Author: Shane Sharp

Swing into Spring at These Southeastern Golf Destinations
While the blooming dogwoods and azaleas of the Southeastern U.S. and the 2021 Masters are behind us, the golf season is just getting started. And oh, what a season it is shaping up to be.

Golf participation surged in 2020 as avid golfers played even more golf, new players were introduced to (and stuck with) the game, and an influx of juniors has the future of the game looking brighter than ever. And if 2020 was the year for playing golf around town, 2021 is looking like the year to grab the clubs and hit the road.

Fortunately, this golf-rich region serves up some of the best golf destinations the country has to offer. Here’s a sampling of top shelf resorts from the land of BBQ, bourbon and college football.

Florida

Innisbrook Golf Resort –Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course is a favorite among PGA TOUR pros, and it’s also one of the most difficult on the circuit. This highly amenitized resort west of Tampa on the Gulf of Mexico houses four courses along with a variety of rooms, suites and vacation rentals.

PGA National Resort and Spa – Palm Beach County is a hotbed of golf, and it doesn’t get any hotter than PGA National Resort and Spa, home of the PGA TOUR’s Honda Classic. Five courses, including the Jack Nicklaus designed Champ, await golfers willing to test their mettle against this tournament tested venue.

PGA Golf Club – The flagship public property of the PGA of America, PGA Golf Club is a 54-hole golf panacea with a world-class practice range, short game area and short course. Catch a bite to eat in the Taplow Pub and stay a few nights in the adjacent Perfect Drive Villas or neighboring Hilton Garden Inn.

Streamsong Resort – One of Florida’s newest golf resorts got even newer with the opening of its Gil Hanse-designed Black Course in 2018. The resort’s Red and Blue courses have also quickly moved atop the national rankings, and the Streamsong Lodge is the perfect place to kick back and relax, post round.
- Streamsong Red
Georgia

Callaway Resort and Gardens – Golf may not be the first thing that comes to mind at this famous water-skiing stronghold, but the 18-hole Lake View and Mountain View Courses are a couple underrated gems. Golfers can chose from the AAA Four Diamond Lodge, cottages or villa accommodations.

Reynolds Lake Oconee – Reynolds Lake Oconee is to Georgia as Pinehurst Resort is to North Carolina. That is to say, a seemingly endless supply of golf in the form of six highly-ranked layouts designed by Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones, Bob Cupp and Jim Engh. Lodging ranges from cozy cottages to the luxurious Ritz-Carlton, Lake Oconee.

Sea Island Resort – While Georgia is better known as the home of The Masters, the RSM Classic at Sea Island Resort is a PGA TOUR player favorite. So much so, several pros make their home at this golf haven on Atlantic. The Seaside Course is a Tom Fazio redesign perched hard on the Atlantic, the Plantation Course was recently renovated by natives Davis and Mark Love, who also recast the Retreat Course in 2001.
North Carolina

Grandover Resort – Golfers need only veer off I-85 in Greensboro to access this 36-hole collection designed by Gary Panks. A full-service onsite hotel offers all the accoutrements, from casual and fine dining to a spa and fitness center.

Pinehurst Resort – Nine 18-hole courses, including the famed No. 2, frequent U.S. Open host course, make Pinehurst Resort the largest golf resort in the U.S. Golfers also love The Cradle, a nine-hole short course designed by Gil Hanse, and Thistle Dhu, a 75,000 square-foot putting course. Golfers can choose from three hotels, including the recently renovated Manor Inn, just a short walk to the new Pinehurst Brewing Co.

Rumbling Bald – Spring in Western North Carolina means mountain golf and Rumbling Bald along scenic Lake Lure obliges with two 18-hole tracks, Apple Valley and Bald Mountain, designed by W.B. Lewis and Dan Maples. Spacious vacation rentals are available for stay-and-plays, and the lake offers endless off-course activities.
South Carolina

Cherokee Valley Course and Club – Upstate South Carolina’s premier golf destination, Cherokee Valley is home to a P.B. Dye mountain-style layout, on-site cottages and a brand-new casual dining restaurant, Core 450. Get game ready at one of South Carolina’s most expansive practice facilities.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort – For golfers who want to play where the pros play this year, Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course is hosting the 2021 PGA Championship in May. If Pete Dye’s diabolic oceanside layout it too tough to tackle, four other 18-hole courses adorn this majestic barrier island near Charleston. Catch a good night’s rest at the Sanctuary at Kiawah, a AAA Five Diamond hotel.

