Doug Weaver of works with a young golfer at Palmetto Dunes. Photo courtesy of Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort Hilton Head Island Golf Vibe | Hilton Head Island, SC
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Want your kids to love golf? Bring them to Hilton Head Island

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There is something Hilton Head Island has perfected over the years: fun family vacations. Sprinkle in some fun on the golf course and it might make you sing.

Doug Weaver is sort of like a Pied Piper of golf. The director of instruction at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort pulls out a golf club and people gather around, be they tots, teens or grandparents. What’s his secret? He adores golf and it’s kind of contagious.

Starting with toddlers, he gets them into the game with a few instructional songs and silliness. (See the Youth programs at Palmetto Dunes video). The program is Little Swingers, but maybe it should be called Little Singers.

“The songs give them the structure for success,” Weaver said. “Everyone likes success.

Doug Weaver of works with a young golfer at Palmetto Dunes. Photo courtesy of Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort

Give someone success and they want more whether they’re 3, 17 or 70.”

Weaver’s love for golf started with his grandfather, who ignored convention and taught his six daughters how to play at their West Virginia golf club. Weaver joined the family sport at age 3.

“I was around people who love golf,” said Weaver, a former PGA Tour player. “I’m a good golfer because my parents let us have fun on the golf course. I knew golf was fun for Doug Weaver as a 3-year-old and I know it can be fun for any 3-year-old.”

When the sprinklers came on during one recent lesson, Weaver let the kids hit balls through the rainbows. “They were soaking wet and they loved it.”

If kids start to look hot while working on the range, Weaver hands out water balloons. Problem solved and attendance is assured for the next lesson.

Golf and families are engrained at nearly every course in the area. Nearly every one has junior tees and junior rates.

All three courses at The Sea Pines Resort–Ocean, Heron Point and the inconic Harbour Town–have junior tees and junior rates, said Cary Corbitt, director of sports.

Sea Pines also offers the Future Stars Program all summer to teach players 12 and younger about the basics of the game and etiquette.

Or bring the family to Shipyard Golf Club any weekday afternoon this summer. Nine holes are reserved for you.

There’s no need to be intimidated to play or worried about holding up some semi-pro golfer, said Ken McNerney, general manager. Starting at 4 p.m., half of the courses are devoted to families. It’s $30 per adult and rental clubs are included with the $15 fee for those under age 17. It’s a perfect combo for those just seeing if they like the game.

“It’s their course for that time,” McNerney said. “We set up junior tees to make it more fun. It’s something everyone can do together.”

Bring the family and trigger in your children a passion for the greatest game ever played. Your children’s souvenir from the family golf vacation to Hilton Head Island might just be lifelong.

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Get FIT-ted!!

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Now that you’ve taken your first few spring swings, and maybe already driven yourself crazy at your lack of improvement, the question arises—is it the arrow, or the archer? Is it me, or my golf clubs? I’m going through the same maddening conversation with myself right now and got an answer that was a lot less expensive than hours on the couch with my golf shrink (though if that golf shrink were Rene Russo’s character in “Tin Cup”, I might reconsider).

I went for a club-fitting. Most Lowcountry golf courses offer them. At Palmetto Dunes, they happen to be free of charge. And while you usually get what you pay for in this world, this was true value, a lesson on top of some ideas for the right clubs. Longtime PGA pro and Island newcomer Rod Thompson asked me to hit a few shots and immediately offered a correction or two. No Tiger-like “rebuilding”, just a couple of things to keep my two-plane swing from crashing into itself mid-air. He, and I’m sure a lot of veteran pros like him, gave me a little theory into why my ball was flying like it was and what these two minor swing thoughts could do to make it fly a little straighter and farther, even without the new toys he’d eventually be showing me.

