Davis Love III on Harbour Town Golf Links Restoration and RBC Heritage Legacy
Davis Love III reflects on restoring Harbour Town Golf Links and honoring Pete Dye’s vision
Story by B.C. Rausch
No stranger to Harbour Town Golf Links, Davis Love III is a five-time winner of the RBC Heritage and served as player-consultant on the 2025 restoration project. He grew up on the Southeast’s coastal islands, and his company, Love Golf Design, designed another course at The Sea Pines Resort, Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III.
Love’s introduction to Harbour Town Golf Links came long before his professional golf career started. His father was a golf professional and played in the first Heritage Classic in 1969, memorably won by Arnold Palmer. It was the first time the world saw Pete Dye’s now-iconic design, which is widely regarded as one of the best courses in the country.
“I clearly remember being here for that tournament because I went into the marsh looking for golf balls and got stuck in the mud. I don’t remember anything about my dad playing or much else about that first trip to Hilton Head, except for marsh mud. It’s very sticky!”
Love went on to play in the Junior Heritage, which started his path of playing in events at Harbour Town. For the renovation, Love said the team’s mantra was, “what would Pete (Dye) want us to do now?”
The Harbour Town Golf Links clubhouse houses a celebrated collection of original oil portraits honoring every Heritage champion since 1969. These paintings of Davis Love III were created by artists Coby Whitmore and West Fraser. ©Heritage Classic Foundation
Q: What makes Harbour Town so special, not just to the PGA Tour pros but to the resort guests? DLIII: Well, I think it’s iconic golf course architecture. You know, it’s obvious that Pete was busy back then and was a noted architect. But I think this one is special because upon opening, it immediately had a PGA Tour event. It obviously had Jack Nicklaus as a co-designer when he was just getting into the business. And I think it made a statement. So many things may make this a special place for so many golfers. And, you know, it’s like a Pebble Beach of the East Coast. It’s a place that you really want to see and play and has so much history.
Q: You have done these types of restorations before. What was your anxiety level when you took this job, knowing the history here?
DLIII: There’s pressure at every club we go to, whether it’s a new course or an existing golf course. But coming to Harbour Town, we had Pete Dye and the RBC Heritage, and so much history for our family. When I walked out and met Sonny (contractor) on the 18th green the first day they started, he was digging up the spot that I chipped in from one time in the Heritage. I’m like, wow, this is hitting home.
Q: What are the PGA Tour players going to say about the restoration? DL III: What we heard from PGA Tour players is “Don’t change it. Don’t mess it up.” We all had our goals and desires, and we all concluded, ‘Alright, this is what Pete would do.’ Because we all made a list of things that we felt like we needed to do and protect, the team came up with a great plan, following the mantra, ‘plan your work and work your plan.’ And I think we planned it very well.
Q: How would you describe the scope of the work that you envision? DL III: The strategy: you either appreciate it, or it frustrates you. Lee Trevino didn’t like courses that didn’t fit his golf ball, but I think what Scottie Scheffler loves about this golf course is if you hit it in the right side of the fairway on one, you’re rewarded. You hit it on the left side of the fairway on two, you’re rewarded. The pros are interested in the quirky things. They’re like, ‘okay, are you really putting the bunker back on 14, the sod bunker?’ Yes, we are. One day we met up with a group of members who were on 14. One hit it pretty far left of the green, one was just on the fringe, one was just on the green, but they were all short and left. They all putted it up through the fringe or up to the hole, and they all made 3 or 4. I said, do you guys always hit it short? Yes, we always hit it short of the tree, and we always hit it to the left. So, we put a bunker up there. If the pros try to challenge the back hole locations now and they pull it, they’ll be in this pot bunker again.
Q: That brings up an interesting point, finding the balance between designing for the pros and for the amateurs. DL III: We think about the pros, of course, and we listen to them, but we designed for the other 51 weeks of the year. For the members and the guests who are playing here every day, you don’t want it to be easy. I think Pete Dye would tell you there are supposed to be some hard holes, and there are supposed to be some easy holes, and you’re supposed to be challenged. You don’t want every day to be the same. You want it to be challenging and exciting, to bring you back and motivate you.
