Pete Dye.
Just his name elicits images and emotions of the places and experiences that he has given to all of us golf junkies. You likely have a strong opinion either way about Pete’s designs; perhaps you viewed him as a man who was off his rocker, or a masochist with a front-end loader… but I’ve never heard anyone refer to his work as boring, and there’s something to be said for that. Pete (and Alice Dye) designed courses that never fail to provide excitement, thrills, spills and perhaps even a fair amount of anxiety, but one of his very first creations – Harbour Town Golf Links has always stood out as a one-of-one entity in golf architecture. The challenges there have always been far different than Dye’s other most famous designs like TPC Sawgrass, Kiawah Ocean, or Whistling Straits.
Located in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, HTGL has held a special place among the finest players and been regarded as one of Dye’s finest designs (it was also the very first course that Jack Nicklaus had a collaborative effort in designing). The course is known for its tiny greens and tight winding corridors through native Carolina Pines. Quite the opposite of the bomb and gouge modern designs we see most weeks on the PGA Tour. Fairways hit are a key statistic here, but more importantly, the correct side of the fairway, which could be a stat specific just to this course.
By spring of 2024, the time had come for the course to undergo a “refresh” as Davis Love III described the project.
The leadership at Sea Pines Resort brought in Tom Doak a few years ago to assess the layout and give his thoughts. Essentially, he told John Farrell (Director of Sports at Sea Pines Resort) that they had a course that changed modern golf course architecture… and not to “F” it up. The leadership hired 5 time Heritage Champion Davis Love III and his team at Love Design Company to carry out the Dye Restoration. Davis was very careful to express that this project was intended to restore the course back to its 1969 iteration, as Pete would have done it himself.
So why do the the PGA TOUR players universally love coming back to Harbour Town each spring? During media day DL III explained, “Another reason we want to keep Pete’s design is that anybody can win on this golf course. The tournament has always been won by the best players in each generation, but by different kinds of players. Long hitters and short hitters; tall players and short players. Anybody who is playing well can win. That’s what I always explained in the press room after I won… coming when the tournament did, I was ready for the Masters. I was playing good golf, and my game came out on a course that rewards the best player for that week.”
The course reopened on November 10, completely ready to test the PGA TOUR as well as guests of The Sea Pines Resort.
The project was a multi-faceted collaboration between Love III, his team and the leadership at Sea Pines. The mandate was to improve the playing surfaces, rebuild the bulkheads, and restore the greens and bunkers to their original dimensions and form. It appears the team was highly successful in achieving their objectives.
For those concerned that they’ll return to a different Harbour Town than they remember, Davis Love III discussed the subtle nature of the changes, “If you’ve only been here a few times or played it once a year, you may not notice the changes very much, but if you play here often you will be able to pick out the things that we freshened up a bit.”
I had covered the event before, but never played the golf course, and after our round on media day, I understood the love affair so many have with Harbour Town Golf Links and Sea Pines Resort. If you’re a shot shaper, this place will stoke your soul.
No better time than now to get to Sea Pines, the temps are cool, and the course is in perfect condition. For more info: https://www.seapines.com/
