Jekyll Island Golf Club
Great Dunes Course
7.014 yards / 72.9 Course Rating / 129 Slope
Architect: Walter Travis (1927)
Updated: Brian Ross and Jeffrey Stein (2025)
Jekyll Island, GA, USA
Course Rating: Birdie +
Designing golf courses is no small feat. The assortment of crucial details one must painstakingly navigate and resolutely master is a daunting exercise.
Patience can be a hard hurdle with a number of head-scratching starts and stops.
Couple that with the array of property specific requirements – notably when real estate is involved. For many modern course developments, the involvement with on-course housing is a mandatory inclusion. There is also the requisite need in complying with respective State and Federal related environmental laws.
Most importantly, is the reality in accomplishing the grand vision of the ownership of a property. Securing the potential of a given piece of land is one thing — putting together the right people in seeing that through to conclusion quite another.
The History
The golden age of golf architecture in the United States came during the 1920s. The intersection of quality sites in concert with the involvement of a range of truly gifted golf centric men provided for impactful designs forming the foundation of the sport for others to follow in the years ahead.
Having deep financial pockets also played a pivotal role. It is no small correlation that golf facilities of the highest order required resources only a few could tap into from start to finish.
Golf playgrounds were also brought to fruition in different locales. Seeking out such inspiring venues where Mother Nature provides jaw-dropping inspirational landscapes. The architects involved with these efforts had a deep and abiding love of the game and emulated core design concepts that originated in Scotland — the home of golf.
American design in the earliest of times was often rudimentary and produced pedestrian results. However, the courses produced by these avant garde pioneers accelerated the advancement of design in leaps and bounds.
One of the most successful was Walter Travis. The Australian born and American emigre may not resonate with the broader golf masses but is revered by golf aficinados. The “old man” of golf, as he was affectionately called, was a renaissance figure. He not only could play the game at a very high level — winning three US Amateurs and becoming the first American to garner a British Amateur title — but was an esteemed writer, teacher and course creator.
One of his efforts was brought to life on a remote venue off the Georgia coast — Jekyll Island. During the high times of the gilded age of the 1920s a number of well-connected and well-financed individuals sought to create a golf course in which the native beauty of the Georgia coastline would be linked with a superior golf layout.
The Game Plan
When Great Dunes opened in 1927, Jekyll Island was owned by the Jekyll Island Club, a private retreat for some of America’s most prominent wealthy families. Unfortunately, in 1947 a major storm ravaged the Georgia barrier islands and Jekyll Island was impacted. Nine holes of the Great Dunes course were washed away and never replaced. In that same year the State of Georgia took ownership of Jekyll Island, turning it into a state park soon after.
In 1950 the Jekyll Island Authority Board (JIAB) was established by the Georgia General Assembly to manage and protect the island on behalf of the State.
The plan to re-establish the Great Dunes course received the green light in 2022, as part of a Golf Improvement Plan approved by the JIAB. That plan outlined a phased approach in updating Jekyll Island’s golf facilities, beginning with Pine Lakes and ultimately leading to the restoration of Great Dunes.
As stated at the outset – designing an exemplary golf course is no small feat. Even greater is the challenge in bringing back to life the design genius Walter Travis had demonstrated. Architects Brian Ross and Jeffrey Stein received the assignment and the duo wasted no time in digging deep into the research to understand the thought process of Travis. In order to have 18 holes, 9 holes of the adjoining Oleander Course design by Dick Wilson was routed into the finished layout. The other 9 holes from Oleander were transformed into a conservation area.
Ross and Stein faced a dual challenge. Bringing back to life the original Travis holes (1-9) which were routed into the “new” Great Dunes course (holes 4-12). The second task was matching 9 holes from the Oleander course into a Travis design style.
The “new” Great Dunes featured three holes from the Oleander course to start the round. The remaining six were placed in the routing position of holes 13-18. Total acreage is 155 and that includes a re-positioned double-sided practice area to be created on the original final hole of the Oleander Course. That range will likely open sometime in 2026.
The task in blending different architectural styles is no small feat. For many architects, the task is rarely accomplished. Often sublimating one’s personal design style can prove insurmountable and the final fingerprints can bare little resemblance in bringing back to the forefront the original architect’s style.
One of the chief attributes of a Travis course is the devilish internal contours he created for the greens. The “new” Great Dunes has an array of vexing movements. Once the paspalum has matured, the nature of the challenging greens will only intensify.
The Verdict
Ross and Stein smartly reimagined the Travis style — especially on the former Wilson holes. The opening two holes move in different directions – the 1st to the right and the 2nd to the left. Players then face a daunting challenge at the 219 yard par-3 3rd with its long narrow green and flanking sand areas.
Once you arrive at the 4th, the majesty of the original Travis holes is a true renaissance. The par-5 hole is an exquisite risk/reward holes and one encounters the “Mae West” flanking dunes that provide a narrow opening leading into the elevated green. Those in a position to go for the green in two shots must marry a wise club choice and be ever skillful in landing with utter precision.
Related: Grade “A” Architecture – Jekyll Island Golf Club
Hole 5-8 play in a southerly direction and provide a collective par combination of 3, 4, 3 and 5, respectively.
The long par-4 9th reverses direction and moves northward in a parallel manner to the ocean and has two uniquely different short two-shot holes at 10 and 11 respectively.
The 12th marks the final original Travis hole and provides the last picturesque view of the nearby Atlantic from the elevated teeing ground. The par-4 plays 390 yards but calls upon a well-positioned tee shot that finds the left center of the fairway to avoid the arms of a pesky tree complex and then follows with a purposeful approach to the putting surface.
