The Iconic 18th

Harbour Town Golf Links:

Hilton Head's Masterful PGA Tour Favorite.

You can’t follow golf and not know about Harbour Town Golf Links. Playing host to the PGA since 1969, the finishing hole and lighthouse and are as familiar to golf followers as is island green at Sawgrass. Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus built the signature course on Hilton Head to host the Heritage Tournament and it has been doing so ever since. Now connected with RBC as the title sponsor, the week after the Masters is a favorite among the players and families of the PGA. With a list of champions beginning with Arnold Palmer in the inaugural event and including many of the games legendary players, Harbour Town is a terrific host to both the world's best and resort guests of the luxurious Sea Pines Resort. 

The idyllic setting along the southern tip of Hilton Head Island has long been considered the premier golf course on the island. The routing was carved through massive pines and live oaks giving the sense of seclusion through the tight fairway corridors. Playing a foot or two above sea level the, and with very little elevation change, the course yardage plays true to the card.  Stressing both length and placement of shots combined with tiny greens, Harbour Town displays a  supreme level of challenge doling out a rating of 75.6 and slope of 147.  The final hole with its iconic striped lighthouse backdrop may be the most identifiable hole at Harbour Town, but the collection of short holes on this PGA Tour stop  will strike fear in any player.

Location:

Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head, South Carolina

Editor's Shot Maker's Picks: Harbour Town

Description:

Water, sand, trees and wind all play a varying role in your success or failure in trying to put a cumulative 12 on your card at the end of the round. Hole 4 plays along a deep lagoon on the left faced with the trademark Dye wooden fortification. The bailout is right to avoid the high draw from getting wet. The green at hole 7 gives the impression of being an island surrounded by sand. The small target is also guarded by tall sentinel trees that give you very little room to shape your shot and even less room for error.

The 14th again brings the buttress wooden facing and lagoon into the design, but this time gives you room to miss left. The ideal ball flight is a high left to right shot, but the overhanging trees make that a  difficult proposition. Hole 17 plays over a tidal inlet buffeted by the wind off Calibogue Sound. The long narrow green is protected left by a long bunker and the tide marsh. A pair of small bunkers to the right will claim any shot struck a little too cautiously taking the water out of play. These short holes are hero golf at its finest.

Course Stats:

The premier course of the Sea Pines Resort, along with sister courses Heron Point and Ocean Course, Harbour Town is a tour favorite for obvious reasons. This highly acclaimed design is creative, demanding and exacting. The beautiful vistas along the finishing hole of Calibogue Sound and distant Daufuskie Island are a memorable culmination of the round, but the entire round will be one you won't soon forget leaving you with the desire to find the opportunity for a return visit. 

Contact:

The Sea Pines Resort,

32 Greenwood Drive,

Hilton Head Island, SC

29928

Toll Free: 1-866-561-8802

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