But this week, I finally stepped inside the story.

ROUND ONE: THE GRAND RE-OPENING OF HARBOUR TOWN

Harbour Town — two words — is one of the most recognizable courses in golf. Originally unveiled in 1969 by Pete Dye, with a young Jack Nicklaus serving as co-designer, the course shocked the golf world with its philosophy: narrow instead of wide, strategy over power, precision over length. PGA Tour players fell in love with its personality, especially as the Tour grew longer, louder, and more wide open elsewhere.

After the 2025 RBC Heritage Classic concluded in May, Sea Pines Resort closed the course for a much-anticipated restoration. Twenty-five years after Dye last refreshed his own design, the resort tapped Davis Love III — five-time Heritage champion and respected architect — to guide the project.

Tour players have always said the same thing when Harbour Town is discussed: “Don’t change it.” They meant the trees. The corridors. The small greens framed by gnarly oaks and overhanging limbs. The identity.

Love III honored that request.

When I interviewed him shortly after the opening ceremony, he grinned and told me about a long-running wager he and other players shared during practice rounds: who could get through all 18 holes without hitting a tree? The bet rarely paid out.

The reopening ceremony itself captured the resort’s understated elegance. Ownership, media, and longtime supporters gathered at the first tee. A cannon fired to officially “re-open” the course. And then Davis Love III stepped forward and hit the first tee shot — right down the center stripe, of course.

It was my first time meeting Love III, and my first time playing Harbour Town. Neither disappointed. Even after conducting multiple interviews with national and regional media, he treated me as if I were the first in line, sharing insights with genuine enthusiasm — including a shared excitement that I was about to experience the course properly for the first time, by playing it, not just watching on TV.

Pete Dye — The Maverick Who Changed Everything

Few architects have had a greater impact on modern golf than Pete Dye. Harbour Town was his breakthrough — a sharp pivot away from the long, aerial-dominant courses that defined American design in the 1960s. With railroad ties, tiny greens, obscured sightlines, and strategic angles, Dye made golfers think.

Dye’s influence is everywhere: TPC Sawgrass, Kiawah’s Ocean Course, Whistling Straits. But Harbour Town remains one of his purest expressions — a chess match disguised as a seaside walk, where the trees themselves become hazards and the greens feel hand-carved into the land.

His fingerprint is unmistakable. And it remains intact here. The clubhouse has a mini Pete Dye museum room, well worth spending some time in.

ROUND TWO: ATLANTIC DUNES AT SEA PINES

Sea Pines Resort presents a remarkable trio of courses: Harbour Town, Atlantic Dunes, and Heron Point. On Wednesday, we moved from history to reinvention, teeing it up at Atlantic Dunes, the Davis Love III redesign that transformed the former Ocean Course into a modern, dune-influenced adventure.

The closing stretch — known as “The Gauntlet” — is worth the trip alone. The par-3 15th tilts toward the shoreline. While dunes and a protective landform block the direct ocean view, the sound of the surf pulls you in, and a short walk behind the green reveals the Atlantic in full, a perfect pause before facing the final three holes.

ROUND THREE: HILTON HEAD NATIONAL

A short drive off the island brought us to Hilton Head National, long known as one of the area’s most rewarding public golf experiences. The course blends attention to detail with generous conditioning, delivering a round that is tight but fair.

The finishing hole is especially memorable — a crowned green reminiscent of Pinehurst No. 2, framed by tight runoffs requiring a high, soft-landing approach. This basically means that if you don’t have a well-positioned drive (hopefully you saved your best shot of the day), making par will require some creativity.

ROUND FOUR: OLD SOUTH GOLF LINKS

(Friday)

Next door to Hilton Head National, Old South Golf Links offers a distinctly Coastal Carolina experience. Several front-nine holes press right against the marsh, with views that stretch beyond the reeds toward open sky and water.

The course blends beauty with strategic decisions, and the conditioning was excellent. Like Hilton Head National, Old South delivers tremendous value — an ideal pairing for golfers extending a trip or filling in open days. We enjoyed lunch in the relaxed clubhouse grill before playing our afternoon round.

WHY HARBOUR TOWN DESERVES TWO ROUNDS

Harbour Town carries the week’s highest green fee, but I’d absolutely budget for playing it twice. There’s too much to absorb in one round.

