Early Thoughts From a Too-Early Visit to Jekyll Island (Great Dunes)

The fast speeds of the I-95 South largely make up the snowbird residents from the northeast heading south to Florida, especially in January as the cold begins to set in for residents of Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and more. U-Haul trucks and sports cars are scattered amongst the fleet of cars attempting to escape the snow, and of course, the Toyotas and Hondas of the world utilizing the highway for their daily commute to and from work. The I-95 isn’t unique in that local licence plates—with the South Carolina Palmetto or the Georgian Peach—are just commuting as part of their daily routine, maybe heading to work, or taking their children to soccer, but more-so than the I-90, I-5, or essentially any other major Interstate, out of state licence plates are nearly just as common as those in-state, if not out numbering locals on any given day when the sun sets earlier. This reality has become far more apparent in recent years, with Florida’s explosion of former residents of winter-y states now calling the Sunshine State home.

The drive from New York City to Miami is roughly 19 hours, by the time you stop for gas and food, and account for a bit of traffic at some point. It is easy Interstate driving—there’s only two turns (getting onto the highway from I-78, and then off in Miami when the I-95 ends) from Manhattan, but if the goal is to get there, you can probably do it in a single (albeit long) day. Yet, doing so skips a handful of superb, old-american vacation spots along the way. Stops that beckon to the years of low-country, no-frills way of life; southern hospitality drapes across the words from the southern twang of the accent that greet you at the local coffee shop or museum in a similar way to the spanish moss covering the oak trees of the south. Forgetting nearly everything north of the Carolinas, the Outer Banks (a popular Netflix show has helped bring widespread attention to the area) are a charming prelude to the low country of the American Southeast. The salt-worn and windswept landscape eventually transforms into the thicker air that takes over the gentle landscapes of saltgrass marshes and oyster beds. Here, Charleston shines, especially considering the golf scene that includes Seth Raynor’s fine work at Yeamans Hall and the namesake Country Club. Continuing south, Hilton Head boasts some of Pete Dye’s best work at Harbour Town and Long Cove, and St. Simon Island is a popular TOUR hang, with notables like Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar long calling the isles of coastal Georgia home. After St. Simon Island, you’re basically in Florida where the sunny skies of the Sunshine State await.

The benefits of having sand dunes in Georgia are obvious on the far northeast corner of the property overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Jekyll Island is not Hilton Head, St. Simon Island, or Florida. There’s no Pete Dye design, nor a Seth Raynor timepiece. There’s no C.H. Alison design like nearby St. Simon Island, or a well-preserved historic gem that would make anyone stop, though Jekyll Island is chock-full of history. Beginning in the 1880s, Jekyll Island was a wealthy enclave for names like J.P. Morgan and William Rockefeller; a private island, reserved only for the country’s most elite movers and shakers. So much so, that in 1910, the beginnings of the Federal Reserve were put in motion here, on this coastal island in Georgia.

Unlike Charleston, Hilton Head, or even St. Simon Island just to the north, Jekyll Island has the advantage of sand dunes lining their coastline. Sure, the traditional “low country” nature of this portion of the country awaits visitors crossing through the toll bridge to get on the island, but as you get closer to the Atlantic Ocean, the dune ridge begins to reveal itself as if it was hiding in the shadows of the bigger vacation spots of the American waspiness to the north. These dunes were the perfect canvas for Walter Travis, and in 1926 his eighteen hole aptly named “Great Dunes” layout opened.

The Great Depression and World War Two eventually transformed Jekyll Island from a privately-owned aristocrat hangout to a publically-owned state park, with the State of Georgia purchasing the island in 1947. The island never truly recovered the full relevance of what it once was or had after that, and for decades, Jekyll Island continued to disappear into the shadows of America’s past.

Fast-forward to present time: in 2008, the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) committed $285 million to revitalize the island, including new infrastructure, attractions, a convention centre, and yes, golf. Much like the island in general, the golf course fell into disarray. Travis’ original layout was reduced to nine holes in the late 1940s, and what remained largely went without any care, upkeep, or focus on preserving what The Old Man laid out originally. In 2023, the JIA’s continued revitalization efforts turned to golf, and hired Brian Ross and Jeff Stein to restore the remaining nine holes of Travis’ golf course, while taking over eleven holes from Dick Wilson’s Oleander course to build nine new Travis’ inspired golf holes to re-launch the Great Dunes course as eighteen holes in late 2025. Now, the island is certainly a revitalized, quaint hangout and a worthwhile destination alongside the Hilton Head’s and the St. Simon Island’s of the area; in particular, it was shockingly idyllic, as if the secret on the island was not out yet. The addition of a new Great Dunes course is a reasonable opportunity to announce to the world that the Jekyll Island of the history books deserves mention in the current zeitgeist, and at the very least, golfers should begin to take notice.

