The RBC Heritage -- a PGA TOUR signature event and a favorite of TOUR players -- is underway this week on Hilton Head Island. The tournament, first played in 1969, takes place on the famous Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort. The course opened that same year -- just in time for the for the inaugural Heritage tournament -- was designed by Pete Dye, with input from Jack Nicklaus, and has been a popular destination for competitive and recreational players ever since. Its 18th hole -- situated along the water of Calibogue Sound -- plays from tee to green in the direction of the Harbour Town Lighthouse. It is one of the most photographed and one of the most well-known golf courses in the world.

I've wanted to play Harbour Town since I first encountered the course in a video game in the mid-90s. I'd never had an occasion to visit, however, so it remained on my bucket list until just a few weeks ago, when my wife and I made the last-minute decision to take our son to Hilton Head for his spring break. It was a great time to see the course, which was in fantastic shape as the grounds crew prepared for the TOUR to arrive just a few weeks later. The grass was lush and green. The grandstands were under construction. And there was an energy that seemed to crackle among the staff -- from the bag drop to the pro shop and back outside to the caddies -- that show time was almost upon them.

Harbour Town has been critically acclaimed since its opening. It reflects a lot of the design philosophy Pete Dye would become known for over the decades, creating drama and visual intimidation with tight fairways, often angled opposite the direction of the teeing ground to give the illusion of smaller targets, small greens and large bunkers. The course includes a well-balanced mix of Dye's signature bold features -- from rail tie-lined hazards to sharp-edged mounds and deep pot bunkers. It's a wonderful monument to Dye's early design work, and it's no wonder the course continues to be ranked among the very best publicly accessible golf courses in the country. Harbour Town currently ranks No. 27 on Golf Digest's list of the top 100 public courses, No. 69 on Golf Magazine's list of the top 100 courses in America and No. 12 on Golf Magazine's top 100 public courses list, and No. 59 on Golfweek's list of the top 100 modern courses in the United States.

The Pete Dye Room

Inside the clubhouse, Harbour Town has created a wonderful exhibit honoring Dye and his contributions to the game of golf. Located just across the hallway from the golf shop and outside the door to the men's locker room, the Pete Dye Room holds a collection of photographs, multimedia and physical artifacts from Dye's life and career.

Photographs throughout the exhibit share the story of Pete Dye's remarkable life and contributions to the game of golf.

And a wonderful timeline tells the story of some of Dye's most-acclaimed course designs. Near the upper-right, I'm delighted to see a photo taken from the famous mineshaft at my home course, Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, WV.

The display includes a video featuring commentary from famous golfers and golf course designers who admired and were influenced by Pete Dye. Davis Love III took lessons in design from Dye's work, and Love's own design work is featured alongside Dye's at Sea Pines in the resort's Atlantic Dunes course.

I'm not sure the artifacts in the Pete Dye Room are supposed to be touched -- or ridden! But my son, Clark, couldn't help himself. When he saw Pete's trusty Smithco Easyrider just sitting there, he knew he just had to climb aboard. He said he thought he could get out on the course and make a few improvements before the PGA Tour players show up in a few weeks, but his mother and I coaxed him off of the equipment before he figured out how to power it on!

To the Course!

After exploring the clubhouse and sending my wife and son back to our condo for beach and pool time, I was excited to get out and hit the links!

At the tips, from the Heritage tees, Harbour Town stretches out to 7,213 yards. That's where the TOUR pros play, and at sea level, it plays every inch of that distance. I decided to play from the blue tees at 6,666 yards, and though I scored remarkably well, in hindsight I'd say that was probably a bit long for me. I think I would have been more comfortable playing from the white tees at 6,253 yards, which likely would have felt closer to the 6,400 yard Dye tees I play back home. That said, it was fun to see the course from the blues, and my playing partners and I even decided to get a little crazy on the 18th hole and play it from the Heritage tees to experience what the TOUR pros do. For the purposes of this blog, though, unless otherwise indicated, all yardage references will be from the blue tees.