You’ve been fitted for a suit or tuxedo before. The resulting garment just feels more comfortable. Same thing for a club-fitting. My last fitting was more than 20 years ago, and resulted in a set of clubs I used for nearly the last two decades that served me well, but became out-dated in golf’s great technical revolution. While I still believe that Hogan and Jones could beat us with the more primitive sticks of their time, it never hurts to see just what the new technology can do for you, especially when you’re fitted for the right club in the first place. Buying the latest hot driver off the rack because your buddy crushes his is nuts. We all have different swings, and while Mr. Thompson had to close his eyes at mine on occasion, he not only gave me some thoughts on which weapons would fit my swing the best, even better, he gave me some solid swing thoughts that actually have me itching to take my old sticks to the practice range for the first time in a long time.

Next time you come to the Golf Island, book a club-fitting with one of the friendly pros at nearly any of the courses. It might be the most productive hour of pure golf fun you’ll have the entire trip.

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Hilton Head Island golf site rolls out an enticing invitation

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I’ve planned quite a few golf trips in my time and I wish the Web site Hilton Head Golf Island was around everywhere.

As soon as you hit the site, you know you’re at the right place. The first thing that pops up is a shot (hopefully a birdie, at least) to win three nights and two rounds of golf for two people at a Hilton Head Island resort. (A note of caution: Just one trip to Hilton Head Island is considered a gateway drug. One little weekend and you’ll spend all your time at home planning and thinking about your next trip. Some menial tasks may suffer.)

Good thing you have this Web site. It will save time.

The Web site pairs technology with Southern hospitality to give you the vacation you want at the price you can afford. Pretty generous, I’d say, for a golf destination that routinely ranks top 10–in the world.

Equally impressive is the invitation to play one of America’s best courses–Harbour Town Golf Links–50 weeks of the year. Please pardon Harbour Town for setting aside two weeks in April for the RBC Heritage tournament, which tees off the week after the Masters. Did I mention that the two favorite courses of PGA Tour players are those two courses? Not Pebble Beach, not TPC Sawgrass, but Augusta National and Harbour Town. Best thing is anyone can play Harbour Town.

Not only can the site match you up with the courses you want to play and your choice of a hotel, resort, villa or vacation home, but just ask and they’ll send out the hefty Hilton Head Golf that arrives in days, not weeks. It lays out the dozens of area courses we’re spoiled by. This site has it all: The courses, the accommodations, the choices and the warm welcome.

It embodies most of what’s great about golf on Hilton Head Island. All that’s missing is you.

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Hilton Head Island’s RBC Heritage tournament finds a partner it can bank on

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It’s been a stressful couple of years for the tournament directors of the RBC Heritage slated for April 12-15 on Hilton Head Island.

Anchored by a candy-cane striped lighthouse at the foot of a yacht basin, the Heritage PGA Tour golf tournament at Harbour Town Golf Links in The Sea Pines Resort has been television eye candy and a harbinger of spring for millions of visitors and viewers since 1969.

Defending champion Jim Furyk launches a shot into the Calibogue Sound to start the 2011 Heritage tournament. Photo by Heritage Foundation

But this year’s tournament almost wasn’t.

A temblor hit in 2009 when Verizon announced after 24 years that 2010 would be the last year it would pony up a couple million dollars to be title sponsor.  Tournament director Steve Wilmot wasn’t worried about finding another sponsor. PGA Tour pros adore the course and love bringing their families every year to Hilton Head Island.

Television viewership has always been strong and more than 100,000 attend the tournament every year. He thought he had nothing to fear. He was wrong.

The Great Recession and intense scrutiny of corporate spending pushed golf tournaments out of favor. The months rolled by and no title sponsor stepped forward. A year went by. Rumors of a new sponsor rose and died, time after time. The possibility, as horrible as it was to consider, was growing that the Heritage tournament would be no more.

With one last gasp, the cavalry arrived in the form of $1 million each from the Town of Hilton Head Island and Beaufort County and virtually everything the Heritage Foundation had in reserve. But the uncertainty prompted the PGA Tour to slot another tournament in the Heritage’s traditional place on the calendar, the week after The Masters. The Heritage was played one week later, at the same time as the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in nearby Savannah. But they did it. The 2011 tournament teed off and enjoyed excellent ratings on CBS and very vocal support from the players. After the tournament, it still had no sponsor and there were no financial rabbits left in the hat.

