Sea Island scores big as venue for fans and pros alike

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Sea Island, which will host the McGladrey Classic in the Fall Series, is home to several TOUR players.

The PGA TOUR Fall Series just got more appealing.

The addition of Sea Island as a PGA TOUR stop will help amp up the prestige of the schedule after the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup are complete. Who knows? You'll likely see some of the game's bigger names actually show up to play in October at the McGladrey Classic.

The reason is the venue.

Sea Island may be the best place in the world.

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Announcement transcript
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There are many great resorts in the United States, but here's one vote that says Sea Island holds the Royal Flush. Maybe it's the feeling of solitude that surrounds you when playing the Seaside course that will host the event. Maybe it's the unwavering demand for quality that permeates every aspect of the place. Maybe it's simply the sound of the bagpiper who plays in the late afternoon that puts it over the top.

There are a thousand possible answers, but there's something that sets Sea Island apart from other famous golf getaways.

Looking for a great golf course? Sea Island's Seaside course falls in that category. Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison designed the original layout in 1929 and Tom Fazio did the renovation in 1999. (A sister course, called Plantation, was designed by Walter Travis and renovated by Rees Jones. It shares the resort and is only a half step behind Seaside.)

Looking for history? Seaside hosted Bobby Jones when he vacationed in 1930 between the third and fourth legs of his Grand Slam. Louise Suggs, one of the co-founders of the LPGA, has been a member of the Sea Island staff since 1955.

Sea Island has hosted one U.S. Senior Amateur and five U.S. Senior Women's Amateurs, the most recent won by Hall of Famer Carol Semple Thompson. Three generations of the Yates family, one of the prominent names in amateur golf, have won the Georgia Amateur at Seaside. And Penta Love, the mother of Davis Love III, reigns as the grand dame of Sea Island with the sort of dignity and class that can't be fathomed.

Looking for great scenery and accommodations? Sea Island is a Forbes Five-Star resort. The Cloister, which hosted the G8 Summit in 2004, was completely razed and painstakingly rebuilt brick-by-brick in 2007. It's only a lob wedge to Atlantic Ocean and will no doubt be a hit with the families of the players. The less-formal, but impeccable Lodge is about a mile away, rests on the grounds of the golf course and will be a popular place for players and spectators.

Food on Sea Island is fabulous and those who visit the club's Retreat course (designed by Love and used primarily by club members) may want to grab a bite at the Davis Love Grill, which is loaded with his personal memorabilia. It's not uncommon for visitors to see Love actually eating there when they visit.

And for visitors to the tournament who want to venture out to adjoining St.Simons Island, there are many great restaurants to try. Just don't miss a grilled steak at Bennie's Red Barn.

Sea Island has also earned a reputation for being the center of the universe for instruction. The Sea Island Golf Learning Center is to golf instruction what MIT is to rocket scientists. The Learning Center's roster of teachers includes three who are on Golf Magazine's Top 100 list: Georgia Sports Hall of Fame member Jack Lumpkin, Todd Anderson and Gale Peterson. The lineup also includes noted brain coach Dr. Morris Pickens and fitness guru Randy Myers.

Why do you think so many members of the PGA TOUR call it home? Davis Love III and Jonathan Byrd were the first two. Zach Johnson moved there a year ago. (Think of it as Cedar Rapids, Iowa -- only with an ocean.) On any particular weekend you might find Boo Weekley, Brandt Snedeker, Vaughn Taylor, Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink, Charles Howell III, Brett Quigley, Brian Bateman or Charles Warren hanging out at Sea Island. Each of them trains with at least one of the members of the Sea Island Golf Learning Center. If each of those players show up in October for the McGladry Classic, the tournament will start with a great field.

A few years ago the Georgia PGA hired Mike Paull to be its new executive director. The leadership gave Paull plenty of leeway when he was brought into the organization, but was given one rule: Don't move the section championship from Sea Island.

Today the Georgia professionals still make an annual visit to the resort for their championship and Paull is still running the organization. There's no question the organization hired a smart guy.

And there's no question that the PGA TOUR has made a smart decision to bring an event to Sea Island. The rest of the world will learn in October what the rest of us have known for years. There's no better place in the world.