Jekyll Island’s Great Dunes master plan, showcasing the original Walter Travis holes restored (4-12) with Ross & Stein original holes 1-3 and 13-18.

A morning walk around the island reveals the sounds of the waves playfully splashing against the white sand beaches. Amongst the sounds in life to experience, very few, if any, can beat a seaside walk with the almost deadening silence the ocean can produce. That sound is generally a good metric for good-to-great golf experiences and layouts—Pacific Dunes, Royal Dornoch, Cabot Links, Seminole, Maidstone, The Old Course, to name a few—and there are many fine regions to play golf in—who doesn’t love seeing a ball fly against the backdrop of the mountains, or the serenity of the American prairies—but golf started seaside, and to this day, it is the most enjoyable way to enjoy the game.

Jekyll Island’s Great Dunes course already has a leg up on everyone else, for that reason, and even more so considering its region is mainly defined by flat, marshy layouts with minimal elevation change, and certainly no dunescapes to play in. Not only that, but having the legacy of Walter Travis brings a certain expectation or cachet to the property, even if the authorities of generations past did not maintain his layout to the best of its ability. That’s where Brian Ross & Jeff Stein come in, who have the challenging task of not only restoring the original Travis holes (4-12 on the plan above), but taking over some of that traditionally flatter, more swampy terrain on the interior to make Travis-inspired holes (1-3, 13-18). Prior to 2023 when the Travis holes were just nine you would have started on the 9th hole on the plan above, played the 10th, 11th, 12th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th, in that order.

Having met Jeff Stein at the clubhouse of both Pine Lakes and the future starting place of the Great Dunes course, I began walking the golf course in order. It can be difficult to really get a grasp of what’s happening in the dirt and sand if you’re not a) involved with the project daily, or b) a golf course architect with the ability to see things most golfers cannot, so beginning where the golf course will in the future helps process the yet-to-be layout. Even with the Great Dunes golf course in its mostly dirt and sand form, there was an obvious excitement in the air upon arrival, even amongst people in the clubhouse peaking out to see what was going on before heading out to their round on Pine Lakes. That feeling is rightfully placed and easily bought into upon arriving at the first green, where I met Stein to head around the property. Roughly shaped features are a challenging visual to see exactly what it will look like, but the first green is jaw-dropping even in its infancy, it is obvious this is a well-crafted green complex ripe with knobs and bumps on the perimeter of the slope in a way Walter Travis himself would recognize. It’s not an overly long hole, but one that welcomes you to the round the proper way: with just enough challenge to ignite the intrigue for the rest of the round.

Even in the dirt, the view looking at the opening green from the second tee box showcases the contour in the surface.

Having to blend two sets of nine holes into one is far from easy, especially when the difference in architecture from Mr. Travis’ style 100 years ago to today is vastly different in both agronomic practices, construction, and architecture theory. That, however, is made slightly easier by Travis’ holes coming in the middle of the round, rather than two sets of nine holes (say, front nine new, back nine old or the opposite). Even so, the opening three holes, winding through the trees, feel like they’re building towards something, especially after taking the short walk from the 2nd green to the 3rd tee and seeing the reveal of the intimidating short par 5, 4th looming in the background.

That build certainly comes with the drama of the 4th, playing to a green complex seemingly in the sky behind two dunes in similar vein to the famed 12th at Bel-Air. There, at George Thomas’ creative canyon course in the swanky Los Angeles neighbourhood, the bumps surrounding the par 4, 12th green obstruct both the visual and ground game, potentially causing havoc if someone can’t get the ball high enough up. Here, at around 500 yards, the 4th at Great Dunes provides a danger looming enough to provide just enough catastrophe and doubt in even the longest hitters in going for the green in two. A good drive sets up the chance at getting home in two, but even the wedge up to the green is exciting and invigorating.

Perhaps a bit hyperbolic to compare the new Great Dunes routing to, say, Cypress Point, as the Dunes routing starts in the trees, works its way out to the dune holes and oceanside holes, and then back into the trees and marsh in a similar vein to Cypress’ progression from in the trees, out to the dunes, down to the cliffs, and finally finishing in the trees (Jasper Park or Pacific Dunes could certainly suffice for the same metaphor), but there’s no denying the classic influences from Ross & Stein’s decisions here, which is mandatory for restoring the Travis nine, but a much-needed asset to have when building golf to blend together on a plot of land Travis never had. For example, Stein’s own personal dedication to seeing a majority of Travis’ remaining work is where I met him, at Grand-Mere near Shawinigan, Quebec for a Travis Society event. Grand-Mere is far from anything anyone in the golf world would deem worthy of going to see other than a couple in Montreal (and of course Grand-Mere, which has its own course profile here), some 90 minutes away, and Stein, who resides in New York, made the trekk up to see what Travis did there in hopes of learning a thing or two for this project. On Brian Ross’ side, Park Mammoth in Kentucky has become somewhat of a cult classic, with very strong architectural influences there, too. The duo are younger, and perhaps less accustomed to overhauls like this, but there’s no denying how frequently they’re referencing historical data, their own repertoire of golf courses, and making sure they’re authentic to the source material.

