Check the yardage book: Harbour Town Golf Links for the 2023 RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour

StrackaLine offers hole-by-hole maps for one of the most recognizable courses on the PGA Tour.

Harbour Town Golf Links – site of the 2023 RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour – was designed by Pete Dye with an assist from Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1969 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Part of Sea Pines Resort, Harbour Town ranks No. 2 in South Carolina on Golfweek’s Best list of public-access layouts in each state. It also ranks No. 21 among all resort courses in the U.S., and it comes in at No. 54 on Golfweek’s Best list of all modern courses in the U.S.

Harbour Town will play to 7,191 yards with a par of 71 for the RBC Heritage. With tree branches frequently dangling into playing corridors, the layout tends to favor control over brute strength as players must navigate sometimes tight fairway lines on the interior holes before the course moves to Calibogue Sound for the final two holes. The par 3s are considered by many to be among the best sets of 1-shotters in the game.

Thanks to yardage books provided by StrackaLine – the maker of detailed yardage books for thousands of courses around the world – we can see exactly the challenges the pros face this week.

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Open or closed: Golfweek’s Best top 25 resort courses

Amid the international coronavirus pandemic, more than half the top 25 courses on Golfweek’s Best list of resorts are temporarily closed.

After weeks of trying to keep their courses open during the international coronavirus pandemic, more than half the top 25 courses on Golfweek’s Best list of resort tracks have shuttered their operations temporarily or plan to this week.

Several of these resorts, stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific, have posted to their websites or sent emails that operations have been halted. At others, the courses remain open while the hotel operations have ceased or been dramatically curtailed, and some are maintaining full operations.

Several of the top 25 are northern courses that have not started their golf seasons yet and as of now are still planning to open when their seasons begin.

Related: Live look at Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes and more

The situation is fluid and likely to change for some of these resorts that do remain open. Several of the courses that have closed have posted that they plan to reopen in April or May. Following are details on each.

 

1. Pebble Beach Golf Links

Pebble Beach, California (pictured atop this story)

CLOSED

Reopens April 17. The entire resort is closed.

 

2. Bandon Dunes (Pacific Dunes)

Bandon, Oregon

CLOSING

The resort will suspend operations March 26 and plans to reopen April 6.

 

3. Pinehurst (No. 2)

Pinehurst, North Carolina

OPEN

The courses remain open, but all lodging operations have ceased. Limited to-go dining is available.

 

4. Whistling Straits (Straits)

Mosel, Wisconsin

CLOSED, OUT OF SEASON

The courses are scheduled to open in April as weather permits, but all lodging and dining at Destination Kohler is closed.

 

No. 7 on Old MacDonald at Bandon Dunes

5. Bandon Dunes (Old Macdonald)

Bandon, Oregon

CLOSING

The resort will suspend operations March 26 and plans to reopen April 6.

 

6. Bandon Dunes (Bandon Dunes)

Bandon, Oregon

CLOSING

The resort will suspend operations March 26 and plans to reopen April 6.

 

7. Shadow Creek

North Las Vegas, Nevada

CLOSED

MGM has ceased all casino and entertainment options until April 16.

 

8. Kiawah Golf Resort (Ocean Course)

Kiawah Island, South Carolina

OPEN

The resort has modified its services and dining availability, but the courses are open. The pro shops are closed, with booking and check-in being handled remotely.

 

9. Bandon Dunes (Bandon Trails)

Bandon, Oregon

CLOSING

The resort will suspend operations March 26 and plans to reopen April 6.

 

10. TPC Sawgrass (Players Stadium)

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

OPEN

The Players Championship was canceled, but the golf courses are open for play.

 

No. 3 at Spyglass Hill (Ben Jared/PGA Tour)

11. Spyglass Hill

Pebble Beach, California

CLOSED

Part of the resort at Pebble Beach, which reopens April 17.

 

12. Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes)

Nekoosa, Wisconsin

CLOSED FOR SEASON

The resort plans to open its two courses April 24 as planned after standard winter closures.

 

13. Sand Valley (Sand Valley)

Nekoosa, Wisconsin

CLOSED FOR SEASON

The resort plans to open its two courses April 24 as planned after standard winter closures.

 

14. Streamsong Resort (Red)

Bowling Green, Florida

OPEN
Group caddies are mandated instead of normal carrying caddies to promote maintaining a recommended distance between people.

 

15. Streamsong Resort (Black)

Bowling Green, Florida

OPEN
Group caddies are mandated instead of normal carrying caddies to promote maintaining a recommended distance between people.

 

Gamble Sands (Courtesy of Gamble Sands)

16. Gamble Sands

Brewster, Washington

OPEN

The course opened earlier than planned after a mild winter.

 

17. Kapalua (Plantation)

Lanai, Hawaii

CLOSING

The course will close March 25 and plans to reopen April 30.

 

18. Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs)

Arcadia, Michigan

CLOSED FOR SEASON

The course will open as planned April 1 after the winter season.

 

19. Sea Pines Resort (Harbour Town Golf Links)

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

OPEN

The course is open, but the Inn and Club at Harbour Town has been closed through April 16. The PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage Classic was canceled.

 

20. Streamsong Resort (Blue)

Bowling Green, Florida

OPEN
Group caddies are mandated instead of normal carrying caddies to promote maintaining a recommended distance between people.

 

No. 18 at Fallen Oak (Courtesy of Fallen Oak)

21. Fallen Oak

Saucier, Mississippi

CLOSED

The Beau Rivage Resort and Casino has ceased all operations temporarily, including golf.

 

22. Four Seasons Resort Lanai (Manele)

Lanai, Hawaii

CLOSED

The resort has shuttered all operations until April 30.

 

23. Omni Homestead Resort (Cascades)

Hot Springs, Virginia

CLOSED FOR SEASON

The Cascades Course is scheduled to open as planned May 1 after the winter season. This Omni property is still open, but eight others have closed.

 

24. Sea Island (Seaside)

St. Simons Island, Georgia

CLOSED

The resort is closed until May 15.

 

25. Blackwolf Run (River)

Kohler, Wisconsin

CLOSED, OUT OF SEASON

The courses are scheduled to open in April as weather permits, but all lodging and dining at Destination Kohler is closed.

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Coastal champs: South Carolina’s top five public-access courses

The best of South Carolina’s Low Country and Grand Strand is all about long marsh views, moss dripping from oaks and beachside living. Think shrimp boils, pickup trucks and Southern accents. And golf courses. From Myrtle Beach at the north end of …

The best of South Carolina’s Low Country and Grand Strand is all about long marsh views, moss dripping from oaks and beachside living. Think shrimp boils, pickup trucks and Southern accents.

And golf courses. 

From Myrtle Beach at the north end of the state’s beaches to Hilton Head Island near the southern end, it seems there are more fairways than back roads – and that’s saying something down here. 

It’s no surprise to most traveling golfers that South Carolina has great golf. Myrtle Beach is a long-time staple with its nearly 100 courses. Halfway down the state’s coast, Kiawah Island Golf Resort has hosted a Ryder Cup in 1991 and a PGA Championship in 2012, and the course is slated to host that major championship again in 2021. Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines hosts the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage each April. 

What is somewhat surprising is that in a state that stretches inland some 250 miles with a diverse landscape that rolls up toward the Appalachian Mountains in the west, all the state’s top-ranked public-access courses are near the beach. Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list includes 15 courses in the Palmetto State, and each of them is near the coast. 

My recent rounds on the top five on the list showcased the best of coastal South Carolina golf. Included with the highlights of my trip are comments from Golfweek’s Best raters, on whose opinions our comprehensive course-ranking system is built.