[Brent Hutto]

For our Christmas getaway this year one possibility is returning to Kiawah Island. We were there for three days last year and I got to play twice around the Ocean Course. Very nice and I'd love to do it again.

Another intriguing possiblity is Jekyll Island, GA. We've been there once before (back before I discovered golf) and there's the remains of an old Walter Travis course which I believe is called "Great Dunes". In addition to the novelty factor, three days on Jekyll and a few times around the Travis course are much more budget friendly in "today's wintry economic climate" than the Kiawah alternative and I must admit that adds to its charm.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has played the course, especially in the winter. Also, if I were so lucky as to have two golf days are any of the other Jekyll courses worth seeing?

[BCrosby]

Brent -

I have not played Jekyll for more than 15 years, which predates my interest in gca. But I can't imagine there is a lot of Travis left. Maybe others (Paul?) have played it more recently and will have a different take.

One thing is for certain. It is the cheapest golf in the area. Enjoy. Give us a report.

Bob



 

[John_Cullum]

The Old course at Jekyll does have a certain appeal, but it may not be enough to carry  the whole of the vacation. The Oleander course is not bad at all. They held the Georgia Open for quite a few years until the recent move to the Atlanta area. But still, the real problem is it's all on Jekyll Island. The best restaraunt is The Huddle house, and bring your own roach spray for your motel rooms. The amenities at St Simons are too far away (by car anyway). A few days at Jekyll might have your ass in the doghouse for quite a while, and you'll be off the planning committee for several years.

[Brent Hutto]

John,

I guess my memory is faulty. We were there for just a couple of nights in...let's see...probably the fall of 1988 or 1989. We have fairly low requirements for amenities but a lack of decent restaurant options is a big minus. Thanks for the heads up, I need to do some more research.

[Bill Gayne]

Brent,

It's been several years since I've been to Jekyll Island but the old hotel/mansion that use to be a Radisson was nice. Always quiet and low key with plenty of bike and nature trails. It's only about 20-25 minutes to St. Simons. The golf is nothing special but I always found it a pleasant place.

You may want to consider Sea Palms on St. Simons. Also the King and Prince on St. Simons I've been told is nice. There's always Sea Island but from a budget perspective it's similar to Kiawah.

Bill

[Brent Hutto]

Bill,

I know a guy who just moved from here (Columbia, SC) to Sea Island. It is tempting to go there and try to catch a round with him over the holidays but staying at the resort there seems a notch or two above Kiawah in cost and fanciness, although the golf is not as pricey as the Ocean Course. Of course by "Kiawah" I'm not referring to The Sanctuary which has to be as posh as any accomodation anywhere.

So one plan might be to stay on St. Simons and just drive over one morning for a round at the old course on Jekyll. Quiet, laid-back, inexpensive places with bike and nature trails are pretty much my wife's ideal for holiday trips but perhaps we can do better than Jekyll Island in the vicinity. This really isn't a golf trip but rather a holiday getaway on which I can sneak in one round of (hopefully interesting) golf.

[paul cowley]

Brent ...I live on St Simons and there are many golf options of all kinds in the Golden Isles where everything is nothing more than 20 to 25 minutes of low pressure, scenic driving away.

I would stay on St Simons for the best dining and lodging options [many very good restaurants and night spots]....Jekyl is 20 minutes away.....but call me for more indepth info....too much typing is painfull
912 222 1616

[A.G._Crockett]

Brent,
Paul Cowley is the resident expert on this, with me trailing behind; I've spent several days on Jekyll every March for the past 15 or so years at a Georgia Athletic Coaches Association convention.

Pine Lakes on Jekyll has recently been redone, and is a lot of fun.  Oleander is a good test, but stays a little wet, unfortunately.  Indian Mounds by Joe Lee is the most scenic of the three, but the greens are spectacularly quirky.  The old course, as someone said earlier, can't carry a vacation.

Hampton on St. Simon's is an easy trip, as is Laurel Island Links (by Paul's company) in Kingsland, and Osprey Cove a little farther down 95.  The Brunswick CC is possible to get on and has at least some Ross credentials, and Coastal Pines in Brunswick is fun and affordable as well.  If you head up to Savannah, Mike Young's Henderson GC is public and very good.

That's a partial listing.  Be aware that there is very limited dining on Jekyll.  As Paul says, St. Simons is much better for that, but it is a very easy drive over if you do stay on Jekyll.

[john_stiles]

On the old course,  there is a dead ringer on the old Jekyll course for a hole at Wild Dunes.  The green setting, etc. is the dead ringer part.

