With neighbors that include the Harbour Town Golf Links nearby, we have never been far from the sense of celebration that comes to Hilton Head Island each April when the Heritage Classic takes place. Last month was certainly no exception.

From visitors to long-term residents, from tournament officials to volunteers, and from PGA pros to their families who join them here, a feeling radiates from the Heritage that seems to put a different kind of smile on every face and a special spring in every step. The feeling has become familiar, and yet still it seems fresh every time, and it stays with us through the year.

Newcomers to the Heritage bring with them the gift of opening our eyes all over again. We see neighbors, friends, and loved ones dressed for the gallery of a tournament, yes, but also with a little extra flair. There’s a party in the air, and what we celebrate is how fortunate we are to be here, on America’s favorite vacation island, whether for the week, for a season, or for the finest chapter of our lifetime.

Elements of Good Fortune

With this feeling of gratitude comes a sense that there was more to achieving this pleasurable place than our own efforts alone. Certainly, planning and providing are involved. And yet, the joy of the Heritage seems to include every effort we could muster, plus an added element of good fortune.

An example of just such a happening might be right here on the 18^th fairway of the Harbour Town Golf Links. Certainly, for those of us who know the story, we are reminded of this prime example of grace, every time we see a golfer tee off on 18.

The widespread solution to staying out of the trees that hug the right of the 18^th fairway at Harbour Town Golf links is to put your tee shot on the peninsula that juts abruptly from the narrows of the fairway and projects itself into the marsh that aprons Calibogue Sound there.

An Even Greater Designer

With Pete Dye designing and Jack Nicklaus consulting, you might think that enough genius was at work, completing the construction of Harbour Town Golf Links in the nick of time for that first Heritage Classic in 1969. We heard a story from an old timer on the building crew that suggests that perhaps an even greater hand was at work, when it came to the final shape of the fairway on 18. It tells of how everyone’s favorite tee shot target came to be.

Workers rigged a large but temporary network of pumps and pipes to dredge a lagoon and complete the fairway. Being ready in time prompted them to leave the pumps running overnight. The story goes that they arrived the next morning to find one of the pipe sections had become disconnected, and the mixture of sandy soil, saltwater, and clay-like pluff mud had extruded itself into the peninsula shape we see now on the 18^th fairway. Some folks deny the story and say it was planned that way. Who can tell for sure now?

Here, at the center of the original vision of Hilton Head Island, Swallowtail at Spicebush offers an insider’s perspective on how best to enjoy America’s favorite vacation island. This inside story of a heavenly hand on 18 is just one example. Come visit and find out too how easy it is to own your own place in Swallowtail at Sea Pines.