SEA ISLAND GC (SEASIDE COURSE)

Course Architect(s): Harry Colt and Charles Hugh Alison (1929), Joe Lee (1973),
                     Tom Fazio (1999), Love Design Team (2025-26).
Year Opened: 1929
Location: St. Simons Island, Georgia
Slope: 137. Rating: 72.3
Par: 70
Yardage: 7,005
Hole-by-Hole: 1 - Par 4 417 Yds    10 - Par 4 418 Yds
                      2 - Par 4 415 Yds    11 - Par 4 425 Yds
                       3 - Par 3 204 Yds    12 - Par 3 223 Yds
                       4 - Par 4 429 Yds    13 - Par 4 408 Yds
                       5 - Par 4 409 Yds    14 - Par 4 442 Yds
                       6 - Par 3 179 Yds    15 - Par 5 565 Yds
                       7 - Par 5 582 Yds    16 - Par 4 407 Yds
                      8 - Par 4 368 Yds    17 - Par 3 192 Yds
                       9 - Par 4 452 Yds    18 - Par 4 470 Yds
                       Par 35  3,455 Yds      Par 35  3,550 Yds

Key Events Held: USGA Senior Amateur (1963),
                 USGA Senior Women's Amateur (1971, 1980, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2006),
                 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship (2004),
                 UBS Cup (2002-03),
                 Georgia State Amateur (1931, 1939, 1989),
                 LPGA Tour's Sea Island Women's Invitational (1954-58, 60-63),
                 Canon Cup (2003),
                 SEC Championship (2001-13),
                 McGladrey Classic (2010-2014), RSM Classic 2015-Present).

Awards Won: Five star rating by Mobil Travel Guide (2002-04),
            AAA Five Diamond Award (2002-04),
            Best of the Best - #1 Golf Resort in U.S. by Robb Report (2003),
            Gold Medal Resort by Golf Magazine,
            #9 of Top 100 Golf resorts around the world by Conde Nast (2003),
            #6 Best Golf Resort in the U.S. by Conde Nast (2003),
            Ranked 2nd best in state (GA) by Golfweek (2004),
            Ranked 7th best in state (GA) by Golf Digest (2004),
            Number 6 U.S. Golf Resort by Travel + Leisure Golf (2005),
            Ranked 32nd America's 100 greatest public courses by Golf Digest (2003-04).

Course Record: 60 (Tommy Gainey, 2012, Sebastian Munoz, 2021, Mackenzie Hughes, 2023).

BUT  FIRST: Usually when we do our course reviews we begin with the history of the  layout and move into a hole-by-hole analysis. Sea Island Golf Club is the exception.  Before  even  discussing  golf,  one must  first  talk  about  the amenities  of  this world-class resort. 

Once arriving  at Sea Island, you are greeted  by  a warm  and friendly staff  that seems to  know what you're doing before  you  do. Accommodations: you  have your choice  of The Cloister or the
Lodge  at Sea Island. I  stayed at the Lodge and I have to tell you, it is the ultimate  for everything. 

Let's start  out with  luxurious rooms  and suites, located right above the clubhouse. Look out on the balcony and you have a view of  the courses,  the Atlantic Ocean and  St. Simons Sound and the sunset. The room  has  every amenity  you could think  of. Even the  bathroom has a heated towel rack or if you want a rose petal bath, you got it.

Oh, did I forget, you even  have  your own 24-hour  private butler to attend  to your each and every
request.  They even  bring you milk and  cookies, warm I might add, before you retire.  Dining  is top notch  at any  of the Sea  Island fares. And you could spend a day or two just walking inside the resort looking over the memorabilia from  Bobby Jones to  Davis Love III.

There's 54 holes of golf on the Seaside, Plantation and Retreat courses, a state of the art golf learning center headed by  none  other than  Jack  Lumpkin,  tennis,  a shooting  school,  waterfront
activities,  stables, boating,  bicycling and of course, a spa and salon. In a word...Amazing!!!  Every  resort in the United  States needs to take notice of Sea  Island, because this is the best by far. I could go on and on, but I will leave that for the travel editors and my next trip.

