Inside the course: Harbour Town Golf Links

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The famous finishing hole at Harbour Town runs alongside the Calibogue Sound, and the lighthouse is the exclamation point.

Apr. 13, 2010

The TOUR leaves Georgia after its first major of the year for beautiful Hilton Head Island, S.C., for the Verizon Heritage. Learn more about this week's host, Harbour Town Golf Links.

Expert's Overview

Ed Brill, Head Instructor at Port Royal Golf Club in Hilton Head Island, S.C., analyzes Harbour Town:

The Masters is over and Phil Mickelson has another Green Jacket. Next up on the PGA TOUR is the Verizon Heritage played on the beautiful Harbour Town Golf Links. Hilton Head Island is not only one of the players' favorite spots of the year but their families as well.

Harbour Town Golf Links is a very different golf course than the famous Augusta National. To start with, Harbour Town has some of the smallest greens on the PGA TOUR -- they average around 3,700 square foot per green. Harbour Town Golf Links is also a very tight golf course, with narrow tree-lined fairways. If you didn't know this going in, the tee shot on No. 1 will give you a clue as to what you are in for the rest of the day. These narrow fairways and small greens are definitely needed as the golf course isn't very long, totaling just under 7,000 yards. Although it's considered one of the shorter courses on TOUR, it is a ball striker's dream where accuracy is rewarded and the bomber's mentality off the tee is definitely not the best way to approach the course.

Keep the ball in play and on the green and you have a realistic chance at birdie. However, if you do miss the green you can still get it up and in, as Boo Weekley did a couple of years ago to win. Last year's champion, Brian Gay, is a great ball striker and also excels with the short game. He was ranked in the upper tier of TOUR players last year at scrambling, and he's ranked third already this year.

At the TOUR Academies, we work on several specific short game shots to help you from 100 yards and in. Each shot has a purpose and a specific time when it should be put to use. Two shots to pay attention to this week are the Hinge & Hold and Toss Shot. Look for the low Hinge & Hold when the ball comes to rest around the green in the rough and the high Toss Shot for those tucked pins that are always difficult to get to.

To learn more about the TOUR Academy, please click here.

Fast facts

Course Superintendent	Jonathan H. Wright
Original architect	Pete Dye (1969)
Redesign	Pete Dye (2000) \| Listen to Dye talk about the course
Par value	71
Number of TOUR events as host venue	42 (including 2010)
Course ranking	Ranked 17 (out of 51) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2009
Yardage history	6,973 (2003-present)
	6,916 (1998-2002)
	6,915 (1997)
	6,912 (1996)
	6,657 (1969-1995)
Grass	Celebration/TifSport bermudagrass overseeded w/Paragon ryegrass (tees); Bermudagrass overseeded w/Paragon ryegrass (fairways); TifEagle bermudagrass overseeded w/Poa trivialis(greens); Bermudagrass overseeded w/perennial ryegrass (rough)
Tournament Stimpmeter	10.5-11 ft
Sand bunkers	49
Water hazards	12
Course tour	Click here

Course record

Player
David Frost

Year
1994

Round
2nd

Finish
T4

Holes-in-one

There have been 12 aces recorded at Harbour Town Golf Links

Player	Hole	Year
Tommy Armour III	7	2009
Lee Janzen	17	2009
Robert Allenby	4	2008
Ben Curtis	4	2008
Jerry Kelly	4	2007
Blaine McCallister	14	1996
Jeff Sluman	7	1996
Gil Morgan	7	1995
David Edwards	7	1994
Bob Gilder	7	1992
Greg Norman	7	1990
Tom Purtzer	17	1986

2009 Rankings

Most Difficult Hole

	The par-3 192-yard 14th This is a beautiful aquatic layout with water from tee to green on the right. Thanks to overhanging trees, the green is a small, isolated target with an adjacent, small pot bunker bound to act as a magnet for the unsuspecting. 2009: 0 eagles, 35 birdies, 261 pars, 78 bogeys, 43 double bogeys, 0 others.
Easiest hole
	The par-5 502-yard 2nd Long hitters can reach the green in two if they keep the drive on the left side of the fairway. Otherwise, the second shot should be positioned down the left side to open up the green, which lies on a diagonal, for the third shot. 2009: 10 eagles, 200 birdies, 178 pars, 25 bogeys, 3 double bogeys and 1 other.