Myrtle Beach – While it’s not a resort, per se, the Grand Strand one of the world’s most iconic golf destinations. Accommodation options are limitless, and lineup cards can be filled with vaunted venues like Tidewater Golf Club, Grande Dunes Resort Course, King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, Caledonia Golf and Fish Club.

Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort – Hilton Head is known as “Golf Island,” and the three brawny layouts at Palmetto Dunes are a big reason for that moniker. The Robert Trent Jones features one of the island’s only oceanfront holes, and the George Fazio and Arthur Hills courses round out the bill. Golf groups love the popular “Birdies and Beer Getaway” and the resort’s comfy vacation rentals.

Sea Pines Resort – Settled along Hilton Head Island’s south end, The Sea Pines Resort is home of the PGA TOUR’s RBC Heritage tournament and famed Harbor Town Golf Links. Two other championship caliber tracks reside inside the gates, Heron Point by Pete Dye and Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III. The Inn and Club at Harbor Town is just a pitching wedge from the clubhouse and the famed Yacht Basin is a short jaunt away.
- Sea Pines – Harbor Town Golf Links
May 5, 2021
Destination: Hilton Head Island

When it comes to golf getaways, Hilton Head still holds its own with any golf destination in North America. More than $200 million has been invested in upgrading “Golf Island’s” hotels, resorts and golf courses over the past decade.

There are more than 30 courses clustered within the island’s 70 square-miles and sprinkled around neighboring Bluffton and Beaufort, so the next round of golf is never more than a few minutes away. And with the spring forward to daylight savings time, the Hilton Head area sets up perfectly for a 36-hole-a-day golf binge.

Here’s a lineup of premier on- and off-island courses, as well as the inside scoop on accommodations, dining and transportation.

Top Tier

Harbour Town Golf Links at The Sea Pines Resort is the long-time home of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage, a fan and player favorite. This Pete Dye/ Jack Nicklaus collaboration epitomizes Lowcountry course design replete with live oak-lined corridors, diminutive greens and Dye’s trademark bulkheads lining languid lagoons.

Walking off the 16^th green and toward the tee box on the par-3 17^th, the Calibogue Sound comes into view with shrimp and sailboats passing by. Harbour Town concludes with one of America’s most famous finishing holes, the par-4 18^th playing into the iconic Harbour Town Lighthouse.

Just a smooth 3-wood away from Harbour Town, Sea Pines Resort’s Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III is a masterful overhaul of the resort’s historic Ocean Course, the island’s first course. Completely reinvented by Love Golf Design, native seaside grasses and coquina shells meld with pines and oaks to create a calming coastal ambiance that puts golfers at ease.

The Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort is widely considered one of the most scenic and challenging courses in the state. Having opened in 1967 just two years before Harbour Town, the two courses’ histories are forever linked by two World Golf Hall of Fame architects.

Jones’ former protégé Roger Rulewich updated the course in 2002, elevating the fairway on the signature par-5 10^th hole for even better views of the Atlantic Ocean. Credited with designing the majority of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Rulewich spent considerable time reworking every tee box and green.

George Fazio’s Palmetto Dunes – #16

Solid Seconds

While it’s technically in Bluffton just off the island, Old South Golf Links is the area’s most underrated layout. Designed by local golf course architect Clyde Johnston, Old South is the only area public course playing along the Intracoastal Waterway.

The front and back nine views, with MacKay Creek and the Calibogue Sound in the distance, are among the best in the region and are a great way to welcome your golf group to the Lowcountry. The variety of indigenous terrain is also surreal – oak forest, pastures and tidal marshes are all on display, and in play.

Back at The Sea Pines Resort, Heron Point by Pete Dye (formerly the Sea Marsh course) was a labor of love for the renowned golf course architect, who returned several times to tweak its putting surfaces and greens surrounds. From its 7,035-yard tips and with a slope of 140, it gives Harbour Town a run for its money as the resort’s toughest track.

Playing to more than 7,000 yards with a 139-slope rating from the tips on the island’s north end, Oyster Reef continues to challenge low handicap golfers while appealing to players of all skill levels with its spectacular setting. Jones returned in 2018 to lead a full-scale bunker renovation project, restoring the course to its circa 1982 splendor.

