The Lodge at Sea Island
When it comes to planning a couple’s golf vacation, there’s a lot on the line to get it right. My wife and I have two amazing little girls at home, and the chance for just the two of us to sneak away for a couple of days adds a little element of pressure as I want to make sure I pick a place that provides a romantic setting, world-class amenities, exceptional dining, and top-notch golf.
One place that checks all these boxes is Sea Island on the Georgia coast. While I know this property well, the one welcomed surprise in my planning process for this trip was that we listened to the expertise of the team at Sea Island and chose to stay at The Lodge instead of The Cloister this time around.
While you cannot go wrong at either property as both hotels have each been awarded the prestigious Forbes Five-Star Award, we ended up opting to stay at the more intimate setting of The Lodge which gives you the feel of a boutique hotel while also providing access to all the amenities of the overall resort. I’m so glad that we did, as it turned out to be one of the best vacations that we have ever had together.
From the moment you arrive at The Lodge, you are met with the feeling that you are the most important member at a private club versus a guest of a resort.
The 43-room hotel features 24-hour butler service whose presence can be felt from the moment you check in as you are greeted at the door and given a full tour of the hotel while another team member tends to your bags. As you get to your room, you feel every bit of the Southern charm exuding from the décor that includes the exposed wood beams, rich wood, and the Oriental rugs that further give you the sense of being at your home away from home.
Golf at an elite level
From a golf perspective, The Lodge serves as the main hub for golf at Sea Island as you’ll find the main pro shop located in the building here with access to the Seaside Course, Plantation Course, and the Golf Performance Center.
The Seaside Course has long been the star of the show here, and rightfully so as this is arguably one of the better golf resort layouts in the country. As you’ll see in the exclusive drone footage we’ve provided for you here, this course places a premium on driving and if you can avoid the hazards off the tee here there are opportunities for scoring as the conditions are immaculate and the views are spectacular.
The adjacent Plantation Course is a wonderful complement to what you find on the Seaside Course. Redesigned a few years ago by Davis Love III and his brother Mark Love, this course plays much friendlier from tee to green than its sister course.
But one thing you will quickly find here is that once you are on the greens, you’ll see where the challenges truly begin as these highly contoured green complexes will require every bit of touch that you have in your skill set. We’ve droned this course for you as well, and we love the way the green fairways popped versus the dormant rough as we filmed this during the winter season.
The third course on property at Sea Island is the nearby Retreat Course, just a short drive away from the courses located at The Lodge. Retreat is often referred to as the easier of the three layouts here, but that depends on where your strengths lie as this tree-lined inland layout is far from a simple walk in the park. It has its own distinct charm, and we loved how each course here offered a unique experience during our golf getaway.
No golf trip to Sea Island is complete without a stop at their state-of-the-art, 17,000-square-foot Golf Performance Center. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen anywhere, and the technology and service provided here are exceptional. You and your significant other can choose to work on a multitude of aspects of your game including:
- Golf specific fitness training with the legendary Randy Myers;
- Putting instruction in the coolest lab we’ve ever been to with every bell and whistle you can imagine with Phil Kenyon or David Angelotti;
- Enhance your mental side of the game with Dr. Morris Pickens;
- Receive a Tour quality club fitting experience;
- or receive instruction from any of the world-renown stable of swing coaches available here.
My better half had the privilege of working with the women’s golf savant Gale Peterson who has been teaching at Sea Island for more than 30 years and hosts multiple ladies-only golf schools here throughout the year. My wife is still in the earlier stages of playing golf, and in one lesson Gale had drastically improved her consistency and sent her home with videos from the lesson so she can remember what they were working on which she found invaluable.
I had the pleasure of working with Senior . Instructor Jeff Nelson. I currently play to a 4 handicap and one of my weaknesses is that I can get a little off kilter with the driver in my hand, so we focused on that. It only took a matter of minutes for Jeff to analyze my game, and a few tweaks had my weak fade shifted to a more powerful and straighter ball flight. It was just enough to make an improvement in my game without leaving me with too many swing thoughts which I thought was perfect for a lesson while on the road.
