Wild Dunes
Harbor Course
Isle of Palms, South Carolina, USA
Hole 17 / 480 Yards / Par-4
Architect: Tom Fazio (1985)
Updated: Bryan Bowers / Fazio Group (2025)
The Wild Dunes project changed the face of golf in the greater Charleston area when it first opened with the stunning Links Course in 1980.
While golf did exist in “The Holy City” prior to Wild Dunes, it was that project which fast tracked a number of forthcoming mega projects in the years to follow with the development of Kiawah Island and its renowned Ocean Course.
Architect Tom Fazio’s career lifted off in a stunning fashion. Initially, he had joined with his Uncle George, working side-by-side in the creation of a number of other facilities. The Wild Dunes project was his first mega-project with his name squarely in the solo lead role.
After attaining success with the Links Course a second layout was created in 1985. The Harbor has now been recently updated and re-opened November 13. The $9.5 million six-month renovation project included increasing the size of the putting surfaces — totaling about 60,000 square feet and bringing the overall size to a cumulative 110,000 square feet. Contours were softened to accommodate the quicker former TifEagle surfaces.
Several of the course’s bunkers have been reshaped and moved to accommodate modern driving distances and playing areas have been expanded on multiple holes to enhance shot values and strategy.
The Harbor Course provides a different challenge as the routing follows a very narrow pathway on the outward side and then reverses course on its return.
The final two holes conclude the round with a grand climax.
The penultimate hole is clutter free from the proliferation of housing that engulfs the property.
The championship tee is located on the far side of a waterway that splits the rear most tee from other forward teeing locations. Down the entire left side is a devilish marsh near to the Intracoastal Waterway that awaits to snag the slightest miscue.
The fairway moves slightly left in the drive zone and the serpentine border of the marsh mandates a careful assessment from players on just how close to the edge they wish to take on with their tee shot.
The fairway noticeable pinches in at the 300-yard mark. Players have to decide how aggressive they wish to be given the limited landing space the farther one attempts to go with the tee shot.
Complicating matters is that any wayward tee shot to the right can easily find out-of-bounds waiting to that side. Those who do lay back before the narrow pinch point will face a far longer approach to the green.
The putting surface hugs the marsh as tightly as a kindergartner holds his mother on the first day of school. The slightest pull and the result is a doomed wet lost ball. The putting surface is slightly elevated and a small bunker on the front right awaits those who miss too far to that side. Missing the green to either side only adds to the stress in attempting to leave the hole without one’s scorecard being in tatters.
Hole 17 is also impacted by the daily wind pattern. Generally, the hole plays downwind with the breeze behind the players. But such a situation is not an automatic benefit given how the fairway narrows the longer the tee shot is played. Into a headwind only adds even more challenge as players will need to secure sufficient distance off the tee and likely will face an even longer approach.
Suffice to say, when one reaches hole 17 it’s best to follow Clint Eastwood’s admonition in the movie Magnum Force “Man’s got to know his limitations.”
The Harbor Course’s 17th provides no quarter. The task is simple and ever direct.
Stand and deliver.
Images courtesy of Wild Dunes Resort