At Palmetto Dunes, George Fazio Course is Hilton Head Island’s only par-70, and with a slope of 144 from the 6,873-yard back tees, it’s considered by many to be the most difficult resort course on the island. With just two par 5s and a series of meaty par 4s, proper tee selection is paramount.

Preferred Private

It’s a well-established pattern: a week-long visit to Hilton Head Island one year turns into a month-long stay the following year. Eventually golfers fall in love with Golf Island and relocate to enjoy its laid-back lifestyle year-round. And when they do, Sea Pines Country Club is often the private golf venue of choice.

The only private club located inside the gates of the Sea Pines community – a 5,000-acre masterplan including the resort, Beach Club, shops, dining and more – Sea Pines Country Club’s Arnold Palmer-Clyde Johnston-designed layout is a pure Lowcountry offering replete with live oaks draped in Spanish moss, languid lagoons and native grasses.

While not as widely known as the 18^th hole on Harbor Town, the finishing hole at the club, set along one of the island’s largest tidal marshes, is an absolute stunner. Post round, members enjoy their favorite beverages and a variety of eats at the Blue Heron Pub and Grille or relax by the club’s expansive resort-style pool.

Where to Stay

For sheer convenience during a multi-day golf trip, it’s hard to top a rental home or villa at The Sea Pines Resort or Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort. These vacation residences are fully-appointed with all the amenities of home, including flat screen TVs, washers and dryers, wireless internet and fully-equipped kitchens.

Dining and Nightlife

There are more than 250 restaurants on Hilton Head Island ranging from celebrity chef-driven restaurants to locally owned seafood joints. For a true taste of Lowcountry waterfront dining, check out Skull Creek Boathouse or Skull Creek Dockside.

Replenish calories burned from a long day on the links with a full Italian meal at Frankie Bones or a dry aged steak from WiseGuys. And whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, do not miss the chance to visit Java Burrito for the region’s best “Fresh Mex” and espresso.

For those who prefer to grab a bite at or near the golf course, options abound. At Palmetto Dunes, Big Jim’s BBQ, Burgers, Pizza at the Robert Trent Jones Course clubhouse is open seven days a week serving three meals a day. Links, an American Grill, in the stunning new Harbour Town Clubhouse, serves up signature filet, strip and porterhouse steaks. The LagerHead Tavern at Oyster Reef showcases Southern comfort food with a twist.

Getting Here

Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH) on the island’s north end offers non-stop and one-stop service from multiple hub cities and connections via American Airlines. Seasonal Saturday flights to/from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) are offered as of April 10, 2021

The new route complements year-round service from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and seasonal service from Washington Reagan Airport (DCA), Chicago (ORD), Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) and Philadelphia (PHL). Book your flight to Hilton Head Island at www.AA.com.

Delta Air Lines Airlines also offers nonstop and one-stop service to HHI via its Atlanta (ATL) hub with connections from 200+ cities worldwide.

Golfers can also utilize Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), with direct flights from numerous East Coast, Midwest and Texas airports. Southwest Airlines service began in March with six flights from five markets.

Hilton Head Golf Island expert golf vacation planners are available to help you design your ideal Hilton Head Golf Island golf trip. Click here to complete a brief form and to receive a custom quote.

April 13, 2021
Mountain Golf Escape: Rumbling Bald Resort on North Carolina’s Lake Lure

There’s always been a certain magical quality to mountain golf. In the Carolinas, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Charleston and the Brunswick Islands have more than their fair share of outstanding layouts. And the central Piedmont of both states surprises with some real hidden gems.

But there’s something special about packing up the car full of golf gear and heading into the North Carolina’s stunning section of Blue Ridge Mountains. Maybe it’s the cooler weather in the late spring and summer. In the fall, it is all about the colorful foliage and playing golf in a sweater or fleece pullover.

For most golfers, though, the connection is more visceral than the weather. Mountain golf is a way to escape the pace and stress of today’s hurry-up, always-on lifestyle. Rumbling Bald Resort on North Carolina’s stunning Lake Lure is all about offering golfers a refuge from the daily grind.

“We want golfers to get here, unplug, play 18 or 36 holes and shed the stress of the hurry-up, always-on lifestyle we lead,” says Jeff Geisler, General Manager at Rumbling Bald Resort. “Post round, they can relax over a hearty meal and a cold beverage, then retreat to the deck of their vacation rental with cigar or night cap.”