April went by, then May. For tournament director Steve Wilmot, the ability to sleep was only a dream.

Meanwhile, knowing time was quickly running out for one of South Carolina’s premier events, public leaders started working the phones and pulling in favors. The tournament thanks Gov. Nikki Haley, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn and many others for helping to convince Royal Bank of Canada that its name belongs in front of “Heritage” for the next five years. Boeing, with a massive new facility in North Charleston, will be a presenting sponsor. The tournament is safe until at least 2016.

That warm breeze you feel? It’s a massive sigh of relief. Life is good, life is normal, once again in Sea Pines Resort, at Harbour Town Golf Links, on Hilton Head Island and in South Carolina.

Even the PGA Tour understands the tournament’s importance. It returned the RBC Heritage to its rightful place on the calendar, the week after The Masters. That weekend belongs to Hilton Head Island. The RBC Heritage lives on.

Come see that tournament that is so important to South Carolina and Hilton Head Island. Come join the gallery April 12-15 at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Towns Golf Links on Hilton Head Island.

We can nearly guarantee a warm breeze.

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A Viewer’s Guide to the 2012 RBC Heritage

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I was reminded while at the Honda Classic a few weeks back that folks who “must” follow Tiger or Phil probably see less than 10 of his shots in a round. With that in mind, and with the RBC Heritage returning (thank heavens) for a 44th spin around the Harbour Town Golf Links, maybe a perspective from inside-the-ropes would help you see a lot more shots and enjoy your experience more from outside-the-ropes.

Harbour Town is a terrific walker’s course, and with that in mind, you’d get a lot out of an early round 9 (or 18) with a specific player that would allow you to get “up close and personal”, maybe even exchange a little banter. Some of you will have to follow John Daly or Boo Weekley out of habit, and all of you should walk through the “triangle” between the 10th and 16th fairways just to be seen! But I’d recommend you also spend a little time watching Berkeley Hall resident Kyle Stanley or Savannah’s Brian Harman if you want some local flavor, and a great young talent you probably haven’t seen up-close yet. Neither of them are very big, yet both of them can bomb it. Or, there are two of the absolute nicest guys in the world who might still be a little under the popular radar, Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington—Paddy’s a bit more outgoing. And if you’re here from another part of the country, or the world, follow a native son, they LOVE the support of the folks back home!

The best places to “park” for awhile are where you can see multiple shots. The bleachers behind the 2nd green now offer a view of the new 3rd tee, which forces players to drive the ball through a scary-narrow chute. You might also see players deal with the par-3 4th from the upper rows of the bleachers at #3, or go up to the green, where the grandstand is rarely busy. My all-time favorite secret spot just got an upgrade too! With a new tee box at #6, there’s more room to watch the players try to make birdie or eagle at the par-5 5th, then you can do a 180-degree turn and watch them play off that new tee at 6.

And if you want to be pampered a little, an “enhanced” clubhouse badge gets you into two on-course hospitality areas at the 7th and 15th holes with great views as well. Or there’s the recently-reduced-priced Arnold Palmer pass that can get you into a climate-controlled tent behind the 18th tee, where you’ll have the postcard view of the spectacular finishing hole—with the lighthouse, something that was still being built when Arnie won the first Heritage back in 1969. Check out the map, or the ticket options online at www.rbcheritage.com

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Shuck the routine: Golf on Hilton Head Island during oyster season

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Golf and oysters -- that's fall in the Lowcountry.

The arrival of autumn does nothing to slow the activities in the Lowcountry — it fuels them.

Oyster season returns, a reward for those who buck the high tourist season and show up after the flocks of families have returned to routine. In the fall, the evening air might be a little smoky because of the nearly weekly oyster roast somewhere, for something.

