I must admit… I am spoiled.
Living in the Metro Atlanta area, we are an easy drive from just about anything. Atlanta residents are a less than two hours from the mountains, about five hours from the white sand beaches of Florida’s Emerald Coast, a little over five hours from the Casinos of Mississippi and four to five hours from major cities like Nashville, Charlotte and a nature-lovers paradise like Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
For years, I’ve said that The Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island was the best four hour drive you could make from Atlanta, and now it’s even better.
With home and villa vacation rentals to go along with the island luxury you will find at The Inn at Harbour Town there is a long weekend or a week’s stay waiting for you at Sea Pines.
While you might be familiar with Sea Pines’ world class golf and tennis, the unending recreation activities for the entire family and the beautiful setting, Sea Pines has recently underwent a number or revitalization projects that add even more reasons to take a trip to The Sea Pines Resort.
Let’s see what is new for 2015 and beyond:
A shiny new 55,000 square-foot multi-use clubhouse that not only houses the pro shop and locker rooms, but also a Hall of Champions honoring the history of the course, the RBC Heritage PGA tour events and past champions.
Plantation Golf Club
What more can be said about The Plantation Golf Club and golf learning center at Heron Point by Pete Dye and Ocean Course opened on March 26, 2014? This is a modern facility that not only features everything you need to improve your game but also these amenities:
⦁ Expansive pro shop
⦁ 23,000 square-foot clubhouse
⦁ “Live Oak” bar and grill featuring Lowcountry-inspired cuisine
⦁ 2,000 square feet of event space
⦁ Spacious men’s and women’s locker rooms
⦁ Tim Cooke as the Director of Golf Instruction, TrackMan and a staff that not only puts you at ease, but can do wonders for your game
Sea Pines Beach Club
It opened in September of 2014 and the two-story 25,000-square-foot Sea Pines Beach Club offers a seaside atmosphere with close-up views of the Atlantic Ocean and distant Tybee Island.
What you will find at the Sea Pines Beach Club:
⦁ Coast – a beautifully appointed casual beachside restaurant and wrap-around oceanfront beach bar with seasonal entertainment
⦁ Ocean Lounge, a second floor bar and lounge area with panoramic ocean views
⦁ Oceanfront beach bar
⦁ Atlantic Room – a special event space featuring an outdoor, covered deck
⦁ Surfside Market – express concessions including freshly made salads, sandwiches and snacks
⦁ Surf Shop – a retail space offering beach supplies
Heron Point by Pete Dye
Minor renovations include softening the contours and surrounds of the greens, enlarging several greens, improved landscapng and putting surfaces were transitioned to Tifeagle Ultra Dwarf Bermuda.
The Inn at Harbour Town
It’s hard to improve on perfection, but The Inn at Harbour Town has done just that with a new infinity edge pool that overlooks the Harbour Town Golf Links. The pool area has a shade trellis, a deck and food and beverage service.
A new coastal palette of soft seaglass blue and dune-beige is now found in the Inn’s interior, offering newly enhanced, lavishly appointed guest rooms and a light and airy lobby that instantly soothes the senses. Guests will enjoy easy-on-the-eye lightning, new linens in the guest rooms and a level of service one would expect from being one of the top resorts in the world.
The Inn at Harbour Town is also a short walk from all the fun and excitement on Harbour Town each night which includes performances by the legendary Gregg Russell, under the old oak tree.
Harbour Town Golf Links
Per The Sea Pines Resort:
The tee-boxes, fairways and rough will be replaced with Celebration Bermuda grass, the most technologically-advanced surface used on warm season courses. Harbour Town’s greens will be re-grassed with Tifeagle Ultra Dwarf Bermuda, the same grass that has been on the putting surfaces since 2001. Additionally, a new state-of-the-art irrigation system will be installed with the latest science in water management and control.
And later in 2015:
This October, the resort’s Ocean Course will get its turn for a makeover as Love Golf Design, the course architecture firm founded by PGA TOUR star Davis Love III and his brother Mark, are coming in for a total renovation of the layout. They plan to introduce a more pronounced seaside ambiance. Additional plans call for a complete rebuild of all the holes as well as a total resurfacing throughout with cutting-edge grasses to match the superior strains at Harbour Town and Heron Point. The overall goal is to create a fair test for players of all levels and handicaps.
The Sea Pines Resort was called one of the “World’s Best places to Stay” by Conde’ Nast Traveler. It’s only four hours from the Metro Atlanta area, so you need to plan your trip now.
