This fall as you are making your winter golf travel plans I suggest you include Georgia’s Jekyll Island to your itinerary. It is one of the most relaxing islands we have ever visited, and we can’t wait to go back.
Owned entirely by the state of Georgia, Jekyll Island sits approximately 40 miles north of the Florida-Georgia state line and is riddled with miles of biking and hiking trails that wander through the thousands of acres of unspoiled natural habitat. The beaches are a treasure of their own and will provide hours of relaxation to unwind and recharge.
Visitors to the island can take a step back in time at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. It is completely restored and updated to make the perfect place to spend a tranquil vacation.
In 1886, the Jekyll Island Club Resort was the winter home for the rich and famous. It was a very exclusive retreat and soon became recognized as “the richest, most inaccessible club in the world.” Such names as J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, William K. Vanderbilt, and Marshall Field built cottages on the island.
In the early 1900’s more wealthy Americans built vacation cottages and found it the perfect respite from harsh winters in the North. The island became a financial and political center for the most powerful men in the country.
After a banking scare in 1907 threatened to disrupt the government, politicians and businessmen realized a central banking system was needed. In 1910, a U.S. Senator, and several business tycoons met at Jekyll Island to reform the nation’s banking system. The meeting was a closely guarded secret and the participants did not admit the meeting had even occurred until the 1930s. That important meeting on Jekyll Island laid a plan for the Federal Reserve System.
Jekyll Island has a deep respect for its past and has preserved much of this heritage and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Much of the area has been preserved near the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.
The State of Georgia gained possession of Jekyll Island after WW II and has designated it a wildlife sanctuary. They have restricted residential and retail growth on the island, which has helped keep the native lowlands and forest, plus miles of beaches pristine, just like Mother Nature intended.
Golf
Three championship courses, Oleander, Indian Mound and Pine Lakes will please any skill level of golfer, plus the nine-hole Great Dunes is a treat not to be missed.
The nine-hole Great Dunes Course was designed by Walter J. Travis and opened for play in 1928.
Jekyll Island was a testing ground and a leader in golf equipment innovation. Long before Carlsbad, Iron Byron and Trackman, Jekyll Island was a testing ground and a leader in golf equipment innovation. In 1924, the USGA tested the steel shafts that would replace hickory. Plus, ball size & density testing was conducted, all of which changed the game of golf forever.
To learn more about Jekyll Island watch this video from Back 9 Report TV.
