Hilton Head Island, a golf and ocean lovers paradise!

Hilton Head Island has some of the most pristine beaches and prestigious golf courses in South Carolina, as well as the most blood-thirsty mosquitoes that I have ever encountered. Sunscreen, bug spray and a great camera are necessities for this adventure!

On my first visit to Hilton Head a few years back I was a golf beginner and so Hilton Head golf was not a top priority: it was all about the sun and fun surrounding the island.

My husband and I chose to stay at Sea Pines Resort, a 5,000 acre sprawling enclave of rental apartments, villa rentals, hotels and an inn spanning a third of the entire Island. The Resort is also home to Harbour Town Golf Links, home to the PGA Tour's Verizon Heritage event (congrats to Jim Furyk!) Harbour Town is also named as one of the ten most beautiful golf courses in the country by ForbesTraveler.com and crowned as the number twelve resort course in the nation.

Although I considered it essential to have access to the amenities which make the stay in Hilton Head more than just a golf vacation; spa, fine dining and even bicycling beachfront, Sea Pines Resort also has four pro shops, vital for any golf vacation, and there are a plethora of shops, craft stores and dining options to indulge the family.

In addition to Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort is also a worthwhile vacation option. Golf Magazine awarded this retreat a Silver Medal as one of the country's "Top 75 Resorts" and the Resort equals the beauty of Sea Pines so either decision will leave you with a rich vacation experience.

The choices of where to play golf, how to get the best Hilton Head tee times and what to see on the Island are expansive and that is where we needed assistance. While my husband insisted on 36 holes of golf per day, I limited him to one round. Come on, we took the vacation to be together!

Sure, the lighthouse visible on the 18th hole of Harbour Town make it a shoo-in for a visit and a photo-opportunity but, with an assortment of high-end golf courses, it is no wonder that Golf Digest readers named Hilton Head Island number 'ten' on its list of the world's best golf resorts!

Considered a "modern masterpiece" and designated as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary", Heron Point at Sea Pines underwent a multi-million dollar restoration and was reopened in 2007. It is considered both dramatic and difficult and is located only a mile from Harbour Town.

 

Heron Point Hole 4

One of the oldest golf courses on Hilton Head Island is The Ocean Course at Sea Pines. Although you will see lagoons and water everywhere, you will barely see the ocean here. This course was also awarded a "Beginner Friendly" award from the National Golf Course Owners Association!

The 40-year-old Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes Resort is not too difficult for the average golfer but you need to make good shots or be punished if you don't! The Arthur Hills Course at the same Resort is surrounded by palmetto trees and, if you're looking for a visual spectacle, the elevation changes will take your breath away.

 

Arthur Hills Golf Course

Palmetto Dunes also offers Segway X2 personal transporters and air-conditioned golf carts, if you have trouble walking or pulling a cart around the golf course. Ah, the modern comforts of life...hope a drink cooler is attached too!

One important reminder for golfers who have not yet traveled to South Carolina: alligators will come up and "greet you" on every course with no shame. They are hungry and looking for food!

The salty ocean air, the traditional southern charm and the ability to play golf on some of the best courses in the United States make Hilton Head Island in South Carolina a vacation experience worth investigating and experiencing but I issue you fair warning. Once you visit Hilton Head Island for the first time, you will yearn for a return trip!

The most frequently asked golf questions from Ask.com

Ask.com, a question and answer site that receives more than one million specific questions everyday, researched the most frequently asked golf questions on its site. You may think these are all basic questions but how many of you actually know all the answers? Naturally, I have placed my snarky comments below each answer, in red ink.

Top Ten Questions about Golf on Ask.com

1. What does golf stand for?
A. The word golf likely originated from the Medieval Dutch word "kolf" or "kolve" which meant "club".

I thought the word GOLF was an acronym for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden!
LadiesLoveGolf.com has a similar opinion

2. How long does it take to play 18 holes of golf?

A. Four hours is the estimate most people give for 18 holes.

My answer depends on if you play the publinks in which a round of golf has taken me up to six hours!

3. What Percentage of Golfers Shoot under 100?

A. There are 27 million golfers in America. Only 5 percent of them will ever break 100, and of that 5 percent only 2 percent of them will ever break 80.

I have to agree with this answer, at least for publinks golfers. I play with many who have never broken 100 but I have not yet broken 80.

4. What degree is a pitching wedge?

A. A pitching wedge is set at a 45 degree angle.

One of my favorite clubs in my golf bag. I carry pitching, sand (56 degrees) and lob wedges (60 degrees) for different shots. You can never have too many wedges!

5. How many calories do I burn playing golf?

A. How many calories a person burns while playing golf depends on three factors. One is body weight, as larger people burn more calories than their smaller counterparts. A second factor is how much time is spent playing golf, and the third aspect has to do with how active that person is on the range. A person who weighs 150 pounds and plays golf for two hours while he is carrying his clubs will burn 750 calories. A heavier person, weighing 200 pounds, will burn even more. During a two hour golf game, a 200-pound person carrying his golf clubs will burn 1,000 calories. 

In other words, walk and carry your golf clubs for golf to be more of a physical than mental game! 

6. How do you fix a slice in golf?

A. To fix a golf swing slice, it's important to realize that a slice is caused by the club face being left open when you strike the ball. Discover how you can fix your slice with help from a professional golf instructor.

Don't try fixing your slice yourself or you might add more problems to your golf swing. 

7. How many golf clubs can you carry?
A. The rules of golf allow you to carry fourteen clubs in your bag, so many golfers add another iron or a specialty wood to the traditional set.

For newer  women golfers, try hybrid clubs instead of traditional woods: they are easier to hit and get the ball airborne.

8. How do you calculate your golf handicap?

A. After figuring out a golf course's rating, take the score and subtract it from the course rating before multiplying it times 113 and dividing this number by the slope of the course. Take five scores and multiply the lowest by .96 to get a handicap. 

Check out USGA.org  for more information on handicapping.

9. What is an albatross in Golf?

A. Albatross is another term for a double eagle, or 3-under par on any one hole.

How many golfers have ever gotten an albatross? Of course, for some, an albatross has the same connotation as in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner!

10. What does slope rating mean on a golf course?
A. Slope rating is a numerical index of difficulty for an average (bogey) golfer. The higher the slope number, the more difficult the course is for the bogey golfer.

I suggest that the average golfer look for courses with lower slope ratings until their scores improve, for a feeling of accomplishment!

Kerr's trophy larger but Watson has better payday with "dream performances"

Cristie Kerr's record-setting twelve stroke victory at the LPGA Championship left her in a dream-like state. Bubba Watson's teary-eyed acceptance of his first PGA Tour win at the Travelers Championship was exciting to boot as he was the last man standing in a three-man playoff.

Since I could not be at both events in the tri-state area, I chose the Travelers in order to meet-up at a "tweet-up" with Patricia Hannigan (aka golfgirl from Golf Girl Media). I can't wait to see the pictures she took and I'm sure she'll post them soon.

Here are pictures of Cristie Kerr, winner of the LPGA Championship and Bubba Watson, fellow left-handed golfer, victor at the Traveler's Championship and first-time winner on the PGA Tour.

Kerr aced the bigger trophy (and $337,500) but Bubba Watson walked off with the larger check ($1,080,000!)