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Par-Tee TIme!

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The Harbour Town Golf Links has always had its favorite places to watch the action (see our recent blogs), but the 45th edition of the RBC Heritage will have a new venue for an “enhanced fan experience” (in other words, another great place to party). Scottsdale has its famed 16th “stadium hole”, the PLAYERS has its Stadium Village, the Byron Nelson has its “party tent”, and now the RBC has its “Heritage Lawn”, a new place to see, and be seen, during the playing of the RBC Heritage.

Located in the triangle formed by the back of the 16th green, alongside 17 and off the 18th tee, the Heritage Lawn takes the place of the CBS TV compound, and instead of being an eyesore, will become a mecca for fans during tournament week.

The star of the Lawn will likely be the giant video board that’ll update the latest scoring and play the Golf Channel and CBS Sports broadcasts of each day’s action (be sure to wave during the blimp shots, your friends will see you all across the world! Some will find the Grey Goose Lounge a particularly tasty spot to hang out. Among the variety of activities that’ll be offered on the Heritage Lawn, RBC is sponsoring an interactive fan experience, Bridgestone will also provide interactive activities for fans of all ages, the Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Social Media Lounge will offer fans the opportunity to share experiences and get all the latest Hilton Head Island Insider travel information. And you can visit the Heritage Classic Foundation’s Birdies for Charity tent where volunteers will be giving away Birdies Buttons to anyone who makes a pledge to the Birdies for Charity program.

The social media lounge will offer sofas to take a load off your feet, free rapid mobile charging stations and over a dozen iPads for visitors to share their memories on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram—some of which will be displayed on the jumbo video board (that’ll really impress your friends). The Heritage Lawn will also be the center of activity for daily giveaways, will be the “home” for RBC Heritage host Sir William Innes for much of the week, and the Saturday concert from the Headliners. You’ll be able to connect to the tournament’s Twitter feed or on Instagram by using @HiltonHeadSC or #RBCHeritage, on Facebook by tagging Visit Hilton Head on your photos, on Pinterest using @HiltonHeadSC in the photo description.

The tournament’s first impression will also be enhanced with the move of the large Sea Pines merchandise tent from the front entrance near the clubhouse to space between the 1st and 9th fairways, opening up more room for fans to get their PLAID On, and into, Harbour Town to enjoy a terrific day of golf and gathering with friends.

If it’s possible, the best party in South Carolina just got better!

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There’s nothing like golf — or golf instruction — on Hilton Head Island

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Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s candy store with dozens of designer golf courses meticulously maintained at affordable prices. Add atop, like sprinkles on a sundae, clinics from some of the best instructors in the world and you’ll take indelible memories and an awesome swing home with you.

You can’t go wrong with pointers from any PGA-certified instructor on Hilton Head Island or

PGA-certified instructor Doug Weaver shows how it’s done at the Arthur Hills course at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort.

Bluffton, but if you want a little extra showmanship, seek out Doug Weaver, director of instruction at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort.

I arrived recently for a short-game clinic at the Arthur Hills course with instruction under way. Doug quickly introduced me to my classmates, Doug Sisson of Greensburg, Pa., and Robert Stenhammer, who runs a local property management company.

The interruption in practice was one of many, many to come as Doug stopped us to make a point, provide an example, or do a quick Socrates session in which he tossed to each of us a question. (It pays to pay attention.)

He might use as an example a conversation he had with a PGA Tour player in town for the RBC Heritage or a lesson he learned while on the PGA Tour himself.

His energetic coaching is peppered with easy-to-remember mantras:

“Golf is a social game.”

“One swing, 14 clubs.”

“Let gravity (or centrifugal force) do the work.”

Doug captured my swing on a smartphone app that recorded my swing and advanced it frame by frame. In an instant, Doug saw my fatal flaw: I wasn’t turning my lower body, leaving the task pretty much to my arms. I hadn’t played in a while and I had gotten stiff and lazy, but Doug would have no part of excuses. I like that about him.

