Hilton Head: The PGA Tour’s All Star Break after The Masters

Harbour Town Golf Links has been the host of the RBC Heritage since 1969. A classic Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus design that weaves it’s way through dense pine forest at the southern tip of Hilton Head Island.

Playing to a max of just 7099 yards, the course at Hilton Head Island is not long by modern standards and is a change of pace in more ways than one, most notably for its anti-bomb and gouge strategy. Take your driver out too much and you’ll likely be punching out of the trees all day long.

The course consistently receives rave reviews from PGA Tour players alike, in fact it was rated the #2 course on tour behind only Augusta National in a recent Golf Digest poll (ahead of stalwarts Pebble Beach and Riviera).

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But it’s not just the golf course that draws players to the tournament, it’s Hilton Head Island’s low key vibe that makes it the perfect vacation week after Augusta.

Charles Howell III (who will be making his 14th start in this years edition) may have said it best, “Hilton Head feels a little bit like our all-star break.”

Walking around the tournament spectators often feel more like they’re attending the Kentucky Derby than a PGA Tour Event. Women are often spotted sporting their best spring hats and you’d be apt to think the event was sponsored by Lily Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines as the gallery is filled with pastels.

Rarely do you hear hooting and hollering from the gallery, instead groups of friends catching up often need to be reminded to lower their voices as a player is attempting to hit a shot just feet away.

It’s that sort of High School reunion feel that makes the RBC Heritage tournament so special. Matt Kuchar is one of the stable of players that seems to always make the 2.5 hour drive from Magnolia Lane to Sea Pines.

“This is almost like the perfect event after the Masters,” Kuchar said. “You get in the Lowcountry and feel the blood pressure go down a little bit and you just relax a little.”

Kuchar is one of several RBC players that have continued their support since the Canadian bank became the title sponsor in 2012.

Mark Soder, Director of Brand Marketing Golf for RBC, says “As the title sponsor of the RBC Heritage, we have a chance to establish an authentic platform to engage with golf fans and potential clients. It also provides opportunities to host our clients and deepen our relationships with them in a beautiful setting in Hilton Head.”

Fortunately for spectators, Team RBC consists of a strong cast of players including the aforementioned Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker, Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson and current #1 player in the world Dustin Johnson.

Johnson is especially interesting to watch at Harbor Town as the narrow corridors and the smallest greens on The PGA TOUR force the superstar to hit irons off of most tees. In his first time around Harbour Town since 2009 (when he was still an amateur), the Columbia, SC native finished a very respectable T-16 in last years event.

Johnson’s laid back attitude and flowing gait fit in perfectly on Hilton Head; where the sun is bright, the seafood is fresh, the drinks are cold and the smiles are wide.

While all golf fans clamor for the chance to be a patron at The Masters, do yourself a favor and head down to the low country and spend some time on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage and experience what vacation looks like on The PGA Tour.