There are some golf courses that have one signature hole. Other have a couple and disperse them front to back. Wild Dunes just outside Charleston, South Carolina decided to save its best efforts for last.
Wild Dunes Golf Harbor Course on Isle of Palms, South Carolina is less than half an hour outside historic Charleston, South Carolina. Designed by Tom Fazio, the setup offers 36 holes split between Harbor and Links Courses.
During a recent automotive event built around the Lexus RX crossover, I managed to sneak away on a test drive to play Wild Dunes – often rated as one of the top golf destinations in South Carolina.
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While Wild Dunes keeps the entirety of its grounds immaculate, the early holes are fairly straightforward — generally avoiding water and bunkers to invite the average player to enjoy him or herself throughout the day.
Keeping those grounds so neat from tee box to fairway to green is no mean feat when you consider the climate. Just days before I played the baby bottom smooth courses, Charleston fended off the ass end of a hurricane that produced flooding throughout the area.
The layout of Wild Dunes knows the value of its terrain and geographical positioning. Built on an island, the coursed begin from a central point inland and coil themselves toward the sea. Then, using naturally rising hills leading to the beach, the courses reveal the South Carolinian seaside in all of its sand marshy majesty.
That’s the payoff for these courses. That’s where players take their souvenir photos while they look to use their short irons to hit over the wet sand worming its way around the green. It’s interesting and unusual golf topography in play with plenty of pretty views.
All rounded together, the Wild Dunes Golf experience combines very competent design with attention to quality and a big payoff vista to warrant its attention as one of South Carolina’s top golf destinations.