In a little while with a few more tips and minimal effort, I looked like a golfer again.

My golf lesson buddies at the Arthur Hills course at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, from the left: Robert Stenhammer, Doug Sisson, me and Doug Weaver.

Doug Sisson had the right idea: The first time he pulled a club out of his bag this year after a snowy Pennsylvania winter, it was under the watchful eye of Doug Weaver.

“I took a lesson from Doug last year,” Doug Sisson said. “It changed my game. That’s why I’m back this year. Doug really makes a difference.”

I highly recommend starting your Hilton Head golf vacation with a lesson or two. No matter where your golf game is when you arrive on Hilton Head Island, it can be so much better in a short order, thanks to the expertise of PGA instructors at Palmetto Dunes.

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Five prime places to watch the 2013 RBC Heritage on Hilton Head

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It’s somewhat irresistible to plan your Hilton Head golf vacation to coincide with the RBC Heritage golf tournament the week of April 15. Think of it: pick up some great swing visuals in the morning from PGA TOUR pros, then dash off for an afternoon round at one of the dozens of designer golf courses on the island.

Here’s what I suggest for packing in the best views of the pros, the course, the spectators and the gorgeous Hilton Head Island scenery. The good thing is there isn’t a bad spot on the course and it’s a cinch the walk the entire 18.

1. Check out this year’s new Heritage Lawn that extends from the 16th green to the 18th fairway. It’s a perfect vantage point to stroll along to watch approach shots on the par-4 16th, the tricky par-3 17th hole right into the prevailing winds of Calibogue Sound, and along the fairway of the final hole that runs along the Sound that’s packed with risk-reward. Just ask Brian Davis about 2010. A two-stroke penalty on the 18th handed the tournament to Jim Furyk. The Heritage Lawn also has a Jumbotron to watch all of the action on the course and concessions so you can nibble and sip your way through the action.

2. Speaking of social, planners have added a social media hub, too. The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce is hosting the new Social Media Lounge next to the 17th green. Duck in and share photos, recharge your cell phone and use iPads to search travel info and post on social media platforms. It’s all for free. You also can snap some fun photos using golf and RBC swag to share with all your Facebook friends. Will they be a little envious? Yeah, we think so.

3. The 15th green. That’s one of my favorite places to watch all of the above–golf, people and the nature that makes Harbour Town Golf Links unlike anywhere else on the planet. Check out this video of Kip Henley nudging an alligator away last year so golfer Brian Gay could make a great chip shot, given the circumstances.

4. The 10th fairway. This is the must-be-seen place for locals. You also can spin on your heel and watch golfers come up the 16th hole. We’re a very friendly lot, so get right in there and mingle. You can get some tips on local haunts others don’t know about.

5. The 13th and 14th holes. These are among my favorite holes on the course to play, so I like to see how the pros handle Alice Dye’s diabolical Mickey Mouse ears-shaped, railroad-tie-lined bunker that nestles up to the 13th green and the wickedly tricky par 3 14th that seems to have a golf-ball magnet in the water on the right.

That’s where I plan to watch the 2013 RBC Heritage April 15-21. What are your plans?

To find out more about the tournament, go to www.rbcheritage.com. Come join us. It’s the Hilton Head Island event of the year.


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Playing Through YOU Soon

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Outside, the snow flurries were falling, the temperature was in the mid-20s with the wind/chill in the mid-teens. Perfect golf weather!! Unless you actually wanted to PLAY the game. If you wanted to talk about it though, the conditions were as ripe as a Phil Mickelson putt in Scottsdale (except for that lip-out for a 59).

A perfect non-storm? Absolutely. While my golf-crazed brethren were scooting around the Lowcountry’s luscious layouts in 62-degree bliss, I’ve been in the second best place on earth to be talking golf, the consumer golf shows in Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Cleveland the last three weeks. My partner Barry Fleming, Executive Director of the Lowcountry Golf Course Owners Association and pros from around the Island have been swapping golf stories with thousands of snow-bound golf lovers who can’t wait to start playing whenever they want.

