Vacation experts (Destin or San Destin?)

Want to get some input from you, or other posters , who are familiar with South Carolina beaches.. ive never been to any of them.. but i, for some reason, always thought Myrtle Beach was kinda the Biloxi or Galveston of the east coast, ie kinda trashy.. of course that’s just my perception.. BUT since I’m now in Nashville and love to play tennis- i really want to check out Hilton Head Island.. i know it’s a golf Mecca, but i hear there are a lot of good places to play tennis as well.. from what i understand though, none of the east coast beaches can compare with SW Florida or the panhandle in terms of the soft white sand and the warm turquoise water.. are they more like the yeloowish sand and cold water you find in East FL or California? Not a fan of that type of beach too much.. Thoughts?
The beaches on Hilton head are not very nice.
We got to surf city North Carolina every summer to link up with family from the north east. It’s a nice area. The beaches are not as nice as the panhandle (white sane/azure blue waters) but not many are.