HISTORY:  Sea  Island Golf Club  is rich in history  and lore spanning nearly 100 years. The Seaside Course is a blending of Colt & Alison's original nine along with  Joe Lee's nine  holes which was revamped by Tom Fazio, one of the game's finest  course  sculptors. Fazio took  an existing course that features dunes, creeks,  marshes and the  St. Simons Sound and turned it into a work of art in the  tradition of  the old  Scottish links. 

In 1968,  Sea Island  signed Tony Jacklin  as  its touring professional.  Within 18 months, Jacklin captured the British  Open and  the U.S. Open. In  1985, Davis Love III became the resort's PGA  Tour representative,  following in his father's footsteps, who joined the staff  in 1978.

Love III felt that Fazio transformed “18 holes that didn’t match into 18 matchless holes.” A thoughtful restoration will take place in 2025 by the Love Golf Design team, as the course will be closed from July of 2025 through October of 2026. The main focus of the project will be to preserve the course’s original character and introducing some new enhancements. So stay tuned.

Several outstanding championships have been held at Sea Island over  the years,  including five United States Golf Association Senior Women's Amateurs.  Carolyn Cudone  won the fourth of her five straight Senior Amateurs at  Sea  Island while the  grand dame of  amateur golf, Carol Semple Thompson, captured  the  second of her  four straight  Senior-Ams on the Seaside Course.

Marlene  Streit, who  first captured the Senior Amateur in 1985 and then again in 2003, lost by one shot in 1988 to Lois Hodge at Sea Island, but returned in 1994 to defeat Nancy Fitzgerald in a playoff.

From 1954 through 1963, the LPGA Tour  stopped here for the Sea Island Women's Invitational. It certainly could have been called the Mickey Wright Open, as she captured the event five times,
including the final one staged on the island, part of her record 13-win season in  '63.

In  recent times, the UBS  Cup has played two memorable events at Sea Island.  In 2002,  the United States squad  of six players between the ages of 40-49  and six from  the 50-and-over group crushed the Rest of the World Team, 14  1/2 to 9  1/2 in an event that is patterned after the Ryder Cup. Captained by  Arnold  Palmer, the U.S. dominated  the singles play winning seven matches
and  halving two of the 12 last-day matches for the win. Ray Floyd, Tom Lehman and Tom Watson spirited the play, as they produced 3-0, 3-0 and 2-0-1 records, respectively. 

In  2003, the U.S. retained  the Cup, as the two sides finished tied  at 12.  With three matches remaining,  the U.S. trailed 11 1/2 to 9 1/2. Brad  Faxon  gained a point with  his 2 & 1  win over Carl Mason and then 2004 Ryder  Cup  captain Hal Sutton edged  Vicente Fernandez 2  & 1 to get the team within  1/2  point. The final  match came down  to Eduardo Romero versus Scott Hoch.  Romero  led his  American opponent  by one heading  into the last hole, however  Hoch made par  on the difficult 18th to square the match and help the United  States  keep the Cup. "What  a wonderful venue," cited captain Palmer. If  you  invited us,  we'd come back  again."

With more  storied events on the horizon, look for Sea Island to keep rewriting its history books. You know you have  something  special when Bobby  Jones, after  first playing the course in 1930  while  vacationing during the  third and fourth  legs of his Grand Slam, commented  that the  final nine holes were  "one of the best nine holes I have ever seen."

The PGA Tour has made the Sea Island Resort a yearly destination since 2010. Some former winners include Heath Slocum (Inaugural Winner), British Open champion Ben Crane, Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey, Kevin Kisner, Charles Howell III, Talor Gooch, Ludvig Aberg and 2025 winner Maverick McNealy. With his win, McNealy became the fourth consecutive player to make the RSM Classic his maiden victory. McNealy defeated three players, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria and amateur Luke Clanton by one shot.

REVIEW:  The opening  hole is  a sweeping  dogleg left  par four,  requiring a right-to-left  shot  off the tee.  The fairway is protected  on the right by a pair  of bunkers while  the left side is tree lined. The bigger the drive, the tighter  the  landing area. Your  approach shot is  slightly uphill to a green
that slopes from back to front with a bunker protecting the left side. A solid hole  to quick-start  the round.