Making the most of your time off the course
It’s the little things that really count, and no stone is left unturned during a couple’s stay at The Lodge. The service levels here are simply outstanding. We already referenced the butler service onsite, and prior to our visit we were curious what all that entailed.
Well, we quickly found out that pretty much meant if it wasn’t illegal, their team would make it happen for you! Your butler was simply a text message away from helping with any details during the trip, and for my wife that included a rose petal drawn bath that was set up in minutes and ready for her the second we arrived at the room. Other services included everything from helping to set up shuttles when we were moving around the resort all the way to warm cookies and cold milk waiting for us in the room each evening at turndown .
The hardest part about planning our trip to Sea Island was deciding which activities we were going to include on the itinerary.
There is so much to see and do at Sea Island as you can see here, and given the romantic spirit of the trip we opted to enjoy a couples massage at the Forbes Five-Star Spa at Sea Island. The Spa focuses on incorporating water as the main inspiration for the experience here, and you can feel that from the moment you arrive as you are greeted by waterways filled with Koi fish. That feeling continues as you enter the beautiful atrium that’s small pond delivers the relaxing sound of flowing waters while you await your treatment. Sixty minutes of bliss soon followed as their world-class team got our bodies back in a perfectly relaxed state, and the only thing we would change about our time here would be adding on more time or additional services.
From a dining perspective at The Lodge, a reservation for an upscale dinner at the exquisite Colt & Alison is a must as this fine dining experience requires a collared shirt and jacket for gentlemen and cocktail attire for ladies. That sets the tone for the meal here as the recent renovation to the restaurant embodies the coastal, warm vibes of the area where you can enjoy a succulent 30 day, wet-aged steak or a fresh catch of the day courtesy of the nearby waters. The toughest decision you’ll have after your main course is whether you indulge in the Profiterole, a combination of vanilla, chocolate, and pecan ice creams with a pecan cinnamon croquante and chocolate sauce, or if you wait for the previously mentioned warm cookies in your room. Who are we kidding…it’s vacation. Enjoy both!
The Oak Room was where we ate most of our meals at The Lodge as it conveniently serves throughout the day with a combination of signature Southern favorite items and tasty cocktails. If you can, try to time grabbing a beverage here before dinner and enjoy a traditional Scottish sunset sendoff as a bagpiper performs for an hour here daily. Another great option at The Lodge is the relaxing Pool & Halfway House which is perfect for a quick bite on the go or to eat while you are lounging poolside. For the husbands, a quick bite or drink in the Men’s Locker Room is a great option that includes great food, a full bar, and a cigar room. It is widely recognized as one of, if not the, best locker rooms in golf. It didn’t make it onto the itinerary of our couple’s trip, but it’s a staple for any buddies trip here as you are highly likely to rub elbows with one of the many PGA Tour professionals who call Sea Island home when you are there.
Seaside Course at Sea Island
Recommendation
My wife and I would both highly, highly recommend a couple’s golf trip to The Lodge at Sea Island. We did a three-day, two-night stay, and if you have the time available we would suggest extending the trip to a four-day, three-night stay as we would have loved to have fit in a few more of the amazing activities available at Sea Island such as horseback riding, tennis and pickleball, or some time at one of the resort pools or Beach Club. That being said, we did pack a lot into our three-day experience, and you will certainly leave feeling refreshed if you stay for that long.
Another potential item to consider is timing your trip around watching some live golf featuring the world’s best players. The PGA Tour is scheduled to make their annual stop here with The RSM Classic on November 20-23, 2025, and we actually were able to go stop by and see the Jones Cup Invitational during our visit where spectators can watch the best amateur golfers in the world play Ocean Forest Golf Club, the private golf course on Sea Island that is typically only accessible for Ocean Forest members. This event is scheduled for January 8-11, 2026, and with a list of past winners that includes the likes of Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia, Beau Hossler, and Justin Thomas, you can get a glimpse at the future stars of tomorrow on one of the most exclusive private golf courses in the Southeast.
No matter when you decide to visit here, Sea Island is always a good idea and I’m sure you’ll earn some major brownie points if you schedule a getaway here with your spouse.