Autumn rewards those who have caught onto the weather patterns of the Lowcountry. It is in the fall that the weather is nearly perfect and the water temperatures are still warm. During the day, you can continue to enjoy summer activities of romping in the waves, waterskiing or paddleboarding. In the evening you might have to pull on a light jacket around that oyster-roasting bonfire. Visit either the Historic Bluffton Arts and Seafood festival Oct. 16-23 or the Hilton Head Island Oyster Festival Nov. 13-16.

But the best activity for fall days really is golf. Not only are the skies overhead cloudless, but the grass beneath your feet is vibrant, lush and flawlessly groomed. The fairways are full, the putting surfaces unblemished and the tee sheets accommodating.

I played Heron Point in The Sea Pines Resort this week and the course was absolutely perfect and a friend said the same thing about Island West in Bluffton. I can assure you the same can be said for every one of the dozens of courses in between.

Another huge benefit to southern golf is that your ball won’t disappear beneath those infernal layers of leaves found up north. Fall comes later here and most trees that grace area golf courses are either pines or live oaks that drop their leaves in the spring. You might think that’s a small thing. It isn’t, trust me.

With a little planning, you can get your golf trip to coincide with the 10th annual Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance from Oct. 28 to Nov. 6. Play a round in the morning, then drool over some of the sweetest automobiles ever made. Or plan your evening enjoying some of the Halloween festivities held at just about every resort and community. Load up your days with golf, your afternoons with gorgeous sheet metal and your evenings with wagon rides, ghost storytelling and costume contests.

A little later in the season, you can plan another golf trip to dovetail (get it?) with the annual Audubon Christmas bird count, an event that draws feather peepers from around the world as migration patterns pull rare and gorgeous birds to coastal islands.

Without question, Hilton Head Island and Bluffton can boast of some of the best golf anywhere. But the festival that is fall in the Lowcountry makes a golf visit here, now, a must. Come see for yourself. Bring your clubs, your appetite and a sense of adventure.

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Play it Forward for Faster, More Fun Hilton Head Golf

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I just returned from a golf-less weekend in Michigan trucking my daughter off to school, noticing that players up there are already layering up to play their last rounds of the season. Upon crossing the magic bridges from the mainland to our Island retreat, with the weather cooperating perfectly (I told you last month that Mother Nature understands the Labor Day weekend is the time to finally turn down the thermostat), I was left to wonder what else could make the game even more fun, and a lot less frustrating. And to the rescue comes Jack Nicklaus?

He held a series of events over Labor Day weekend at Muirfield Village in suburban Columbus, OH that featured 8-inch diameter cups (about twice the size of regulation holes) and just 12 holes, seeking to cut the time for a “round” to 2-1/2 hours. Not sure I’m ready for that drastic a change in my game, but Jack’s also endorsing something that the PGA of America is promoting and several Island golf courses are also encouraging. Its called “Tee it Forward”, an effort to make the game make more sense to play for all of us by having us play courses from tees that allow us to have a second shot at the green just like the pros do, removing the stigma of the “red” or “senior” or “ladies” tees for shorter hitters who’d have a lot more fun playing the game if they could get if off the tee and not face another long, long approach to the green.

For a player who drives the ball 200 yards (they don’t say straight), a course distance of 5,200 to 5,400 yards would be appropriate. The sliding scale from there would likely leave you inside 150 yardsyou’re your approach shots to par-4s and might even make a few of the par-5s reachable in two (and how much fun would that be)! Finding more fairways off the tee, and hitting the ball fewer times (especially those nasty 2nd and 3rd tee shots) will also speed up play, something we can all root for.

Off the Island, Crescent Pointe, a challenging Arnold Palmer layout, and two of the Heritage Collection’s layouts on the Island, Shipyard and Oyster Reef, are on-board with the PGA’s experiment and likely many more courses will follow. Don’t we beat ourselves up enough in this game without making it harder by letting our egos get in the way on every tee? Golf’s supposed to be fun, masochistic fun sometimes, but a lot more fun than we make it. Come to think about it, maybe that 8-inch cup idea of Jack’s isn’t so bad after all!

