'Management problem' mars round at Amelia Island Plantation near Jacksonville, Florida

I played three of Amelia Island Plantation's four resort golf courses, skipping the Royal Amelia course, designed by Tom Jackson, which is slated for renovations soon. The layouts of the Oak Marsh (Dye), Ocean Links (Weed & Dye) and Long Point (Fazio) courses were all nice, with a bit of drama on each as they made their way to and along the ocean and dunes. The scene was marred only by the seven-story condos that also shoved the ocean breezes back down on the holes, making them more testing.

Reader Larry Gavrich lauds the Ocean Links layout but bemoans the service at Amelia Island Plantation.

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Long Point is the cream of this crop, the best conditioned and with the fastest greens of all; and it feels like a private course, with attentive service throughout.

For our Oak Marsh round, the bag attendant told us to pick any cart we wanted and load our bags (no wonder most people we know prefer golf at Kiawah). The same group of attendants did load our bags for our round at Ocean Links, but the damage was done. Also, Oak Marsh was in ratty condition; the boors who come down for a long weekend of golf with their buddies don't feel the need to replace divots or repair ball marks.

The practice green for Oak Marsh and Ocean Links is a joke; tiny and in poor shape. To my eye, Amelia has a management problem. We saw no rangers on the course during our Oak Marsh and Ocean Links rounds. The GPS system in the carts was faulty; distances from the lead cart were longer than from the one behind.

The Ocean Links layout was very nice, and Long Point was an all around joy. If they can get the condition right at Oak Marsh, and if management wakes up and does its job, golfers who otherwise choose Pinehurst and Kiawah for their high-end golf weeks might consider Amelia as well. Until then, Amelia is strictly viable competition for golf in Myrtle Beach.

Larry Gavrich
Avon, Conn.

May 23, 2007