Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina ? Considered the Crowning Achievement of Legendary Golf Course Designer Pete Dye

The Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina features 54 holes of golf, including the Harbour Town Golf Links course, which is considered the crowning achievement of legendary golf course architect Pete Dye, known as the father of "target golf.''

The Harbour Town Golf Links course, which opened in 1969, is home to the PGA Tour's Verizon Heritage Tournament, but is considered more a test of finesse, shot-making and imagination, rather than brute strength. The 18-hole, par-71 course plays to 6,973 yards from the Heritage tees, short by most PGA standards, with a USGA rating of 71 but a hefty slope rating of 146 on Bermuda grass.

The course features relatively few forced carries off the tee, with the exception of the par-3s, offers ample driving room on many holes, but also has some of the smallest greens on the Tour, which are also are relatively flat. Even so, Harbour Town Golf Links is a very difficult course, calling for placement and accuracy from start to finish. Even balls in the fairway, if they're not in the right position, can lead to subsequent shots that just don't work.

Some of the most noteworthy holes include what golf analyst Ken Venturi calls the "best set of par threes on the PGA Tour.'' Hole No. 4 is one of them, a par-3 that plays to 200 yards from the longest tees and features the Dye trademark railroad ties fronting the green bordered by water on the front left.

Hole No. 7 is another, a par-3 that plays to 195 yards from the back tees. This hole features an "island'' green that's surrounded by sand as well as some water. But the real hazards here are the handful of trees that surrounded and hang over a deep, narrow green.

On the back nine, Dye tests players with four par-4s that will demand every skill they have. No. 10 plays to 444 yards from the back tees and asks players to gauge the wind, avoid the lake on the left side as the hole doglegs, then hit an accurate approach shot to another long, narrow green.

The finishing hole on the course is another long par-4 that plays to 452 yards from the back tees. This hole is considered one of the most feared in all of golf, especially so if the wind is blowing off Calibogue Sound. With a wide landing area that juts into the Sound, the tee shot is of the "grip-it-and-rip-it'' variety. It's the second shot, however, that calls for a medium iron over wetlands and bunkers to a small green, where the famous red-and-white lighthouse stands watch over the finishing hole.

Among the many accolades accorded Harbour Town Golf Links is a ranking by most major golf publications among the Top 100 Courses in the U.S. and in the world. Golfweek Magazine rated it #25 on its list of America's Top 100 Modern Courses, and #12 among the nation's resort courses, while Golf Digest ranked it #14 among America's 100 Greatest Courses You Can Play.

The Sea Pines Resort also offers 5,000 acres of oceanfront retreat that includes award-winning tennis facilities, luxury accommodations, beach activities, and gourmet restaurants.