Jekyll Island Golf Club

The Oleander Course at Jekyll Island Golf Club opened in 1964 as one of Dick Wilson's designs on this barrier island off Georgia's coast. Wilson, known for his strategic bunkering and use of natural terrain, created a layout that works with the island's flat, coastal topography and incorporates the native vegetation that gives the course its name. The routing moves through corridors of live oaks, palmettos, and oleander bushes that define holes and frame approaches. Jekyll Island operates as a state park, and the golf facilities reflect this public ownership structure. The Oleander is one of four courses on the island, making Jekyll Island one of the larger public golf destinations in the Southeast. The course plays through relatively level terrain typical of Georgia's barrier islands, with strategic bunkering and water hazards providing the primary defense. Wilson's design emphasizes placement off the tee and approach angles rather than dramatic elevation changes. The island's history as a winter retreat for wealthy American families in the late 19th and early 20th centuries gives the setting a distinctive character, though the golf courses came later as part of the state's development of public recreational facilities. The Oleander serves both destination golfers visiting the island's resorts and local players from the Georgia coast. The course has undergone periodic updates to maintain playing conditions and modernize infrastructure while preserving Wilson's original strategic concepts.