RBC Heritage
Harbor Town Golf Links
Hole 7
Well The Masters are over, and golf will slowly recede into the background of NBA and NHL playoffs, and all the Augusta stans who emerged for the Masters will forget golf is on until the PGA Championship comes around in May. It’s a real shame though, because this week the Tour is at one of my favorite courses, Harbor Town Golf Links.
Harbor Town GL, is in on the complete opposite side of the coin, then the prim and proper Augusta National. Gone are the wide open expanses of green grass, at Harbor Town, the name of the game is precision. We also welcome back some glorious bunkers. Absolute, bunker porn. There’s more than a few centerfolds on this course, which is more than I can say about Augusta. Even just a quick glance at this course, someone without much golf course experience can tell you who designed this Southern jewell. If you’re expecting me to, I ain’t going to, it’s just that obvious.
Choosing a bunker here that sums up the aesthetics of the course was a challenge to say the least: the second hole with its gigantic grassed face; the numerous deep, railroad tie lined bunkers of the back nine; or one of the several gargantuan bunkers snaking up the sides of fairways. The one bunker to stand above the rest is the monstrosity of a bunker surrounding the entire green complex on hole 7. This bunker not only encompasses the entire green and surrounding rough, but also encircles several large trees that guard the small green. This is a picture of Southern golf and the architects style, that is lifted straight from the dictionary. The large trees surrounding the green, are the real threats on this hole, as it being a par 3 situated in the middle of the course, most will never see the sand. I for one dread an overhanging tree wherever I play especially near a green. The large trees and the surrounding sand and water, make for a hole that embodies what Harbor Town is all about, precision, precision, precision. Large bunkers and the amount of frustrations they cause for the grounds crew are why I tend to single them out before the smaller, more strategically placed bunkers throughout a course, but if you’re a bunker person, the second hole backside green bunker is one of the stranger bunkers on the course. The shallow bunker behind a large mound, is a sight to see. I mean the whole mound definitely has to be fly mowed, especially the face, which I’d actually rather do than go rake that beast on 7.
The RBC Heritage allows us to watch a different type of golf than the usual grip it and rip it long drives of the early season. Shot shapers and distance control trump long drives; and the amount of bunkers, water, and other various hazards, ie houses, make accuracy the number one factor. Give me a beautifully precise shot over a 400 yard drive 9 times out of 10, and that’s certainly what you will get here. Not to mention the plaid jacket the winner gets here, is so much cleaner than the boring green jacket of the Masters.