This RBC Heritage bar got a brand new look for 2018. Here’s what you can expect

After its debut at RBC Heritage presented by Boeing on Hilton Head Island last year, Tito's Handmade Vodka said "Out with the old and in with the new."

The vodka company, which replaced the Grey Goose Lounge last year, went through a complete transformation from borderline tacky to noticeably classy for the tournament's 50th.

Last year, the Tito's Distilled Lounge featured couches, high-top tables with the Tito's logo boldly on display, bright orange fake wallpaper and a VIP section on top of the bar, which was a trailer.

This year, the vodka company took a completely different approach and classed it up a degree or two.—.or 10.

"It's really just us staying on our brand image and knowing the image of Hilton Head as well as the clientele who are coming in here," said Pam Littlewood, Tito's Homemade Vodka manager for Georgia and South Carolina.

The lounge, which is on Heritage Lawn between the 17th and 18th holes, serves a variety of $11 cocktails, including bloody Marys, all-American mules, palomas and Arnold Palmers, as well as mixed drinks with soda, tonic and water.

Here are the biggest changes at one of RBC Heritage's favorite drinking spots on the course:

1. A second bar

Why limit yourself to one bar when you can have two? This year, the Tito's lounge features one bar under the tent and a second one outside of it.

The goal: Customers won't have to wait as long to get their drinks.

"What we noticed last year was that most people were really just walking through and walking back out (to the course), so we just wanted to make it a more enjoyable and functional area," Littlewood said. "They can get their drink and go or mingle or whatever they like to do.

2. A classier aesthetic

For the 2018 RBC Heritage, Tito's ditched the high-top tables with their logo printed across and opted for a variety of low and high wood tables, each decorated with a flower arrangement.

The wood and copper theme gives the new-and-improved lounge a more upscale aesthetic.

Littlewood said the color palette aligns with what the vodka company typically aims for at an event to make the brand's bar area "comfortable, warm and inviting."

"We did less seating to engage more mingling to help with the traffic flow and we tried to add more unique pieces," she said.

Those unique pieces include a chandelier at the center of the tent made out of Tito's vodka bottles (accented with a golf ball), the flower arrangements created by a local florist, and a photo booth.

3. A tent that can close during rain and heat waves

Last year, RBC Heritage attendees found themselves huddled in close quarters under the small tent in Tito's lounge to avoid the heat.

Noticing that, the vodka company made some significant tent changes this year.

"We did the tent different this year, so they can close in case there is rain or maybe it gets too hot or too cold. We're more prepared for the climate changes," Littlewood said.

Helen Hudson, of Charleston, said she thought the larger tent would be a "seller on Sunday," when there's expected to be a 100 percent chance of rain. "In fact, when we walked up I said, 'Oh, there's preplanning for Sunday,' " she said.

4. No VIP section

Last year's the Tito’s Lounge featured a second-floor rooftop-like drinking area on top of the two side-by-side bars in small shipping containers.

Although the concept sounds great, the second floor remained nearly empty the entire tournament. The area, which contained some high-top tables with umbrellas, was for "VIP only," which consisted mostly of Tito's executives and clients.

This year, the vodka company ditched the VIP section and rooftop bar area for a more inclusive experience.

5. A boomerang photo booth

Similar to last year, the lounge features a photo booth where friends can get together and take a photo in front of Tito's paraphernalia.

However, this year it's not just a typical, plain old photo booth shot.

Instead, it's a boomerang image — a fast burst of photos that come together to create a short video that plays forward and backward, and forward and backward.

"That was fun, the whole moving part," said Beth Trafford of Charleston after being part of a group photo.

This story was originally published April 12, 2018 at 5:54 PM with the headline "This RBC Heritage bar got a brand new look for 2018. Here’s what you can expect."