We were not surprised at the stories we heard, some from the many folks who’d been to Hilton Head and loved the golf here in past years, but hadn’t been lately. Some who said the economy had kept them away, or other family commitments, or visits to other South Carolina locales. But they were universal in their excitement that Hilton Head Island was back (not that we’d ever left) and top-of-mind when they were considering where to play in the coming months. Many had already booked their next golf getaway for this spring or summer. Many more now have the Golf Island on their radar and are excited about how welcoming our island can be for golfers and non-golfers alike.

Boy are they in for a pleasant surprise! Because for all the gorgeous visuals we offered them, even a drawing for a free Island golf vacation at Palmetto Dunes, Hilton Head Island golf is like Augusta National, even more spectacular in person. Our road show continues in Columbus (February 22-24) and finishes in Toronto (March 1-3). Those folks can’t wait to play, anywhere, and we can’t wait to make more friends of the Island and meet those who don’t need to be reminded what a great golf experience we have here.

But if you need to be- or want to check in on the latest great golf packages available, visit www.hiltonheadgolfisland.com. And those of you in our coming road show cities—come on out and say hello. It’s always delightful on our Island.

Thousands of golfers visiting the Cleveland Golf Show

The Hilton Head Golf Island booth at recent Golf Shows

Harbour Town Head Pro John Farrell and Old South Teaching Pro Greg MacDonnell at Philly Golf Show

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Even Better than “Stay and Play”, “Eat and Play”!

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While I had the good fortune to get to play 18 holes last Saturday (that’s right, golf season is not only alive, but very well on Hilton Head Island, even just after New Year’s), I got to talking to two new Island friends (though they’ve both lived here for years) and among our discussions, besides the incredible speed of the greens and the excellent quality of the fairway over-seed, was how improved the restaurant scene on the Island has become since we all moved here over the last decade-plus.

Not so long ago, there were only a handful of places to dine after a round of golf anytime during the year, particularly in January and early February when the population of Island visitors is traditionally at its lowest of the year. But the recent restaurant boom in the Lowcountry now provides all of us more choices than there are weeks to try them, and everyone (my group last Saturday included) has their own new favorites—from traditional American cuisine to Lowcountry preparations and menus for every type of palate, including some from names you’ll recognize from the Food Network and the big travel magazines. In fact, there might actually be more different styles of sumptuous dining options on Hilton Head Island than there are styles of golf courses—and that’s a golf nut admitting that.

The reason for the timing of this note is that it’s Restaurant Week—actually more like Restaurant MONTH in the Lowcountry, and many restaurants are offering incredible deals to keep their businesses going during the slower time of the year, and to expose all of us to the unbelievable dining options available all over the Island, and on the mainland as well. Add that to the off-season rates offered by nearly every one of the three dozen public-access golf courses in the area, and you have what my online dictionary calls value—“getting a reasonable or equivalent return,” or “quality that renders something desirable,” or “something that is regarded or esteemed highly.” In terms I can understand, it doesn’t mean “cheapo”, it means getting a terrific deal on golf (and the mild winter has brought in the over-seed as good as it’s ever been) AND dining. What I’m saying, in more than a whisper, is that NOW is the time to escape the northern winter and come visit—we’ll save tee times and dinner reservations for you—but you might want to grab a couple of sweaters and hustle!

Restaurant Week runs from January 26th through February 2nd. Check out participating restaurants and their special menus at www.chamberrestaurantweek.com, which is updated daily.

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Inside the Ropes Package a Post-Holiday Bonus!

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There are a number of different ways to watch the greatest golfers in the world play the famous Harbour Town Golf Links during the RBC Heritage—all of them with plusses and minuses. You can station yourself in one prime spot and watch the field come through, getting to see many different players play a lot of different shots to the same hole. Or you can follow different groups for a few holes, trying to catch a player who gets hot and follow his thrilling ride, or the always-thrilling ride of one of marquis players. Or you can do BOTH, AND add one more special angle—inside the ropes with the players themselves.

