Famed Harbour Town Golf Links Gets Renovation Work

---

(HILTON HEAD, SC) -- Sea Pines Resort announced golf course architect Pete Dye completed some minor renovations to Sea Pines' Harbour Town Golf Links, which annually plays host to the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage.

Harbour Town's layout was lengthened by 150 yards, a handful of trees were removed to improve sightlines and a select number of bunkers were reshaped or extended to bring hazards back into play.

"Pete Dye is a dear friend of Sea Pines and his name and legacy are intrinsically tied to this resort," says Cary Corbitt, Director of Sports Division of Sea Pines Resort. "We are honored he returned to prepare Harbour Town for the next chapter in its colorful history."

Dye was thrilled to make a return trip to Sea Pines. "Harbor Town made my career," Dye says.

Forty years ago Harbour Town opened to much fanfare and hosted a nascent PGA Tour tournament -- the Heritage Classic. Arnold Palmer staged one of his patented final round charges for the inaugural victory and the Low country resort development became an instant must-visit destination.

Earlier this year, Dye did an evaluation of Harbour Town and mapped out a series of enhancements to ensure the layout would retain its lofty status and continued critical acclaim for years to come.

To complement Harbour Town's makeover, Sea Pines also recently tapped Dye to create Heron Point golf course on the site once occupied by the Sea Marsh course. Rather than simply renovate Sea Marsh, Sea Pines gave Dye free rein to design an entirely new layout using the existing routing. The outcome was another timeless Dye-creation that has been lauded in national and regional golf publications including recognition as a "Top 50 Course for Women" by Golf Digest.

Says Corbitt:  "With two Pete Dye classics -- Harbour Town and Heron Point -- we now offer as fine a 'one-two' golf combination as you'll find anywhere in the game."

Sea Pines also boasts the Ocean Course - the island's first and a George Cobb/Mark McCumber design with an emphasis on traditional principles of course architecture.

 The resort's best-in-class collection of golf courses, amenities, meeting facilities and accommodations makes Sea Pines one of the most sought-after leisure and group destinations in America.

In addition to 54 holes of golf, Sea Pines features 23 clay tennis courts, eco-tours, water sports, fine and casual dining, spa, 14 miles of bike and walking trails, horseback riding and five miles of unspoiled beaches. Guests choose from an array of accommodations, including 300 villas, 100 rental homes and the luxurious 60-room Inn at Harbour Town, a Forbes Four-Star boutique hotel and Preferred Hotel Group member.

---

Tierra Rejada Golf Club Redesigned

(MOORPARK, CA) -- "The Players Course" at the Tierra Rejada Golf Club, which recently re-opened after being designed to appeal to recreational, senior and younger players learning the game, hosted more than 1,000  rounds in the month of August, club officials report. With strategically placed new Green Tee boxes, wide landing areas and a liberal set of local rules to speed up the game and make it more fun, the 5,600-yard layout is essentially a shortened, "course within a course" version of Tierra Rejada's challenging Bob Cupp design, which measures more than 7,000 yards from the tips.

"We want to do our part to keep people in the game, and to encourage others to take up the game for the first time," says Ted Kruger, developer and co-owner of Tierra Rejada Golf Club.

For an annual fee of $125, golfers can join "The Players Club" at Tierra Rejada, which allows members to play "The Players" Course with a $49 greens fee (with cart included) Monday through Friday, and $80 greens fee - cart also included - on Saturday, Sunday and holidays. There is also a twilight fee of $60.

"We think that what we're doing with 'The Players Course' will be a model for golf courses everywhere, not only for making the game more fun, but also as a way to speed up play and increase business," Kruger says. "With 'The Players Course' we offer something that people will want to return to over and over, and at a great value."

Originally opened in 1999, Tierra Rejada is well known for its natural beauty, with views of the Reagan Presidential Library. Architect Cupp made the original layout a stout test for low-handicap golfers, with long shots over ravines and lakes. By creating new Green Tees and establishing "The Players Course" as a distinct and different option from The Champion's Course, Tierra Rejada has taken those forced carries over lakes and ravines out of play.

The new local rules also enhance playability, scoring and pace-of-play. For example, should a golfer hit an errant shot into an unplayable area, penalty strokes will be minimized and drop areas have been designed to make this possible.

While players are not obligated to use these rules, they are in the spirit of keeping the game fun. "It's frustrating enough if you've just lost a golf ball in a water hazard or natural area," Kruger says. "Why penalize a beginning or senior golfer two strokes? Golf should be fun and scores should be lower, which is what 'The Players Course' is all about.

"We accept the fact that a large number of those who play our championship course come away feeling a bit beat up," he adds. "Golf is experiencing less frequency from average golfers, and is losing older players because of difficulty. Who the heck ever said that golf shouldn't be fun?"

---