Wild Dunes Resort - Links Course

Tom Fazio's first solo design, still one of his personal favorites, and the course that launched one of the most prolific architectural careers in modern American golf. Opened 1980 on Isle of Palms, 20 minutes north of Charleston, routed through a landscape of coastal marshes, lagoons, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Atlantic Ocean itself on the closing holes. The routing saves the ocean reveal for the end: you don't see the Atlantic until the 17th and 18th tees, where both holes play directly along the beach with the wind doing most of the defensive work. The 17th is routinely cited as one of the best holes in the Southeast. Wild Dunes hosted the 1985 U.S. Senior Amateur, and the course continues to anchor a resort that's often overshadowed by nearby Kiawah, which is part of its quieter appeal. Fits a Charleston trip as the 'Fazio origin story' round, paired with Cassique or The Ocean Course depending on the group's budget.