Usually, being an Honorary Observer is reserved for clients of the sponsors and other big-wigs, but this spring, the Hilton Head Chamber is offering you a chance to win a special RBC Heritage package that can give you two pair of Honorary Observer badges (meaning you and a friend could do it twice, or give the excitement of following a group for the entire round, inside the ropes, to another pair of friends as well) PLUS the package will let four of you visit Harbour Town every day of tournament week, with Palmer Passes giving you access to the clubhouse and two climate-controlled venues on the 15th and 18th holes that feature a daily buffet, draft beer, wine and soft drinks—all included. I think they call them Palmer Passes because you’ll feel like the “King” during Heritage week with this kind of access.

But you’ve gotta jump on this opportunity, the deadline’s December 31st. Read my blog from last month on how terrific it is to follow the players inside the ropes, then log on to http://www.hiltonheadisland.org/golf/inside-the-ropes and enter. It could be the absolute best Christmas present any golf fan could get, even if it comes a little bit late.

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You Can Be Inside the Ropes at 2013 RBC Heritage!

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Imagine standing next to the shortstop during a big league baseball game, or sitting on the bench at a basketball game. NASCAR and football do occasionally offer the well-connected a sideline or pit pass, but it doesn’t put you actually “on” the field. But an Honorary Observer badge can get you right onto the field of play at a PGA TOUR event, and the Hilton Head Chamber is offering you a chance to register for a special RBC Heritage package that can give you two pair of Honorary Observer badges PLUS tournament badges for all four days of next spring’s RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. You gotta do this!

Golf might be the toughest sport for a fan in the sense that the entire game isn’t right in front of you. Golf is played on 18 different “stages”, and while you’ve got access to just about any seat in the house outside the ropes on any of those individual stages, Honorary Observers get to meet the pros before they tee off (and often get a signed ball, an autograph or a photo at the end of the round from each player) and get a terrific view of every shot from inside the ropes, with nobody but the occasional cameraman or radio reporter between you and the players.

Best of all, you really get to interact with and get to know the players during the ups and downs of their day at the office, their caddies, and usually their families (you’ll know them for their loyalty in following the player even if he’s playing poorly). That opportunity to really get to connect with the players’ support groups is one of the most interesting aspects of following the players on TOUR, especially the younger players or others you don’t know very well except to see their name on a leaderboard. And with as volatile as the TOUR is these days, you might be following the Heritage leader, or a contender and not even know it, until some of those “outside” the ropes folks catch up to you and ask you why he’s playing so well!

So log on to http://www.hiltonheadisland.org/golf/inside-the-ropes and enter. You could be a winner, and might just identify next year’s RBC Heritage winner before anybody else!

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Want to play golf on Hilton Head Island with the pros? Here’s how

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Krista Dunton is one of many nationally known golf instructors who can improve your game during your golf trip to Hilton Head Island. Photo courtesy of Krista Dunton Golf.

Hilton Head Island is known for its 20 designer golf courses and the annual PGA TOUR RBC Heritage tournament at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Hilton Head Island also is home to some of the nation’s best golf instructors, from Hank Haney (Remember him and Tiger Woods? The Charles Barkley Project? Yeah, him.) to former PGA Tour pro Doug Weaver at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort to LPGA Teacher of the Year Krista Dunton at Berkeley Hall, a private community with two Tom Fazio courses.

You’ve probably seen Krista’s golf tip in the September issue of Golf Magazine or in the just released, “The Best Instruction Book Ever,” in which she lends a great tip for getting out of the sand. She is one of Golf Magazine’s Top 100 instructors and the 2002 LPGA Teacher of the Year. She offers lessons to anyone, Berkeley Hall members or the public, who is interested in quickly learning how to hit the ball better.

I called her to ask what is it about Hilton Head Island that attracts such talented instructors. Krista arrived in the Lowcountry about 10 years ago after building her teaching skills in New Jersey. She moved here because she wanted to teach year round in an area passionate about golf.