Hole 1 - 392 Yards - Par 4

The opening hole at Harbour Town is a straightaway par-4 playing just shy of 400 yards. It requires a solid, straight tee shot as anything left or right is likely to be blocked out by trees on the approach. A fairway wood or even an iron may be the preferred play off of the tee to set up a clear shot into the green and to avoid out of bounds that borders this hole left and right.

Laying up off the tee improves the likelihood of finding the fairway but will make the hole play longer with a mid- to long-iron or even a hybrid required to reach the green.

I pulled my 5-iron left of the green and was lucky to find it sitting with a relatively clean lie among the pine straw and mulch beneath the canopy of trees. The lone bunker on the hole, which guards the entire left side of the green, meant I had no opportunity to play a running shot into the putting surface, and the low-hanging branches and hanging moss dripping from this particular tree meant a lofted shot would be equally tricky. The better approach to the hole at the first is definitely from the right side, where an apron of fairway gives the player options for how to approach the green, which -- at only 25 yards deep -- is one of the smallest greens on the course.

A look back at the hole from the green provides a clearer sense of just how narrow a corridor it is from tee to green. This hole definitely sets the tone for the day and lets the player know that the course puts a premium on precision.

Hole 2 - 495 Yards - Par 5

Hole No. 2 is a reachable par-5 that bends gently from left to right. A bunker left of the fairway stretches from about 225 yards off the tee to about 295 yards, and an idea tee shot is a fade that begins at the hazard and turns back to the fairway. Players must be careful, however, not to overcook a drive that starts out to the left, as a ball that finds the bunker can quickly end all thoughts of going low on this hole, and a ball that turns too much to the right risks finding either water or the out-of-bounds that extends down the entire right side of this hole.

The second shot on No. 2 must avoid the long bunker right of the fairway, which will make getting onto the green in three a very difficult challenge. A small slice of a greenside bunker also guards the front right of the green. There is ample room to play to the left side of the putting surface here, however, as even a miss is likely to find fairway that wraps around and all the way to the back of the green on that side.

The green on the second hole is situated almost like a reverse Redan, angled from front-left to back-right with a sizable bunker in front and a nasty little bunker just behind the green to catch those approach shots that don't hold the putting surface. The green also features a falls front and falls off to the back left, with a crown in the middle that effectively works to make this putting surface much smaller than it looks. And at less than 30 yards deep, it doesn't look that large to begin with!

Hole 3 - 411 Yards - Par 4

The third hole is a long par-4 that moves slightly from right to left. The ideal tee shot plays to the right side of the fairway, but a vast waste area on that side of th ehole threatens to catch any errant drive. It also makes the fairway look exceedingly narrow. The waste area is still a better place to land than left, however, as thick trees left of the fairway will make reaching the green in two near impossible, and out-of-bounds awaits tee shots that carry too far in that direction.

From the left side of the fairway, the hole is going to require a high shot that lands softly on this slightly elevated green. From the right side, Dye offers the player a narrow throat of fairway to run a low shot into this green. Be mindful, however, that the green features a false front and a collection area on the right side of the putting surface that can make putting a challenge, depending on the day's pin location.

In addition to the large bunker front-left of the green, the putting surface is protected by a narrow bunker to the right and two deep bunkers long and right of the green. The miss on this hole is pin-high or slightly long left of the green.

Hole 4 - 187 Yards - Par 3

Harbour Town is often praised for its exceptional par-3s. Taken individually, especially, they are fantastic. Each one features trouble and promises thrills. The are all exceptionally fun to play. If I have one complaint, though, it's that the par-3s don't offer enough shot variety. The longest -- No. 4 at 187 yards -- is only 22 yards longer than the shortest, No. 14, at 165 yards. My personal view -- and this is MY blog, so that's really all you're ever going to get here -- is that there should be more variety in the par-3 distances. If all four par-4 holes can be played with the same club or with two consecutive clubs from the bag (say, a 6-iron and a 5-iron), there isn't enough variety. I'd much prefer to see one par-3 that can be played with a 9-iron or even a wedge; a couple of par-3s that require mid- to long-irons; and one par-3 that requires a long iron, hybrid, or even a fairway metal. But that's a personal preference and about the only thing that keeps me from declaring the four par-3 holes at Harbour Town to be among the best collections of par-3s of any course in the rankings. Taken individually, each of these holes is really fun, though.

