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PGA Tour players like Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Brian Harman and Davis Love III sing the praises of the Golf Performance Center (left), while others enjoy dinner in The Cloister’s award-winning wine cellar.


afford golfers of any proficiency the special experience of playing on a storied PGA Tour site. Seaside has no let up, said head pro John Wade, with breezes ranging from gentle to strong, “Seaside will play differently every round,” Wade noted. “The courses three toughest holes — Nos. 4, 13 and 16 — are all doglegs left with significant amounts of marshland and water to catch errant shots. These are mighty par 4s and each test a golfer’s skills.” Not taking a backseat is the


Plantation course. In fact, locals will tell you that it is every bit as challenging as Seaside. Or as Rich Styles, a resident of St. Simons Island, said of the Plantation: “It can be nice one minute and then naughty the next.” Following golf, most gentlemen


golfers head to the men’s locker room where lunch and a wide variety of beers and other spirits are served while multiple televisions broadcast sports and news as shoes are being attended. Highly recommended is Sea Island’s most popular luncheon item for decades, the Crabsino sandwich — blue crab salad on fresh-baked bread with lettuce and tomato. Fries on the side. Simple, but you’ll crave more than one. It’s a short walk to your room at


the Lodge accompanied by a personal butler, on call 24/7. As you enter, you’ll think you’ve been transported to an English hunting lodge replete with exposed beam ceilings, hardwood floors with handcrafted oriental rugs, overstuffed chairs and antiques. Walk in the spacious bathroom and


40 | AZ GOLF Insider | PREVIEW 2017


• Seaside Golf Course The Lodge • Plantation Golf Course • Retreat Golf Course


Saint Simon’s Island


The Inn


Atlantic Ocean For information: www.seaisland.com


experience rain forest shower heads with pulsating water pressure to soothe aching muscles that come from too many shots hit out of deep bunkers. Accommodations at The Cloister


are no less luxurious, and a visit to The Spa is conveniently nearby — and, not to be missed. The 65,000-square-foot facility, the recipient of Forbes’ Five- Star Spa Award, has been described as only slightly smaller than a Home Depot. Yet, unlike the hustle and bustle of a superstore, there’s plenty of quiet, private areas to recharge and refresh with your choice of 10 different massages, five body treatments and 10 skin-care selections. For the ultimate rejuvenation experience, head over to the Performance Therapy Center at The Lodge and book the “Cold Rush.” This deep freeze focuses on reducing pain and inflammation caused by strenuous exercise or just


The Cloister Sea Island


everyday living. Akin to taking a very short and intense ice bath after physical activity, cryotherapy is being used by increasing numbers of top professional and amateur athletes and celebrities. After entering the whole body


machine, with your head the only part not encased for a period of 90 seconds to three minutes, you are surrounded by temperatures as low as -225 degrees Fahrenheit. Stepping out is certainly a relief,


although proponents rave about its after-effects. As the spa attendant told me, “There is no feeling quite like it.” Then again, some might long


for a return to the desert heat after all, where the pain of accidentally backing into a sharp cactus needle may seem insignificant compared to this out-of- body experience. Just one of many memorable ones discovered at Sea Island Resort. n


www.azgolf.org


COURTESY OF SEA ISLAND


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