakers. The long par-3 17th is one of the toughest holes on the island. Finally, I wasn't sure what to expect from the course's Zoysia greens, but they were flawless and fun to putt.

Conditions Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Solid Course - Great Experience - Worth It!

Truly a beautiful course & in great shape for the hot South Carolina summer. Overall great layout & challenging course. Definitely an enjoyable experience and will most certainly be a course on the list for the next trip out east. Our group had a wonderful time as a result of the course conditions, pace of play & superior staff on duty. You can't go wrong picking this course. Would recommend this track to anyone traveling to South Carolina. To sum up our experience in three words @ Palmetto Dunes - Fazio, Beautiful, Difficult, Masterpiece.

Cannot wait to play this course again on our next trip to South Carolina.

The Armbrust Family

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Not worth the money

Let me preface this review that it’s my opinion that most of the golf courses around HH are mostly monotonous (narrow w old tall trees shaping the holes, etc) - with that said, there’s nothing special about this place. For the price we paid (400$ for a family of 4, two pre-teens/2 adults twilight time) it was a total rip off.

Thin sand traps (hit a lob wedge, not a high bounce sand wedge), cart paths that haven’t been repaved since the 70s, saw the cart lady once in 18 holes, and clearly the locals (who probably is paid 1/2 of what we paid) were annoyed w our presence (despite finishing in 4hrs).

Those visiting the island, avoid this track.

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Nice layout/conditions underwhelming

We decided to checkout the Fazio Course in Palmetto Dunes, as our rental backed up to the 2nd tee box. Benefit was my young son was able to come say hi before we tees of on #2. Overall, we really enjoyed the layout and was certainly a challenging course. However, the course conditions were underwhelming for a $113 rate. Clumps of grass clippings all over the course in the rough. Greens were SLOW since they leave the type of grass longer in the summer heat. I would imagine that the course plays much tougher when the greens are mowed to a proper height.

Additionally, didn’t see a ranger once to keep pace of play. Had 2 groups of 4 in front of us, playing a scramble, that were so beyond drunk, it Took FOREVER. Front 9 was about 2:15 to get around. Back took well over 3 hours. First group had an entire hole open in front of them, then the second group was nearly 2 holes behind them! Understand we are mostly all on vacation, but it should never take this long.

Surprised to see this course had higher course/slope ratings than the RTJ track, which I though played much tougher.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great round

What a place to play. Great people all around so friendly and helpful. Course in great shape. Played 18 holes in 2.5 hours as a twosome. So fun. Saw cart girl 3-4 times each side. So Fun!!!!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
Incentivized Review
4.0
First Time Playing
Cold weather
Used cart

Good golf

Played here after playing the Hills course, enjoyed the Hills course more than the Fazio a couple of good holes on the back nine stand out numbers 16 and 17. The greens were very good as was the condition of the course.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Great lay out

The Fazio course played tough with elevated greens and pins tucked in tight behind bunkers. The greens rolled great so once you got in the putting surface you could get up and down with ease. The course doesn’t have a driving range so you can go to Robert Trent to warm up or hit the birdie balls they have to warm up! The staff at the course are very helpful and nice. Will definitely be back to this course!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Fazio front 9

Just got time to play the front nine at Fazio as I had my family on vacation in Palmetto Dunes. Staff and course conditions were great. Certainly enjoyed the layout and will play again the next time I am down.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Favorite Course

I am a resident at Hhi and I have played many courses here. It is the best of the three Palmetto Dune courses.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Wet weather
Used cart

Amazing staff and so great for families!

What a great team! For several years I have brought my three sons to play 9 holes (~7x now) and the staff there are so kind and welcoming. They even have a cart with two rows and four bag holders! They have kid’s tees on every hole, they offer special pricing for children, and they treat the kids like adults which makes the kids feel so special. This year, a quick rainstorm came in on our 4th hole, and when we got back in, they refunded 100% of the money without me even asking for it. What great customer service and how refreshing to see a course thinking about the long-term relationship and not just our one-day visit! I recommend them highly!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 171
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 50 Contributor
First Time Playing

Nice layout but could have been in better condition

Fazio did a nice job with this piece of land, the layout will keep you interested no matter your handicap. I was surprised by how wide most of the fairways were though as I was told what a tough course this is. Don’t get me wrong it is tough with a lot of forced carries, out of bounds and water hazards throughout. But from the tee box there weren’t too many holes where you were shaking in your boots. As for the conditions, a few of the tee boxes were a little chewed up and the greens were extremely slow. I understand they had punched them a week or two before, so that may be why they were slow. I might be in the minority here but I enjoyed playing the Jones course more than this one. Also, like at a different course we played earlier this week, the staff was good and bad. The gentleman in the pro shop was fantastic and very helpful as was the starter but two employees sitting in carts in the parking lot didn’t want anything to do with us and were not helpful at all when we were asking them about going to the Jones course to hit range balls. It was like we were putting them out by asking them this one simple question. Anyway, I would recommend this course to anyone looking for a round of golf on Hilton Head Island but if I had my choice I would play the Jones course first

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 35
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Excellent course

This is another excellent course amongst the collection at Palmetto Dunes. The layout is very friendly to the medium to high handicap golfer (wide fairways and greens, not too much water about) but also poses enough challenges to the low handicapper to keep them interested. In that respect, it differs from the Hills course which I found to be the most challenging of the three we played this week.

I have a small preference for the RTJ course as it seemed a little more aesthetically pleasing but the Fazio layout stands up well overall. The big downer for me is the lack of a range to warm up on. I find it very difficult to play well without hitting at least a few range balls and unfortunately there aren't any good options at the Fazio course - there is a small area where you are allowed to hit soft balls with a wedge and maybe there is the option to pop over to the RTJ range which isn't too far away? I don't know about that one.

