HERITAGE Notebook

Random stuff you should know about this year's Heritage...

RISING STAR GIVEN FIRST SPONSORS EXEMPTION

Sports Illustrated calls Bryson DeChambeau the hottest young golfer to watch in 2016, and Heritage spectators will get the chance to see him in person. DeChambeau has received the first sponsors exemption into the 48th annual RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. 

DeChambeau grabbed the golf world’s attention after he won at the 2015 U.S. Amateur and the NCAA Division 1 Championship. He is only the fifth player in history to win both in the same year. The 22-year-old attended Southern Methodist University as a physics major, and his love of science plays a role in his golf game. Coaches call him the “Mad Scientist of Golf” because he takes a scientific approach to the game. All his irons and wedges are the same length, allowing him to perfect a more simplified swing. Another feature that makes the Clovis, California, native stand out is his signature Ivy Cap. It is a style that past two-time RBC Heritage champion Payne Stewart was known for wearing on the PGA Tour.

NEW ACTOR PLAYING SIR WILLIE

Longtime Heritage fans will notice a new, younger actor playing the role of Sir William “Willie” Innes. Willie has been a distinct symbol for the RBC Heritage since its start in 1969. His image has appeared in all kinds of promotional material to get people excited about the golf tournament. He became more than just an icon in 2010, when the RBC Heritage found a spokesman to play the part. Since then “Sir Willie” has marched around in plaid greeting spectators, handing out freebies and posing for pictures. According to legend, Sir William Innes was a wealthy Scottish golfer. In 1790, the first golf print was published of Sir William Innes, the Captain of the Society of Goffers at Blackheath in Scotland. It was based off an original oil painting by Lemuel Francis Abbott in 1778. Some say that Innes moved to Blackheath to be close to the golfing society there and that he loved golf so much, he had the iron railings and gates at his house shaped like golf clubs.

‘WILL CALL’ WILL MOVE IN 2016

In 2016, the RBC Heritage’s Will Call will merge with the Ticket Office and will be located in a trailer in the parking lot of the Harbour Town Golf Links. The trailer’s location will be at the tournament’s main entrance next to the Clubhouse.The Will Call/Ticket Office is designed for last-minute tickets sales, ticket pickup and redistribution of tournament badges. A picture ID is required to pick up tickets. The Will Call/Ticket Office also serves as Lost and Found during tournament week. There will no longer be a Will Call location at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn. A ticket is not required to ride official RBC Heritage motor coaches or shuttles. 

Will Call/Ticket Office hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, April 4, through Sunday, April 10, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, April 11, through Sunday, April 17.

HERITAGE ONCE AGAIN USING GREEN POWER 

For the eighth year in a row, the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing has committed to power its PGA Tour event with 100 percent "green" power, teaming up with Palmetto Electric Cooperative and Santee Cooper. Under a promotion campaign proclaiming “Plaid is the New Green,” the Heritage will purchase green power from Palmetto Electric Cooperative for the duration of the 2016 tournament, which plays April 11-17 at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island. In 2009, the tournament became the first major green power event in the state. Santee Cooper generates its green power from clean, renewable energy sources including landfill biogas, solar power and wind power within South Carolina. In 2001, Santee Cooper became the first utility to generate green power and offer it for sale in South Carolina, and Palmetto Electric Cooperative signed on as one of the first cooperatives in the state to offer green power to its customers. In addition to purchasing green power for this event, the Heritage has dedicated space for a green power booth on Heritage Lawn, near the 18th fairway, to educate spectators about renewable energy benefits. South Carolina residents who visit the booth will also be able to sign up to purchase green power for their own electric needs. 

