May the course be with you

Bluffton’s Bryson Nimmer takes on the RBC Heritage

By Maddie Bane

The Heritage Classic Foundation has awarded Bluffton native Bryson Nimmer a sponsor’s exemption for the 53rd annual RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. After leading Hilton Head Christian Academy to the state championship in 2013, he soon followed in his father’s footsteps and played for Clemson, where he won multiple collegiate awards. Nimmer competed in 11 events in Canada on the MacKenzie Tour in 2019, and in 2020 he had two victories and a runner-up finish at the LOCALiQ Series. With these wins, he received an exemption into the 2021 RBC Canadian Open and the Puerto Rico open, where he finished in the top 40. LOCAL Life was able to catch up with him to discuss growing up in the area and his golfing career.

[LOCAL Life] Tell us a little bit about growing up in Bluffton. [Bryson Nimmer] My family is originally from Ridgeland, and we moved over to Bluffton when I was about six or seven years old, and we’ve been over here pretty much ever since. We lived in Rose Hill and moved out of there when I was a junior in college, and it was great. I went to Hilton Head Christian on the island all the way from kindergarten until twelfth grade. It was a really cool experience, because I got to really enjoy Bluffton and Hilton Head growing up.

[LL] What got you into the game of golf? [BN] My dad was a big influence. He played college golf at Clemson, so he was a major influence that got me into it. Just being in the area was a big influence, too. Being in the middle of a really big golf community provoked me to want to play. There are so many good golf courses around here, and it’s a pretty popular sport in this area.

[LL] What’s been your favorite course to play in the area? [BN] I really love Harbour Town. I know that’s the cheesy answer, but it really is my favorite course in the area. There are so many good ones though. I grew up playing out at Berkeley Hall, and Chechessee and Secession over in Beaufort are both great. May River is really good as well.

[LL] What are some of your favorite things to do around Hilton Head and Bluffton? [BN] I love going down to the beach on the island. I grew up going down there, and my buddies and I would go skim-boarding, go out on the boat, go out on the May River sandbar, and just enjoy all of the surroundings.

[LL] Did you ever attend the RBC Heritage growing up? How cool is it to be playing in it now? [BN] Yeah, I did. I’ve been many times. I probably started going when I was maybe ten years old and probably went all the way until I graduated from high school. It’s so cool growing up and going down and seeing all of those guys play, and now to have the opportunity to participate is pretty cool and pretty surreal.

[LL] What has been your proudest moment in your golfing career thus far? [BN] I would say, probably more than anything for me, is the team events. Playing at Clemson, we won a number of team events, and we won ACCs my freshman year. Those are always cool. I think individual accomplishments are always really good, but it’s probably twice as good, if not more, when you’re doing it with a group of guys. Those were probably my proudest moments with golf.

[LL] You’ve played in many different places all over the world. How do those courses compare to the ones here? [BN] They’re very different. Every part of the world is a little different. The weather is different, the grass is different, and everywhere kind of has its special thing. I’ve played south of the U.S. down in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and South America, and then you go north up in Canada, and it’s completely different there too. It’s just kind of adapting to all of the different places. I’ve really enjoyed Puerto Rico. I’ve gotten to play there three times now, and that one’s been pretty cool. I’m a sucker for warm weather, so it’s hard to beat.

[LL] What do you do to prepare for a tournament? [BN] For me, I’ve got a pretty good routine that I’ve followed for a long time now. I really try to get as much work in as I can, and I focus on the golf course that I’m going to be playing. It makes it really easy now, obviously having become a home event. I’m going to try to get out to Harbour Town as much as I can to get used to the course and try to focus my practice on that course.