Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club, Hilton Head Island, SC

Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club is located in the very pristine Port Royal Plantation and features 36 holes of championship golf. Legendary golf architects such as George Cobb, Pete Dye, and Willard Byrd have left their marks on Port Royal. The club’s golf accolades include a #7 ranking in “The Best 18 – The Greatest Holes of Hilton Head and Bluffton” by Hilton Head Monthly in 2015 and as a “Top 75 U.S. Golf Resorts,” by Golf Digest magazine. In addition to fantastic golf, Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club is also an award-winning tennis destination.

Robbers Row Course was originally designed by George W. Cobb and William C. Byrd. It opened in 1967 and in 1994 it underwent a redesign at the hands of Pete Dye. The course sits atop some Civil War grounds and each hole features historical markers describing events on the Island. Robbers Row is located on the marsh side of the Port Royal Plantation and cuts through beautiful strands of magnolia and live oaks. It’s known for its generous fairways and well-protected greens.

The 6th hole at Robbers Row is a 517-yard (White Tees) dogleg right par 5 that can be reached in two with just the right tee shot. By playing down the right side of the fairway, you can shorten the hole or make it even shorter by hitting your driver over the trees and giving yourself a chance to get on in two! A layup shot up the left side of the fairway will leave the best angle into the green, which is shallow and mostly flat. It’s a good chance to pick up a stroke or two.

Port Royal has excellent practice facilities including a full-length driving range, short game area, and practice green. The staff of PGA Professionals at any of these courses can help you get the most out of your game. They offer private lessons, group lessons, camps, and clinics for golfers of all skill levels. There’s no excuse not to play your best when you step up to the first tee.

Heritage Golf Group has partnered with two local resorts: The Westin Resort & Spa and The Sonesta Resort. To get to the Sonesta Resort, you drive right by the Shipyard’s clubhouse, making it easy to get in an extra nine holes in the evening.

The Sonesta Resort is a AAA Four Diamond family-friendly beach resort that recently underwent a $30 million renovation. The renovation included a spectacular new swimming pool complex with a shaded lap pool and Jacuzzi, a zero-entry heated lagoon swimming pool, and a children’s area. The 340 spacious guest rooms and suites offer views of the Shipyard Plantation grounds, lush tropical gardens, swimming pools, and the Atlantic Ocean. The resort offers indoor and al fresco dining at Bayley’s Lobby Bar & Terrace, Seacrest Restaurant and Terrace, and Sweet Cane restaurants.

At the Westin Resort & Spa, coastal splendor meets southern hospitality. The resort sits nestled amid natural dunes and Hilton Head Island’s pristine white sands, The Westin Resort & Spa offers its guests oceanfront resort views from most guest rooms, the Heavenly Spa by Westin, and three outdoor pools. All of Westin’s bright, open rooms include WiFi, a flat-screen cable TV, a small refrigerator, and coffee-making facilities. There’s family-friendly dining in the Carolina Room, poolside dining at Splash, with additional dining at View 32 and Ingredients.

Any or all of these courses can be packaged together through The Heritage Golf Collection with a single phone call

Great course. Subtle, smooth greens with lots of contour. Lots of strategic bunkers. Interesting history: this was the site of the Union Army in the Civil War. I highly recommend.

The course meanders through the Port Royal Plantation on Hilton Head Island through some very nice homes (including my father-in-laws house near the 14th hole). There are three courses in the plantation, of which Robbers Row is one -- it is the course on the north end of the plantation. This course is not very long, just 6600 yards from the gold tees per the scorecard, although there are no gold tees out there -- just blue ones. Blue tees measure about 6300 yards, although some blue tee markers are placed by the gold yardage numbers, so I am not sure how long the course is actually from the blue tees. The closest set of tees measures just 4800 yards.

The course features a bit of water and lots of trees. Most holes do not require a carry over water. Greens were in excellent shape. My favorite hole was the 9th hole, which is also the 1 handicap hole on the course -- it is a par 4 with water on the left and on the front left of the green.

Cost for non-residents of Port Royal was only $63 with cart this time of year - a reasonable value for your money.

In summary, nice course, nice greens, reasonable value.