Nearly 40 years after completing Harbour Town Golf Links, the
course that catapulted Pete Dye's career, the octogenarian returned to Hilton
Head Island, South Carolina, to make over Heron Point, Harbour Town's sister
course at the Sea Pines Resort. In addition to a new design, Heron Point, which
re-opened in September, has a fresh name; the course, originally designed by
George Cobb in 1964, was known as Sea Marsh.
With its narrow, tree-lined corridors and tiny greens, Heron Point
will remind players of Harbour Town in parts, while some holes are reminiscent
of Long Cove, another Dye gem on Hilton Head that uses contouring and angles to
great effect.
At Heron Point, Dye also made hazards more significant, adding lagoons and creating
more definition. "It's a great combination of holes out here," Dye says. "We
think a lot of the holes will have more shot value than they did before, all the
way around."
While there undoubtedly will be some comparisons between Heron
Point and its previous iteration, there is really none to be made, according to
those most familiar with the re-do.
"There is no resemblance to the former course," says Cory Corbitt,
Sea Pines' director of golf. "It is no different than taking a virgin piece of
land and sculpting a new golf course."
The $9 million renovation has resulted in a 7,103-yard layout that
comes close to matching Harbour Town in terms of difficulty. The new layout
gives Sea Pines a formidable 36-hole combination that will delight and challenge
players of all levels.
At Heron Point, several holes have a high risk-reward ratio,
including, as at Harbour Town, on the closing hole (pictured)—a mini version of yet another
Dye classic: the 18th at TPC Sawgrass' Players Stadium course.