The fourth hole plays over water almost the entire way from tee to green. Players can bail out to the right, but where's the fun in that? Shots that come up short or that sail right of the green are wet. Anything long will find either the small pot bunker behind the left side of this small green or in a larger bunker beyond it that runs all the way down to the water's edge. And no shot from either bunker is safe, as each will require a very testy shot back to the green with nothing but water waiting on the other side. For the first par-4 on the course, this is a devilish design.

Hole 5 - 511 Yards - Par 5

The par-5 fifth hole doglegs from right to left, and the left side of the hole is guarded by water that from the tee shot landing area all the way to just short of the green. Attempting to cut the corner over the trees or even to bend a draw down the left side might allow a big hitter to go for this green in two if they somehow find the fairway, but that path is fraught with danger. Apart from the water, five bunkers guard the landing area -- three to the left and two to the right. For the exceptionally big hitter, yet another bunker lies just beyond the 300-yard mark right of the green, just waiting to capture the tee shot of any big bomber who decides to send it over the trees with reckless abandon.

With OB to the far right and all the trouble I just described to the left, the safe play is to approach this hole as a three-shot par-5 and lay up off the tee with something that will keep you short of the bunkers. From there, a mid-iron, hybrid, or fairway wood down the right side of the fairway will allow you to avoid any trouble and set up the ideal approach into this green from the right side.

For the record, I didn't do any of that, which is why I was not surprised that I walked away from this hole with a bogey. Approaching the green from the left side of the fairway isn't terrible, but it reduces your margin for error. From the right, Dye provides ample room around the green to miss and still find fairway right of the putting surface. Apart from a donut-shaped bunker that sits about 75 yards short of the green on the right, there is no real trouble to speak of on that side of the hole during the approach.

Miss left, however, and you'll have to contend with a nasty bunch of greenside and pot bunkers that will make holding the putting surface, which is less than 15 yards wide, with your next shot.

The greens at Harbour Town are not exceedingly contoured. Their breaks are more subtle, and the difficulty is in the speed. Short side yourself on a missed approach shot, and par becomes a really good score. Get complacent about your reads or your pace on the putting surface, and three putts can quickly become the norm.

Hole 6 - 404 Yards - Par 4

Would you be surprised if I told you that No. 6 is another tight driving hole? This 400-yard par-4 features water and OB to the right, a nearly 200-yard-long waste area, OB, and another penalty area to the left. And just for fun, Pete put a fairway bunker on the inside elbow of the left-to-right dogleg in the fairway, stretching from about 225 to 275 yards off the tee.

I drove my tee shot straight through the dogleg and into the waste area, where it ricocheted off a tree and wound up even farther left. The end result was one of my more fun shots of the day -- a punched nine iron with a little bit of a draw that ran perfectly up the fairway and wound up pin-high on the green. It could easily have been a disaster, though.

The ideal approach into this green is virtually anywhere from the fairway. At 32 yards deep, the green is about twice as long as it is wide, meaning accuracy is more important than distance on the approach, and Dye left ample room on this hole to run a ball into the green. There are two bunkers left of the green and one long and right that must be avoided. But any low shot into the front half of this green will be caught by the slope of the putting surface, which is from front to back and bending left to right.

Hole 7 - 172 Yards - Par 3

The seventh hole is another really good par-3 that plays over water to a long, narrow green that is nearly surrounded by sand and is protected by three trees that collapse the corridor for the shot to an opening of less than 20 yards.

Lurking in the brackish water just off the tee box, this small gator was the first wildlife we encountered on the course and seemed completely disinterested in us or the quality of our golf shots. Its size left us wondering, though ... if he's here, where might his mother be? And with that, I think we all rushed our pre-shot routines just a bit.

