Hilton Head Sports

Doug Weaver, longtime director of golf instruction at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, was named the 2017 Palmer Maples Teacher of the Year by the Carolinas Professional Golf Association.

Weaver hosts private and group lessons, conducts weekly clinics, gives lessons to children while using songs to help them remember how to play, assists with Special Olympics programming, and serves as the Hilton Head Island High School golf team’s assistant coach.

A team of Hilton Head Island’s top male senior players won the USTA League national championship in November in Orlando.

John Brittis, Michael Mitchell, Tom Jilly, Guenter Bergmann, Pat Child, Bobby Tillison, Gavin Cox, Job de Boer, Mark Sheaffer, Bill Sturm and Charlie Frangos teamed up to win the state and sectional tournaments, earning their ticket to nationals, where they posted a 6-0 record to claim the national crown in the men’s 55-and-older 9.0 division.

The Yacht Club of Hilton Head and the South Carolina Yacht Club held their annual Regatta Weekend from Oct. 13-15, including the 47th annual Harbour Town Cup and the 46th annual Calibogue Cup. 

Mike Roe took home the top honors in his Hunter 356 boat — nicknamed Roeboat — winning The Island Packet Trophy for the best overall performance in both regattas. Roe won the PHRF Non-Spinnaker Class in both races.

The Sea Pines Resort’s newest golf instructor, Dana Rader, has been named one of the “50 Best Teachers in America” by Golf Digest. She is one of only four women to make the prestigious list.

The honor comes just months after Rader was formally inducted into the LPGA’s Teaching and Club Professional Hall of Fame — the highest honor bestowed to teaching and club pros, awarded for extraordinary service and leadership while contributing to the game of golf and the golf industry.

AFTER ANOTHER BIG WIN, HHI CROSS COUNTRY COACH STEPS DOWN

By any account, there’s no good reason why Hilton Head Island should produce more talented distance runners than any other town its size.

Sure, outdoor activities are popular here, and training in the humid environment might benefit local runners when they race elsewhere, but high humidity isn’t unique to the Lowcountry. The terrain is flat as can be — the bridges to the mainland and across Skull Creek provide the only opportunities for substantial elevation change.

Former Hilton Head Island High School star and current Texas Longhorns standout Poona Ford is among 12 finalists for the S.C. Football Hall of Fame’s Blanchard-Rogers Trophy.

The trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding collegiate player of the year with South Carolina ties. Previous winners include Deshaun Watson in 2015 and 2016), Vic Beasley in 2014, and Tajh Boyd in 2013.

Hilton Head Island-based Professional Tennis Registry has been named the official education partner of Girls Tennis Network, a program developed by Evolve9 to help tennis coaches and facilities keep girls in the game. The program focuses on giving coaches the skills to retain young female players ages 8-12 by providing drills, games and activities delivered through the six core principles of GTN. GTN was successfully launched at the Women’s Tennis Coaching Association Conference in August in New York City. PTR and Evolve9 will offer one-day GTN workshops to PTR members throughout 2018.  

SHOOTING SPORTING CLAYS PROVIDES FUN, BUILDS SKILL

While working the sporting clays course at Spring Island Club, Christian Pollitzer has seen just about everything from experienced shooters to novices who have never held a shotgun.

One pre-teen boy was having a tough time hitting targets, so Pollitzer suggested closing his left eye. The boy’s aim improved, but then it regressed.

PROFESSIONAL CYCLIST FROM HILTON HEAD SURMOUNTS ADVERSITY

It was a stupid crash, Chris Butler recalls, a fluke pileup during the penultimate lap of the Clásica de Almería race Feb. 12 in southeastern Spain.

From that stupid crash came months of stupid luck.