Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club

The Seaside Course carries more history than any other layout on the Georgia coast. Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison routed the original course in 1929, placing it along the tidal marshes and coastline of Sea Island in a manner that used the flat terrain's subtle contours as its primary defence. The course operated in various configurations over the following decades before Tom Fazio undertook a comprehensive redesign in 1999, combining the original Seaside and Marshside nines into the current 18-hole routing. The result is a par-70 layout of 7,055 yards that plays along the marsh, through corridors of coastal vegetation, and across ground that sits only a few feet above sea level.

The PGA Tour's RSM Classic has been played here annually, and the tournament's presence tells you something specific about the course's character. This is not a layout that overwhelms with length or visual drama. The defence is subtler than that. The greens are well protected by bunkers and the natural contours of the surrounding marsh, and the wind off the coast, which varies in both intensity and direction, changes the playing strategy from morning to afternoon and from day to day. On a calm morning, the course can yield low numbers. When the wind arrives, the same holes require an entirely different set of decisions, and the par-70 routing becomes a genuine test of ball flight control.

The relationship between the course and the marsh is the defining feature. Several holes play directly along the tidal edge, where the boundary between maintained turf and saltwater marsh is abrupt and final. The marsh is not a water hazard in the traditional sense. It is an ecosystem, and balls that find it are gone without ceremony. The visual effect is striking: the green playing surfaces, the brown and gold of the marsh grass, and the tidal water beyond create a palette that changes with the seasons and the tide cycle. At low tide, the mud flats and oyster beds are visible. At high tide, the water rises to the marsh grass line. The course plays differently depending on when the tide turns, which is a detail that most inland golfers will not have encountered.

The Fazio redesign respected the coastal setting while adding the strategic complexity that modern tournament golf requires. The bunkering is purposeful rather than ornamental, positioned to reward players who think backward from the green to the tee rather than simply hitting the longest club they can manage. Several par 4s present a clear choice: a driver that reaches the ideal distance but narrows the landing area, or a fairway wood to a wider section that leaves a longer approach. The course rewards the golfer who makes the right calculation more often than the wrong one, which is the same quality that makes it a fair test for Tour professionals.

The green fee of $310 to $425, covering January through December with seasonal variation, includes cart, range balls, forecaddie, and club cleaning. Access is restricted to guests of The Cloister, The Lodge, The Inn, or Sea Island Cottages. The forecaddie programme is a feature worth noting: the forecaddies at Sea Island know the course at a level of detail that significantly improves the experience, particularly for first-time visitors navigating the wind and the relationship between holes and marsh. Their guidance on the approach shots alone justifies whatever gratuity is customary.

The course is scheduled to close from May through October 2026 for a restoration by Love Golf Design. The scope of the restoration has not been fully detailed at the time of this writing, but the involvement of the Love family, whose roots in Sea Island golf span generations, suggests the project will respect the course's heritage while addressing the practical requirements of continued PGA Tour competition. Golfers planning a visit during this period should note the closure and consider the Plantation and Retreat courses as the available options.

Know before you go

The Seaside Course is accessible only to resort guests. Tee times are booked directly through Sea Island Resort. The green fee is all-inclusive: cart, range, forecaddie, and club cleaning. The course plays its best in the spring and autumn months when temperatures are moderate and the marsh is at its most visually dramatic. Summer brings heat, humidity, and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter is mild by national standards, with average highs in the low 60s, but the course can be breezy.

What stands out

The tidal marsh routing gives the Seaside Course a character that is entirely its own. Courses along the water are common in the Southeast, but courses that integrate the marsh as both a strategic element and a visual identity are rare. The combination of Colt and Alison's original routing instincts, Fazio's strategic refinements, and the PGA Tour pedigree produces a round that is quietly memorable rather than loudly spectacular. That quality is consistent with the resort that surrounds it.