Where to Tee Off on Coastal Georgia
Tee off with ocean breezes and scenic fairways. From St. Simons to Jekyll Island, Georgia’s coast is home to some of the best public golf courses in the South.
Golf is part of Georgia's history (just think of native son Bobby Jones), and the sport is rightfully celebrated in coastal Georgia. The Golden Isles of Georgia (St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Jekyll Island, Little St. Simons, and Brunswick) were officially recognized as a golf venue in 1894 when the Jekyll Island Golf Club registered with the United States Golf Association. In 1898, club members built the area's first golf course.
Today, the Sea Island Resort Golf Club plays host to the RSM Classic, an annual PGA tournament. This oceanside retreat course offers the tradition of Scottish Links with three championship golf courses and a backdrop of coastal elegance, surrounded by tidal creeks, sweeping dunes, salt marshes and the Atlantic Ocean. Though access is primarily for resort guests and members, it’s a bucket-list golf experience worth planning for.
Several recognized course designers – Dick Wilson, Joe Lee and Tom Fazio among them – left their marks on other local greens. Oleander at Jekyll Island, for example, was tightly designed by Wilson. Set just 300 yards from the ocean, gentle sea breezes and short grasses come with the territory, creating a scenic and stimulating round on the links.
The King and Prince Golf Course on St. Simons, designed by Lee, is known for its challenging layout among ancient emerald forests, salt marshes and island holes. The award-winning course on this famed barrier island boasts natural groves and hazards that call for sharp evaluation on every shot.
Prime golf courses in Georgia may also be found farther inland in Kingsland, home to the Davis Love III-designed Laurel Island Links Golf Course, which winds through preserves and wooded areas.
In St. Marys, you can tee off at the Trident Lakes Golf Club - Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. Once reserved for the military and their guests, its 18-hole course surrounded by numerous lakes and abundant wildlife, is now open to the public.
Further west in Folkston, the Folkston Golf Club offers a short front nine with water hazards on three holes and a back nine with man-made hills, as well as fairways lined with pecan and cedar trees.
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