Jekyll Island Golf Club
Great Dunes Course
Architect: Walter Travis (1927)
Updated: Brian Ross & Jeff Stein (2025)
4th Hole — 533 Yards (Blue Tees) — Par-5
Jekyll Island, GA, USA
One of the most challenging aspects in golf course architecture is bringing back to life a classic design from the 1920s.
Successfully resurrecting design concepts from the original course creator without imposing one’s own fingerprints into the finished product is no small feat.
Complicating matters is when one needs to tie together two different designs and blend them into a meaningful package in which the complete 18 holes are in alignment with the Walter Travis presentation.
A bit of a background story is needed. Walter Travis was born in Australia and came to America at the very beginnings of the 20th century. He was a gifted golfer winning the US Amateur three times and winning the British Amateur once — becoming the first non-Brit to do so.
During his prime competitive years, he was a constant force in the elite events of that time. In addition to his playing prowess he excelled in a number of areas from writing about golf to actually designing courses. A truly gifted putter, he was famous for designing greens that included an array of vexing movements.
The Great Dunes course was among his architectural achievements. The original course opened during the height of the booming 1920s and became a hot spot for those with the deepest of pockets to thoroughly enjoy the remote island just off the Georgia mainland.
The 18-hole layout was disrupted by a major hurricane following World War II. That storm wreaked considerable damage and, as a result, caused 9 of the holes of the Travis nine to be destroyed.
The remaining 9 holes (constituting the outward half) have been resurrected by the design tandem of Brian Ross and Jeff Stein and play as holes 4 thru 12. The added challenge was to blend 9 holes from the Dick Wilson 18-hole design called the Oleander Course
The terrain for Great Dunes needed to be literally brought back to life with much of the underbrush and tree clutter smartly eliminated. The dunes area also had to be done with great care given the environmentally sensitivity involved.
Credit Ross and Stein for the extensive homework they carried out before any earthmoving was implemented.
The opening three holes for Great Dunes constitute the former Wilson layout and are sequestered among the trees.
When you reach the par-5 4th you move towards the sand-covered dunes and the senses clearly ramp up.
The hole moves slightly to the right. A fairway bunker, located on the right side, is well-positioned and requires a carry of 320 yards. For mere mortals that possibility is unlikely to happen.
Securing a fairway position is essential when contemplating one’s second shot. Two gigantic dunes – humorously called “Mae West” flank each side and providing narrow opening to the green. The putting surface cannot be seen from the fairway with the exception of the top half of the flagstick.
Ross and Stein magnificently brought back to life the dunes so that the sandscape is visible. The square footage of the green that existed prior to the work was just 3,119. The “new” one today is 6,763 square feet and resides snugly between the fronting protecting dunes. The green also contains a number of hard to decipher internal movements. For those too strong with the approach there are rear bunkers waiting to snatch one’s golf ball.
Wind patterns vary. The prevailing for much of the year comes from the southwest and is behind the players. However, there are times when the wind will switch directions — usually during the winter months — then blowing off the Atlantic Ocean from the northeast.
Players have to decide if going for the green in two shots is worthwhile. Risk / reward par-5 holes often fail because the balancing line between risk / reward is not truly a 50/50 proposition and strong players can rest assured on walking away with a likely birdie. That’s not the case here. Landing the approach from 200+ yards to the elevated green is akin to landing a fighter jet on the deck of an aircraft carried. The shot must be hit with total precision.
Following the 4th you then play the next eight holes from the Travis design. The holes are routed so wind patterns are constantly an issue for players to take into account.
The most enduring aspect of the 4th is the view from the green. Across a local roadway is the majesty of the Atlantic Ocean. When you look back down the length of the fairway you fully appreciate the rigors the hole presented. For those successful in securing a birdie it’s one they will relish. For those who have faced calamity on the scorecard the desire to return and match wits with the hole will be front and center.
Best of all, Great Dunes is open to the public with very reasonable greens fees. Great designs from the golden age of American golf architecture are often private courses and nearly impossible to access.
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Images courtesy of Jekyll Island Golf Club
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