From the area of the Heritage and Black tees on No. 7, the player is faced with a long look at the water -- just one of the ways Pete Dye liked to present visuals that would intimidate the player. In truth, the shot from here still needs to just carry the same distance as it would if the tees were set 15 yards to the left, but somehow this just looks a lot scarier.

As it turned out, we found that little guy's momma sunning herself on the bank across the pond from the green when we reached the putting surface.

The green on No. 7 is the deepest on the front nine at 35 yards, but is only about 12 yards wide. Players who find the putting surface from the tee and walk away from this hole with a par should feel a real sense of accomplishment.

Hole 8 - 435 Yards - Par 4

No. 8 is the longest par-4 on the front nine and is a very challenging driving hole. There is OB left and right beyond the trees. The ideal drive is a controlled draw down the right side of the fairway. Too much right-to-left, however, risks finding water left of the fairway at about 230 yards. And longer hitters may need to take something shorter than driver off the tee as the fairway runs out at about 285 yards.

The corridor to approach the green on the eighth is pinched in from the right by a waste area and a large, magnificent tree -- the kind we don't see too many of up here in the north, where I live and play. I swear I could just tour golf courses in the South Carolina low country to take pictures of the incredible trees; they really are wonderful to behold. That aside, players need to be particularly careful on the approach to No. 8. Don't be too tempted to go down the left side to avoid that big, beautiful tree because the entire left side of the hole from about 80 yards out is guarded by a narrow bunker and water to the left. Better to play a low, running shot into this green that favors the right side.

Players that miss left of this green will be fortunate to find the sand, which makes for a difficult recovery. The less fortunate will find themselves fishing for a new ball in their pocket after watching their approach shot sink into greenside pond. The miss on this hole is definitely the right side of the green, which offers a relatively straightforward chip into the green and a very reasonable opportunity to save par.

Hole 9 - 322 Yards - Par 4

No. 9 may be my favorite hole on the course ... and not just because it's only 322 yards long after what feels like an endless march of 400+ yard par-4s! I really enjoyed the dare-you-to-try-it temptation to tee it high, let it fly, and hope for the green. And I also enjoyed the whimsey of the heart-shaped green that could potentially make this a short-distance nightmare for players.

Off the tee, the fairway runs out at just about 300 yards, and a deep bunker guards the front of the green. For those who lay back or those who are just not capable of hitting the ball that far (I count myself generally among that camp these days), there isn't a world of trouble off the tee. There is OB left, but apart from that, the trees and even the pine straw are pretty manageable as just about every player will have a short club in hand for their second shot.

The pin this day was set in just about the heart of the green ... ironic, considering the fact that the green itself is shaped like a heart. There is a series of three pot bunkers directly behind the center of the green, however. So, on a day when the pin is tucked back-left or back-right, a player who finds the opposite side of the putting surface could be faced with having to putt to the front of the green and then to the back on the other side ... or pitching from the putting surface up and over the pot bunkers to get to the other side of the green. I'm sure the TOUR doesn't want any resort guests trying that in the run-up to the RBC Heritage, but I couldn't help but think how fun it would be to try at another point in the season.

Hole 10 - 421 Yards - Par 4

The 10th hole is another long par-four that moves gently from right to left and plays ever inch of its 421 yards. With water down just about the entire left side, the ideal tee shot favors the right side of the fairway. There is OB to the right, but it shouldn't be in play for most players, leaving plenty of room to bail out right off the tee to avoid the danger to the left.

From the right side of the fairway, the ideal shot is a fade into the green -- one of the few to which Pete Dye didn't provide any angle for a low, running approach. The shot into this green must be through the air unless the player is willing to risk the likelihood that their ball will get caught up in the thick rough that surrounds the putting surface.