Take the famous 18th hole: I thought it would be all about the tee shot – and clearly the hole is easier if played from the right side of the fairway – but the real challenge is the approach. The green is tucked against tall marsh grasses; far smaller in person than it appears on television. The lighthouse and harbor standing beyond it create one of golf’s most iconic silhouettes — and its most deceptive shot.

Next time, I’ll play Harbour Town twice.

ROUND FIVE: SECESSION GOLF CLUB

Saturday brought a special treat: a round at Secession Golf Club in Beaufort, SC. Running AmateurGolf.com for 25 years has fostered many years-long relationships, and sometimes I can’t resist making a phone call. I knew this was one of those “must try” times, especially with my golf-crazed son in tow.

Secession is walking-only, with caddies who elevate both the strategy and the rhythm of the round. Ours belonged to the Harmon family — son of Craig, nephew of Butch — and his reads were so trustworthy that I never questioned a single one.

We were paired with a father-and-son duo who added to the enjoyment, embodying the warmth and camaraderie this club is known for.

Secession Architecture Notes

Pete Dye began the routing, but after a dispute with ownership, the club brought in Bruce Devlin to finish the project. The resulting course carries a hybrid soul: Dye’s deception and bite combined with Devlin’s gentle nods to the Australian Sandbelt, where bunkers melt into fairways and greens roll naturally off the land.

The finish is brilliant:

• No. 16: A risk-reward par-5 that tempts the bold.
• No. 17: An island par-3 that demands precision.
• No. 18: A boomerang par-4 curling around the marsh, offering two very different lines — dangerous but short, or safe but long.

The clubhouse porch overlooking 18 may be one of the best hangs in golf. Our post-round drinks confirmed it.

ROUND SIX: GREAT DUNES — JEKYLL ISLAND

Nearly two hours from Hilton Head, Great Dunes on Jekyll Island rewarded every mile. The course blends 12 rediscovered Walter Travis holes with a refreshed modern design, creating an experience that is historic, adventurous, and FUN.

Broad waste areas of bright white sand, ocean air moving through the trees, and greens with significant undulation make it a course that you will instantly remember.

Walter Travis — The Forgotten Genius

Walter Travis (1862–1927) was one of golf’s true renaissance men. Between us we have won three U.S. Amateurs … Here’s a few Travis tidbits:

• Three-time U.S. Amateur champion
• First American to win the British Amateur
• Editor of Golf Illustrated
• Brilliant early architect

His designs include Garden City Golf Club in New Jersey (host of the Walter Travis Invitational) and Hollywood Golf Club (Deal, NJ) as well as Ekwanok in Vermont, where Travis won one his U.S. Amateur titles. They emphasized bold bunkering, strategic angles, and notoriously challenging greens. Many of his courses were later altered or lost, which makes the restoration of his Great Dunes holes all the more meaningful.

Travis believed golf should reward the thinker, not just the striker. You feel that philosophy instantly at Jekyll Island.

OFF-COURSE HIGHLIGHTS

Restaurants

CQ’s (Harbour Town Village)
A Hilton Head institution housed in one of the island’s original buildings. Walls covered with photos of PGA Tour players. Lawson’s steak really delivered, my pork chop was exceptional, and the atmosphere ties the whole experience together—a must. Book ahead.

Dockside
Just across the bridge. Great seafood, barbecue, and heat-lamp-warmed outdoor seating that made a November meal feel like July.

Lodging

The Inn at Harbour Town (Sea Pines Resort)
Elegant, quiet, and beautifully appointed. The fireside bar was a nightly highlight. The clubhouse restaurant “Links, an American Grill” delivered an excellent dinner with a business acquaintance on my first night.

Deer Island Treehouse Airbnb
My second stop was an octagon-shaped treehouse overlooking a peaceful Lowcountry setting. Docile deer wandered right up and accepted carrots from my hand — an unforgettable touch.

Morning Coffee

Harbour Town Bakery & Café
Located in a historic lighthouse keeper’s cottage (circa 1880s) and serving a full breakfast menu. There’s usually a line of golfers waiting outside at the 7:00 a.m. opening — for good reason.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This trip blended history, celebration, architecture, competition (I had matches with fellow golf writer Jason Lusk of Golfweek, and of course daily matches with my son), nature, and family — the best ingredients golf has to offer. From the re-opening of an American classic to the discovery of new favorites, the week delivered exactly what I hoped. And now I finally know: Hilton Head is worth the wait.