The second  is roughly the same length of the first, however this time a dogleg to the right with water all along that side. A  solid tee  shot will leave just a  wedge to a very deep green, protected in
the  front by sand.  Miss long and you'll have a difficult time getting up and down  and  whatever you do,  don't miss  right.

The third  is the first of the outstanding par threes on the Seaside Course. A solid 204 yards from the tips, wind  will play a huge factor on this hole, as the green is completely exposed to the elements. Marsh protects the left side of the green while a deep bunker guards  the  front. The entire  putting surface features shaved chipping areas around  the  circumference. A  great hole  to make par,  let alone birdie.

The fourth  is as  beautiful as it is  as difficult. Your tee shot must carry over marsh  to a  fairway  set to  the  right, with  a huge  bunker  used more  for direction  than a hazard.  Now the hole bends back to the left for your second shot,  played  directly into  the wind.  A mid to  long iron  is required to a rather  small green that slopes from back to front with only one bunker on the left.  Marsh covers this  hole down the entire left side, so bail out right if you  must.

Although  not as  long  as its  predecessor, the  fifth plays  very difficult  from tee to  green, as it doglegs to the right. Now the marsh moves entirely  on the right side. You can cut the dogleg with a big drive, but miss slightly  to the  right and you'll be  hitting three from the tee. The landing area  of the fairway is quite wide, so don't be ashamed to play safe. The only problem is that now your left with a long shot, dead into the wind. Miss short and you're in sand, long and right, you guessed it, marsh. The putting surface is  fairly  flat, but club  selection is key,  as closely mowed chipping areas
abound. 

Another outstanding  par  three, the  sixth is  the  shortest of  the quartet,  but  equally as difficult  with a bunker  front and center and water deep.  With  the wind blowing  from the right  and behind, club selection here will be tough. Play towards the center of the green, two putt and move on.

The par five seventh usually plays downwind, so now it's time to take advantage of the offshore breezes and make birdie. Two solid shots can get you close to the green,  setting  up an easy pitch  to a green  that slopes from left to right. However, miss long or right and you're in the marsh. Leave your approach below the hole and knock it in.

The eighth is another example that holes do not need to be 475 yards long. Just under 370 yards in length, this hole requires a tee shot  placed on the left side of the fairway, as it crosses over the marsh and creek.  The landing area is protected by sand left and right, as well as marsh down  the  left. As  the hole bends  back to  the right, a  short iron will be needed  to  hit the  green. A  couple of swales  protect the  left side of the surface  while  sand flanks the  right. Not a difficult  green, as long as you
stay below the hole. A definite birdie chance.

Just the opposite, the ninth is a  survival test. Even  with a big tee shot, you'll be left with a mid to long iron  to a green  that slopes from right to left with a pair of bunkers on the left.  The entire right  side of the hole is protected by water, so choose the correct line off the tee, as sand 280 yards out guards the left. Make your par or bogey and be thankful.

The  inward  nine begins with  a pair of 400-plus  par fours directly into the wind.  The 10th  is tree-lined down the  left side with sand dunes and a large bunker  down the  right. With a fairly  wide fairway, this hole at first blush looks  simple, but  with the breeze and  an elevated green, par is a difficult score.  Let's  not forget the diabolical  bunker that guards the right part of the  green.

If you can miss sand on the 11th hole, then your better than most. Sand  dunes and  bunkers guard the landing  area off the tee. Don't forget the wind,  so keep the ball low. A medium iron is required for your second shot to a  roundish green, just 28 yards in depth. And of course, there is sand, right
and left of the green. Despite the tall tower in the distance, the view of the Sound  in the  background is outstanding.

The longest of the one-shotters, the 12th  stretches over  220 yards  from the  back buttons.  The putting  surface slopes  back to  front  and club  selection  is  key, as  the  marsh is  quite intimidating  on the left  side. The green is quite wide and with a back, left pin  placement and  windy conditions,  bogey here  might be  your best  score.

