Robert Trent Jones Golf Course at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort

You can’t wear sweats at the golf range even though this is not mentioned in the course dress code. If you do show up in sweat pants you will be told this is not “proper golf attire” and kicked off the premises.

The grounds crew followed us from hole #9 through #18 continuously working on the bunkers while we played. They ran their equipment and bounced from bunker to bunker while we were hitting. I've never seen that lack of respect for golfers from a grounds crew ever.

This course is beautiful and in decent shape even with the 4 inches of rain that fell in the 1-2 days prior to us playing. I was disgusted by the fact that the grounds crew showed no etiquette towards our group. I understand they had to work on the bunkers because of standing water. However, they followed us from hole #9 thru #18 by continuously working and running their equipment while we played. I've never been so disgusted while playing golf. Go to Harbour Town, they treat you and the game with respect.

Careful, course is in really poor shape. Not particularly the greens, but everything else is terrible and appears to be being ignored. Weeds everywhere, tees that are all weeds, fairways are mostly bad, crabgrass everywhere.

Worst conditioned course I’ve played in years.

Worst conditioned course I’ve play in years.
Rather shocking, appear they are not spending any money on course upkeep.
This is my first review ever, triggered by over paying for really poor course conditions.

Could not believe a Hilton Head course could be in such poor condition. Fairways were full of crabgrass and in many places no grass. Greens had been aerated weeks before but were still not playable. Tee boxes were worse than you would find on a muni course. (Sorry about that, I should be more respectful to the many fine muni courses out there.) What a shame for such a good RT Jones course to have fallen to this level. Play the Arthur Hill course instead. Much better condition.

This was my first trip to Hilton Head. This course was located directly behind our condo and I had heard good things. I walked on to the course late this morning and was greeted by a very friendly and helpful staff. I was paired up with 3 others, all different generations in the same family and they were happy to have me. They had played the course many times before and were more dissapponted than I was as they had had seen the course in much better shape. In all fairness I was told in the pro shop that the course had been aerated a couple of weeks prior but the course was looking good. With that being said they also were offering a modest discount to anyone playing the course.
Now the bad, To start, the T boxes were horrible. There was more dirt than grass. The same could almost be said of the fairways. The grass around the greens was the only thing that I could tell was left of this courses’ previous stature. The greens were rough, but again they were recently aerated. There were a lot of odd hops and bobbles that I found invisible when surveying the green between my ball and the holes.
The pace of play was abysmal. According to the ranger we spoke with they had let a couple of fivesomes out a few groups ahead of us who were on the island for a wedding. They were playing a scramble and were taking a long time looking for balls and what not. The ranger did break it up but the twosome between our group and the scramblers were so frustrated they decided to stop play at about the 6th hole and call it a day. By the time we reached the 14th hole two of the guys in my group decided to leave the game as well leaving me to finish with their father/ grandfather to finish the round.
To top it all off the cart I was riding in had recently come from the Fazio course in Palmetto Dunes. Not only was the GPS unit in the cart still set for the other course but the scorecard in the cart was also for the Fazio course. If it wasn’t for the group I was with and my GPS watch I would have been more clueless than I already was.
There are a lot of courses to play here on Hilton Head. The guys in my group were telling me about the other courses that they know are in much better shape and offer cheaper rates. The next time I return to this island I will not plan on a replay of the Robert Trent Jones course.

When we got to the first tee, the starter was not happy or friendly at all. The cooler on the cart had not ice at all, just warm water. I took the cooler off the cart and went to get it filled with ice. The started said in an annoyed voice "you have to go off right now. You can't go get ice." I just turned around and gave him a stare and walked away to get ice. I just paid $125.00 to play the course and I was not going to play without any ice to have a cold drink on a hot and humid afternoon. I went and got ice and when I came back the started gave me a dirty look and said that we had to go right now.

At the range, you were only permitted to hit off mats. Not what I expected from an up-scale resort course.

The course is in great condition and the greens are fantastic. There are lots of elevated greens which adds to the challenge of the Robert Trent design. The greens had very few un-repaired ball marks so the greens were quick and rolled true and smooth. The layout of the course is fun and challenging. The best hole is the par 4 #11 where the green is right by the ocean and has a spectacular view of the Atlantic ocean.

Tees and fairways were in excellent excellent condition. There is lots of water and bunkers.

At the end of the round, the cart attendants were VERY rude and only cared about getting the cart back so they could clean. They were trying to rush us to get everything out of the cart so they could clean. They make you get everything out of the cart and pack ALL your personal belonings out to your car and do not help or assist at all. At the end of the round I was tired and not in the mood to be told what to do and to get all of my stuff out of the cart and carry EVERYTHING out to mar car (over 200 yards away). The beginning anbd the end of the round made the entire day not to enjoyable The course was great but the staff was awful.

From my perspective, this course is an absolute pleasure to play. Aesthetically, it is very pleasing on the eye and if your accuracy is a little off, the layout makes for a much easier day than say the Arthur Hills course next door. I very much appreciated the wider fairways when stood with jangly knees on the, the Hills course having beaten the snot out of me the previous day.

I can definitely see how some of the other courses close by might be more to some golfers' preference. The RTJ course uses other means by which to challenge you - plentiful bunkers for example, several of which I frequented and all of which were in almost perfect condition. The giant greens can also be a challenge if you are a little wayward with your approach shots.

The staff at this course were impeccable from the moment we arrived. A very efficient greeter takes your clubs from the car, the starter is very efficient and the ranger makes a special point of thanking you for your business towards the end of the round.

My wife and I were very disappointed with the golf course conditions and the terrible conditions of both the men and ladies washrooms in the clubhouse. The whole facility looked tired and worn out. The couple we played with had the same opinion of the poor golf course conditions. Not sure how they got rated #2 on this island. Do not waste you hard earned money.

