Sea Island Resort: Seaside Course
So the typical thinking among Northeasterners (extending west into Ohio) about the Carolina coastal areas follows this general rule of thumb:
- Outer Banks: Big family or families, rent a house, sit in traffic for an hour waiting to cross onto the island, if the guys can get away with a round then there’s Currituck Club (pretty good) or Nag’s Head (pretty less good).
- Myrtle Beach: Guys trip for buddies that love Hooters’ wings, hooters, and as much indiscriminate golf for the buck that they can get. Don’t get me wrong, I too love Hooters’ wings and hooters but there is a time and place for Myrtle.
- That usually leaves Charleston/Kiawah and Hilton Head for the golfing couples trip or upscale guys trip for the more discerning golfers who want to check off a Top 100 and/or Tour course from the bucket list and enjoy something a bit finer than an Outback.
- At the Georgia-South Carolina border, according to Northeasterners and Flat Earthers, the world ends.
Too bad for all of that because Sea Island is a really great resort to consider for that couples golfing trip or upscale guys thing. There are four courses out on the island. Three are part of the resort (though I only played Seaside and Plantation) and one for that connected guy is Ocean Forest. Two of these (Seaside and Ocean Forest) are Top 100. And Seaside has now become a regular PGA stop. Both the resort and food are top notch. More on the food in a bit.
To the course. There may be some Plantation course photos mixed in here but you can tell the difference in that the Seaside course uses the Merion-like wicker baskets instead of flags like the Plantation course. I’ll talk about the Seaside Course here.
So the Seaside is not really a seaside course but more of a marsh-side course. You can catch glimpses of the ocean from several holes and the marshes mean you get horizon views throughout. The way the course is designed around and through the marsh is what makes it stand out. Four is a cape hole green left where you need to chomp off as much marsh as you can but don’t hook. Five is a cape hole green right, same as above but don’t slice. Par threes are awesome. Thirteen is an ocean front hole and the signature hole of the course. Both the Plantation and Seaside courses radiate out from the Lodge which is one of the two accommodation facilities along with the Cloister – where we stayed in 2010 for a retreat thing.
The course doesn’t beat you up too bad, but there are plenty of places to lose golf balls. Plantation was also nice, a good step down from the Seaside course but looking at the website (and on Google Earth) it looks like they’re re-doing it so I would check before booking. The bar at the Lodge is great for post-round cocktails.
To the food. The resort features several nice restaurants. The best is the Georgian Room at the Cloisters. This is a Five-Star Forbes restaurant. Now I love really good eats, a nice environment, wine list, service, I don’t even mind a required coat for the gentlemen. The Georgian features all of this. And I remember someone saying it was ranked this or that so I always thought it was a Three-Star Michelin restaurant. If you’re not a gastrophile, Michelin Three-Star is the ranking of rankings given to only a couple of dozen restaurants in the world. If you’re ever invited to one, go. But alas, the Georgian Room is not Michelin starred but Forbes starred which would be impressive considering there’s only 70 or so in the world BUT the Forbes world seems only to be China and the US and everything at the Wynn resorts (including the vending machines) are given four or five stars so take that for what it’s worth. I’d say see for yourself, but as of January 2021 the Sea Island site is still saying the Georgian Room is temporarily closed. Here’s hoping it’s temporary and temporary ends soon for all of us. The steakhouse in the Lodge is also very good. I think it’s also Forbes four or five stars (SURPRISE!) but the good news is it is open.
Golf Scrapbook 