Three iconic Pete Dye courses now restored!

Reviving the Legacy: Recent Restorations at Pete Dye’s Harbour Town, Teeth of the Dog & Oak Marsh

Pete Dye was a visionary golf course architect whose bold and challenging designs have stood the test of time. In 2025, three of his most cherished courses — Harbour Town Golf Links, Teeth of the Dog, and Oak Marsh — underwent significant renovation and restoration projects. The goal across all three was consistent: preserve Dye’s strategic brilliance and architectural DNA, while modernizing infrastructure and playability for today’s golfers.

Harbour Town Golf Links — Hilton Head Island, SC

Harbour Town Golf Links, perhaps Pete Dye’s most iconic U.S. design, reopened in November 2025 after a six-month, carefully planned restoration.

The restoration was led by Love Golf Design, with Davis Love III serving as a player-consultant.
Key components rebuilt included all greens, bunkers, and bulkheads, combined with infrastructure upgrades to support year-round championship conditions.
Turf choices remain faithful to tradition: TifEagle on the greens and Celebration Bermuda on the fairways, tees, and rough. (golfcoursearchitecture.net)
Designers referenced archival photos, videos, and plans to restore original shapes of greens that had eroded or been altered over the decades.
Some bunkers were reintroduced or reshaped to reflect Pete Dye’s original vision, reinstating certain hole locations that had effectively “disappeared” as features shrank or deteriorated.
According to Sea Pines Resort, the project was driven by a commitment “to protect the shot values, both long and short, that have defined Harbour Town for nearly six decades.”

Why it matters: For golfers planning a trip, Harbour Town’s reopening is not just cosmetic. This restoration reinforces the strategic depth and subtle precision that make Dye’s design timeless, while improving agronomic resilience so players can enjoy top-tier conditions year-round.

Teeth of the Dog — Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic

Arguably Pete Dye’s Caribbean masterpiece, Teeth of the Dog is completing a sensitive and high-quality restoration led by Jerry Pate Design. (Golf Course Industry)

The regrassing plan calls for Pure Dynasty Paspalum across greens, fairways, and tees — a salt-tolerant turf ideally suited for the seaside layout.
Three inches of sand will be added to fairways before seeding, improving both irrigation and playability.
Greens will be slightly recontoured to better match Dye’s original surface shapes, and the edges will be restored to their former sizes.
Greenside bunkers are being reshaped and expanded, with flatter bottoms and enhanced faces to restore the dramatic visual and strategic impact Dye intended.
Paths are being rebuilt: new concrete cart paths with rock-curbing around tees and greens will be installed.
The restoration is expected to conclude in December 2025, when the course reopens for resort and member play.

Why it matters: Teeth of the Dog is already legendary for its oceanfront holes and creative risk-reward architecture. This restoration ensures that its wild beauty remains intact, while improving turf consistency and the shot experience. Golfers returning after the refresh will get to walk Dye’s design with renewed challenge — and visual drama.

Oak Marsh — Omni Amelia Island Resort, Florida

At Oak Marsh, located on Omni Amelia Island Resort, a $7.4 million renovation directed by Beau Welling Design was recently completed. (Golf Course Industry)

Work included a full rebuild of greens, now regrassed with TifEagle Bermudagrass.
Fairways, tee boxes, rough, and green collars were converted to Bimini Bermudagrass for better playability and maintenance.
All bunkers on the 6,471-yard layout were rebuilt or repositioned, and hazard drainage was enhanced with new sand, liners, and pipes for greater consistency.
A creative “ribbon-tee” concept was introduced, allowing a variety of teeing options and more flexibility in tee placement and playability.
Infrastructure improvements also touched irrigation, cart paths, driving range tees, and hitting areas. (Beau Welling)
The renovation reopened on May 16, 2025, with a dedication to preserving Dye’s design intent while enhancing playability. Beau Welling

Why it matters: Oak Marsh’s restoration respects Dye’s original strategy and character, but brings the course into the modern era. The “ribbon-tee” concept, in particular, makes the layout more flexible and relevant to 21st-century golfers. For resort guests and Dye purists alike, Oak Marsh now better balances heritage with playability.

In Summary: Dye’s Vision, Revitalized

These three projects — Harbour Town, Teeth of the Dog, and Oak Marsh — reflect a broader trend in golf architecture: honoring the greats, but ensuring designs remain playable, sustainable, and relevant for future generations.

For fans of Pete Dye, these restorations are more than maintenance — they’re a reaffirmation of his design genius. Whether you’re planning a bucket-list trip, a tournament vacation, or just curious to walk in Dye’s footsteps, the newly refreshed courses offer a rare chance to experience his work in peak form.