A South Carolina treasure built on a Lowcountry swamp, Harbour Town Golf Links at the Sea Pines Resort is one of the shorter courses the pros play each April at the RBC Heritage tournament. The par-71 course, designed in 1967 by Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye, is a pro favorite, consistently churning out great champions.

 

A certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, Harbour Town Golf Links is an award-winning course, consistently rated one of the best public courses in the US by the likes of Golf Digest, GOLF Magazine, Golfweek and more.

 

Playing the Course

 

Put your game of golf to the test at Hilton Head’s most famous golf course. Just know, a round of golf will cost you. Depending on the season, public play ranges from $145 - $250 per round. One of the most demanding courses in the country, Harbour Town Golf Links, in terms of accuracy and shaping the ball, is truly a difficult course to play.

 

Tree-lined with overhanging oaks and Spanish moss, narrow fairways and many a bunker and water hazard, Harbour Town can be a bit intimidating as it forces players to precisely hit their balls. The most famous hazard is pretty much the entire 18th hole as it runs parallel with Calibogue Sound. However, Sea Pines Resort’s iconic lighthouse in the background makes the difficult play worth it. It could easily be considered one of the best holes in golf for that reason alone.

 

Thinking of playing a round? March and April are the perfect months to tee it up in Hilton Head. Temperatures are idyllic, the azaleas are blooming, and the sun is usually shining. This, of course, is a very popular time to play in South Carolina, and as such, the most expensive.

 

The RBC Heritage

 

Since 1969, Harbour Town Golf Links has been the home of the “RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.” Also called the “Heritage Classic” or “Heritage,” one week after The Masters in Augusta, PGA TOUR players venture to Hilton Head for this invitation-only tournament, which features the biggest names and brightest stars in golf.

 

An interesting fact: Most think Yonkers, NY, was the first non-Scottish spot to play golf. Possibly not true. "Golfer sticks" and "featheries" (a pre-20th century golf ball made from boiled bird feathers and cowhide) were on board a ship—according to the ship's manifest from 1786—and noted these items had been shipped to residents in South Carolina and Georgia. Honoring that Scottish heritage, they named the PGA TOUR event the "Heritage Classic."