The 10th green is one of the deepest on the course at nearly 40 yards. Like so many others, it is quite narrow, at just about 15 yards at its widest point. It is guarded short and right by a tiny pot bunker designed, it would seem, to give players fits, and a larger greenside bunker back-right.

Hole 11 - 413 Yards - Par 4

No. 11 features what may be the narrowest fairway on the course. To make the hole even more of a challenge, there is water and OB both right and left, and a large waste area left of the fairway as this hole bends from right to left in the landing area. The smart play may be a fairway wood or hybrid off the tee to the right side of the fairway, setting up a longer approach from a safer location than a riskier tee shot with the driver might deliver.

The approach shot isn't as narrow as it appears from far back in the fairway. The green is guarded by bunkers left and long-right, as well as a tree front-right, but there is fairway that runs the entire length of the hole, creating a safe opportunity to run a low shot into this green, and there is plenty of room to miss to the right so long as your distance is sufficient to reach the front of the putting surface.

Players who find any of the four bunkers that guard this green will have a challenging time getting up and down for par. Depending on the pin location, however, the 11th could offer up a rare birdie opportunity as the front half of the green is considerably flatter and easier to putt than the back.

Hole 12 - 404 Yards - Par 4

A gentle fade off the tee is the play on the par-4 12th. A waste area left of the fairway provides a nice target at which to start a left-to-right drive to find this fairway and set up a terrific angle for the approach. Players must be careful not to pull or hook their tee shot left, however, as water beyond the trees waits to turn a poorly played tee shot into a big number on the scorecard.

From the fairway, this hole provides a pretty straightforward approach to the green. There isn't much short grass through which to play a low runner to the green, but there is some fairway in front of the putting surface for players who come up a bit short with their approach. The kidney bean-shaped green wraps around a deep bunker to the left and is guarded by a small pot bunker short and right.

The 12th green is the deepest on the course, meaning the approach could be as much as three clubs different from front to back, depending on the day's pin placement. There isn't much trouble short of the green, making that a fine miss for front and middle pin placements. Similarly, there is no real trouble behind the green, so players are safe taking a little extra club to avoid the sand and fly it to a back pin.

Hole 13 - 354 Yards - Par 4

Somewhat like the ninth hole, No. 13 is a short hole with a bit of whimsy. It's also a short hole with a lot more trouble. From the tee, there's no real thought of trying to drive the green here. The hole is short, but it isn't that short. A fairway bunker left threatens to snag an errant shot by players who may have thoughts of laying up off the tee, while another fairway bunker right and long and a large waste area to the left present challenges for players who decide to go ahead and let the big dog eat. There really is no option here but to hit the fairway.

The approach shot on 13 is played to an elevated green that plunges into a roughly heart-shaped bunker, resulting in a peninsula front for the putting surface with a sea of sand left, front, and to the right. The miss on this hole is long, where a collection area behind the green offers the opportunity to play a relatively easy chip back to the putting surface.

The greenside bunker features Pete Dye's signature railroad tie face. And I can tell you from experience, it is no fun at all trying to recover from the sand when your ball comes to rest right at the base of those wooden ties. My approach shot on 13 wasn't really terrible until it just caught the edge of the green, rolled down the bank and through the rough and settled in the sand only inches from the face of the bunker. Three shots later, I was finally putting. No bueno.

Hole 14 - 165 Yards - Par 3

If I hated the 13th (I didn't, but I'd be justified if I did after that experience in the bunker!), I loved the 14th. This par-3 with a forced carry over the water and nothing but doom down the entire right side rewarded my perfectly placed tee shot to the left side of the green with an almost unmissable birdie putt. There is a waste area well to the left of the green and a small pot bunker long and left, but otherwise, there isn't much trouble on that side of the putting surface, making left the obvious miss to play to from the tee. Players who can fade the ball into this green from the left side will likely have the best opportunity to score well here. Or, do like I did ... absolutely blade your iron shot off the tee, watch in terror as it rockets low over the water, pray to the golf Gods that something good might happen, and then watch as your ball somehow clears the hazard, is slowed by the rough, skids through the fairway cut, and finishes five feet from the hole. Easy birdie.

