Why a golf course going private is shaking life on a coastal Georgia island

New ownership is making the popular King and Prince Golf Club on St. Simons Island private, stoking curiosity, resentment — and popularity.

The King and Prince Golf Club features a four-hole stretch positioned on a series of small islands in the marshlands of St. Simons Island. (Courtesy of Patrick Gregory/Beau Welling Design)

ST. SIMONS ISLAND ― Locals called the King and Prince the best deal in golf, and standing on the 15th green, it’s easy to understand why.

No. 15 is the closer of a mesmerizing four-hole stretch on a series of small hammocks off the northern tip of St. Simons Island. There are no houses, no passing traffic, no barking dogs; only emerald green grass and golden marshlands connected by small wooden bridges.

Throughout its 37-year existence, the King and Prince has been cited as an unpolished gem among St. Simons’ golf jewels. The standards are members-only clubs Ocean Forest and Frederica along with the Sea Island Club’s Seaside and Plantation courses, hosts to an annual PGA Tour event and home club of more than a dozen touring pros, including Hall of Famer Davis Love III.

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The King and Prince Golf Club is located within a housing community on St. Simons Island's north end. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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Real estate investment firm South Street Partner is remodeling the historic King and Prince hotel and beach resort on St. Simons Island. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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The renovation of the King and Prince Golf Club on St. Simons Island includes new green complexes. (Courtesy of Patrick Gregory/Beau Welling Design)

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Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.