The staff were reasonably friendly but weren't as welcoming as the RTJ course a couple of days earlier.

Personally

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather

Lesson from George Spinella

Scheduled a lesson with Club Pro George Spinella. To say I was impressed and pleased with my experience would be an understatement. George evaluated my needs and made extra effort to address those needs. He is very thorough and puts things in such a way anyone could understand. I will be a much better player after incorporating his instruction into my game. I totally recommend George to help with your game.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
First Time Playing

Play somewhere else

My son and I played today. The rate was a little higher than others for an afternoon round. I expected more from a resort course. First thing you notice is the cart paths are in awful shape, torn up in many spots. The grass in fringe areas was very spotty. Landscaping was subpar. The layout was decent, very resort-like. They put these plastic liners in the cups rather than using spray paint. They were frequently above ground so we had to fix the holes several times. Once it was completely out of the cup. GPS system on the carts was very nice and accurate, but big brother decided that a few fairways were off limits so the cart would stop and angrily beep at you. Do yourself a fa or and play Dolphin Head or Oyster Reef. Great courses and nicer experience.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 108
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Georgia Advisor
Top 250 Contributor
First Time Playing

A great second option at Palmetto Dunes

What a great second option at Palmetto Dunes. Obviously the RTJ course is the best simply because of the oceanfront views, however I think that the course layout and course conditions are better at the George Fazio course. There is water on the course and tight fairways. There is no way to ''grip it and rip it''. The approach shots are very hard especially with the winds with the nearby ocean. Even though that you can not see the ocean you can definetly smell the salt in the air. The clubhouse for all the coureses is buetifuel and the practice facility is one to none. The food in the clubhouse was also pretty good and the staff was freindly. Overall I loved the whole expierence.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great layout but greens in very poor state

I love this course. I play here almost every year. Fantastic layout but the conditions were at best average. I live in Pittsburgh and for $80, you can play very nice courses in great conditions. Fairways and tee boxes were great, bunkers lacked a little bit of sand so you had to adjust but the greens were sandy, the grass was so long that my putter was moving when I was resting it down and so slow that it was impossible to make anything longer than 10-15 feet without getting lucky. Good luck if you have to put more than 25 feet. Disappointing and it is a shame for this kind of course. I played the 3 courses at Palmetto Dunes this week because they are great layouts, and it is the same story at all their courses. I guess they aerated the greens a month ago but they did not recovered yet. Was the same thing 2 years ago at the same period at the Pines Resort except at the Harbor town course. If you want to play nicely conditioned courses, don't mind to drive 30mn, play outside the island. Still fun though, good pace of play, nice staff and hot, hot , hot.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
First Time Playing

fun layout with horrible conditions

I showed up and the staff was very friendly and got me going. I started off with a 5 star expierence that quickly dropped to a 1. The tee boxes and fairways were in really good shape but the bunkers and greens were a whole other story. I hit my ball in the bunker on whole number two and to my suprise about 1/8 of an inch below the sand was rock hard sand. Once I got on the green I had about a 20 footer coming back on the green. The greens here were the same length as the fescue rough at st. Andrews. I had to chip every ball outside ten feet because the greens were so long. They were perfect condition just insanely slow. Also why are there huge bushes blocking view of the canals. Bring your driver for the long putts. Bring plenty of water because I never saw the cart girl and there was one water fountain.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Not Worth the Price - Underwhelmed

Played the course on May 8 and found the conditions very disappointing given the premium price they charge even at online prices. Greens were spotty. The layout was average - not what I had expected. Course amenities were average. I don't see how they can position the course among the island's premium courses. We found a couple of other courses at half the price with better greens and layout. It will definitely be the last time we play here.

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Enjoyed the course

First time in Hilton Head and thought this was a great course to play as my first.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Fun day

Beautiful course.....starter was not the friendliest

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Poor
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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Golf Packages

Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort Stay & Play Package

FROM $137 (USD)
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC | Enjoy up to 7 nights’ accommodations at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort and up to 5 rounds of golf at your choice of Palmetto Dunes – Robert Trent Jones Course, Palmetto Dunes – Arthur Hills Course, Palmetto Dunes – George Fazio Course, and Hilton Head National Golf Club.

The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa Stay & Play Package

FROM $207 (USD)
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of Oyster Reef Golf Course, Robber’s Row Course, Barony Course, and The Shipyard Golf Course.

Sea Pines Resort Stay & Play Package

FROM $217 (USD)
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC | Enjoy up to 7 nights’ accommodations at the Sea Pines Resort and up to 5 rounds of golf at your choice of Harbour Town Golf Links, Atlantic Dunes Golf Course, and Heron Point Course.

The Villas at Kiawah Island Stay & Play Package

FROM $177 (USD)
KIAWAH ISLAND, SC | Enjoy up to 7 nights’ accommodations in a 1 to 4-bedroom unit at The Villas of Kiawah Island and up to 5 rounds of golf on your choice of Kiawah Island - Cougar Point, Kiawah Island - Osprey Point, Kiawah Island - Oak Point, Kiawah Island - Turtle Point, and Kiawah Island - The Ocean Course.

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Stay & Play Package

FROM $337 (USD)
KIAWAH ISLAND, SC | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at The Sanctuary Hotel and up to 4 rounds of golf on your choice of Kiawah Island - Cougar Point, Kiawah Island - Osprey Point, Kiawah Island - Oak Point, Kiawah Island - Turtle Point, and Kiawah Island - The Ocean Course.
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