Thirteen is a gem. Playing back into the wind, the hole bends to the left with water and marsh guarding the entire left side and dunes and sand on the right. Three  bunkers on  the right  frame the  landing area  off the  tee. From  the fairway  a  mid to long  iron will be left  to a heart-shaped putting surface, with  sand short and right and a big drop-off behind the green. Make par here,
because  the final five  holes will eat your lunch.

It's a nice stroll back to the  14th tee, situated on the edge of the marsh. With the winds blowing, this hole  is next to impossible. Your tee shot must travel over 200 yards over the marsh  to a fairway  that features water and the marsh on the entire left side and  a  long bunker on  the right.  Sand dunes await  the errant tee ball that drifts  right. Left side of the fairway is key, as it opens up the hole, while the right side features a few tall oaks. The green is bunkerless, however left and  long is marsh  while right is a chipping area. The putting surface is not that difficult, but getting there is.

Standing on the 15th tee, you can barely make  out the green that sits over 550 yards away. This monster doglegs to the left and features two bunkers strategically placed in the landing zone. Trying
to  cut the corner  could prove costly, as the left bunker requires a 250-yard carry. A successful layup will leave just a sand wedge to an elevated and very deep green (40 yards in depth). Missing left will result in a difficult up and down  from a deep  bunker while short and right is no bargain either with more sand.  Along with 16, probably your last real birdie chance.

Yet another carry over  marsh and  water, the  16th, although  straightaway, plays  more like  a dogleg left. With the creek meandering down the left side, your tee shot needs to played towards the fairway bunker with nothing more than a three-metal. The green  is slightly  elevated with a deep bunker fronting the shallow, but wide putting  surface. A possible  birdie hole, but par is a good score.

What makes the  17th hole so  difficult, besides the wind, is the width of the green. Not only  that, the  putting surface features a  large swale in the center and two huge  bunkers protect the entrance to the green. A long iron off the tee, into the  wind, with a  back-right pin, good luck making par.

The finishing hole on the  Seaside  Course is  as good as  it gets.  A bold 470  from the tips, wind
blowing  from the right,  water down the left and near the green, well, you've got  a great closer.  Two bunkers, some 60 yards in length guard the left side of the fairway while another flanks the right. A long and straight tee shot is a  must  to have any  shot at reaching  the green in two.  From the top of the fairway,  the hole plays slightly downhill to a deep putting surface with more sand  left and  right. The green slopes  from back to front, so play below the hole and two putt for par to make your day complete.

OVERALL: This is a resort unmatched by any other. It comes as no surprise that Sea  Island hosted the 2004 G8 Summit, as President George W. Bush, along with Prime  Minister  Tony Blair  of the United  Kingdom and the  rest of the world leaders  enjoyed  the splendor  and  hospitality  of this  incredible  resort. President  Bush said of the Summit, "It's been a spectacular success primarily
because  the  people are so  wonderful down  here."

Over the years dignitaries from  around the  globe have graced Sea Island, such as past presidents Calvin Coolidge,  Dwight  D. Eisenhower and Jimmy  Carter along with Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

This is a special place. Even  the  pro shop at  the Lodge is spectacular,  designed by none other than
Ralph  Lauren. You will  be hard pressed to find another resort where the golf or  amenities are  better, maybe equal (Pinehurst, Kapalua, Troon North and of course  Pebble Beach  to name  a  few).

The  practice facility  is great,  the conditioning  is outstanding,  the courses  are beautiful  and the  amenities, perfect. 

The fairways are  generous, but they need to be, because if the wind is howling, you'll be hard pressed to hit one. Some courses allow you to spray around  and still score  well, not Seaside. You need to be on top of your game to have any chance of breaking 80. This is a must play, not only for the golf, but for everything else. Even the drive into the resort down the Avenue of the Oaks  is  breathtaking.

This is truly  a links style course featuring stunning views.  "Sea Island is  a place where people dream about going and dream about going  back again," said Reg Murphy, past president of the USGA. "Stand on the 14th hole of Seaside and just turn 360 degrees...if you can find anything that
is  more pleasing  to the eyes, I want  you to call me." Yes, it's pricey, but it's  worth it.

The Sea Island staff have thought of every possible detail and then  some to make your  stay a memorable one. All I can say is, it was and it will be again.