Wild Dunes Resort - Links Course

The Links Course at Wild Dunes is Tom Fazio's first solo design, built in 1980 on the north end of Isle of Palms, a barrier-island Charleston suburb 20 minutes from downtown. For Fazio, who'd spent the prior decade designing alongside uncle George, the Links was the project that established the visual style he'd become known for: generous corridors, minimalist framing, and green complexes that look soft but defend themselves through slope. He still calls it one of his favorites. The routing works inland through dune ridges for the opening 16, then delivers the two closing holes directly along the Atlantic. The 17th, a par-4 that runs on the beach line, is widely cited as one of the best finishing-stretch holes in the Southeast; the 18th caps it with an approach into a green framed by ocean, sea oats, and the resort hotel. Hurricanes have reshaped the course several times and each rebuild has preserved those two finishers as the non-negotiables. The Links hosted the 1985 U.S. Senior Amateur and remains the marquee round at Wild Dunes. For a Charleston trip, it anchors the Isle of Palms day alongside its Harbor sibling, with Kiawah's courses an hour south for a longer itinerary.