What You Won't See at the RBC Heritage - Unless You Go!

Their love of the Lowcountry comes through (truth be told, pressure from CBS execs helped save the tournament during the tough times before the RBC/Boeing rescue a few years back) and they do a terrific job showing off our Island to the world over Heritage week. 

But there are some things you don’t see on TV, and can’t really feel through even the widest screen with the most pixels, you just have to BE there to experience. 

The Opening Tee Shot. Teeing off #10 the first day might be a break for players, though don’t tell that to defending champion Wesley Bryan, who while he didn’t hit into a bunker all week (imagine that), dunked his drive on Thursday at the 10th, his very first hole of the tournament. Obviously, he got over it. But disaster truly looms at #1, where in 2016 young Canadian (and sponsor favorite) Adam Hadwin took one look at the tightest chute on the course and air mailed a drive out-of-bounds. You want to get up-close to the players? Just stay near the ropes on the right side of #1 and you’ll get to know plenty of them.

The Dance Between 16 and 17. Though the course plays between rows of Sea Pines neighbors, the walks between the greens and tees are often very short, like from the 2nd green to the 3rd tee, 3 green and 4 tee, and 5 green and the 6th tee. But one of those short walks is unlike any other. If you go to the tourney, watch the dance that takes place between players putting at the 16th green and preparing to tee off at 17. The two spots are no more than 10 yards apart, and you’ll often get to watch the players at 16 alternating their shots with the tee balls at 17 so that the lead players won’t be distracted by any roars that come from the huge crowds at the 16th green. Its something you’ll see only rarely anywhere else in the game.

But on a Boat in the Calibogue? CBS does love to show the nautical connection of Harbour Town and Heritage week. But while you might get on TV for being on a boat in the Calibogue Sound during the week, you’ll probably only know who won, who you’re blasting your horn for at the end by hearing about it on TV or radio, because the view of the action is not all that hot. Join the thousands that surround the 18th on Sunday, and then stay for the jacket presentation, when our 50th champion will be crowned. Then look over at that plaid-wrapped lighthouse and remember that it wasn’t even finished when Charles Fraser handed Arnold Palmer that very first trophy, and imagine how far we’ve come, a feeling TV just can’t duplicate.