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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

HILTON HEAD, S.C. -- Doctors should prescribe Hilton Head Island to their patients with high blood pressure. The ocean breezes, the ebb and flow of the tide and the beauty of the low country would be the perfect medicine.

Hilton Head is just what the doctor ordered for players who competed in the pressure cooker of the Masters last week, too. For those who were home last week, Hilton Head is still a good idea. Hilton Head is always a good idea.

The famous Harbour Town lighthouse. (Cox/WireImage)

You will not see golden arches or any other commercial gaudiness as you drive down Highway 278 toward Harbour Town. Small wooden signs are all that the powers that be allow. Inside the gates of this fabulous plantation, there is something for everyone.

The harbor that lies just behind the 18th green is the heart of the island this week. Early in the evening Greg Russell tells stories and plays music to entertain children and parents alike under the sprawling oak.. He puts on quite a show. As the moon rises a little higher in the sky the night people make their way down to the Quarter Deck where the music is a little louder and the drinks require proper ID.

Of course, there is a golf tournament going on at Harbour Town this week, as well. It is one of the few tournaments of the year where PGA TOUR players become tourists. Most of the players bring their families this week. They rent condos around the property and bikes to ride on the paths. It truly is a family week.

As if the laid-back atmosphere wasn't enough of an attraction, the Pete Dye-designed Harbour Town Golf Links is a favorite among the players, too. The course offers a complete test for the world's best players. Every tee shot requires the players to move the ball in one direction or the other. Seaside oaks and pine trees come into play on virtually every hole. Couple that with the smallest greens on the PGA TOUR and you have a wonderful test of golf.

At many TOUR events the driving range at Harbour Town might be inadequate. It is small by today's standards. But it works here simply because it is probably the least-used practice facility on the PGA TOUR.

We have reached a time of year where most of the players have done all the critical work in evolving their games. Off-season swing changes have had time to take root. Furthermore, most of the players try to peak their games for Augusta National. So they come here to relax at the crown jewel of the South Carolina coastline.

Hilton Head is probably the best kept secret on the PGA TOUR schedule. It doesn't fit into any one category. If Pebble Beach is the prettiest venue -- and it is, Hilton Head fits comfortably in the top five. The 16th hole at the FBR Open may be the biggest bash on the PGA TOUR, but the Verizon Heritage has a marina filled with equally fun-loving people. You can debate the best golf course on TOUR and everyone has their own opinion, but Harbour Town Golf Links is high on everyone's list.

There is no one thing that you can point to that makes this a special week on the PGA TOUR. Tournament Director Steve Wilmont and his staff do an unbelievable job making everyone feel welcome. Life is good on Hilton Head and the people here know it. They are proud of it and they love to show it off.

Thursday night as the sun was setting over Daufuskie Island the band at the Quarter Deck started with the Otis Redding classic, "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay." The doctor told me to take two and call him in the morning -- no, really, it's doctor's orders.