YOUNG FANS READ THEIR WAY TO HERITAGE

The Heritage Classic Foundation’s sixth annual Plaid About Reading program, presented by Future Scholar, South Carolina’s tax-advantaged 529 College Savings Plan, ran through Feb. 24. The program gave the youngest fans across the Lowcountry the chance to read their way to the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. This year, 11 area schools participated in the program. The lighthearted scholastic competition allowed area elementary school students in kindergarten through fifth grade a chance to win $500 for their school, $150 for their class, tickets to the RBC Heritage and the chance to meet a professional PGA Tour golfer. Students at participating schools read as many pages as possible from Feb. 10-24.The classroom at each participating school that read the most pages will receive $150. Each student in that class will receive two Daily Grounds tickets to attend Coca-Cola Youth Day at the RBC Heritage on Tuesday, April 12, and participate in special scheduled events. The school that reads the most pages will win $500. Results were not available at press time. 

APEX BROADCASTING BECOMES OFFICIAL SPONSOR

Apex Broadcasting signed a three-year agreement to become the new official radio stations of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.  “Apex wants to grow our relationship with the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing because the tournament makes our community a better place,” said Apex general manager Mike Buxser. “The tournament is an economic driver and distributes funding to the charities who help improve the lives of local residents. It is the type of event we want to be associated with.” 

Apex’s sponsorship will include original radio content aimed at informing listeners about the RBC Heritage throughout the year. Weekly Heritage segments and a golf-themed show named “Lowcountry Links” are already planned for Apex’s three stations: 104.9 The Surf/WLHH, SC 103/WVSC 103.1 and Easy FM 106.5. Apex will also receive hospitality and promotion during the tournament week. 

HERITAGE GENERATES MORE THAN $1 MILLION FOR CHARITY EACH YEAR

The Heritage has been an important element of South Carolina’s culture and economy since 1969, when it debuted at the Pete Dye-designed Harbour Town Golf Links. The tournament generates more than $1 million for charity each year and brings worldwide exposure to Hilton Head Island and the state of South Carolina through telecasts and media coverage. A 2015 study conducted by Clemson University shows the tournament has an annual economic impact of approximately $96 million. 

PATRIOT PARTNERS RETURN TO HERITAGE

Throughout the years, the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing has consistently made military appreciation a hallmark of its annual tournament, offering free tickets to active military and their dependents. In addition to tournament access, active-duty military are invited to the Patriots Outpost. Created in 2010, the outpost offers an exclusive skybox for military hospitality, along with an American pin flag on the 16th green. In 2014, the tournament added a Patriot Partner program to support area military charities and will continue at this year's event. The Patriot Partners program is another dimension of military appreciation that reaches out to those who cannot serve as sponsors, but who want to express their own appreciation to the area's military families and thank them for their service. Patriot Partners can be businesses, professional firms, civic organizations, clubs or individuals that want to make a tax-deductible donation of $500 or more. At the tournament, the total of all Patriot Partner funds will be distributed evenly among three charities that specifically support military families in the Lowcountry and the state of South Carolina: Lowcounty Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation and Operation R&R. For more information, email capt.jackwilson@gmail.com or call 843-342-7840.

TARTAN CLUB RAISES FUNDS FOR LOCAL STUDENTS

Two years ago, the Heritage Classic Foundation unveiled a new program aimed at raising funds for the foundation’s scholarship program. Membership in the Tartan Club is again open to individuals who share a desire to help others by giving to charity and have a love for the game of golf. The Tartan Club was first introduced in 1999 but was reinvented in 2013 when the foundation created the Champions Club. “We are bringing the Tartan Club back because prominent community leaders wanted a way to help fund the Heritage Scholar Program,” said Heritage Classic Foundation trustee and Tartan Club chairman Scott Richardson, “The Scholar Program funds college scholarships for outstanding Beaufort County high school seniors.” Seven Beaufort County high school seniors were named when the Scholar Program was created in 1993. They each received a four-year scholarship grant for their continuing education. In addition, the foundation awards annual scholarships to seven University of South Carolina Beaufort and Technical College of the Lowcountry students. This year, seven new scholars will be named, increasing the total number of award recipients since 1993 to 274. The foundation’s goal is to increase the number of full scholarships awarded.