The Course
History
On the northernmost tip of St. Simons Island lies a place called Hampton Plantation. Its 300 acres are hemmed by marshlands, canopied by live oaks and steeped in history.
It was here, over two centuries ago during the antebellum era so much a part of this Island’s rich history, that Major Pierce Butler’s plantation thrived. With fruit orchards, formal gardens and vast fields of indigo and cotton, it was among St. Simons Island’s largest and most elegant plantations.
Preserving the Past
In 1987, a new chapter in the history of Hampton Plantation began with its purchase by the owners of King and Prince Hotel whose goal was the creation of a premier golf course and community. The task of designing the new course was wisely given to visionary golf architect, the late Joe Lee, who when walking the land for the first time, spied a small group of marsh-ringed islands just across the creek from the Plantation’s high ground. And that would change everything. For there, Lee envisioned, he would create the four island holes that would become the course’s unique and spectacular signature.
On August 1, 1989, the new course opened as The Hampton Club and those visions quickly became the reality of numerous honors from the golf industry and high praise from its members and all who played it.
Our Architects
After nearly two decades among the southeast’s finest courses, the owners sought a return to the brilliant beauty and playability of Joe Lee’s original course shaping and sightlines. In early 2009, with the goal of ensuring the finest possible golf experience for the next twenty years, the course was closed and a multi-million dollar restoration project commenced.
“Gentleman” Joe Lee built his career in golf architect through hard work and dedication. Never one to self-promote he let his clients and golfers do the talking. His designs followed the simple philosophies that “Golf is a sport to be enjoyed. The designer shouldn’t make it a life or death struggle.” and “A successful course should be fun for a beginner as well as challenging for the seasoned pro.”
With Joe Lee’s original design plans as a constant compass, course architect Billy Fuller authored a brilliant redesign that touched every yard, melding a faithful restoration of the course’s original and classic elements with the gentle additions of new and exciting ones. In October of 2009, with the transformation work complete, a new era arrived and with it a new name: The King and Prince Golf Course, home of The Hampton Club.
With the rare beauty of its design, the premier caliber of its facilities and the welcoming hospitality of its staff, The King and Prince Golf Course has secured its place as one of the game’s great courses for decades to come.
Believed to be one of Joe Lee’s finest achievements, The King and Prince Golf Course is a perfect integration of exhilarating golf, environmental sensitivity and peaceful living.