Two worlds of golf in one state, the coastal grandeur of Sea Island with its links style Seaside Course and five star Cloister, and the lakeside championship cluster of Reynolds Lake Oconee inland. Add the history of Augusta nearby, and Georgia rewards a golfer with taste. Here is who it suits, the courses to build around, a sample week and indicative 2026 package ranges.
Photograph: Seaside Course, Sea Island, Georgia, via Google
A Georgia golf holiday suits the traveller who wants championship golf wrapped in genuine Southern luxury rather than a high volume golf factory. The coast delivers it at Sea Island, where the Seaside Course, host of the PGA Tour's RSM Classic, runs out along the marsh and the dunes, and the Forbes five star Cloister and the Lodge set a standard of service few American resorts match. It works for a couple marking an occasion, a discerning four ball, or a family that wants golf alongside a beach and a spa.
Inland, Reynolds Lake Oconee offers something different, a cluster of championship courses by Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones and Bob Cupp arranged around a vast lake, anchored by a Ritz-Carlton and unlocked by a resort stay. Many groups combine the two, a few coastal nights at Sea Island and a few lakeside at Reynolds, for the fullest picture of Georgia golf. The one thing to settle early is honest expectation about Augusta National: it is not playable, so the trip is built around the great courses you can actually book.
The jewel of the Georgia coast, a links style course of wind, marsh and dunes that hosts the PGA Tour's RSM Classic each autumn. Open only to guests of the Cloister and the Lodge or members. Note a planned closure from May to mid October 2026 for renovation, so confirm availability before booking.
The two complements to Seaside, both open to resort guests and members. The Plantation winds through live oaks and salt marsh after a full redesign, while the Retreat is the most relaxed of the trio. Together they let a group play 54 holes of fine coastal golf from a single base.
An inland counterpoint, a private community whose championship courses, including Great Waters by Jack Nicklaus and the Oconee by Tom Fazio, open to guests on a stay and play package anchored by the Ritz-Carlton. A new course, Fenmoor, is expected to open in late 2026. Lake views, wide fairways and a calmer pace.
Designers, years and tournament history verified June 2026. Green fees are indicative third party figures for the 2026 season for resort guests, exclude cart and caddie, and change with demand. The Seaside Course has a planned 2026 renovation closure. Always confirm directly before booking.
Fly into Jacksonville or Brunswick, transfer to St Simons Island and settle into the Cloister or the Lodge. An evening walk along the beach and dinner with a low country accent.
The round you came for, links style golf along the marsh with the wind as the main defence, conditions permitting in the renovation calendar. A caddie reads the lines and the breeze.
A relaxed coastal day across the resort's other two courses among the live oaks, with time for the spa, the shooting school or the beach in the afternoon.
Transfer inland to the lake, check into the Ritz-Carlton and play an afternoon nine on arrival, then dinner overlooking the water.
A full championship round on the Nicklaus or Fazio course, lake on one side and pines on the other, before flying home from Atlanta the following morning.
Drive time from Sea Island to Reynolds Lake Oconee is roughly four hours, or split the trip with a night in Savannah. The two resorts also stand perfectly well as separate trips.
| Style | Per person, 2026 | What it usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Focused Sea Island stay | From around 2,500 to 3,500 dollars | 3 to 4 nights, Seaside plus Plantation or Retreat, five star room |
| Sea Island marquee trip | From around 3,500 to 5,000 dollars | 4 to 5 nights at the Cloister or Lodge, all three courses, caddies |
| Coast and lake combination | From around 5,000 dollars upward | 6 plus nights, Sea Island plus Reynolds Lake Oconee stay and play |
Indicative third party operator ranges for the 2026 season, excluding international flights, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking. Find a Georgia resort base.
Spring and autumn give the most settled weather, roughly March to May and September to November, with the courses in fine condition and the coast at its most pleasant. Summer is hot and humid with afternoon storms, while winter stays playable on the coast at lower rates. The binding constraint in 2026 is the Seaside Course renovation, scheduled to close the course from May to mid October, so a spring or late autumn trip lands it open. Book the Sea Island rooms and the Reynolds stay and play package well ahead, especially around the RSM Classic in November.
We hold the Sea Island rooms that unlock Seaside, arrange the Reynolds Lake Oconee stay and play, and route the coast and the lake into one clean week. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
The two pillars are Sea Island on the coast and Reynolds Lake Oconee inland. Sea Island pairs the links style Seaside Course, host of the RSM Classic, with the Plantation and Retreat courses and the five star Cloister and Lodge. Reynolds offers a cluster of championship courses by Nicklaus, Fazio and Rees Jones around a lake, unlocked by a resort stay. Many groups combine the two. Always confirm current rates directly before booking.
No. Augusta National Golf Club is one of the most private clubs in the world, open only to members and their guests, and to qualifiers during the Masters. There is no public tee time at any price. For great golf in the Augusta area you can actually book, Champions Retreat, which hosts the early rounds of the Augusta National Women's Amateur, is the closest substitute, and the rest of a Georgia trip is best built around Sea Island and Reynolds Lake Oconee.
It depends on the resort and the courses. Sea Island green fees for resort guests run to indicative 2026 figures of around 425 dollars on Seaside and 245 to 335 dollars on Retreat and Plantation, atop five star room rates, while Reynolds golf is accessed through a stay and play package. Indicative operator package ranges run from roughly 2,500 dollars per person up to well over 5,000 for a full Sea Island and Reynolds combination. We are a guide, not an operator, so always confirm directly before booking.
Spring and autumn are ideal, roughly March to May and September to November, with warm, settled weather and the courses in fine condition. Summer is hot and humid with afternoon storms, and winter is cooler but still playable on the coast. Note that the Seaside Course at Sea Island is scheduled to close from May to mid October 2026 for renovation, so confirm course availability and current rates directly before booking.
Tee time releases, new openings and the booking windows worth moving on first. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Indicative fees and package ranges verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.