Hilton Head Golf News

It was a pleasant though not an unexpected surprise when Harbour Town Golf Links, the keystone golf course at The Sea Pines Resort and home of the popular PGA Tour event, Verizon Heritage, moved up from No. 15 to No. 14 in the national rankings of Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play," published in the magazine's September 2008 issue.

What may have surprised a few people, however, was the appearance of the newest golf course at The Sea Pines Resort, Heron Point by Pete Dye, which debuted in the state-by-state rankings as the 15th finest public-access course in South Carolina. Unveiled by The Sea Pines Resort in September 2007 on the site of the resort's former Sea Marsh golf course, Heron Point was the only course in the state less than one-year old to make Golf Magazine's Top 15. 

Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy has reached an agreement with Pinecrest Golf Club in Bluffton, SC making Pinecrest the exclusive golf training facility for the Academy.  According to Hank Haney IJGA CEO Mark Gonsalves, “we are excited to consolidate our golf training at Pinecrest and see our students enjoy the many benefits of the move, not the least of which is more time with Hank Haney.”

Students will also notice improvements in the practice facility, including a new 15,000 sq. ft. putting green, an improved short-game area and a larger practice range at the 7,143-yard course.

Changes Will Result In Improved Playability For Tom Fazio-Designed Lowcountry Course

St. Helena Island, S.C. – Representatives from Dataw Island today announced that they have begun a major renovation on the second green of their Tom Fazio-designed Cotton Dike course. The renovation calls for the repositioning of the green slightly to the left of its current location in order to provide better sunlight, build it to USGA specifications to improve drainage and playability, increase the size and number of usable pin locations and contour the surrounds for playability.

An $80,000 project, the renovation of the Cotton Dike’s No. two green is scheduled to take three weeks for construction and 75 days for new grass to be grown. The current timetable calls for the new green to be reopened in early September. These renovations are being monitored and conducted by Dataw Island director of golf maintenance Brian Hollingsworth.

Pace of play is an issue often discussed at the player level. But, members of the American Society of Golf Course Architects are also addressing this at the design level.

"A properly designed, well-drained course with ample playable areas, properly placed bunkers, visible water hazards and smaller greens usually plays fastest," said Steve Forrest, president. "ASGCA architects work with developers to design courses that are challenging but not overwhelming. This keeps play moving without detracting from the player’s overall experience."

Courses offering faster play usually benefit from a combination of factors including quality professional management, and the cooperation both of those playing and those directing play. However, according to Forrest, faster play also results from course designs that pay special attention to routing designs and tactical layouts of tees, greens and fairways.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC – A prestigious quartet of PGA TOUR shotmakers – Davis Love III, Tom Lehman, Charles Howell III and Stephen Ames – have just made commitments to play in the Verizon Heritage, Tournament Director Steve Wilmot announced today.

This group will be joining a field that already includes Defending Champion Boo Weekley, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard and Stewart Cink.  All will be taking aim at the winner’s check of $990,000 from a record purse of $5.5 million.  The Verizon Heritage will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary April 14-20 over the Harbour Town Golf Links.

The South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel has once again named Hilton Head Island’s famed Harbour Town Golf Links as the Palmetto State’s top course, an honor that has been bestowed upon Harbour Town the past four times the prestigious list has been unveiled.

Harbour Town is set to host the 40th edition of the PGA TOUR’s Verizon Heritage April 14-20, bringing the renowned layout even more attention. Harbour Town also consistently ranks in the top 50 of Golf Magazine’s list of the “Top 100 Courses in the America” and “Top 100 Places You Can Play.”

InThe Masters: 101 Reasons to Love Golf’s Greatest Tournament, longtime sports writer Ron Green Sr. shares his take on historic moments, legendary players and time-honored traditions that he has experienced during his 50-plus years covering the tournament.

The book is easy to navigate and is appealing to both readers familiar with the Masters or Augusta National and those parties interested in getting acquainted with golf’s first major and the famed club that hosts it.

Boo Weekley might feel more comfortable at the outdoor superstore Cabela’s than he will at Augusta National Golf Club this coming April when he competes in his first Masters.

He might have a better understanding of the nuances of duck hunting than he does of match play golf but the small-town, country boy from the Florida panhandle certainly knows how to captivate an audience when he speaks.

Weekley’s infectious sense of humor was on display this week at the annual Verizon Heritage Media Day at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head. Weekley is the event’s defending champion after he chipped in twice during Monday’s final round to defeat Ernie Els and claim his first PGA TOUR victory last April. Weekley not only earned his first tour win, but he also picked up an invitation to the 2008 Masters tournament in the process.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND – Northern Illinois University’s men’s golf team shot a 325 on a blustery day at Wexford Plantation and finished in a three-way tie for last place at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate hosted by Francis Marion University, almost 60 shots back of the winning score for the event.

The Huskies didn’t set any scoring records but they did record a victory for their school and took a step toward transitioning from tragedy to normalcy.

The two-day tournament marked Northern Illinois’ return to athletic competition following a 10-day layoff due to the Feb. 14 campus shootings that prematurely ended the lives of five students. Monday’s opening round also coincided with the return to classes on the NIU campus. 

Hilton Head Island, S.C. – Hilton Head Island based course designer Clyde Johnston, one of the nation’s top architects, has been hired to oversee the redesign of a 60-year-old South Carolina golf course.

The Fort Mill Golf Club in the Upstate region of South Carolina will close this coming weekend to undergo renovations and is expected to reopen in August.