With summer approaching—and with the vaccine rollout continuing across the United States—travelers are beginning to formulate plans for warm-weather adventures. Pandemic or not, golf is a top choice for getting out and about this summer, so we at JustLuxe have curated a road-trip itinerary for East Coasters looking to explore the links and destination resorts from New England to South Carolina.
ROAD TRIP: Manhattan to South Carolina Golf Tour
TOTAL DRIVE TIME: 12 to 14 hours each way
DESTINATIONS:
Keswick Hall in Charlottesville, VA
Pinehurst in North Carolina
Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina
The Clifton in Charlottesville, VA (return trip)
Starting in Manhattan, the drive to Keswick Hall in Charlottesville, VA, is about 6 hours. For the past two years, this historic Virginia estate has been undergoing a substantial multi-million-dollar renovation and will reopen this summer. Upgrades include the addition of a new wing, increasing guest rooms from 48 to 80, a new restaurant from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, new tennis facility, and an 80-foot T-shaped infinity-edge swimming pool.
But Keswick Hall’s main draw is Full Cry, the 18-hole award-winning course designed by Pete Dye. One of Dye’s last designs, the course merges modern golf course architecture with central Virginia’s rolling topography surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. With newly updated rooms and no shortage of local attractions, this expansive 600-acre property beckons a lengthy stay, but this golf-centric road trip continues southward.
Another 4-plus hours drive takes us to North Carolina’s Pinehurst, one America’s premier golf resorts and a frequent championship tournament host.
The 2,000-acre, 125-year-old property is home to nine stunning 18-hole courses—including the famed No. 2, the site of more single golf championships than any course in America—three historic hotels plus private villas and condos, several restaurants and private dining venues, an award-winning spa, tennis and lawn sports facility, multiple pools, and a 200-acre lake.
Among the Pinehurst’s options for golf are Donald Ross, Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus courses, a nine-hole short course designed by Gil Hanse (called “the most fun 10 acres in all of golf”), and an 18-hole putting green—so plan an extended stay before continuing your road trip down to South Carolina.
The final 4-hour stretch of this epic East Coast golf adventure puts you at the incredible Kiawah Island Golf Resort.
Kiawah Island’s five courses—designed by Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Clyde Johnston, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player—are nothing short of sensational. This summer, the resort’s Dye-designed Ocean Course will have recently hosted the 2021 PGA Championship and the resort is offering a number of golf packages. For accommodations, choose from a room in the oceanfront Sanctuary Hotel, private villas and homes, or one of the golf cottages on the iconic Ocean Course.
Opening in June, the four two-story, four-bedroom guest cottages are tucked right beside the clubhouse and overlook the driving range with views of the Atlantic Ocean. Stays at the cottages include daily rounds of golf at the Ocean Course, and a dedicated concierge to handle everything from booking tee times to stocking the bar in with preferred libations to arranging private dinners either in the cottage or clubhouse.
This concludes the golfing portion of your epic road trip. If you’re looking to break up the 12-plus-hour drive home back to Manhattan, head back up to Charlottesville for a stay at the Clifton and dinner at its 1799 restaurant, with a menu from Michelin-starred chef Matthew Bousquet.
The 100-acre property, which is home to a manor house built in 1799 by Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, does not have a golf course, so it will serve as respite for weary golfers after a long tour of some of the East Coast’s finest courses.