It is a par 5, dog leg right, with the last shot to an elevated green between two dunes/hills.  Cannot remember the hole number for either course, but the similiarity was striking.  Greens and the dunes/hills are about the same size, etc.

That's all I remember about the course from 10 years ago.

That, and before WWII, some very large percentage of US wealth lived on the island, and was advised (required?) to leave because of fear that Nazi subs might appear and snatch said 'US barons' off the island.

[Mike_Young]

Brent,
I played it Saturday.  I believe it is untouched except for the addition of cartpath in a few places.  Still only sections of cart path not wall to wall.  #6 the par three with the 1200 sq ft green is the main change and that is a full length 8 ft wide cartpath.
Fairways are mowed at about 1 inch and it is just your basic old links without much maintenance so the publc does not appreciate it.  You play all day for $19.
there is a Brundswick/St Simons dentist that just played in the US am and says he plays the old course all the time to keep his game in shape.
John,
Hole#5.
Pinelakes has had a complete redo.  
Mike

[BCrosby]

Mike -

Interesting. I had assumed (it's been a very long time) that there wasn't much Travis left. I will try to play next time I'm down that way.

Did you get a chance to see Frederica? Thoughts?

Bob

[Tom Ferrell]

While Mike's recent round is probably the most authoratative, I played Great Dunes about a year-and-a-half ago (and scores of times growing up), and I would agree that it is largely untouched.  Good width - fairway bunkers are actually surrounded by fairways (what a concept), subtle undulations around the original greensites.  The problem that I encountered, visiting during winter, was that they had overseeded the "greens" in little circles.  Literatlly, just 300 or 400 square-foot circles that bore no resemblence to the "greens."

What a shame that the other nine is NLE.  This was a great seaside course.  The par-5 fifth is an all-star - Mae West of the southeast.  The second and third holes are awesome.

Jekyll is a hidden gem of a golf getaway - best value in America, if you ask me.    

[Mike Hendren]

Thread on the 5th hole:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=14357;start=msg244585#msg244585

[A.G._Crockett]

Jekyll is a hidden gem of a golf getaway - best value in America, if you ask me.    

In many respects, it is the best value I know of.  I am always a little hesitant to praise Jekyll too loudly here because the lodging is  nothing special and the dining is mostly off the island.  However, the courses are all good (if not great), the staff at the courses is the nicest you will ever meet, and the prices are great.

BTW, a non-golfing spouse might find the island to be a lot of fun.  The "cottages" of the Rockefellers, Goodyears, Carnegies, etc., are worth seeing, along with a museum and other remnants of the old days there.  Also, the island is not heavily developed and biking, jogging, walking  are all safe and fun.

Some of you may know that the meeting that eventually led to the creation of the FED took place at Jekyll after a particularly bad bank panic in 1908. The story is that a small number of men (6, I believe) sat around a table there and among them represented something like one-fifth of the net worth of the planet at that time! J.P. Morgan brokered the deal, which is why the FED is owned by the member banks rather than the U.S. Govt.  Those guys possessed wealth on a scale relative to the rest of the population that will probably never again be seen.  There's a lot of history at Jekyll, along with some pretty good and very affordable golf.

[John_Cullum]

Keeping value in mind, I would not be surprised if you could get a very attractive package at St Simons that time of year. As mentioned previously, the King and Prince is a very nice hotel, right on the beach, and gives you access to the Hampton Club. Sea Palms probably offers an even better deal, and I think their course is better than Hampton. St Simons is a nice place to spend some time, and you can drive over to Jekyll to satisfy your curiosities about the Dunes.

[Brent Hutto]

John,

I haven't checked into any package deals yet but there seem to be many houses and condos we can rent for a 3-day visit quite reasonably. I'm running a couple of development names past Mr. Cowley and will probably just pick one of the 2BR units that seems affordable ($100-$135/night). I'll most likely only do one "real" round of golf plus a side trip for nine holes at the old course on Jekyll. I'm also hoping to catch up with another guy from here who just moved to St. Simons a few months ago.

[Mike_Young]

tom Ferrell,
The greens are again overseeded as you describe.  I just overlooked it.
Bob Crosby,
Yep, was at Frederica, $$$$$, very nice place, another weiner measuring contest but I appreciate the place.
I hear that good things may be in store for Jekyl in the next few years....the island is the best land in the area...much better than St. Simons and the state owns it....they know the untapped potential....after the goobernatorial race should see some changing begin.

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