It shouldn’t be underestimated the significance of restoring a golden age links golf course, which is also open to the public, along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. This is rare, among the rare courses which have been restored from this era in the last 30 years. Those Travis holes from the original back nine, cannot be returned completely but we’ve brought back the spirit by clearing sightlines, exposing native sand, and re-introducing Travis’ famous “thinking golf”, through the green.  Joining two different nine hole sets, from two different era’s, was the greatest challenge of this project for Brian and I, but now it feels like one great adventure to and from the ocean links.

Jeffrey Stein, co-architect at Jekyll Island (Great Dunes)

No single example is as obvious as when you arrive at the eleventh tee box, which plays across the back-half of the 10th green (at least, the furthest back tee boxes do). It provides adequate evidence of the brilliance of this part of the property, where the line of play doglegs right from atop the hillside back down into the low valley, around the dune, to a green shoved into the base of the sandy soils to the right. Of course, the natives will begin to grow in with time, but the below comparison highlights the restorative (or even resserective) nature of the project.

Getting Travis’ holes back is certainly a perk of the project, and one that will produce some unique and interesting holes. The aforementioned 4th and 10th are highlights, but so, too, is the par 3, 5th on the backside of the dune with the most sand and ocean view of any hole, and the low end of the dune that the 8th and 9th both cross in unique ways is fascinating architecture. It becomes easy to see how the volcano-esque par 4, 11th could become a personal favourite of many, or the gentle dogleg left par 4, 6th around a marshy hazard. With that said, half the holes will be new-to-the-world as of its projected opening in the Fall of 2025, and those will all be accredited to Brian Ross and Jeff Stein.

Having to build towards the Travis holes in the routings progression is one thing, but the difficult reality of having to turn inland after the 12th tee shot and following Travis’ abrasive, unique architecture is another thing. So, it makes sense that one of the most audacious greens around would be waiting for those stepping off Travis’ last contributions to the Great Dunes, gently resting after golfers navigate the hazard to the right of the par 5, 13th. This “T” shaped green has the knobs, bumps, and hollows of a Travis green, especially given the high edges at each turn in the surface’s shape, and most notably in the front-middle. This is the most obvious callback to the lost Travis holes as it re-creates the original par 3, 14th on the Great Dunes course. That par 3 now resides under a Days Inn Hotel.

This “T” shaped green is actually played from the left side of the photo down the long neck, with the big bunker short and right guarding the front-right pocket.

Elsewhere, obvious homages to the Golden Age exist, such as the cops bunkers or the Principles Nose bunker complex in the middle of the dastardly drive-and-pitch 16th. These elements are able to bring together the two contrasting styles of golf, or at the very least tie them together with common themes. There’s no envy in trying to balance the line between bringing Travis’ remaining holes back and building golf that could dupe people into thinking its eighteen holes of the same architect, but the classic references on the inland, less-interesting land are certainly a welcomed surprise.

That is even further appreciated by the reality of these holes occupying holes from the old Oleander course, a Dick Wilson design that failed to capture anything interesting about the beautiful, albeit flat piece of land. Wilson’s golf course was largely water-logged and a true slog through the hazards, and while Ross & Stein did have to navigate some of that on the inward stretch, tying their architectural choices to historical relevance helps bridge the gap between the two and remove the dichotomy between eras.

Perhaps the best part of the Great Dunes project is that the golf course will continue to remain accessible and affordable, unlike so many of the other “Early Thoughts” articles that highlight either expensive or private (or both) golf courses. That means there could be a new contender for the best value in the Southeast and perhaps a new addition to America’s shortlist if the green fee stays under $100, like it’s supposed to.

With that in mind, having the public experience a Walter Travis golf course is a superb addition to the state of Georgia and especially the east coast. We, as golfers, largely see Hilton Head, Charleston, and St. Simon Island as viable golf regions in this part of the country, but Jekyll Island is putting up an impressive campaign for being a “must play,” where traditionally it would have been a drive-through area for those heading to Florida. In that regard, the project’s ambitions are a success: revitalize a lost gem, and add new flavour so people don’t miss the Great Dunes that Travis built. If Brian Ross and Jeff Stein can stick the landing, a newfound possibility exists of turning charming, but perhaps underloved nine hole golf courses into a new must-see for the public and architecture enthusiasts. That, in itself is a win, and for Ross and Stein to show off their skills in a creative, unique way only sets up their chances for a bright and bigger future.

The original par 3, 14th, now used as inpsiration on the par 5, 13th.