Fazio’s first, with a finish that the ocean has rewritten.
Wild Dunes sits at the north-east end of Isle of Palms, a barrier island half an hour from downtown Charleston. The resort dates its arrival to 1980, when it brought resort golf to the Charleston area, and its Links Course was Tom Fazio’s first solo design. The round works its way through palms, oaks, dunes and salt marsh before a closing stretch beside the Atlantic. It is a resort course with public tee times. The one practical quirk is that Wild Dunes opens only one of its two courses to guests and the public on any given day.
Wild Dunes Resort, Links Course green fees and tee times.
Book online through the “Book Tee Time” link on wilddunesresort.com/golf, which opens the resort’s ezLinks tee sheet, or through the Wild Dunes golf app for iPhone and Android. For questions, call the golf shop on (843) 886-2002 or the main resort line on (866) 359-5593. The resort states that each day either the Links Course or the Harbor Course is open for resort guests and public play, so check which one is running before you fix your date. If the Links is the one you want, have a second day in hand. Wild Dunes does not publish green fees; the online system shows the rate for each tee time. Overnight golf packages are listed on the resort’s golf offers page.
The round, in perspective.
Fazio built the Links on a modest scale: the resort lists it at par 70 and 6,503 yards, so the wind off the sea matters more than the length. The 12th is a par three played partly blind over native dunes. The finish has changed with the beach. The original 18th was a par five, and Golf Course Architecture reported in 2009 that it had been closed after the receding shoreline washed part of it away. The City of Isle of Palms replenished the beach in May 2008, and Fazio restored the hole with new bunkering, giving the course two ocean-facing finishing holes again at the 17th and 18th. A further renovation in 2015 enlarged the greens, according to the resort and First Call Golf. Today the resort lists the 18th as a par three beside the shoreline.
Know before you go.
Course rotation
One of Links or Harbor open to guests and public each day
Golf shop
(843) 886-2002
Shuttle
Resort shuttle to the Links for hotel and rental guests
Practice
Range and chipping green at the Links
Make the trip work.
Golf at Wild Dunes is split across two sites. The hotels and the Harbor Course are together near the beach, while the Links clubhouse is roughly a mile up the island. Guests of the Sweetgrass Inn, Boardwalk Inn, Residences at Sweetgrass and Wild Dunes rentals can use the resort shuttle (text (843) 620-2162), or drive to the Links car park. The driving range and chipping green are at the Links; the Harbor Course has only a putting green by the first tee. Huey’s Southern Eats in the Links clubhouse serves lunch daily and dinner on some evenings. Course hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Charleston International Airport (CHS) is about 20 miles from Isle of Palms, typically 30 to 40 minutes by car across the Isle of Palms Connector from Mount Pleasant. Downtown Charleston is a similar drive. There is no rail link to the island, so plan on a hire car or a pre-booked transfer.
The resort has two hotels side by side behind the beach: the Sweetgrass Inn and the Boardwalk Inn, both a short walk from the Harbor Course pro shop. The Residences at Sweetgrass and a pool of vacation rentals cover longer stays and families. Guests can drive to the Links or take the shuttle. For a city-and-golf trip, you can also stay in historic Charleston and drive out for a round.
Make a trip of it.
The Harbor Course, also by Fazio, reopened in late October 2025 after work First Call Golf put at US$9.5 million: rebuilt greens and tees, new irrigation, and the holes nearest the Intracoastal Waterway raised several feet against flooding. Charleston National in Mount Pleasant is a short drive back across the connector. Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, about an hour south of Charleston, makes a strong third round. Off the course, walk the historic district of Charleston or take the ferry to Fort Sumter.
Find your season.
Golf is most comfortable from March to May and again in October and November. Summer is hot and humid with frequent afternoon thunderstorms, and the island is busy with beach holidaymakers. Hurricane season runs from June to November; the closed 18th of the 2000s shows how exposed the ocean holes are to storms and erosion.
Can the public play the Links Course at Wild Dunes?
Yes. Wild Dunes sells tee times to both resort guests and the public. The resort opens only one of its two courses to guest and public play each day, either the Links or the Harbor Course, so confirm that the Links is open on your chosen date.
How many holes at Wild Dunes are on the ocean?
The closing holes of the Links Course run beside the Atlantic; Golf Course Architecture named the 17th and 18th as the two oceanfront finishers after the 2008 beach restoration. The 18th, once a par five, now plays as a par three along the shoreline.
How far is Wild Dunes from Charleston?
Isle of Palms is about 20 miles from Charleston International Airport and a similar distance from the historic downtown. Allow 30 to 40 minutes by car, longer on summer weekends when beach traffic builds on the connector.
Is the Links Course hard?
By length, no: 6,503 yards at par 70 is modest for a resort course. The defence comes from the sea wind on the closing holes, the partly blind tee shot over dunes at the 12th and the greens enlarged in the 2015 renovation. A morning start usually means less wind.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
