I played there last Thanksgiving. It's a very unique design that truly values positioning more than anything. I think you'd enjoy it since it is a thinking man's (person's) course where you have to stay a step ahead in your strategy or you will pay the price. With the trees, pine straw, small greens, and bulkheads; the margin between a good shot and bad shot is very small. There really are no "ok" shots; you're either golden or you're screwed. Here are some pics:
1st green. I managed to make par on #1 and #2 before falling apart.
5th fairway, one of the very few "wide" areas of the course:
7th green, another GREAT par 3. All the one-shot holes at Harbour Town are truly world class:
9th fairway:
The heart shaped 9th green, one of many
extremely small greens. There are three par 4 holes at HT that are less than 400 yards from the tips (9 is barely 300), and they are all brilliant. 9 is an easy long iron layup to have 100 yards to the hole, but it's a knee knocking 100 yards for sure:
#13 is another of the amazing short par 4 holes. I'm in the fairway on this hole (where this pic was taken), but I am screwed because I'm out of position and the trees are vexing me:
And #14 is probably the scariest of the par 3's:
The fairway tree on #16 (I took this as I went up #10):
Best drive of the day (one of the best of my life), only 59 yards left to the green on
#16, carried the big bunker at the dogleg:
#17
Another good drive:
Two of #18, from the top of the lighthouse:
I have more pics but I'm too lazy to upload at the moment. Harbour Town, IMO, is a course defined by its set of par 3's - all beyond reproach -, short par 4's - each providing a terrifying short iron approach -, and #18, which is one of the greatest and most famous finishing holes in golf. The other holes are good, but not great. It's the great holes, not the totality of all 18 holes, that elevates the course to the high rankings it usually receives.
