Harbour Town a tough test to pass – true or false? Golf Feature
Recently, RBC Heritage was played at the exciting site of the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
According to the recent survey, most players say that this course is one of the toughest in the US. This claim sounds a little unsubstantiated and therefore needs some research.
"I was very surprised to see the condition they were in on Wednesday, to be so firm, so fast and so overly stressed on a Wednesday, knowing we still had to play four tournament rounds on them," Furyk said.
"(The course) is very difficult," Zach Johnson said. "She's a great test. And I love coming back".
According to the Golf World's survey report, Augusta National is the favourite golf course in the US. Harbour Town Golf Links is 2nd, Riviera Country Club 3rd, Pebble Beach Golf Links 4th and Colonial is on the 5th
position.
From golfers' perspective, the criterion for the declaration of the rankings is more than fair. However, if we have a look at the stats, the situation becomes even clearer.
Harbour Town Golf Links was established in 1967. There are 18 holes and only one course available to play at. The measured length is 6,973 yards and it is rated 75.2/146.
If we compare the two top rated golf courses, then it would be right to say that the Augusta National is a tough test to pass - not Harbour Town Golf Links.
Augusta National Golf Club is the Masters site, which is a major event. Analysts said that golfers usually find this course more challenging due to its distinct design.
On the other hand, Harbour Town Golf Links is the site for RBC Heritage, a PGA Tour staged event. It is difficult, but not like Augusta.
Augusta was established in 1933 and has amazing records on it. Recording good scores sometimes becomes a nerve-wrecking task, observers pointed out.
The highest score of all time is from Nick Price and Greg Norman. They shot a 63 in a round in 1986 and 1996, respectively. This was the most appealing score ever made on Augusta.
Recently, the highest score in the 2012 Masters was a 10-under 278, made by Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen.
They faced many difficult fairways, tough greens, heavy winds and several hurdles while scoring. Watson was the winner, making an early birdie in the playoff mode.
Now, if we look at the winners' score at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links, then 14-under 270 was the best score.
The competition is somewhat less intense than the Masters and the course is also relatively easier than Augusta. The greens are in favour of the golfers, fairways are fast, there are less bunkers and less hurdles.
Carl Pettersson is the winner of the PGA staged tournament. Scoring 14-under par is only possible if there are fewer hurdles on the course.
In my opinion, Harbour Town Golf Links is less competitive than Augusta. Harbour Town is not a tough test to pass. It is a player-friendly course and the best place to practise on.
Despite the comparison between the leading courses, it can also be seen that Harbour Town is as exciting as Augusta.
There are very huge differences among the hurdles and difficulties. However, golf players dream of playing on both the courses. These two are the most famous and the most sought-after in the US.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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