It’s only 12 miles long by 4 miles wide and is able to boast some of the most stunning beaches in North America along with 250 restaurants and 24 golf courses.
The Iconic Lighthouse Stands Like A Beacon Behind The 18th Hole At Harbour Town GC – Image Courtesy Sea Pines Resort
The most renowned golf course on the island is none other than Harbour Town Golf Links, the gem of the Sea Pines Resort.
It is a 5,000-acre resort located on the southern tip of Hilton Head Island on a peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Calibogue Sound. It was developed by Charles Fraser in 1956 and has become the road map to luxury resorts alike.
No building at The Sea Pines Resort is taller than the tallest Magnolia or Oak tree giving the resort a wonderfully secluded and natural beauty feel.
Guests enjoy 5 miles of stunning beaches, 20 miles of bike trails and nature paths and there are over 500 suites, villas and beach houses to suit every visitor’s needs.
Harbour Town Golf Links is in good company with 2 other world class golf courses on property. One is the Ocean Course, home of the first golf course on Hilton Head Island, designed by George Cobb in 1962 and redesigned in 1995 by 10-time PGA Tour winner Mark McCumber.
The 17th Hole At Harbour Town Golf Links
image courtesy sea pines resort
In 1964 Cobb also designed the second course on property, Sea Marsh. This course was built to be friendly to novice golfers. In 2007 Pete Dye reconstructed the course in a massive undertaking reshaping the greens and fairways, creating risk/reward holes and it is fast becoming one of the most popular tracks on the island. The newly designed course has been renamed ‘Heron Point’ by designer Dye.
But the course that everyone comes to Hilton Head to play is Harbour Town Golf Links. This Pete Dye-Jack Nicklaus collaboration was completed in 1969. It continues to receive accolades and praise and consistently makes top courses to play lists.
Just after the course was completed it hosted a PGA Tour event, the Heritage Classic in 1969. Resort owner Fraser and his brother Joe intended from inception to host a PGA Tour event at this course, though there were many naysayers.
They were warned that a new course would not be suitable, that a Tour event more than 15 miles from a major center would not be popular and to hold it, at the time, during football season and on Thanksgiving would lead to certain failure. It was anything but.
The 9th Hole At Harbour Town Golf Links In South Carolina Features A U-Shaped Green As Part Of Pete Dye’s Design Tactics
image courtesy sea pines resort
The first champion was none other than “The King” himself, Arnold Palmer, by a 3 stroke margin. The course and the tournament received great praise. Other champions of this event include Jack Nicklaus, Bernhard Langer, Johnny Miller, Greg Norman, Nick Price, Tom Watson, Davis Love III and the late Payne Stewart, to name just a few.
The RBC Heritage is South Carolina’s only PGA Tour event and one of the most popular amongst players who attend. Not only can Tour players tee it up here, it is open for the general public as well. Golfers love to play PGA Tour tracks and to attempt the same shots and to experience the same conditions they watch on the PGA Tour coverage on Sunday afternoons.
Harbour Town Golf Links has been a PGA Tour venue that has stood the test of time because of its design. It is not a bomber’s paradise. Although it is a flat course, it is set up to promote solid shot making and to reward creativity. There are holes that will require you to work the ball right to left and then left to right.
An Aerial View Of The 17th Green, 18th Hole And Signature Lighthouse At Harbour Town, South Carolina – Image Courtesy Sea Pines Resort
Dye uses one of his signature design techniques to protect par on his course. He makes many shots visually intimidating.
He makes you pick a side of the fairway knowing if you are on the wrong side your approach shot will be blocked out.
Dye’s intimidation also comes into play because he puts doubt in your mind and makes it hard to pull the trigger and hit the shot.
For instance, the 9th green is in a U-shape. If you mishit your approach shot and the pin is tucked on the opposite side you are easily staring down a three putt.
To add insult to injury, the greens are some of the smallest that they play on the PGA Tour and make accuracy on approach shots a premium.
The fairways are seemingly narrow due to the abundance of overhanging trees.
The bunkering is another Dye element that makes this course so memorable. In particular, the 13th hole has a ‘Y-shaped’ bunker that guards the entire front edge of the green and is accented with railway ties.
If you hit the wood your ball is capable or ricocheting in any direction and you’re going to wish you were in the bunker.
Many players also assume the course will be along the water with a name like Harbour Town. In fact, you do not see the water until the 16th green. The 16th is a great risk/reward hole. It is a sharp dogleg-left with a bunker up the length of the left side.
The 17th hole is the last of the 4 magnificent par 3’s on the course and provides a beautiful view of the Sound. The 18th hole is one of the toughest finishing holes on the PGA Tour and one of the most recognizable. The iconic, candy-striped lighthouse in the backdrop of the green makes this the number one photo-op spot on the course.
A little known fact is that the lighthouse is not, and never has been, in use to protect sea-goers from land. It was created as an eye catching structure that would be memorable to spectators and viewers alike. It worked. Every golfer who sees a picture of that lighthouse automatically thinks Harbour Town Golf Links.
Don’t be lulled into submission by the view though. Even though the fairway is wide, it is OB up the right side of the hole and the Calibogue Sound guards the entire left side. If the wind is blowing off the Sound it makes the approach shot to this postage stamp green seemingly impossible.
The View From Above Is As Spectacular As That From Ground Level – image courtesy sea pines resort
If you miss the green long you are often trapped in one of a series of coffin shaped bunkers that are long and narrow making it tough to make an up-and-down.
This will be a memorable course to play. When you go, consider walking. The facility dictates cart path only year round and it is not a tough walk as it is very flat and helps you get into the game.
Each tee time is assigned a forecaddie who will provide an invaluable service by sharing course knowledge, providing accurate yardages, assisting in club selection, reading greens and performing course maintenance duties. The forecaddie services are included in the rate but the gratuity is additional and well worth it.
Rates range for Harbour Town Golf Links from $149-$254 depending on the season and if you are a guest of Sea Pines Resort. A plethora of resort packages are available that include both the Ocean and Heron Point by Pete Dye courses as well. Go to www.seapines.com for more information.
Get down to Harbour Town! You won’t be disappointed!