“The good things are the weather, the courses and the number of visitors,” Krista said, adding one drawback is there isn’t the population to draw from like, say, in Florida. That might be a drawback for instructors, but it’s a bonus for visitors. You won’t be just a number here.

“There are lots of instructors and places in Florida, but the Lowcountry has its own feel and pace,” Krista said. “It’s a lot more mellow here.” Plus, it has excellent teaching facilities.

Golf academies dot Hilton Head Island and its environs:

  • At The Sea Pines Resort, you can practice indoors and out under a legion of instructors at The Golf Academy.
  • Palmetto Dunes Golf Academy features director of golf instruction, Doug Weaver, a talented teacher who played as a PGA Tour pro.
  • The Heritage Golf Group of courses recently added the nationally known TOUR Academy Hilton Head at Palmetto Hall Plantation.
  • Last but not least is Hank Haney’s IJGA, The International Junior Golf Academy is a breeding ground for future touring professionals. You can see his students at work while playing Pinecrest.

When planning your next golf trip to Hilton Head Island, take advantage of the wealth of golf knowledge stuffed onto this resort island. A better golf game is the best souvenir I can think of to bring home from your golf vacation on Hilton Head Island.

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Five stand-out holes among Hilton Head Island’s golf greats

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It’s painfully difficult to pick just five par-5 holes in the area where nearly every course is a must-play, but one has to start somewhere on Hilton Head Island and nearby Bluffton.

I tossed in a couple no-brainers, but also asked a couple golf experts for their picks–the head golf pro at the Country Club of Hilton Head, plus a rabid golfer who gleefully travels here every year.

5. No. 15 — Harbour Town Golf Links
The 571-yard dogleg left hides a pond behind the trees for those trying to shave some distance on the second shot. For those who proceed more cautiously, Pete Dye plopped down some bunkers and saved a few trees to stand in your way on the right. “It’s a very tight hole with water on the left, and bunkers on the right. It’s your last chance to score before you hit the finishing holes and all hell breaks loose!” says Greg Campbell of Troy, Michigan, a single-digit-handicap golfer who visits Hilton Head Island at least once a year.

For one last challenge, Arthur Hills tucks the green behind a mound, making its location a guess from the left side. Photo by Lisa Allen

4. No. 18 — Palmetto Dunes Arthur Hills Course
The 516-yard hole is a serpentine affair that bends right, then left. Trees are your nemesis on this one. Hills also plays hide and seek with the green, tucking it behind a huge mound. “Finish this one with some dignity, and go have a cold beer,” Campbell said.

3.  No. 10 — Palmetto Dunes Robert Trent Jones Course
It’s hard to concentrate on this direct march to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Graciously, the hole is straight and pretty wide so you can marvel at the view. Mind the bunkers, though, that march right, left, right along the way. A recent redesign lifted the green 12 feet for even more spectacular views and a more strategic hole, said Chip Pellerin, formerly of Palmetto Dunes and now head pro at the Country Club of Hilton Head.

2. No. 3 — Old South Golf Links
This hefty 530-yard par 5 designed by Hilton Head Island resident Clyde Johnston teeters on the edge of a sand and water combination all along the left side, with mounds and a dastardly placed bunker on the right. It’s not a hole to take lightly in either planning or distance. Don’t overlook this creative, marsh-view laden course right over the bridge to Hilton Head Island.

1. No. 12 — Country Club of Hilton Head
This is another beauty with a claim no other spot on Hilton Head Island can attempt. Near the front tees is a plaque declaring it to be the highest point on Hilton Head Island at the stratospheric, oxygen-starved height of 28.24 feet. It offers a great view of the Intracoastal Waterway and Skull Creek. But this hole isn’t all window dressing, Pellerin says. Rees Jones added a few well-placed obstacles, such as the bunkers next to the green you might not notice until it’s too late. It’s a memorable hole on a classic course.

These are five great places to start planning your rounds for your next golf trip to Hilton Head Island.