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Port Royal Racquet Club
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Holley Morse and Anne Spees have been coming to Port Royal Racquet Club on South Carolina's Hilton Head Island every spring for several years as part of a group organized by their club pro in McLean, Virginia. This year there are about 20 people, divided into groups of four and distributed through two-bedroom condominiums in the Tennis Village adjacent to the club. For four days virtually the only decision they have to make is where to have lunch and dinner. "Everything is arranged," Morse told me enthusiastically. "You don't have to plan anything, you don't have to set up pros or courts or games. All we have to do is show up."
"Some people also spend time at the beach while they're here," Spees added. "But we haven't been there at all. We just don't get enough tennis at home."
Port Royal hosts about 50 such groups each year. They range in size from as few as four to as many as 80. Tanda Bianco, who heads up what Port Royal dubs its "Ambassador Program," tailor makes each outing to suit the individual needs of the group, including the option of staying in a nearby hotel—the 412-room beachfront Westin Resort—rather than in villas. "They call me and I arrange everything," says Bianco. "I take their deposit, arrange parties, lunches, bags of goodies and as many hours of programming and play they want. They can even pick the hours they want clinics—we don't restrict them to mornings or afternoons."
Overview
The Port Royal Racquet Club has 
turned the handling of such groups into a minor specialty but not to the point of ignoring the individual guest. I'd come down alone, though not without some concerns that I'd be lost in the shuffle of this group business. Instead Bianco funneled me into the Port Royal's morning stroke-of-the-day clinic and when I wanted more booked me into an hour-long session of fast drills. I met people in both I might have played with later except that I was drafted into an afternoon men's doubles matches with some of the crowd from Maclean. Playing with them meant I never had to pay the $18/hour court fees (you get one complimentary hour per day with villa rental). And it meant I never wanted for tennis.
Set amid yellow pines, maples, live oaks and the occasional magnolia, the 16-court Port Royal Racquet Club is the more parklike of all the clubs on Hilton Head Island. Confederate jasmine covers the fences, perfuming the morning air and taking the place of windscreens. Terraced seating overlooks a hard court on one side of its spacious skylighted clubhouse, a clay court on the other, while meandering pathways provide access to everything else, including two grass courts.
The villa I stayed in, an oversized one-bedroom with a terrace, was just a few minutes walk from the courts and less than 10 minutes walk from a broad, dune-lined beach. It had everything I needed, including a washer-dryer, and several things I didn't, including access to Port Royal's three golf courses, among them Pete Dye's Robber's Row.
Like Morse and Spees, I ended up spending most of my time at the racquet club. It wasn't just that the staff seemed to understand the needs of tennis players, but they are also exceptionally warm and friendly.
It's that that keeps Spees and Morse coming back again and again. As Spees put it: "The day we get home we start looking at the calendar for next year."
Tennis Features
Pro Shop: 843-686-8803
See Also
If you like Port Royal's emphasis on individually tailored programs, also check out:
- Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
- Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort, South Carolina
- Sandestin Beach & Golf Resort, Florida
- Sea Colony Resort, Delaware
- TOPS'L Beach & Racquet Resort, Florida
Rates and Reservations
Westin Resort, Hilton Head Island & Spa
The Westin rents both rooms in the beachfront hotel and 2- and 3-bedroom villas adjacent to the courts.
2 Grasslawn Ave.
Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Toll-free: 866-716-8108
Fax: 843-681-1087
Web Link: Westin Resort, Hilton Head Island & Spa
Book Online: Westin Resort, Hilton Head Island & Spa
Port Royal Village
Lodging consists of 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom villas and townhouses, all with fully equipped kitchens. Check the web site for specific rates.
P.O. Box 22596
Hilton Head Island, SC 29925-2596
Travel Essentials
Seasons. Year-round.
Travel Instructions. By Air: Port Royal is 45 miles from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) in Georgia and 95 miles from Charleston International Airport (CHS). Major airlines serve both of those gateways. It is also possible to fly directly to Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH), on commuter service from US Airways Express, via Charlotte, NC. Rental cars and shuttles are available at all three airports.
General Tourist Information. Visit the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau website or contact them at 1 Chamber Dr., P.O. Box 5647, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938; 843-785-3673 or toll-free 800-523-3373.