Harbour Town Golf Links			2009 rankings		Last 26 years
Hole	Par	Yards	Avg. Score	Rank	Avg. Score	Rank
1	4	410	4.094	8	4.041	12
2	5	502	4.554	18	4.534	18
3	4	437	4.108	7	4.138	6
4	3	200	3.163	5	3.163	4
5	5	530	4.597	17	4.560	17
6	4	419	3.976	14	4.046	11
7	3	195	3.062	10	3.106	8
8	4	470	4.17	4	4.248	1
9	4	332	3.866	16	3.929	15
10	4	444	4.122	6	4.116	7
11	4	436	4.173	3	4.142	5
12	4	430	4.046	11	4.082	10
13	4	373	4.012	12	4.037	13
14	3	192	3.309	1	3.203	2
15	5	571	4.938	15	4.927	16
16	4	395	3.981	13	4.004	14
17	3	185	3.074	9	3.085	9
18	4	452	4.223	2	4.165	3

Course origins

Although Harbour Town Lighthouse is one of the more recently built lighthouses, at the time of construction it was the only lighthouse that had been built on the Atlantic coast in over 150 years. It was erected as a navigational tool for the inland waterway of Calibogue Sound. However, it was also built as a symbol of Harbour Town and to commemorate the Verizon Heritage.

The Harbour Town lighthouse was designed by Sasaki, Dawson, DeMay Association Inc., and was built by Whaley Construction Company in 1969-1970. From the concrete base to the roof peak, it stands 93 feet. The lighthouse design has a hexagonal motif, which is apparent by looking from atop the structure. The foundation of the structure is an 8-foot deep hexagon, which is supported by soil below. The mainframe of the structure is also hexagonal.

In February 1993, the lighthouse received a facelift in a very unique way. NewTech Inc. of Hilton Head worked with HEK platforms & Hoist Inc. of Acworth, Ga., using a new platform lift. The lift is made in Holland and used regularly in Europe, but the Harbour Town lighthouse was one of the first structures in the United States to use this innovation. The platform is a free-standing, 70-foot structure that can support 4,180 pounds. It can reach heights of 300 feet. The HEK platform provided a safer and easier environment to repaint the famous lighthouse.

The golf course is a shot-maker's course, which requires precision off the tee to avoid live oaks, pine trees and strategically placed bunkers. Getting your ball to the hole is also quite a challenge with subtle breaks in the small, well guarded greens, posing problems for golfers of all levels. No. 18 is one of the most demanding finishing holes on the PGA TOUR. --Source: Golf Course Superintendents Assocation of America

Tournament course history

Course	Location	Years
Harbour Town Golf Links	Hilton Head Island, S.C.	1969-present*

* In 1972, the first two rounds of the tournament were played at the Ocean Course

This week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-4, 452-yard 18th at Harbour Town Golf Links
LAST YEAR: The 18th played to a stroke average of 4.223, with players recording 0 eagles, 34 birdies, 276 pars, 91 bogeys, 13 double bogeys and 3 others
DESCRIPTION: In this emerald-hued finale, the famous lighthouse becomes a beacon to landlubbers. A successful shot is one aimed toward the cherished landmark. The goal is the wide landing area jutting into Calibogue Sound. A word of advice on one of golf's most spectacular finishing holes: The long approach to the flag offers ample bailout to the right where the innocent-looking but insidious mounding has caused many a wannabe champ to lose a sought-after par.(Click here for Harbour Town tour)