Great spot to stay on st Simon’s island. Part of Hilton Hotels now.

Travel + Leisure Magazine considers St. Simons Island, GA one of the “Top 5 Best US Islands.” Golf is one of the biggest attractions on St. Simons Island with several private clubs and resort courses, few of which are open to the general public. One of these resort courses is Sea Palms Resort, a beautiful property situated among the picturesque salt marshes of Georgia’s Golden Isles. Sea Palms stands out among St. Simons Island hotels and features ultra-comfortable accommodations in a secluded “island-within-an-island” retreat. The main attraction for most visitors to Sea Palms is the 18-hole championship golf course, which winds its way through groves of live oaks, deep blue lagoons, and those enticing salt marshes. Its current pristine conditioning can be attributed to a well-trained and attentive maintenance staff that pays meticulous attention to all aspects of the course. Before your round, warm up on Sea Palm’s large driving range where you can hit every club in the bag. The driving range is open to resort guests, club members, and the general public. For me, the biggest takeaways from the golf course at Sea Palms are the green complexes. Not only are these putting surfaces incredible, but they are also incredibly well-protected. The 13th green is surrounded by four bunkers. A large, deep pot bunker in the middle of the fairway fronts the green on Number 14, with two more bunkers behind it. Because of the shape and undulation, a putt from the front right to a front left pin position is almost a guaranteed three-putt! There are several memorable holes at Sea Palms but none more so than the last three holes which can make or break a good round. Number 16 is a 542-yard par 5 dogleg left and for most players, it’s going to be a 3-shot hole. A tee shot of 240 yards is still going to leave around 300 yards into the green. The green is almost 40 yards long, slightly elevated, and very narrow. Number 17 is a par 3 that plays 195 yards from the White Tees over a little bit of water on the left. The large green is flanked by large bunkers on either side and slopes back to front. The finishing hole at Sea Palms is a straightaway par four that plays 366 yards from the White Tees. There’s water all down the left side of the tee box with more water on the right, creating somewhat of an island fairway. A very wide waste bunker crosses the fairway about 70 yards in front of the green and continues down the left side between the water on the left and the green. After your round, stop by The Golf Shop, which is well-stocked with golf apparel, equipment, and accessories from many of the game’s top manufacturers. You can also pick up something from their grab-and-go snack bar items. In the event you’re staying at the resort, be sure to have at least one meal at Sago. Sago gets its name from a species of palm trees that are found throughout the property. The restaurant has long been a Golden Isles favorite for great food and entertainment and underwent a major renovation that was completed in 2021. Sago is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner and Saturday and Sunday for breakfast. Resort golf courses tend to have a hard time attracting members, especially if they allow guests of the resort to play the golf course. It may not offer the privacy and exclusivity they are looking for. And while the golf course at Sea Palms may be open to guests of the resort, and the general public, there is one section of the club that is reserved exclusively for the members. The Miracle is a one-of-a-kind practice facility that is member-only. The design team at King-Collins was able to transform what was once the finishing hole of the now defunct 9-hole course into a 4.5 acre practice facility. With wide fairways, five greens, unusual topography, and strategically placed bunkers, dunes, and water features, it allows players to practice just about any short game shot they can think of. It’s more of a golf amusement park than a practice facility – without the clown’s mouth!

Awesome place to stay. Very clean and staff is amazing.

I've been visiting St Simon's for several years, and typically pick Sea Palms as my course for the weeks that I'm on the island. It has always been a great course, even before their renovations a few years ago. I've never had any issues until my trip this year. They took away the online booking function, so I had to call the shop every day to book a tee time. Not a big deal at all, except if I was stuck talking to Jeremy (listed as the GM on their website), he would always tell me there were no times available after 3 to get the discounted rate. On separate occasions, I ended up calling back after talking to him and got another employee on the phone, only for them to tell me everything after 3 PM was open. Jeremy seemed to want to force people to pay the ~$50 difference in fees. Why try to force people into paying more that want to come out and play your course? If you want them to pay more, don't offer the twilight rates later in the day. This would be a 5 star rating if it were just about the golf course, but interacting with Jeremy made me reconsider where I'll be golfing on the island from here on out.

While on vacation I found this amazing course! The staff was really friendly and helpful and then I had the opportunity to play the course. It has a really nice variety of holes with some water and bunkers. The greens are in wonderful shape and challenging and hitting off the fairways was consistent. It's beautiful surroundings also made for a perfect day. I'd highly recommend it for anyone and any skill level.