Links Course at Wild Dunes Resort

The Links Course at Wild Dunes is the place Tom Fazio's career began, the first solo design from an architect who has since shaped or renovated more than 200 courses. It opened in 1980 on Isle of Palms, a barrier island northeast of Charleston, and that origin story gives it historical weight beyond its playing merits.

The design has been renovated several times, most recently in a comprehensive 2015 redesign that updated bunkering, green complexes, and conditioning to current standards while preserving Fazio's original routing. The Bermuda surfaces are maintained to a high level, and the course carries the polish of a facility that takes its heritage seriously.

From the longest tees you get 6,722 yards with a rating of 72.7 and a slope of 131. The challenge is real without being punishing. Slope is moderate by Lowcountry resort standards, fairways are generous enough for a range of abilities, and multiple tee positions let you match the layout to your game.

The routing moves through Isle of Palms terrain that shifts between maritime forest and open coastal stretches. Interior holes are framed by palmettos and live oaks, with enough tree cover to provide definition without claustrophobia. The transitions give the round a rhythm that keeps it from feeling repetitive. Ponds and tidal marsh add variety to the hazard profile, and the 2015 bunkering reflects the refinement of Fazio's later career: clean shapes, strategic placement, decisions without excessive penalty.

The course opens up as the routing approaches the coast, and the final two holes deliver the moment the round has been building toward. Both play along the Atlantic, beach and dunes on one side, the course receding behind you on the other. Wind picks up. Stakes feel higher. Played in late afternoon light, this is among the best finishing stretches at any resort course in the Charleston area.

This does not compete with the Ocean Course on intensity or the Kiawah resort courses on exclusivity. It competes on enjoyment, and it wins often enough to have earned its place in the Charleston conversation.