Harbour Town Golf Links facts for kids
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| Club information | |
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 Location in the United States
Location in South Carolina
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| Coordinates | 32°08′10″N 80°48′36″W / 32.136°N 80.810°W |
| Location | Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Established | 1967, 58 years ago |
| Type | Public |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Tournaments hosted | RBC Heritage (1969–2019) |
| Website | Harbour Town Golf Links |
| Designed by | Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, and Davis Love III |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 7,099 yards (6,491 m) |
| Course rating | 75.6 |
| Slope rating | 148 |
Harbour Town Golf Links is a famous public golf course in the eastern United States. It is located on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. This beautiful course is part of the Sea Pines Resort.
Since 1969, Harbour Town has hosted a big golf tournament called the RBC Heritage. This event is part of the PGA Tour. It usually happens in mid-April, right after the Masters Tournament. Many people simply call the course "Hilton Head" when talking about the PGA Tour. Golf Digest and Golf Magazine often rank Harbour Town as one of the best golf courses in America. It is known for its narrow playing areas, tall trees, and dark water areas.
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About Harbour Town Golf Links
Harbour Town Golf Links was designed in 1967. Famous golf course designer Pete Dye worked on it with help from golf legend Jack Nicklaus. The course is open all year round. Even when they are working on the grass, you can still play.
Playing a round of golf here can cost between $195 and $369. The price changes depending on the time of year. About 38,000 rounds of golf are played at Harbour Town every year.
Special Grass for Golf
Harbour Town Golf Links uses different types of grass on its holes. Five of these grasses are types of Bermuda grass. These grasses are great because they can handle the hot summer weather on Hilton Head Island.
Other grass types are planted in October. This helps keep the course green during the colder months. For example, rye grass is planted in October. It grows well in winter but dies when the weather gets warm again. Then, the Bermuda grass wakes up and turns green. The main playing areas, called fairways, and the rough areas use a type of Bermuda grass called 419 Bermuda.
The starting areas, called tee boxes, use Celebration Bermuda and TifSports Bermuda. Some tee boxes even use Empire Zoysia. This grass stays green all winter and does not need extra planting. The greens, which are the putting areas, use TifEagle Bermuda. In October, a grass called Poa Trivialis is added to the greens. A special person called a superintendent takes care of all these different grasses.
Top Golf Course Rankings
Harbour Town Golf Links is highly rated by golf magazines.
- Golf Digest ranked it as the #21 public course in America in 2011-2012. Before that, it was #13 in 2010.
- PGA Tour professionals also voted Harbour Town as the #2 golf course they play on tour. This was in a survey by Golf Digest.
- Golf Magazine rated Harbour Town as the #12 public course in America in 2012. In 2010, it was ranked #14.
Playing the Course
Harbour Town Golf Links is a "par 71" course. This means a good golfer should finish the 18 holes in 71 shots. From the longest tees, the course is about 7,099 yards (6,491 m) long. This is a bit shorter than most courses used for PGA Tour events.
The greens at Harbour Town are small and fast. They are made of Bermuda grass. They average about 3,700 square feet (340 m2) in size. This is smaller than the average PGA Tour green, which is about 6,600 sq ft (610 m2).
Many holes have water hazards very close to the greens. This means players must be very careful with their shots. Holes 4, 8, 14, 17, and 18 are examples. Golfers also need to place their shots carefully on the fairways. If they don't, tall trees can block their path to the green. This happens often on holes 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16.
The ninth hole is a short par 4. It is about 325 yards (297 m) long. Good golfers might try to hit the ball all the way to the green from the tee. But the green is small and has sand traps around it.
The last two holes are next to Calibogue Sound. The water level here changes with the tides. This means the water hazard line can look different. The 17th hole is a par three. It usually plays into the wind. The 18th hole is the course's most famous hole. The water is all along the left side. The red-and-white-striped Harbour Town lighthouse stands behind the green. It is a great target for players aiming their shots.
The Heritage Classic Tournament
Since 1969, Harbour Town Golf Links has hosted the annual RBC Heritage golf tournament. This event is part of the PGA Tour. It takes place in April, the weekend after the Masters Tournament. The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is the main sponsor of the tournament. It is the only PGA Tour event held every year in South Carolina.
The first tournament was called "The Heritage Golf Classic." It happened in November 1969. The winner received $20,000. Golf legend Arnold Palmer won that first event. It was his 55th win on the tour! The Heritage Classic has been held at Harbour Town every year since then.
The founder of Sea Pines, Charles E. Fraser, started the tradition of the Heritage Classic. Each year, the tournament begins with a special tee shot. The defending champion hits a golf ball into Calibogue Sound. At the same time, a cannon is fired!
In 2012, PGA Tour professionals voted Harbour Town as the #2 golf course they play. This was in a Golf Digest survey. Only Augusta National, home of the Masters, was ranked higher.
Harbour Town offers a different challenge than most courses on the tour. It is shorter and has very narrow fairways. Most other courses are longer but have wider playing areas. The many oak, pine, and palmetto trees line and hang over the fairways. This means golfers sometimes cannot hit the ball directly to the green, even if they are in the fairway. Players must place their shots perfectly to win.
The small, fast Bermuda greens are also tricky. The way the grass grows makes it hard to guess how the ball will roll. Water areas also surround many greens. This makes players take safer shots.
Winning scores at The Heritage can change a lot each year. Players might try to take advantage of the shorter holes. But they also risk hitting their ball into the thick trees or water. The lowest score ever at The Heritage is 262 (22 shots under par). Webb Simpson achieved this in 2020. Champions now win over $1.2 million and a special tartan plaid jacket.
