Special Places - Sea Island Golf Club

Course Review - Sea Island Golf Club

The fight to maintain fully exempt status on the PGA Tour continues as players hovering around the cut-off line of 125th on the Money List make their way to Georgia for the McGladrey Classic, the penultimate leg in the 4-event Fall Series. Host venue is Sea Island, one of the Golden Isles, a group of barrier islands just off the Atlantic coast of southern Georgia, and the tournament is played at Sea Island Golf Club's Seaside Course located at the southern tip of St Simons Island. This ultra-affluent resort was the site of the 2004 G8 summit and has hosted tournaments featuring all-time greats Bobby Jones, Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus.

The second playing of the McGladrey Classic brings the spotlight again on to Tom Fazio's Seaside Course. Prolific English architects Harry Colt - famed for work on Sunningdale, Wentworth, Muirfield and Hoylake - and Charles Hugh Alison designed the original nine holes in 1929. Joe Lee added the second nine, the Marshside, in 1973 before the iconic Fazio transformed the two distinct nines into a cohesive world-class homage to links golf in 1999.

Not overly long at 6450m and a par of 70, low scores will be dependent on the strength of the winds that are an ever-present factor at this historic location. Fairways and greens are Bermudagrass, and this beautifully designed layout has superb bunkering and putting surfaces that are very difficult to read accurately. This links style course offers expansive views out over the salt marshes, tidal creeks and dunes that are key elements in Fazio's design. The signature hole is the 370m par 4 16th and it is a good example of the thought process that is required on every hole. A tidal creek runs the entire left side of the driving area intimidating players into aiming to the right, but the further right you go the longer the approach shot to a well-bunkered green with a false front protecting the whole left side. Add into the mix infuriatingly subtle breaks on the putt and swirling breezes and you get a little gem that demands your full attention.

This memorable golf course calls for careful shot selection, patience and the ability to scramble well. If the winds pick up in the afternoon, as is often the case, the Seaside Course will present a formidable test for tournament host Davis Love and a strong field that includes major winners Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk, Zack Johnson and Lucas Glover.

Golfweather Editorial