Tennis on Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head is a tennis players dream come true. There are hundreds of courts all over the island, and several clubs rated in Tennis Magazine's top 50 clubs. Hilton Head is also home to two famous tennis pros: Dennis Van der Meer and Stan Smith. The Van der Meer tennis university is world renown for teaching both amateurs and professionals. Add to that a mild climate that makes the season almost year around , the availability of all three Grand Slam playing surfaces and accessibility of lighted courts for night play and you have a tennis paradise.
Some residential developments have their own courts, which may be used by guests staying in those developments. Most players go to one of the public courts listed below. Click on the green ones to go to their web site.
| CLUB | COURTS | TELEPHONE |
| Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center | 23 clay, 2 hard 8 lighted | 843-785-1152 |
| Port Royal Racquet Club | 10 clay, 2 grass, 4 hard. 6 lighted | 843-686-8803 |
| Sea Pines Racquet Club | 24 clay, 5 lighted | 843-363-4495 |
| Shipyard Racquet Club (Van der Meer) | 13 Har-Tru, 4 hard, 3 indoor | 843-686-8804 |
| South Beach Racquet Club | 11 clay, 2 lighted. | 843-671-2215 |
| Van der Meer Tennis Center | 17 hard, 4 covered | 800-845-6138 |
There are 8 public tennis courts on Hilton Head Island under the supervision of the Island Recreation Center and with the cooperation of Public Tennis, Inc. All are lighted for night play.
Six are at the Chaplin Public Tennis Center in the Chaplin Community Park and four more are at the Cordillo Public Tennis Center on Cordillo Road between DeAllyon Ave. and Pope Ave. These courts are intended for use by islanders.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day fees are charged for the use of these courts (contrary to the belief of some real estate agents). They are open from 8:00 AM to 9:30 PM unless reserved for lessons or USTA use. For more information call Cameron Everett at 843-681-7273.
Two courts are available at the Fairfield Station County park on the north end, where Mi Tierra restaurant is. They are under the supervision of the Beaufort County Parks and Leisure Services.
Hilton Head High School has six courts and Hilton Head Middle School four more which are available weekend and evenings when school is in session and anytime in the summer. These courts have no user fees.
Updated04/24/2009