Wonderful course on the Island. Well laid out with some outstanding views to enjoy. Greens were in excellent shape.

Course was very busy but the pace was very good.

Booked an afternoon tee time. Big pro shop as expected being that its a resort course. Ranger was somewhat rude and blunt. Before the round we went to the range only to discover that we were only permitted to hit off the mats. pretty disappointing considering almost any other course in S.C this time of year has grass driving range open. Front 9 was pretty straight forward. Layout of course is pretty average except for 10 which goes straight at the ocean. Other than that most holes seem the same in terms of 170 yard par 3s from the middle tees and a few dog leg lefts and rights. Tees and fairways were excellent. greens were pretty slow and seemed inconsistent.

What a great course for winter golf. Great greens, thick fairways with Bermuda overseeded with rye, and a layout designed to make you think. The course has everything....sand, wind, water and a great view of the ocean. Playing as two couples, we found the course to be very fair and equally as challenging. Pick the right tee box and enjoy a great day of golf....choose poorly and and dig deeply in the golf bag for another ball. Lots of play on the day we were there, but pace of play was four hours. The golf carts with GPS are a real benefit. Great staff ( actually the starter was a little cranky) and a pro shop stocked with a wide variety of men's and woman's attire. If you are in HH this is a great place to play. We'll be back next year.

I played this course 2 of 3 rounds in the AGT golf championship. This was my first time to Hilton Head and to play this course and I was blown away by the overall feel from the staff and the course. The pro shop staff went above and beyond to help make sure our time at their course was perfect. I had forgot to stop by the ATM and one of the staff members gave me a ride to the general store that had an atm. He was busy but took the time to help me. Another great experience was after the pro made announcements he would walk down as we were about to go out and play and as each cart went by he would say thank you to all of us. You don’t see this kind of hospitality at the Utah courses. The course was in great shape. I hope to qualify for next years event so I can bring my family.

We had our annual event here and we play 2 courses. We played the RobertTrent Jones course on Saturday(last round) the staff was so accommodating and went above and beyond for anything we needed. Terry and Jon took great care of us. They help us score the event. These 2 are true testments to their job. At our lunch awards everyone was raving about the course and the service. I hope we switch both rounds to this course. I highly recommend this course!!

We come down to Hilton ahead every year with the grandkids and my wife let's me out for a few rounds of golf. I played the Robert Trent Jones course today. The staff was very friendly and the course was great. What really stood out is Terry Davis attention to a certain situation I had on the course. He went out of his way to make sure I was taken care of and he went above and beyond what he should have done. You won't be disappointed with this course or the customer service.

8am Friday morning tee time and the weather was perfect. Course conditions were not - at all. Tees, fairways, rough, & bunkers hadn't been mowed/raked taken care of for many days. When asked they claimed they had mowed that morning which was a total lie bc the morning dew clearly showed no one had been out yet. Crabgrass growing on tees, clumps (and I mean clumps) of grass all over the rough, bunkers hadn't been touched etc you get the point. Greens were smooth but slow and also hadn't been mowed in at least 1-2 days. Just not acceptable for a resort course charging $125+ especially when others on HHI that same week were in impeccable condition. This is not the elite course/layout most of these reviewers tell you it is but if you're used to playing cheap municipal public town courses then I suppose you'd be impressed here. Vacation golf means limited chances to play resort courses so you have to choose wisely especially when paying $$$ to play.
Played Atlantic Dunes a few days earlier and was overly impressed with the layout, playability, and overall course condition and well worth the extra $$ to play there. Sorry Palmetto Dunes RTJ I wont return.

I mean, c'mon, it's a Robert Trent Jones layout, so how can it be anything but challenging. Lots of bunkers, but they are well-placed (in my opinion), so if you find yourself walking into them, it's because you hit an errant or bad shot. Greens were lightning-fast (a great thing, in my opinion. Teeboxes and fairways were immaculate. Great views (ocean and lagoon) abound.
Overall, top shelf!

Two minor "distractions".

Driving range is set up with mats. No, stop this please. Mats are for the Northeast, not for the south. Buy a couple of lengths of rope, some extra grass seed, and let players warm up/practice from the turf.

Get electricity to the shack between the 9th and 10th holes. I get it...a hurricane came through last year. Still, buy a generator, hook it up, and turn it on. My "aim" is somewhat suspect even in well-lit conditions, so peeing in the dark does not turn out well (seriously, we had a woman in our group and she literally had to use the bathroom in COMPLETE darkness).

I was so excited to play this course, it was the highlight of our trip. While the course was nice and the view of the ocean was very cool, I was disappointed. It was hot, heat index of 106. So I understand the tees and greens being like rocks. If you hit a gap wedge though, your ball should at least leave a mark. The biggest issue was the service. They only have 3 metal water fountains on the course. They provide you warm water to drink. The half way house was closed, so after golfing 9 holes, there is nothing to eat or drink or even get ice. Eventually we found the beverage cart for her only visit on the 13th hole and she had turkey sandwiches.

If I was judging the course I would give it 3.5 stars out of 5, but the poor customer service really brought it down.

I can't say enough about this course. My brother, nephew and I were on vacation from WV and decided to play all 3 of the Palmetto Dunes courses. The Robert Trent Jones is by far is the best of all 3 when comparing course and customer service..Hills is a close second in course conditions but lacks the service that the Jones course gave us. From the time you arrive you feel like someone and just not another number. We were greeted by Parker at the bag drop off and he was outstanding. The pro shop and the service were great. We hit a few balls on the range and then started our round. Dave, the starter was great and told us all about the course. Course was in great shape. After we finished we bought a few shirts and were really impressed the guy in the pro shop remembered our name.. if you are in the area you need to play this course.