Harbour Town Golf Links

If I had to describe Harbour Town Golf Links in one word?  Tight.  For example, below is the opening tee shot. Pete Dye and Jack Nickaus apparently aren't fans of letting the player "ease into a round..."

Tee Shot on #1

(photo courtesy of golfclubatlas.com)

If you have read any of my writing, you will know that I am a believer in architectural design that gives the golfer width off the tee.  This provides the most playing options and allows for choosing your own path in how to attack the hole.  In essence, width on a golf course makes for a much more strategic and thought provoking experience for the golfer.

Harbour Town Golf Links is the antithesis of this form of golf with its bowling alley fairways and tiny greens.  But regardless of which style of course you prefer, make no mistake, this is a great golf course.  It doesn't hurt that it is set in the South Carolina low country, which makes for an idyllic setting.  From the moment you land on Hilton Head Island, you can almost feel your blood pressure drop a little bit.  There is no question that the relaxed low-country atmosphere the week following the Masters is a welcome sight, but no tour player would come if they didn't like the course.

Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus did a wonderful job routing this course through the towering pines, culminating with a fantastic finish along Calibogue Sound.  All great golf courses have a great finish and Harbour Town is no different.  16 is a great short par four, 17 a great par 3 heading out to the water, and the signature 18th along the water with the iconic lighthouse in the background make for a very memorable experience.  There are few finishing holes in golf better than the 18th at Harbour Town.  With the only fairway on the course that you have to try to miss, it provides the player the opportunity to swing freely and enjoy the final tee shot.  Just make sure you pay attention on the approach shot, which is one of the smallest greens I've ever seen.

Tee Shot on #18

(photo courtesy of the author)

Tipping out at around 7100 yards from the "Heritage" tees, this course is short by tour standards but long on challenge and variety.  One example is the par four ninth, one of the great short holes in golf.  This hole has befuddled tour players and amateurs alike since Harbour Town opened in 1967.  At just a little over 300 yards, this tight tee shot and miniature boomerang style green is proof you don't need length to make things difficult.  In today's bomb and gouge, launch optimized, distance obsessed game, we need more holes like this one - short, complex, and thought provoking.  500 yard par fours and 8,000 yard courses do little to engage the mind of the golfer.  As Tillinghast once said, "if any hole permits you to play it in a lethargic, unthinking manner, that hole is thoroughly sick."

Here is some closing advice for the first (or hopefully next!) time you play Harbour Town.  The first time I played the course as a teenager, John Farrell, longtime head pro of Harbour Town, told me to "...throw out the pinsheet and aim for the middle of every green.  These greens are so small you'll never have more than a 15 footer!"  Trust me, it works.

Hit 'em well
- MG