The Golf Courses

Adam Bowles, Head of Golf Operations at Rumbling Bald, is quick to point out that the resort’s two mountain courses, Apple Valley and Bald Mountain, offer decidedly different, yet complementary, experiences.

Bowles says the key to playing Bald Mountain is understanding the effects of uphill and downhills slopes. Longtime Laurel of Asheville golf writer Chuck Werle once said Bald Mountain designer W.B. Lewis was “part man, part mountain goat.”

“Bald Mountain is what most golfers would refer to as a classic mountain course,” says Bowles. “The back nine especially offers a mix of uphill and downhill holes that require adjustments in club selection, trajectory and spin.”

One case in point being the par-4 11 hole. The uphill approach shot is the most extreme on the course and can easily call for an extra club or two, depending on the wind speed and direction. It’s the 383-yard par-4 10^th hole preceding 11 that is one of Bowles favorite on the layout, however.

An elevated tee shot offers harrowing glimpse of a creek on the left and a thick row of trees on the right that appears to extend all the way into the fairway. The approach shot is to an elevated green with the putting surface completely hidden from sight. Most golfers under-club, says Bowles, leaving a chip shot into a slanted green.

A manageable 6,300 yards from the back tees, Bald Mountain is renowned for its unique configuration of five par 5s and five par 3s. Movie buffs appreciate the 16^th green, the backdrop of a scene from the famed 1987 rom-con “Dirty Dancing” staring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze.

Rumbling Bald’s marquee course, Apple Valley stretches to nearly 6,800 yards and features expansive views of Bald Mountain and the surrounding Lake Lure area. The course was designed by North Carolina-based architect Dan Maples, whose father Ellis was a prolific golf course designer and accomplished superintendent who apprenticed under Donald Ross.

Maples estimated 75% of shots at Apple Valley are either level or downhill, virtually unheard for a mountain course. Glistening mountain lakes adorn 12 holes, but water only occasionally comes into play.

“You get the best of both worlds on Apple Valley and that’s what keeps golfers coming back and new golfers coming in for the first time,” says Golf Operations Manager Adam Bowles.

Bowles is particularly fond of Apple Valley’s finishing stretch, capped by the 564-yard par-5 18^th. A true three-shotter, a pond runs along the right side of the fairway starting about 300 yards out, extending past the green. The second shot needs to be long enough to setup a short approach to a green guarded by bunkers on both sides.

Bald Mountain GC

Bald Mountain #17

Apple Valley #7

The Lodging Lineup

The resort’s 150 vacation rental homes, condos and studios feature both golf course and mountain views. Post round, golfers can relax at Legends on the Lake, casual dining on shores of Lake Lure, or grab a hearty sandwich and cold drink at Pinnacle Southern Kitchen at the Apple Valley clubhouse.

Rumbling Bald is rich with amenities and activities, including scenic Lake Lure boat tours, boat rentals, tennis, pickleball and hiking trails. It’s the perfect basecamp for exploring the natural wonders of western North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

To learn more about Rumbling Bald’s golf courses and packages, visit www.rumblingbald.com, or call (828) 694.3072.

Getting There

Rumbling Bald Resort is an hour east of Asheville and 1.5 hours north of the Greenville-Spartanburg metro area in Upstate South Carolina. Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and other metro areas in the southeast are under a half day’s drive. Long a popular summer destination for Floridians, Rumbling Bald is just a six-hour drive from Jacksonville and eight-hour ride from Orlando.

Golfers can expect high temps in the 70s and 80s in May, and the mid to high 80s June through August. Its Blue Ridge Mountain location means lower humidity and cooler nights than most the Southeastern U.S. in the summer.

May 5, 2020
Discover the Hidden Side of Hilton Head Golf

While the PGA TOUR goes on a (hopefully) brief hiatus, we’re left with enough collective time to plan our next golf trip. And if jumping on an airplane doesn’t sound all that appealing right now, we’ve got good news: 80 percent of all South Carolina visitors arrive by car.

Even from Canada, believe it or not, travel bans notwithstanding.

That also pertains to the Palmetto State’s storied Lowcountry region, including Hilton Head, also known as “Golf Island.” While the RBC Heritage was cancelled along with all of April and most of May’s PGA TOUR events, Hilton Head, Bluffton and Beaufort still await traveling golfers from points north and south.

