SEA PINES RESORT Harbour Town Course (843-842-8484)
Hilton Head Golf Course Review
General Information
As a vast, 5,000-acre oceanfront retreat, The Sea Pines Resort has enthralled generations of travelers and guests for more than 50 years. Home of the annual Horizon Heritage PGA Golf Tournament, Sea Pines combines unparalleled golf with award winning tennis, world-class luxury accommodations, gourmet restaurants, and upscale amenities and service on a landscape that is bordered by the Atlantic and Calibogue Sound - offering breathtaking views. For more info on the resort, click here to visit the properties' website.
Two of the three championship courses are serviced by the same clubhouse and practice facilities, with the Harbour Town Course situated on its own. Heron Point by Pete Dye, and the Ocean Course (George Cobb renovated by mark McCumber) feature a clubhouse with spacious pro shop, restaurant/lounge, plus locker rooms with showers. The practice facilities include 2 putting greens and a targeted grass range. The Golf Academy at Sea Pines features a wide variety of instructional programs for all skill levels. Harbour Town
All three courses utilize the same marking systems, with sprinkler heads measured to the front, center and back of the greens. There are 150 yard stakes on all par fours and fives, yardage plates on the tee boxes of all par threes, and permanent 100, 150 and 200 yard markers (250 on par fives) on the cart paths as well. Pin placement sheets are mounted on all carts, which also feature coolers and rear weather covers to protect clubs during inclement weather.
Harbour Town Review
Harbour Town Golf Links is the shining jewel of Sea Pines Resort, and as host to the PGA Tour's Verizon heritage Classic (since 1969 when the tournament was won by Arnold Palmer), is the most famous course on the Island. Designed by Pete Dye (in consultation with Jack Nickalus), Harbour Town debuted as one of the Top 10 Courses in the Country (Golf Digest) and like its two sister courses, is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. It is perennially ranked as the top course in Carolina by various ranking panels.
The layout puts a premium on finesse, shot making and strategy rather than power, with a set of par threes that rank amongst the finest in the world and toughest on the PGA Tour. Harbour Town Golf Links features a new forecaddie system - as one forecaddie is assigned per foursome - performing such duties as assisting with yardage and course information, reading greens, taking care of equipment, etc. The course also has the standard marking system shared by the other two Sea Pines courses, minus the pin placement info (which is privy to the forecaddies).Much of the layout plays along a wooded terrain that meanders through an upscale residential community. There are 10 holes with water in play and approximately 56 soft sand bunkers can be found near the landing zones or greenside. The par three 17th is the most memorable, as it plays to the marshes that front the Atlantic Ocean. Number 18 is also a great finishing hole as it also plays Oceanside.
There are 4 sets of tees that play to distances and slopes measuring 69723 yards/143 slope, 6603 yards/139 slope, 6040 yards/130 slope, and 5208 yards with a slope of 124 from the forward tees. The combination of challenge and beauty invites players of all skill levels to enjoy a round here – on a premium course whose PGA track record includes a list of winners that reads like a Who's Who! For more info, visit our page for the course, with a direct link tot heir website by clicking here.
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