A plaid landmark, the world's top golfer: 50th Heritage ready to party on Hilton Head
Welcome to the 50th version of South Carolina's biggest party.
The iconic lighthouse that helped put Hilton Head Island on the map is wrapped in plaid. Sea Pines' homes are decorated and cocktails are ready to be poured — if they haven't started already.
The world's top-ranked golfer, Dustin Johnson, will be in the Lowcountry.
The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing celebrates its 50th chapter this week, a lineage tracing back to legendary Arnold Palmer winning the inaugural event in 1969. It's a social event inside the gated community in southern Beaufort County as much as it's a professional golf tournament where the winner will earn more than $1 million.
"There are families that would sooner miss Thanksgiving and Christmas than Heritage week," said John Farrell, the longtime director of golf at Harbour Town Golf Links, the tournament's host course every year.
The RBC Heritage starts Thursday and will crown a winner Sunday afternoon. Celebrating the milestone 50th event has already begun.
The Harbour Town lighthouse is the most notable sign things will be a little different this week. The candy-striped tower serving as the backdrop to Harbour Town's 18th hole has been redecorated in plaid — 3,400 square feet of vinyl tartan, with a large golden "50" visible to all nearby watercraft, big and small.
Tournament officials weren't sold on the plan when they first saw the swatch of fabric that would become the temporary lighthouse pattern.
"We had already gone down the path of committing to this," tournament director Steve Wilmot said. "But they assured us that because of the height, it would look awesome. " He said the transformed lighthouse has been well-received.
In addition to the extra plaid, there should be top-shelf golf from some homegrown pros.
S.C. native Johnson is in the field this week for the first time in nine years. And defending champion Wesley Bryan was the first winner from the Palmetto State.
Several past champions will congregate in the 18th fairway for the cannon firing and ceremonial tee shots into Calibogue Sound during opening ceremonies Monday. The ceremony traditionally has included only the defending champion.
Harbour Town Golf Links, crafted on the south end of the island by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus just in time for the first tournament, has produced champions who are among the most recognized in golf — including Palmer, Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller.
Cary Corbitt, a longtime Sea Pines executive and PGA professional, recalled watching Watson defeat Frank Conner in a playoff in the cold in 1982, and Miller's tee shot on the par-3 seventh ricochet off a tree and into the cup for a hole-in-one on his way to one of his two victories on Hilton Head.
Players routinely praise the abbreviated, tree-lined layout as unique on the PGA Tour.
"It's kind of the start of our spring," Corbitt said. "It showcases Sea Pines and Hilton Head and the state. It's just a wonderful event and has been since the very beginning."
If you go
Here's what you need to know for this year's RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing that runs Monday through Sunday.
- To purchase tickets, visit https://rbcheritage.com/tickets. Those under 15 get in free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
- General parking returns this year to the Honey Horn tract, 70 Honey Horn Drive on the north end of Hilton Head near the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn. Buses will shuttle fans to and from Harbour Town (about a 20-minute ride), 6:30 am–9:30 pm daily. There is no general parking inside Sea Pines Resort.
- A free shuttle service is also available from Coligny Circle to a special drop-off spot near Harbour Town, 6:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily. Vehicle and bicycle parking in Coligny Plaza is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
During tournament hours, taxis and Ubers can pick up and drop off riders at The Shops at Sea Pines Center, 71 Lighthouse Road. Once tournament play has ended, they will pick up around Harbour Town Golf Links.
A few rules to remember: cameras are allowed at Harbour Town for practice rounds and pro-ams Monday through Wednesday. They are not permitted during tournament play. Phone calls are allowed only in designated areas — inside the clubhouse, concessions located at holes 9, 10, 13, 15 and 18, neighborhood roads and the Ultra Club.
Coming Thursday
You'll find everything you need to know about this year's RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing in The Island Packet's and Beaufort Gazette's special Heritage section. Check it out in Thursday's paper on page 1H.
This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 10:55 AM with the headline "A plaid landmark, the world's top golfer: 50th Heritage ready to party on Hilton Head."