The remaining six holes (13-18) are Wilson’s handiwork. Ross and Stein reimagined each of the putting surfaces and the routing is much more dynamic. The golfer must make constant adjustments as no hole moves in the same direction with variable wind pattern clearly encountered.
The penultimate hole — a par-3 of 181 yards — features the largest putting surface on the course at 12,110 square feet. The hole was bolstered through the creation of an angled championship tee location. The shot is played over a menacing pond to a green containing a number of confounding movements.
The closing hole plays through a narrow chute that widens in the landing area. The par-4 plays 459 yards and generally plays into the prevailing southwest wind. The putting surface encountered provides a final gut churning puzzle to be solved.
One of the central strengths of Great Dunes is the absence of on-course housing. In too many locales – especially those in close proximity to a large body of water – the intrusive nature of real estate can be utterly suffocating. Credit the State of Georgia in realizing how environmental sensitivity rises above the short term need of mindless clutter.
Undoubtedly, there is always going to be a clash between commerce and art but when the former becomes the chief concern, it is the latter that is neglected and only paid regrettable lip service. Thankfully, Great Dunes allows the golfer to inhale the rich bounty the site provides.
One key concern pertains to the turf choice. The original Great Dunes used Bermuda grass throughout. That has since been completely removed with paspalum used throughout — including the putting greens. Given the closeness of the site to the Atlantic Ocean, the usage of paspalum provides a turf cover capable of thriving with the nearby sea spray and related humidity and high heat temperatures endemic to the area.
However, the desire to have truly firm and fast ideal playing conditions is another matter. Paspalum generally provides for a limited rollout. When the height of the summer months arrives with a steady diet of 90+ temperatures and frequent afternoon t-storms the turf can play sticky and mandate more of an aerial game.
When paspalum goes dormant in winter months, the turf will firm up somewhat but the quintessential combination of air and ground games will not likely reach a true crescendo.
In the end, keeping meaningful turf cover agronomically that produces a specific “look” may be the more practical dimension when matched up with how a course actually “plays.” Tradeoffs are ultimately part of the reality one faces in a given geographic location.
The success of the project stems from the research Ross and Stein undertook before any land disturbance took place. This desire to thoroughly understand the history of the property and the Travis design style has successfully resurrected a classic golf course via a 2025 time frame. The wherewithal to have two different nine-holes unified is no small feat. Like a plastic surgeon, the matching of one side of the body with the other requires a deft touch and the contractors responsible for the shaping clearly did.
Credit the Jekyll Island Authority in implementing a greens fee conducive to the broadest number of players. The $135 cost (including power cart) is certainly a bargain when held against any other golf layout immediately adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. Keep in mind, few Travis courses, still in existence, are actually available to the public. Like a Picasso painting — such remaining designs are to be treasured.
Great Dunes is one of them.
A total of $13 million was spent on the project and observing how matters unfold will be most interesting as other elements of the master plan are implemented. Immediately adjacent to the clubhouse is an enthralling Himalayas practice putting green and it will clearly be a headliner with its magical movements and 26,160 square feet providing an array of joyful twists and turns.
Affordable captivating golf on the level of what Great Dunes provides is extremely hard to find in the US. Often times the desire to achieve what happened here encounters plenty of detours along the way. The vision can be compromised demonstrating unfulfilled promises that becomes empty marketing hype. Hats off to the local governing board in being resolute in hiring the right people and then using such expertise to secure the ultimate end result.
Vision, far too often, is an empty talking point in golf course development. Carrying that forward and doing so in an artistically and financially prudent manner is the ultimate test. What may sound easy to many is hardly that when a multitude of action items are needed. Execution and delivery are the ultimate sine qua non in such purposeful efforts.
Great Dunes will need to see the paspalum mature and then the test will be the daily maintenance practices The visual aesthetics and hue in what Travis created is the heart and soul of Great Dunes. That will mean special attention in how the various grass types and cut heights are cultivated. One can only hope a resolute effort to keep matters firmly in place will be undertaken.
Ross and Stein blended a completely different 9 holes into the final outcome. No small feat of accomplishment. The “new” greens form the primary defense and when wind patterns ramp up, the challenge presented intensifies. And on certain days — significantly so.
Playability is still presented but for hearty souls relishing a stiffer challenge one need only venture back to the rearrest set of tee markers.
The design bones Travis brilliantly put in place have been skillfully resurrected on Jekyll Island. The word “golf” begins with the letters — G-O.
Schedule the journey.
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Images courtesy of Austin Kaseman
Ratings AssessmentDouble Eagle Not a hole to be missed. Compelling architecture throughout testing mental and physical resolve. Your heart bumps with exhilaration from 1st tee to 18th green. Eagle + Superior shotmaking values in tandem with related turf quality melding an experience of the highest order. Eagle Like its namesake – flies high in the clouds. Consistent variety with strategic holes demonstrating brilliance at various moments. Birdie + Engaging design providing thoughtful intersections with creative results front and center. Birdie Quality architecture exists but held back by limited standout holes encountered. Par+ Has several holes of note but too many pedestrian ones subtract from the experience. Par Enjoyable but like vanilla ice cream – mainly ordinary. Bogey Little substance of note – has design fumbles that are more prevalent than need be. Double-bogey A total mistake — in need of upgrades with substandard holes, inferior routing and substandard conditioning. Triple-bogey An utter mess. Avoid the pain of the experience and the loss of time / money. ***
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