The drive into St. Simons Island is framed by ancient oak trees draped in Spanish moss as if you were traveling through a tunnel back in time. This beautiful Georgian island, the largest barrier island in the Golden Isles, has a checkered past and gets its name from a short-lived Yamassee Indian village known as San Simon, which was established near Fort Frederica by refugees during the late 1660s to 1684. English settlers later anglicized the name to St. Simons.
On this idyllic 11,000-acre destination, which sits directly adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, the King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort marry the modern with the historic. Sitting at the ocean’s edge, quite literally, the beachfront ocean views are awe-inspiring.
The design of the resort consistently focuses on the wonderfulness of its oceanside locale. The views of the oceanfront rooms are only enhanced by the fact that by merely opening the balcony door the room is engulfed by the soothing sound of the Atlantic Ocean coming in.
The Echo Oceanfront Restaurant at the King and Prince boasts a wonderful menu full of tasty coastal cuisine and handcrafted cocktails. Once a key naval installation during War World II, the former location for officers’ quarters, classrooms, and towers now provides delicious meals with oceanview seating for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is a must-do during your stay.
Should you wish for off-resort dining, mere walking distance from the King and Prince is a wide array of culinary options for all palates that will surely satiate any foodie. Among the many venues is Crabdaddy’s Seafood Bar Grill on Ocean Boulevard where the food is locally sourced and based on family recipes. The award-winning restaurant is celebrating 30 years of serving dinner, dessert, and seafood. Take my advice and order their excellent shrimp and grits (which I devoured).
For island activities, consider Ocean Motion Surf Co. on Ocean Boulevard. They have been serving the Golden Isles since 1977 offering an array of products to help you enjoy the beach with chair and umbrella rentals or explore the island and water.
Rentals are available for stand-up paddleboards, kayaking, sailing, and bikes. Their fine selection of bicycles for children and adults includes standard bikes, tandems, and carts–all perfect for exploring the beach and nearby sites like the lighthouse and pier. Enjoy the sun and breeze while riding along the wide bike paths and shoreline. During low tides, the beach is rideable all the way to the pier.
Most of the shops on the island are locally owned and are open year-round.
The King and Prince Golf course is located at 100 Tabbystone Street and is home to the Hampton Club. To get there from the resort (about 12 miles) is about a 30-minute drive but well worth the time.
THE GOLF COURSE
The 18 hole, 72 par Championship course, built by “Gentleman” Joe Lee, is both challenging and fair with several tee options available for all skill levels. The practice area offers space to work on every aspect of one’s game, including a sand trap—just like what’s on the course. The course is cut snugly within a residential neighborhood and utilizes doglegs, trees, and fairway bunkers to add some variables to consider when strategizing how best to play the holes. Out-of-bounds stakes are a visible reminder against stray tee shots for most of the course.
The course is made up of a mixture of Bermuda grasses. The greens roll true and have subtle breaks easily missed if not given the proper attention. The Par 5s offer some risk and rewards opportunities. Hole 9 offers a drivable green (for those who have the courage), the distance—and maybe a favorable wind. The hole is a dogleg left but is drivable over the water if you have the courage. If not a solid tee shot down the right side of the fairway, will give you a great angle for your approach to the green
As you navigate the course and make your approach to #11 green you get the first glimpses of the signature holes located in the marsh. Holes 12-15 take you away from civilization and up close with Mother Nature. These holes will require commitment as one can easily get lost in their beauty.
After leaving the wide openness of the marsh holes you are once again placed into the confinements of the tree-lined fairways of the course’s previous holes. Overall, the course was in great shape, well maintained, with a fun challenging layout.
Odis Griffin is a golf enthusiast and former Specialist at Tripler Army Medical Center. “Da Golf Nerd” lives in Columbia, Missouri, and is host of the “First Cut” Facebook Live online talk show Saturdays, 8PM CT.