Hole 15 - 571 Yards - Par 4

As exciting as the previous couple of holes are, No. 15 may be the most pedestrian hole on the course. Nothing wrong with that. It's not a bad hole at all. It's just a three-shot par-5 that doesn't offer up a lot of opportunity for drama or heroics. Off the tee, there is no reason to try to do anything magical. At nearly 600 yards, unless your name is McIlroy or DeChambeau, you probably aren't getting home in two. So, just hit something off the tee that you can be relatively sure will find the fairway. There is a fairway bunker right and large waste areas on either side of the fairway, but even those really shouldn't prevent most players from recovering, advancing the ball down the fairway with their second shots, and still having a decent chance to post a par.

The second shot on 15 is really just another straight shot down the fairway. The goals here are to A) advance it as far as you can without giving up the fairway and B) avoid the water left of the hole starting at about 115 yards from the green.

The ideal approach is a short-iron or wedge from the right side of the fairway to a slightly elevated green fronted by bunkers to the left and right.

More waterside wildlife on the bank near the 15th green. These two were having a jolly time playing just at the water's edge.

At about 25 yards wide by 26 yards deep, the green on No. 15 isn't huge but offers considerable room to miss right or left of center and still find the putting surface. A player who doesn't do anything terribly special from tee to green should find themselves with a realistic putt for birdie and a very reasonable chance of par on this hole.

Hole 16 - 380 Yards - Par 4

Getting into the homestretch, the 16th hole presents the most dramatic dogleg on the course. I haven't pulled out a protractor to measure, but looking at the yardage book, I'd clock the angle of the dogleg at more than 90 degrees given the direction in which the tee boxes are situated. Players on the tee may be tempted to try to cut a big chunk off the dogleg here, but beware -- there is a long fairway bunker extending from about 150 yards out all the way to the green on the left side of the fairway and out-of-bounds just left of that. There is much more room to bail out right, though that will make this play like a much longer hole.

The ideal tee shot is to the right of the fairway bunker, far enough that the approach isn't blocked by the two tall trees near the left side of the hazard.

With the pin on the right side of the green this day, even tee shots that found the fairway bunker weren't in terrible shape in terms of the angle of approach, but distance control was critical. Pot bunkers to the right of this green make recovery a real challenge. Even with the pin front-right, the strategic miss is likely to the collection area long and left of the green.

Hole 17 - 185 Yards - Par 3

No. 17 is the most scenic and perhaps the most exciting par-3 on the course. With Calibogue Sound in the distance and wetlands short and left of the green, the view is wet and wonderful. And with huge grandstands going up tight and to the right of the green, it doesn't look from the tee like there is much room to miss here at all. The tee shot plays to an elevated green with a deep bunker down the entire left side, beginning about 80 yards short of the hole. Two pot bunkers short and right also serve to take away options for those who might want to bail out. Oh, and don't go long. Behind the green, the hole drops off steeply to a very small patch of rough and into wetlands that caught the tee shots of two of the players in our group this day.

Near the pot bunker to the right of the green, you can see the dramatic drop off behind the putting surface. I was fortunate, my ball trickled just off the back of the green and rolled to the base of the hill but didn't have enough juice to reach the wetlands. Happy to say I miraculously holed the flop shot for birdie. But that was a 1-in-100 shot, at best. This hole is just tough!

Pete Dye and his bunkers. Good grief! I don't know what he was thinking with this wooden wall that runs along the entire back of this bunker except that he knew somebody, someday would find themselves up against it with no idea how in the world to make a swing or play a shot back to the green. It's, dare I say it ... DYEabolical!

Hole 18 - 444 Yards - Par 4

The 18th hole is said to be one of the most-photographed and most-feared finishing holes in all of golf. It's not quite as picturesque when the grandstands are up in the distance, blocking the view of Harbour Town Lighthouse, but it's still easy to understand why it's such a wonderful hole on which to end a PGA TOUR event and such a draw for so many who love the game. The long par-4 plays across wetlands at the edge of the Sound to a small peninsula of fairway and then again across the wetlands to a green that seems to be reaching out to the water. With OB down the righthand side of the hole, there is no real room to bail out anywhere.

