The Georgia course retains its original Joe Lee routing but features rebuilt greens, redesigned bunkering and a reworked par-five third
By Richard Humphreys |
The King & Prince Golf and Beach Club on St Simons Island, Georgia, will reopen for member play on 23 November following a $7 million renovation by Beau Welling Design.
The project marks a new chapter for the 18-hole course, which opened in 1989 as a design by Joe Lee. Welling and his senior design associate Chase Webb have led the renovation, with a brief to respect Lee’s original layout while introducing greater strategic variety and making more of the property’s coastal setting.
The work includes the reconstruction of all 18 green complexes, redesigned fairway bunkering and rebuilt teeing grounds. New forward and back tees will provide additional playing options and extend the course’s length to more than 6,600 yards. Concrete cart paths have also been replaced with crushed gravel.
The original par-72 routing remains unchanged. The first 11 holes wind through corridors of live oaks before the course reaches the coastal marshes for holes twelve to fifteen. The final three holes return inland, providing a closing stretch that includes a reachable par five.
One of the most significant design changes is to the par-five third, where Welling and his team have moved the green back 17 yards to bring the surrounding marshland further into play. The putting surface has been recontoured, with a pronounced ridge running through its centre and slopes towards both the front and back of the green.
The changes are intended to place greater emphasis on shot placement while retaining opportunities to use the ground game.
“The course has incredible bones, and our goal has been to respect the original design while refining strategic elements that will make the course more engaging day-to-day,” said Welling when the project was announced in May 2026.
The renovation also includes opening tree canopies and improving sightlines to reveal more of the surrounding marshland. A sustainability element has seen the area of irrigated turf reduced by approximately 20 per cent.
The project follows an earlier restoration in 2009, led by Billy Fuller, which included work to the green complexes, bunkers and irrigation system. The latest investment is part of a wider repositioning of the property by owner South Street Partners, which acquired the club and The King & Prince Beach & Golf Resort in 2024.
The club’s practice facilities have also been rebuilt, including the driving range, short-game area and putting green. A redesigned clubhouse will feature upgraded locker rooms, an expanded golf shop and an outdoor terrace with covered dining and social spaces. The restaurant has been developed in partnership with chef and restaurateur Ford Fry.
The reopening will mark the completion of the first phase of South Street Partners’ plans to establish The King & Prince as a private coastal golf and social club. Northview Hotels & Resorts is overseeing project management and operational execution across the wider transformation.