Hilton Head Sports

From the turf to the register, making it green is the primary concern of golf course operators across the country, including those here in the nature-rich South Carolina Lowcountry. Yet for many right-minded pros, superintendents and owners in Hilton Head and Bluffton, going “green” is equally important to growing and succeeding when it comes to managing a responsible golf course operation.

For more than five decades, Hilton Head Island and the surrounding Lowcountry area have been sharpening their reputations as the finest golf destinations not only on the East Coast, but also around the globe.

When the sun is shining and refreshing winds are blowing during the spring and fall, that designation is difficult to argue with. Even when the temperature is turned up in the summer months, southern Beaufort County’s acclaimed courses are full of vacationing golfers beating the heat by playing in the early morning or late afternoon.

How to get ready for the big event

Running is getting to be a messy affair, from mud runs to color runs to evading zombies.
Color runs, where runners are covered in colored powders throughout the 5K run, are popping up all over, including Charleston and Savannah.
Hilton Head Island has a run attached to just about every holiday and festival, from the Firecracker Run to the Shamrock Run to the Hog Jog to the Zombie Run.

Pastor Jon Heiliger spends many off hours on Bluffton trails

Pastor Jon Heiliger is never running on empty.

Every day he is serving the lord, running the Lord of the Life Lutheran Church in Bluffton.

During his off hours, he is running on the trails of Bluffton as often as his schedule permits.

Heiliger, 53, was a latecomer to running as he started in the sport in 2007 after noticing some health warning signs.

“I started running for fitness since I was so out of shape,” he said. “I would walk a mile and I was completely exerted. I started running a mile or two and built up from there.”

After dropping 100 pounds, Rich Vidinha has his sights set on the Boston Marathon

Rich Vidinha didn’t think much about how easy running was, until the day he realized everything else was hard.
During Vidinha’s 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including time spent as a drill instructor on Parris Island, physical fitness had been a natural part of his life.
“I wouldn’t call me a runner,” says Vidinha, 35. “But when we ran, I always enjoyed it.”

Mike Beckwith completes his 5th marathon — and his first in 20 years

Hampton Lake resident Mike Beckwith, 63, just completed his fifth marathon. That’s more than most people can say about their running records, but this most recent race is also the first marathon he’s run in about 20 years.

“Running the Savannah Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon was important to me because it had been 20 years since my last one,” he said. “Mentally and physically, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it again. My biggest challenge was getting to the 20-mile marker, but once I got there, I knew I was almost home.”

Sarah Cook, 11, pursues her journey to compete in the 2020 Olympics

Last year, when runner Sarah Cooke showed up at the starting line of the 3K event for 9- and 10-year-olds at the state’s Junior Olympics in Charleston, she thought she was way out of her league. There were close to 60 girls there, all attached to running teams and wearing matching uniforms, and all stretching and chatting in small clusters.

Amanda Walton teaches girls life skills through running

When Hilton Head Island resident Amanda Walton laces up her running shoes and hits the pavement with a group of area girls, she’s doing more than taking those girls for a run. She’s teaching them about friendship, self-worth, body image and a lot more.

Bluffton firefighter David Adams set state records in high school and tore up the track in college. Nearly a decade later, he’s lacing up for more.

If you look in the state high school record books for the fastest 5K cross-country runner, you’ll see David Adams’ name next to a blistering 14:37.
“I broke a state record that stood for 11 years before I broke it,” he said. When you consider that his record has now stood for 15 years, you realize what an impressive runner Adams was back in the day. In fact, he nearly beat the state record in the 2-mile but missed it by a single second. The record holder for that was the same guy he beat for the 5K record.