Maginnes: A seaside picnic with 1,000 of your closest friends

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HILTON HEAD, S.C. -- Everything about the Verizon Heritage is unique. You see and hear things this week that you never experience at any other golf tournament. You can spot Tom Lehman riding a bike in shorts along the bike path with his kids. Stand at the 18th green, and you can hear laughter rising above beach music only to be drowned out by the growl of the Daufuskie Island ferry.

Last year's champion, Boo Weekley, with the famed 18th hole lighthouse and marina in the background. (Lecka/Getty Images)

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You can even see players like Jim Furyk and Fred Funk in the trees at Harbour Town Golf Links. That is about as common as seeing Hillary Clinton drinking shots in a bar in Pennsylvania. Oh, wait a minute. That happened. The point is that the Pete Dye golf course is as unique as its surroundings.

Most players will tell you that this is one of their favorite weeks of the year. For families, it is a vacation at the beach with all the amenities that you could ever want. At sunset every night, Greg Russell plays his guitar and sings for the kids under the huge oak tree that bathes the harbor in shade. Just steps away is a huge sand-filled playground with tree houses, swings and slides.

As great as it is, the golf course is almost and afterthought for those players looking to blow off a little steam after the Masters. More than a third of the Masters field is here this week. When you consider the fact that there were more than a handful of past Masters champions -- think Champions Tour players -- and three amateurs in the field last week, that is an impressive percentage. There is no better place to unwind and have a week of normalcy for these players. Most rent condos near the course and walk to the golf course and the restaurants in the harbor. And if you are looking for fun on any level, the harbor is a sure thing.

Once the kids are safely tucked away out of earshot, more adult entertainment takes shape on the multimillion dollar yachts that have snuggled into the harbor for a week of fun in the sun and under the stars. It is not uncommon to see PGA TOUR players in shorts and flip flops soaking up the evening air and atmosphere around the harbor. On Friday night, you might even spot one or two of the unlucky ones who don't have a tee time Saturday spending a little more time seaside under the old lighthouse -- and there is nothing wrong with that.

There is a distinct sense of welcome here in the Low Country that rises to a crescendo this week. Boat people and golf people mingle topside on teak decks and patios without a care in the world. In many ways, time stops when you come through the gate at Sea Pines Plantation.

Everyone can shag dance this week, although for many it is ill-advised. Golfers tend to dance like golfers. It is not often pretty, but it is certainly a lot of fun. This time of year is perfect in the Low Country. The spring sunshine only hints of the summer swelter ahead. The fingers of northern cold that can venture this far south in winter have been shooed away for the season.

There is a general gaiety in the air. For many fans who make the pilgrimage to the barrier islands, this is their first trip of the year. Christmas bills have been paid, and taxes have been filed. Truth be told, though, the atmosphere is more festive than party. This is not the 16th hole at the FBR Open; this is a seaside picnic with a few thousand of your close friends. Obviously, a champion will be crowned this week, and if the past is any indication, it will be a great champion. And hopefully he will have enjoyed the Low Country, come of his self-imposed diet and eaten some shrimp and grits. If not, that leaves more for me. Don't worry. I plan to dance off those extra calories at the Quarter Deck because after all, "I love Beach Music" -- the Embers saw to that.