From exclusive private courses and high-end resorts to must-play mid-tier daily fee layouts, the region is rife with golf options. It’s easy to unearth the wildly popular tracks, like Harbour Town and the Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes.

But dig a little deeper, call in a few favors or even pony up for a membership to go private, and golfers will discover a hidden side of Hilton Head golf to be fully explored and treasured.

May River Golf Club, Montage Palmetto Bluff

Located just off the island in idyllic Bluffton and originally opened in 2004, May River Golf Club has developed a reputation as of one of Jack Nicklaus’ finest designs. The Golden Bear returned in 2017 to restore the Signature layout to its first-class form.

Nicklaus’ deft delineation between formal and native bunkers adds a unique design element architecture aficionados will appreciate. The layout meanders around the May River and coastal wetlands of Palmetto Bluff, and caddies educate golfers on optimal angles and club selection.

Golfers can bed-down at the Montage Palmetto Bluff set within 20,000 acres of Palmetto Bluff’s maritime forest and surrounded by 32 miles of riverfront. The boutique features three pools, eight restaurants, a spa and a seemingly endless array of activities.

The Club Course, Sea Pines Country Club

Sea Pines Country Club’s Club Course is a pure example of Lowcountry golf course design, with its narrow, tree-lined fairways, doglegs, subtle green complexes and languid lagoons. There’s a since of intrigue on every tee box of this Arnold Palmer-designed layout as to what style of hole comes next.

A private, invitation only club situated in Sea Pines Plantation, members are not required to live inside the gates to join. The club sets up perfectly for those relocating to Hilton Head or east Bluffton who want freedom of residential choice. As the saying goes, every Hilton Head visitor is a future resident, and every resident a future golfer.

The Club Course, updated by Clyde Johnston in 2001, has even been referred to as “Little Harbour Town” due to its similarities to the Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus masterpiece just a sand wedge to the south. Apropos, given that original architect Palmer won the inaugural RBC Heritage in 1969 and incorporated many of Harbour Town’s design elements.

Old South Golf Links, Hole 18

Old South Golf Links, Bluffton

Also designed by Johnston, Old South Golf Links is the only area public course playing along the Intracoastal Waterway. The front and back nine views, with McKay’s Creek and the Calibogue Sound in the distance, are among the best in the region, public and private venues considered.

The variety of Lowcountry terrain is also fascinating – oak forest, pastures and tidal marshes are all on display, and in play. The finishing stretch, holes 16 through 18, is vintage Lowcountry with target fairways and greens requiring carries over marshland. Golf packages are offered with other area courses.

One round at Old South and golfers will appreciate Johnston’s brilliant routing and subtle approach to Lowcountry golf course design.

Oyster Reef

When Oyster Reef Golf Club on Hilton Head Island opened in 1982, it was recognized by many golf experts as one of the best new courses in the U.S., because of its fortunate location, a marquee designer in Rees Jones and a strategically compelling layout.

Playing to more than 7,000 yards with a 139-slope rating from the tips, Oyster Reef continues to be a place where golfers go to look for a challenge, as well as one of the most visually appealing courses in the entire region.

Atlantic Dunes, The Sea Pines Resort

Having opened in 2016, Atlantic Dunes is the newest course at The Sea Pines Resort, wrought from what was once the oldest course on Hilton Head Island. Originally the Ocean Course, Davis Love III, brother Mark and lead architect Scot Sherman completely overhauled the layout to present a pure coastal aesthetic.

Love Golf Design removed hundreds of aging trees (all environmentally approved), restored natural dune lines and added coquina shells and native seaside grasses. The par-3 15^th hole is one of just two holes on the island with an unencumbered view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Getting There

Hilton Head is within a half-day’s drive of major Southeastern cities like Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh, and just over eight hours from Washington D.C. Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio — all popular golfer origins, are six to 12-hour drives. Golfers have two airport options, Savannah Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), or Hilton Head Airport (HHH) on the north end of the island. Service was once limited to HHH, but has been exponentially expanded with direct flights on Delta, American and United from nine major cities

Shane Sharp is a longtime member of the Golf Writers Association of America and contributing editor to GOLF Magazine. He’s based in Greenville, S.C. where he owns Southbound 4, a golf-focused content marketing and PR firm.

April 2, 2020