Harbour Town Golf Links reopens with fresh new look

HILTON HEAD, SC. (WTOC) - The Harbour Town Golf Links has reopened on Hilton Head Island.

It serves as the home of the RBC Heritage Classic and will now have a fresher look for professionals and visitors to enjoy.

WTOC was at the ceremony Tuesday morning to learn what people can expect from the course.

After six months of work, it is finally back open, the Harbour Town Golf Links on the island. The people who worked to restore every inch of it say they are excited with the product and can’t wait to see people enjoy it for years to come.

“It’s a very exciting day for us,” Sea Pines Resort President, Steve Birdwell said. “We’ve been planning the restoration for a couple of years, and we have been closed for six months. Excited to unveil it today.”

The rejuvenation of the course was the first for Harbour Town in 25 years.

They spent the past several months giving the ageless course a fresher look on each hole. From new greens to adding pot bunkers in some spots to make it a more competitive course for one of the premier PGA Tour events.

“There’s going to be some sneaky things that the tour players may not like,” PGA Tour Pro and 5-time Heritage winner, Davis Love III said. “They may go into a pot bunker that wasn’t there last year.”

“They have opened some spaces and changed cart paths,” RBC Heritage Tournament Director, Steve Wilmot said. “You think cart paths and taking them out isn’t a big deal, but cart paths can come into play for the everyday player.”

One big part of this restoration was that officials stuck to the integrity of the course that late golf designer Pete Dye envisioned when he originally designed the course.

On Tuesday, they officially reopened it to the public.

Love III took the honorary tee shot.

He was a part of the group that oversaw the rejuvenation of Harbour Town, a place that holds a special place in his heart.

“I was lucky enough to come here with my dad for the first Heritage. I played the Junior Heritage and obviously had great success here as a tour player. To be included was an honor, and then we had a lot of fun doing it, a lot of pressure, but it came out great,” said Love III.

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As always, WTOC is your home for all things RBC Heritage, so we’ll keep you updated on air and online all the way up through, during, and after the tournament.