Harbour Town goes plaid for RBC Heritage. How did tartan become a Hilton Head staple?
What’s black, white, blue, yellow and red all over?
Heritage Plaid, of course. The Scottish-imported tartan is the signature pattern of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, donned proudly by thousands of spectators and the tournament’s eventual champion.
The plaid is an homage to traditional golf attire in Scotland, where the sport originated in the sixteenth century. While the first Heritage champions’ jackets were a yellowish gold when the tournament began in 1969, the event found its true colors in the early 1970s — thanks to the fashion sensibilities of Mary Fraser, the late wife of Sea Pines founder Charles Fraser.
Mary wanted the coat to be “more festive,” an instantly recognizable rush of color that tied into the sport’s heritage. She and other early organizers commissioned the design from Kinloch Anderson, a traditional tailor company in Edinburgh.
“The plaid was always a part of us,” said Angela McSwain, director of marketing and communications for the Heritage Classic Foundation. Tartan became even more prominent in Heritage crowds after 2010, she said, when organizers embraced the tartan takeover with the tournament’s first official “Plaid Nation Day.”
But only a small fraction of the jackets seen at the Heritage are made of the authentic, Scottish-imported tartan — and for good reason. A bolt of Heritage Plaid goes for upwards of $2,800, with each hand-sewn coat adding a labor cost of about $400.
The real deal is reserved for a select few: trustees of the Heritage Classic Foundation, pro-am golfers who have competed in the event for 20 or more years and anyone elected mayor of Hilton Head or governor of South Carolina.
Heritage champions are awarded a jacket by a representative of Boeing, the event’s presenting sponsor. But that plaid prize is temporary — after the tournament ends, a coat is custom-made to fit the year’s new winner.
The pattern’s week of prominence culminates with the annual Plaid Nation Day on Saturday from 12 to 2 p.m. on the Heritage Lawn, where tournament organizers strongly encourage head-to-toe tartan. A panel of judges — including event mascot Sir William Innes — will award the best-dressed attendee with tickets to next year’s tournament.
Asked what this year’s judges might be looking for, Innes kept his cards close to his checkered chest.
“It’s not just about wearing the plaid. it’s about having the spirit of what the Heritage is all about: that energy, that fun,” Innes opined in a rehearsed Scottish accent. “I mean, we’re the party after the Masters. We’re here to celebrate, have a good time. If you bring that with your plaid attire, I don’t think you can lose.”
