The dynastic families of the Gilded Age had money to vacation wherever they wanted.
Often, where they went was the Georgia coast.
Then, as now, the barriers islands there were known as the Golden Isles, a moniker coined by early Spanish explorers in search of riches, though the name also fit the landscape itself, where the marshes glow gold beneath the coastal sun.
In time, the islands attracted a different kind of wealth. The Vanderbilts. The Rockefellers. The Carnegies. The Morgans. They came to escape winter, dodge the spotlight, fish, sail, bicycle and, naturally, play golf.
More than a century later, the Golden Isles remain one of America’s great golf destinations, with a concentration of standout courses that ranges from Golden Age classics to modern championship tests. The lineup includes acclaimed layouts at Sea Island and St. Simons Island, along with the newly restored Great Dunes on Jekyll Island, a heralded Walter Travis design.
To experience the area firsthand, GOLF.com recently spent a long weekend roaming the islands with the crew from St. Andre Golf — a dynastic clan of the Instagram-era whose comedy sketches have earned them a massive following. Outfitted by Johnnie-O, which supported the trip, we did our best to look the part.
The itinerary carried us from Sea Island Resort and a round on the Plantation Course (it dates to the 1920s but has since been renovated by local boys Davis Love III and his brother, Mark Love), then on to Jekyll Island for a loop at the reborn Great Dunes.
Golf, though, was only part of the story. We also engaged in Gilded Age cosplay, cruising the Intracoastal in search of dolphins, indulging in fresh seafood and, because no visit is complete without it, stopping at Southern Soul, the famed barbecue joint that’s as much a local institution as any golf course.
The Golden Isles still attract their share of wealth, including a leaderboard’s worth of PGA Tour pros. But for all the luxury, the place has retained its laid-back, salt-air spirit.
Watch the video above for a taste of an excursion to one of America’s richest golf destinations — in every sense of the word.