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Who has the best 19th hole on Hilton Head Island?

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The best part of Hilton Head Island is all of the choices: Where to stay, where to golf, where to eat, what to do.

I’ve made several golf trips out of state recently and Hilton Head Island still wins in the options category.
Just do the numbers. There are 6,000 rooms in which to lay your head, 200+ restaurants in which to eat, more than two dozen courses on the 12-mile Island on which to golf and a dozen more just over the bridge. There is biking, fishing, sailing, kayaking, tennis, horseback riding and of course, beachcombing. It has it all and it will most graciously share.

Read this carefully. You can’t go wrong. True, some restaurants are better than others, some accommodations have one or two more stars and only a few courses have ocean views. But those are details, people. Fact: If you are disappointed, tell someone (nicely) and they’ll do whatever they can to fix it. But those instances are rare.

The best part of a vacation on Hilton Head Island or Daufuskie Island or in Bluffton is you can dial in exactly what you want, from the basics to the stratosphere. Now that you understand the rule that you can’t really, truly go wrong, let’s nitpick.

Who has the best 19th hole?

Here are my top three: The nicest pub is at Palmetto Hall. Just sitting in the library makes you feel smarter. The most interesting mix of people is at the clubhouse shared by Heron Point and the Ocean course in The Sea Pines Resort. When I was there, I met an attorney-turned-bartender and a few crusty old golfers who regaled us with stories. The best deck is overlooking the 9th green of Harbour Town Golf Links. I liken it to the balcony of Buckingham Palace only in reverse. You get to see the golf royalty approach you.

Please, before anyone tosses drinks sans containers my way because I left off a favorite, let me reiterate. You can’t go wrong.  All the options are just different shades of white, slight distinctions within near perfection. Sitting on the deck at Island West or Eagle’s Pointe is equally awesome. For instance, make sure you check out the furniture at Shipyard’s pub. Really regal. The Country Club of Hilton Head has one of the most welcoming decks. You’ll want to take up residency there. No matter where you go, it’s going to

So, what’s your favorite 19th hole on Hilton Head, Daufuskie or Bluffton? Don’t be shy — remember the rule. There is no wrong answer.

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Golf "issue" solution #1

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Doug Weaver was the first person on the Island I turned to to quietly explain my golf affliction because I knew he’d understand, he would take it seriously and there’d be a better than even chance he could fix …

… whisper it … the sh@&ks.

So we got together on a Tuesday afternoon in the full sunshine of a beautiful day at the Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head Island, where Weaver is the teaching pro, and I explained to him, in hushed tones, that I’m a mess, stricken with a serious case of the “abrupt right turns”, a conundrum I can’t seem to overcome, despite reading books, poring over golf instruction videos and visiting a swing (call him a “witch”) doctor in the Northeast.  (A disastrous story for another day).

Weaver, ever the laid back, quietly confident professional, listened empathetically, nodded emphatically and cut right to the chase.

“Your goal is to get rid of the SHANKS, and I’m not afraid to say it,” he said, perhaps a bit too loudly.  About seven guys hitting balls on the range heard that awful word spoken out loud.  They looked away, down at their clubs, or up, as if discovering the sky for the very first time.

But they listened in and they sneaked peeks — like watching a train wreck, witnessing the shanks is something you can’t take your eyes off, while you’re praying to your personal higher power that it doesn’t happen to you. 

It didn’t take Doug long to analyze a disconnect between my stance and alignment.

“Now I want you to understand that you’ve been kind of fixing everything by avoiding everything,” he said.  “You’re trying to avoid going right, by aiming to the left. Your poor alignment is causing mental anguish.”

Nail on head: I’m clearly a tangle of intentions.

