Love Golf Design to Renovate Ocean Course at Sea Pines


The Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head, S.C., has announced that Love Golf Design will redesign its historic Ocean Course. The architecture firm is headed by PGA Tour veteran Davis Love III and his brother Mark.

Based at Georgia's St. Simons Island, Love Golf Design has done other course designs and renovations in the area, including the Retreat at Sea Island (Sea Island, Ga.), Laurel Island Golf Club (Kingsland, Ga.), and the Love Course at Barefoot Resort (Myrtle Beach, S.C.). Love is a five-time winner of the RBC Heritage, held annually at Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines.

Designed by architect George Cobb and opened in 1962, the Ocean Course is the first layout built on the island. Mark McCumber, a 10-time PGA Tour winner, remodeled the original course in 1995. Love Golf Design will now oversee a total renovation of the layout. The course will close for play in October 2015 and reopen the following September.

"Sea Pines is one of my all-time favorite places to play, so we're excited to redesign the Ocean Course to be in line with the great golf offered by Harbour Town Golf Links and Heron Point," said Love of the 54-hole resort. "It's an honor for us to work with one of the world's premier golf destinations."

The project follows completed enhancements by Pete Dye to his Heron Point design, which reopened for play September 22. Dye's team softened the green surrounds and contours, enlarged several greens, and added ornamental landscape beds throughout the layout. The putting surfaces were also converted to Tif-Eagle Bermuda grass.

Next May, after the 2015 RBC Heritage, Harbour Town Golf Links will close for the summer as its fairways will be changed to Celebration Bermuda grass. Also, the greens will be reseeded with Tif-Eagle Bermuda, the same grass on its putting surfaces since 2001, and the irrigation system will be replaced.

"We're thrilled to have a great champion like Davis Love III and his exceptional design team working on the Ocean Course," said Cary Corbitt, the resort's vice president of Sports and Operations. "Our continual goal at The Sea Pines Resort is to offer world-class golf."

Earlier this year the Lowcountry destination opened its new Plantation Golf Club clubhouse and golf-learning center, which serves both Heron Point and the Ocean Course. The 23,000-square-foot clubhouse contains an expansive pro shop; Lowcountry-inspired cuisine at Live Oak restaurant; 2,000 square feet of event space; and men's and women's locker rooms.

For more information about golf at Sea Pines Resort, visit www.seapinesgolf.com or call 866/561-8802.