The hardest golf courses in St. Simons Island, Georgia
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of St. Simons Island, Georgia, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 13 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Jekyll Island, Saint Simons Island, Sea Island, Brunswick, Waverly and 1 more nearby town.
Ocean Forest Golf Club
Sea Island, GA, USASlope rating 144, 75.2 course rating, Gold tees, 7,140 yds
PrivateRees Jones
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.8Scenery
- 4.2Facilities
- Walkable
- Driving range
- Grass range
Golf Club at Sanctuary Cove
Waverly, GA, USASlope rating 140, 75.2 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,494 yds
PublicFred Couples & Love Design
- 3.2Conditions
- 3.4Layout
- 3.9Value
- 3.5Scenery
- 3.2Facilities
Played on a Sunday afternoon and pace was good. Finished in under 3 1/2 hours. Rained in the morning so the course was soft with a little bit of standing water around the edges of the course but overall in good condition.
Written by
@josh
- Driving range
- Hidden gem
- Putting area
The Hampton
King and Prince Golf Course
St. Simons Island, GA, USASlope rating 140, 71.7 course rating, Old Ironside tees, 6,462 yds
PublicJoe Lee
- 3.9Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.8Value
- 4.3Scenery
- 3.4Facilities
- Views
- Driving range
- Putting area
Seaside
Sea Island Resort
St. Simons Island, GA, USASlope rating 139, 72.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,657 yds
PublicHarry S. Colt & C. H. Alison
- 4.3Conditions
- 3.8Layout
- 3.5Value
- 4.4Scenery
- 4.2Facilities
Great resort and tournament course. Can really kick your teeth in if the wind is blowing. Facilities sea island are top notch and are a great treat any time you can get down there to play.
Written by
@dpowers
- Walkable
- Driving range
- By water
Heritage Oaks Golf Club
Brunswick, GA, USASlope rating 137, 73.7 course rating, Black tees, 7,017 yds
PublicMike Young
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- NRValue
- 3.0Scenery
- NRFacilities
- By water
Sapelo Hammock Golf Club
Shellman Bluff, GA, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.5 course rating, Timber Rattler tees, 6,887 yds
(Plantation) Sea Island Resort
St. Simons Island, GA, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.1 course rating, Blue tees, 6,687 yds
Brunswick Country Club
Brunswick, GA, USA
Slope rating 134, 73.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,802 yds
Frederica Golf Club
Saint Simons Island, GA, USA
Slope rating 131, 74.5 course rating, Gold tees, 7,217 yds
(Sea Palms (Front 9/Back 9)) Sea Palms Resort & Conference Center
St. Simons Island, GA, USA
Slope rating 130, 70.9 course rating, Blue tees, 6,477 yds
(Retreat) Sea Island Resort
St. Simons Island, GA, USA
Slope rating 129, 72.1 course rating, Blue tees, 6,723 yds
(Indian Mound) Jekyll Island Golf Club
Jekyll Island, GA, USA
Slope rating 129, 70.8 course rating, Blue tees, 6,408 yds
(Pine Lakes) Jekyll Island Golf Club
Jekyll Island, GA, USA
Slope rating 127, 71.4 course rating, Blue tees, 6,700 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of St. Simons Island, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Ocean Forest Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around St. Simons Island, Georgia at Slope 144 (75.2 course rating · Gold tees · 7,140 yds). 13 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of St. Simons Island, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of St. Simons Island, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:40 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