We came to the 18th feeling like we had nothing to lose (except the rest of our golf balls), so we unanimously decided to march all the way to the back of the tee box and play the Heritage tees ... the same tees from which the pros are playing the hole this week. That turns this 444-yard par-4 into an absolute beast at nearly 475 yards. Back in my day, I can hear some faceless old duffer tell me, 475 yards was a par-5 distance! Undeterred, each member of our group teed it up from the way back, swung as hard as we could, and somehow we each found the fairway. We felt like absolute heroes as we clapped one another on the backs and congratulated ourselves for being absolute heroes.

Then we reached our balls in the fairway and realized that the closest of us was still more than 200 yards out from the hole ... having to play over the wetlands again to the elevated green that appears from where we were to be nothing more than a large button in the distance.

I am beyond happy to say I hit the absolute 4-iron of my life into the green, covering the danger and eventually settling on the back half for a relatively easy two-putt par. I will be laughing all week at any PGA TOUR pro who bogeys this hole! In truth, though, this hole can absolutely eat your lunch. With a long bunker short of the green, water all down the left side, having to hit over the wetlands twice and not much room to miss the fairway off the tee even to the right, this is just a big score waiting to happen. There is room to miss the green to the right with a little bit of fairway to that side from which it isn't a terrible chip. But that's the only relief Pete Dye gives you. Miss that collection area, and you risk a squirrely lie from which getting up and down could be about even odds with skulling a ball over the green and into the penalty area.

After so many years wanting to play the course, my visit to Harbour Town could not have made for a better day. The weather was absolutely perfect. The course was in phenomenal shape as they geared up for the tournament. I drove the ball unbelievably well and posted a score that could be among my season lows when 2025 is through. And as a fan of Pete Dye's work -- after all, I'm a member at the Pete Dye Golf Club -- it was great fun to experience firsthand one of his most famous designs.

Having said all of that, the course is set to close in early May for a five-month restoration project, and I'll be eager to return sometime in the future to see the work that's been done and how that might change the way the course is played.

Tartan Plaid and the Captain of Gentleman Golfers

As a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and a proud supporter of my alma mater's sports teams -- the fightin' Tartans! -- I've long had a special appreciation for the tradition of awarding a tartan plaid jacket to the winner of the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage tournament. This jacket, on display in the men's locker room, is a nod to the legacy of the jacket.

The tradition of presenting a jacket to winners of the Heritage began in the early 1970s when tournament organizers were inspired by a painting of Sir William Innes. Innes had been the captain of the Society of Golfers at Blackheath in Scotland some 200 years earlier, and he was depicted in the painting playing golf in a tartan jacket. However, the winner wasn't always given the tartan jacket at the trophy presentation. In those early years of the Heritage tournament, winners were presented with a red jacket upon their victory and were given their tartan plaid jacket at the opening ceremony the following year. That year following their victory is the year in which the winner is declared the Captain of Gentleman Golfers, as recognized on this plaque featuring the names of each of the Heritage's past champions:

The names on this plaque -- the players who have won the Heritage since its inception -- is a pretty remarkable who's who in the world of professional golf over the last 60 years. Palmer. Nicklaus. Watson. Miller. Faldo. Langer. Stewart. Love. Leonard. Cink. Fury. Simpson. Spieth. Fitzpatrick. Scheffler. Bannon. Wait ... what? Like I said, it's my blog. I can do what I want! 🤣

Justin Thomas shot 61 on Thursday to tie the course record. Anything can happen between now and Sunday. We'll just have to wait to see who will be the next "Captain of Gentlemen Golfers?"

Have you played Harbour Town Golf Links? Leave a comment below or shoot me an email at shawn@IPuttAround.com to let me know what you think of the course and/or the blog!