For most, baseball caps replace straw hats at RBC Heritage

Larry McNiesh was watching play along the 10th fairway when his straw hat decided it would rather join the action at the 16th.

The hat had flown off in a gust, hit the path rolling and bounced along until a passerby stopped it a few steps shy of the roped-off 16th green.

“I’ve been careful,” McNiesh said, hat back in hand. “But I knew that was going to happen.”

It’s been a common problem at the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, where volunteers and fans alike could be seen holding their straw hats to their heads or chasing down those that came loose.

Until this year, that is.

The vast majority of volunteers were issued blue or white baseball caps for the first time rather than the traditional straw hats still issued to the more than 80 red- and plaid-coated helpers.

The change was hailed as a success by volunteers like Frank Zeleznik, whose worn and weathered straw hats from the past 10 tournaments hang in his garage in Bluffton’s The Crescent.

“I can move a lot faster in a baseball hat,” he said.

But Mike Manesiotis, the RBC Heritage general chairman of volunteers, said he’s not sure the change will be permanent. It came about after he polled volunteers following the last tournament about their uniforms, and he plans to survey people again after this tournament ends.

“The ball caps have certainly cured that (wind) problem,” Manesiotis said. “... Our straw hats look very traditional, they look very unique and I like that, but it comes down to what people want to do and the best decision for the tournament as far as finances.”

The new baseball caps are a bit cheaper than straw hats, and are more wearable year round, he said. And they make it easier from a distance for people to spot co-captains — who wear white caps — and the leadership — who wear the traditional straw hats — from a distance.

They’re also adjustable, meaning people spend less time chasing and fiddling with unruly hats and guarding against the strong winds so common on Harbour Town Golf Links.

Over the years, many women have resorted to their own alterations to keep the large lids from taking off. Betty Butterworth, a front-nine marshal, says she’s seen people poke holes in the brims and thread shoelaces through them to knot under their chins.

“I’m a sewer, so I figured I could be a little neater than that,” she said, displaying the elastic chinstrap she safety-pinned to her straw hat’s lining. She also fills the inside with tissue paper to create a snugger fit.

But there’s something to be said for tradition, she added. The straw hats have been used since the early days of the tournament, modeled after the look of Augusta National, Butterworth said.

“They had big ideas of making this grand,” she said of the RBC Heritage founders. “They were dreamers.”

Other attendees said they also noted the absence of the accessory with some disappointment.

It only took Susan Seeland, of Hilton Head, only a moment to find her husband after stepping out of the Harbour Town Clubhouse on Thursday because he was one of the few people in sight with a straw hat.

“It’s the classic, at least as long as I can remember,” Seeland said. “My first thought when I came out and saw him was, ‘Where are all the straw hats?’”

Mike Seeland bought his black-banded version from the clubhouse the year before simply to keep the sun out of his eyes. Like many volunteers, he favors practicality over fashion.

“Maybe I won’t wear it tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll feel conspicuous.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 9:42 PM with the headline "For most, baseball caps replace straw hats at RBC Heritage."