HILTON HEAD ISLAND — Bob Collar has never wanted the Lowcountry Golf Hall of Fame to be what it’s not.
There aren’t any neon arrows pointing a path to it. Billboards promoting the shrine don’t loom anywhere between Hilton Head Island and I-95, either. Finding it on this perpetually growing island is almost a happy accident, even if you’re already in the know about its existence.
The Hall can be found inside Chronic Games + Golf. Think of it as a more intimate, top-shelf version of Dave & Buster’s. This has been the Hall’s home since 2022 after five years at The Shops at Sea Pines Center.
Most of its display consists of a single wall that’s 12 paces long and runs parallel to the establishment’s bathrooms. Nature’s call can lead to a quick education about some of the game’s movers and shakers in this part of the state.
There are some items inside of a glass display at the head of that narrow hallway; relics telling some of golf’s history in this part of the state.
Otherwise, that’s it.
It’s a thoughtful, carefully developed shrine even if you didn’t know it exists.
Slow and steady
The Hall is Bob Collar’s brainchild. Its executive director, he first began concocting the idea about a dozen years ago as way to recognize golf’s role in shaping this place.
It’s a worthwhile initiative, too, considering how quickly the game planted roots here and a vibrant economy sprouted over about 50 years.
There are more than 60 golf courses in the immediate area split almost cleanly between being public, private and semi-private facilities. The PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage is annually a major economic driver for all of South Carolina, while other pro events have helicoptered in and out over the decades.
Factor in the beaches, restaurants and close proximity to Charleston and Savannah, and no other region that fancies itself as a “golf destination” can offer more. Sorry, Myrtle Beach.
Collar rightfully figured the people behind that kind of sudden impact needed to be acknowledged — just at a demure pace.
“(The Lowcountry Hall of Fame) appreciates anybody and everybody involved in making the Lowcountry the prestigious destination it is for golf and families,” Collar said. “And it’s very important to me that it’s done very, very slowly and correctly.”
He’s not kidding.
The Lowcountry Golf Hall of Fame has indeed grown via babysteps instead of grand leaps. Word of its existence doesn’t get much past Jasper County or some of the barrier islands, those being within the imaginary lines from which the hall (for now) draws candidates.
But the methodical pace has also kept the Hall from turning into everything he wants to avoid. Most notably, not becoming something gaudy and overblown that grants entry to anyone with a notable name or enough money.
To get into this club, you really have to earn it.
Check the resumes
Twenty-five people now have plaques on that wall, the most recent additions coming last weekend during the hall’s ninth induction ceremony. Around 200 people gathered inside a Country Club of Hilton Head banquet room to honor Rosie Jones, Jack Nicklaus and home-grown hero Tony Nimmer.
Jones, a full-time Hilton Head resident since 2015, didn’t get in because of her 22 professional wins. Rather she was acknowledged because of her work developing and mentoring junior golfers on and off the course.
“I kind of want to be retired and have fun myself,” Jones, who in 2006 retired from playing on the LPGA fulltime, said. “But the rewards I’ve gotten from it have been great. It’s just been really, really rewarding. I love when I get off the golf course with a kid and they figure something out or pick up something new or a light bulb goes off and then you watch them improve. It’s been really fun for me.”
As for the Golden Bear? Well, it’s safe to say this is the rare instance when he’s not a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
Yet, as with Jones, his on-course brilliance didn’t carry much weight when it came to considering his candidacy. Instead it was his work in developing courses in the area, most notably the iconic Harbour Town Golf Links.
The 85-year-old Nicklaus didn’t make the ceremony, though a video of him seated in a high-back leather chair holding his plaque and wearing his “nice (Lowcountry Golf Hall of Fame) blazer, fits perfectly, incidentally” played out on a large screen.
He recalled making 23 flights on a jet to oversee work on Harbour Town that was never reimbursed.
“It was all worth it,” Nicklaus said. “It was the greatest experience I’ve had in my life. I’ve since done a variety of courses (in the area) … I’ve really enjoyed the Lowcountry, I’ve really enjoyed the golf.
“You honor me by asking me to be part of your hall of fame. It’s been a while since I’ve been there, but I’ve always enjoyed my visits there, particularly back to Harbour Town where it all started.”
Perhaps.
Things definitely hit a different gear about the time that course and its candystripe lighthouse came to life. People who don’t know Daufuski from Disneyland can still associate Harbour Town with Hilton Head and Jack had a hand in it.
Still, lots of other folks had to keep that momentum going. They’re the ones Collar wants to make sure get their props. And, if he has his way, they will.
It’ll just happen in due time.
