Harbour Town ranked 91st on Golf magazine's course list
Even before Harbour Town Golf Links reopens later this month, its place remains secure among one prominent list of the world's top 100 courses.
Golf magazine's biannual ranking, unveiled Thursday, places Harbour Town at No. 91 on its newest list. That's down 10 spots from its 2013 ranking but still lauded by panelists even before Sea Pines Resort put the course on hiatus to upgrade its irrigation and give the entire layout fresh turf.
"A place of subtle beauty, this is a shotmaker's paradise where power takes a backseat to precision," the magazine says. "Mixing live oaks, lagoons, tiny greens, bunkers banked by railroad ties and a closing stretch along the Calibogue Sound, this Pete Dye/Jack Nicklaus collaboration delights and terrorizes at every turn."
The longtime home of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing will reopen Sept. 28 for those who want to see for themselves.
"We're working to provide the tournament-type conditions that people see on TV every week," said John Farrell, Sea Pines' director of golf. "We want people to experience that on a Tuesday in September. We're certainly not letting up."
Harbour Town is one of two South Carolina courses to make the Top 100 list, with Kiawah Island's Ocean course coming in 50th.
"We're flattered to be included," Farrell said. "Who wouldn't be flattered to be included in the top 100 in the world — in anything? At the same time, the everyday guest and member opinions matter. It's part of our effort to deliver on all aspects of the golf experience."
Pine Valley in New Jersey retained the No. 1 position it has held since the rankings debuted. Cypress Point on California's northern coast is No. 2, followed by the iconic Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. Augusta National comes in fourth.
Harbour Town's position stands in contrast to Golf Digest, which in February dropped the layout from its list of "America's 100 Greatest Courses." That ranking placed Harbour Town at No. 106 nationally.
Methodology may have something to do with the disparity. Golf magazine relies on a 100-member international panel of major-championship winners, architects, golf journalists and select course connoisseurs. Each submits a personal top-100 list drawn from a ballot of nearly 500 courses, with points given for where a course ranks on each list.
Golf Digest uses an army of more than 1,200 course raters, who break each evaluation down into specific architectural categories.
"They are two different groups," Farrell said. "Not that we weight one more than the other. We hope to be included in both."
Additionally, Golfweek magazine ranks Harbour Town 42nd on its list of America's best modern designs, defined as courses built no earlier than 1960.
This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 10:17 AM with the headline "Harbour Town ranked 91st on Golf magazine's course list."