RL Magazine - Entertainment.RalphLauren.com

A Duffer's Delight
The Lodge is one of the grandest golf clubs in America.

By Evan McGlinn

Reminiscent of the stately Stanford White–designed estates of Newport and the Hamptons, The Lodge at Sea Island, Georgia, rests like a dignified grande dame overlooking the Atlantic and St. Simons Sound. If the Great Gatsby were seeking a place to work on his game, this would undoubtedly be it.

No expense was spared in building this $47 million golf club, completed this past March. With its Gilded Age architecture, the feeling here is lavish yet intimate—there are only 40 guest rooms and two suites—and at the end of your stay, you'll feel like you spent the week at the home of a well-heeled friend.


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The centerpiece of The Lodge is the main living room with its stone floors, exposed beam ceiling, cherry-paneled walls and massive fireplace. A grand wooden staircase leads to the second-floor mezzanine—the perfect spot to survey the grand, wide-open architecture of The Lodge. Guests can read under the soft light of sconces, lamps and chandeliers and kick back in antique leather lounge chairs that rest comfortably on Oriental rugs.

Upstairs in the rooms, the atmosphere is that of an English manor house with your choice of king- or queen-sized beds. There are three telephones per room, ports with high-speed Internet access, a fully stocked mini bar and sweeping views of the fairways, the Atlantic and St. Simons Sound. The bathrooms feature black-and-white-tiled floors, marble countertops and English nickel fixtures as well as deep soaking tubs, heated towel bars and oversized showers with massive rainwater showerheads. Should you need anything—from an extra blanket to more champagne—you can summon your private butler stationed down the hall.

Come cocktail hour, slip into the Oak Bar. Then, retire to one of two dining rooms for dinner. Colt & Alison's is a classic steak house featuring prime steaks and seafood. For native low-country cuisine with a continental flare, there is also the Terrace, serving up such dishes as grilled, molasses-cured salmon and stuffed fried chicken with okra.

With this degree of grandeur, it's easy to forget that you really came here to play golf. Sea Island is world famous for its courses and has been hosting players since its first golf course opened in 1927. There are three 18-hole courses here: the Plantation Course, designed by Rees Jones; the Seaside Course, designed by Tom Fazio and the Retreat Course, which is being redesigned by Davis Love III (who lives on nearby St. Simons Island) for the 2001 Walker Cup.

Once you're ready to hit the course, you'll be equally pampered in the men's or women's lounges, which feature steam and massage rooms, vaulted ceilings, fireplaces and overstuffed chairs and sofas. The men's lounge has an added bonus—a classic billiard table. Need a new set of irons or clothes before your round? The golf shop, designed by Polo Ralph Lauren, has everything you'll need for a day of driving, chipping and putting on one of the three courses.

Of course, if you get frustrated with your game, you can always play a set of tennis on one of the 25 courts—four are lit for night play. There is also swimming, horseback riding—English and Western—skeet shooting, sailing, fishing, cocktail cruises on vintage yachts and a full spa for massages and a host of different treatments designed to relax you after a day of sports.

Says David Everett, senior vice president of development and clubs at Sea Island, "It's our intention to be known as the finest golfing experience in the world, all in a private club setting."

It looks like The Lodge is well on its way.

Lodge Room: The Lodge Room offers deluxe accommodations with your choice of one king-sized bed or two queen-sized beds. All rooms have either a view of the ocean or the golf course.

Lodge Suite: Suites include a separate living room, bedroom and two bathrooms. Views of the ocean or the golf course are available.

Transportation Facts:
- The nearest airports are Brunswick, Georgia (20-minute drive to Sea Island), or Jacksonville, Florida (one-hour drive to Sea Island)