With some 30,000 people coming through the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center each year, it’s certain that tennis is near and dear to our hearts here at our South Carolina resort. Once again, our wonderful tennis guests have ranked us as tops when it comes to tennis resorts not just around the country but across the world.

TennisResortsOnline.com, a website which annually compiles guest rankings of tennis resorts, just released their Top 100 Tennis Resorts and Camps for 2013. Tennis vacationers are asked to score the resorts on amenities and services – both on court and off – quality of lodging, restaurants, children’s experiences and value. To qualify, each resort must have a minimum 25 reviews to be considered for the Top 10 and must have a minimum 6 tennis courts (we have 25).

Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort came in at No. 9 in the rankings’ Top 25 resorts, putting us into the Gold Medal Category. Additionally, we were ranked at No. 4 for the Best Junior Tennis programs. Tennis Magazine has also ranked Palmetto Dunes the No. 1 tennis resort in the Carolinas and one of the top 10 in the nation.

At Palmetto Dunes, we love tennis players! We offer all sorts of activities, tennis instructional programs and tournaments to keep you coming back. During the spring and summer season, we offer weekly Demo Days for trying new tennis equipment, as well as a weekly exhibition and Happy Hour to hang out with the staff, watch them play and enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres. We also have a popular daily adult round robin that makes for a fun social competition among guests.

If you’re looking to better your tennis game, we host 43 adult tennis clinics every week and 27 junior clinics March-August and during holidays. Guests can also select up to 6 ½ hours of instructional programming each day from our regular schedule. “This offers a lot of flexibility for people depending on their schedule – they can play as much or as little as they want,” says John Kerr, director of tennis for Palmetto Dunes. “For example, they can do our morning clinics from 8-12:30 p.m. and then come back in the afternoon for the daily round robin.”

If you want to combine tennis with your Hilton Head vacation, we offer packages specifically geared toward tennis players, including the Extreme Tennis Vacation with 7 nights of accommodations for four, three 1-hour private lessons and two clinics per player, daily court time and more. Another popular choice is the Tennis Stay & Play package with 3 nights of accommodations, two 1-hour clinics, two hours of court time daily and three-day bike rentals.

You can also make a tennis vacation out of our nine different tennis tournaments each year, including 3 USTA state championships. Many people plan their vacations around these events, many of which are linked to charity and most are open to the public and are non-USTA sanctioned.

Come see for yourself why Palmetto Dunes is one of the Top 10 Tennis Resorts in the world! Want a quote on a tennis vacation? Request it here or call us at 866-744-7558.

When March rolls around on Hilton Head Island, our minds start to wander toward tennis. Imagine mild days of sunshine spent on the courts, perfecting our skills and playing with friends. Spring is the beginning of Hilton Head tennis in all its glory and the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center revs up with tournaments, happy hours, weekly demonstration days, daily round robins and more.

March through October the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center gets into full “swing”! We offer a full plate of Hilton Head tennis lessons and clinics that give you plenty of flexibility to do as much or as little as you want. For example, you might want to fill your morning with instruction, but head to the courts – or the beach – in the afternoon.

Some of the drills and clinics on our schedule include our Return of Serve & Regular Serve clinics which work on two of the most important strokes in tennis that are the least practiced, our Stroke of the Day which focuses on a new stroke daily, our daily drill for beginner to intermediate players, and our Cardio Tennis class. Of course, we are also able to provide private and semi-private tennis lessons for one-on-one or small group instruction.

We also offer a full schedule of Junior Tennis Programs March through Labor Day and on holidays. Classes include Short Shots Clinic, Stroke of the Day, and a Junior Tennis Camp. View the complete Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center Programs Schedule for Spring 2013.

This time of year we introduce some fun, free weekly events for guests to socialize while enjoying tennis. On Monday nights at 5:30 p.m., we host our welcome exhibition and happy hour with complimentary beer, wine and lemonade, as well as door prizes. On Tuesdays at 2 p.m. we host a weekly Demonstration Day where players can see and try out the latest tennis equipment and have the opportunity to match a racquet to their playing style. Also during March through October, we have a daily adult round robin that makes for a fun social competition.

We also host a variety of tennis tournaments from February through October, including the popular Banana Open Challenge, where individuals qualify by participating in a variety of regional tournaments, as well as several USTA South Carolina state championships. View the full Hilton Head tennis tournament schedule.

Here are a few other things you might not know about the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center:

• An estimated 30,000 people come through our doors every year.
• We have 23 clay and 2 hard courts, 6 of which are lighted for night play.
• We have up to 25 different tennis professionals teaching here on any given week during the season.
• Our Hilton Head tennis pro shop has 1800 square feet of retail space with one of the best selections of apparel, equipment and accessories in the area.
• All guests who book their Hilton Head vacation rental through Palmetto Dunes receive two hours of complementary tennis daily.
• We offer a variety of tennis packages, including our Extreme Tennis Vacation and our popular Tennis Stay & Play package.

Are you ready to come play tennis at Palmetto Dunes this spring? Call us at 866-744-7558 to get closer to playing Hilton Head tennis today!

We know Palmetto Dunes is the best place for tennis in not just Hilton Head but in South Carolina, and even according to Tennis Magazine, the best place in both Carolinas! The United States Tennis Association agreed and has awarded us two of the South Carolina state tennis championships for 2013 in addition to the USTA On-Campus Fall Invitational.

First up will be the USTA South Carolina 40 and Over Championships, formerly known as the Senior Championships, May 18-20. Then, later in the year, the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center will also host the USTA Tennis On-Campus Fall Invitational Oct. 11-13 and the USTA South Carolina Combo Adult Championships Oct. 17-21, which is the largest state championship in South Carolina. The Combo tournament was previously held in Charleston at the Family Circle Cup on Daniel Island. All of these tournaments are open to spectators only. Check out our complete Tennis Tournament Schedule for all events and dates.

Palmetto Dunes is unique among tennis facilities in Hilton Head in the number of clay courts available, allowing the entire championship to be played on clay courts. Another benefit of Palmetto Dunes is its mid-island location on Hilton Head, which is close to other tennis sites and activities.

The resort is also not short of awards for its tennis facilities. Tennis Magazine ranked Palmetto Dunes as the No. 1 tennis resort in the Carolinas for 2012 and as one of the top 50 tennis resorts in the nation. Additionally, the South Carolina tennis resort regularly enjoys top recognition from TennisResortsOnline.com, where guests rank tennis facilities. We were chosen No. 2 in the world for instruction and events, No. 3 in the world for junior programs and No. 5 in the world overall.

Hosting the tournaments is a success for Palmetto Dunes, as they will bring in hundreds of players from out of town who will stay and enjoy all the activities the resort has to offer. We hope to provide all the players and their fans with a wonderful Hilton Head tennis experience and continue to host the tournament in coming years.

If you’d like to come for any of the tennis tournaments, please take a look at our many Hilton Head tennis packages. They include the Team Getaway Package, which offers 3 nights in a resort villa, 4 ½ hours of group instruction, 3-day bike rentals, 2 hours of free tennis daily and a tennis gift upon check in. You might also enjoy our Tennis Stay & Play package, which offers 3 nights in a resort villa, two 1-hour clinics, 3-day bike rentals and  2 hours of tennis court time daily. Or try our Extreme Tennis Vacation and extend your stay for a week. This package offers 7 nights in a resort villa, three 1-hour private tennis lessons, 2 tennis clinics per day/person, 7-day bike rentals and 2 hours of tennis court time daily.

To book your trip to Palmetto Dunes for the next Hilton Head tennis tournament, please call us at 866-744-7558.