To take the mental out of the equation, Weaver quotes the wit and wisdom of Lee Trevino, who once said “anytime your golf game is not going right, blame something else.”

I’ve been blaming my golf clubs, a major change of venue and the weather.  Weaver buys none of it.

“I believe you can play with anybody’s clubs at any time as long as you do the fundamentals correctly,” Doug says.  And the “fun”-damentals are: grip, stance, posture and alignment.  His analysis provided video proof that my fundamentals were no fun.

Quick summary:

  • Grip: okay;
  • Stance: okay;
  • Posture: lousy (I looked like one of the Village People trying to form the “C” in YMCA);
  • Alignment: confused.  50% in golf is not going to get you there and I was hedging .

Doug’s suggested solution was to commit to aligning shoulders with feet.  Get everything aimed in the right direction and “believe.”

It’s been a while since Doug’s insight set me off on the path to a golf crisis solution.  His has been a critical piece of solving a baffling puzzle.  His tips didn’t solve the problem immediately.  In fact, as soon as he left me alone on the range the “rights” crept back into my swing and my dreams became nightmares again.  But like that famous Robin Williams origin of golf video, he had given me “hope”.

Weaver gives hope to golf hopefuls each Monday afternoon at 4 pm at the Robert Trent Jones course at Palmetto Dunes, where he typically provides a free intro lesson, covers a wide range of golf topics and sometimes analyzes swings.

Next time: A visit with a fellow former Minnesotan – when you face crushing conundrums in your life, sometimes you just have to head back to your roots.

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A Hilton Head Island golf course just for you

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As I wrote in my last blog, there are as many reasons to plan a buddy trip to Hilton Head Island as there are grains of sand on the beach. Ugh. That’s a cliché. Sorry about that. Anyway.

There are 6,000 places to stay and about 200 restaurants at which to dine, and that’s just counting what’s on the 12 mile by 5 mile island. The numbers swell when you include Bluffton, too.

So, you’re contemplating a trip to Hilton Head. The crucial question: where to play golf? I know you don’t want to waste a day on a course that doesn’t fit your game. If you’re a long hitter, you want some rewards for your prowess. If you’re excellent at course management, you want a course that will test the gray matter. Maybe you want the most scenic course. Here are some suggestions.

Best ocean or marsh views

The ninth hole at Crescent Pointe

The ninth hole at Crescent Pointe is deep into the marsh. Photo by Lisa Allen

Hands down, Robert Trent Jones course at Palmetto Dunes wins for its intoxicating views of the Atlantic Ocean. You get so close to it, you’ll wish you had packed your bathing suit in your golf bag. The best marsh views belong to Old South Golf Links and Crescent Pointe, both just over the bridge in Bluffton.

Longest/toughest courses

The Robert Cupp course at Palmetto Hall exceeds 7,000 yards. Some of the carries required off the back tees will prove whether your game is what you hope it is. The George Fazio course at Palmetto Dunes is plenty tough and remember it’s only a par 71. It’s long and very, very sandy.

Iconic course

Yup, Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort is the big daddy of Hilton Head Island golf. It gets national face time every year for the Heritage PGA Tour tournament, which landed a new sponsor this year, so it will be the RBC Heritage Tournament and will fall the week after the Masters. If you can play only one course and you want to brag about it, play Harbour Town.

A classic

Oyster Reef Golf Club was designed by Rees Jones and opened in 1982. It has everything you would expect from Jones: strategic bunkers, lots of tall trees right in your way and large, sloped greens. An added Hilton Head Island bonus is a beautiful view of Port Royal Sound on the par 3 sixth hole.

A course in management

The Barony course at Port Royal Plantation is a tight trek through the trees with a

Barony course

Barony at Port Royal Plantation is a tight walk through the trees. Photo by Lisa Allen

plethora of doglegs. Blasting away will only frustrate you. Tread lightly and carry a big wedge.

Rest assured, though, that no matter which course you choose, conditions will be excellent, the service impressive and memories lasting.