October 15, 2026
Sea Island's Seaside course has been closed since May 4 for a restoration tied to its 25th anniversary. It's scheduled to reopen October 19, 2026, and about a month later it hosts the final round of a PGA TOUR event. That puts the course's first large gallery since the work began at the RSM Classic, November 16 to 22. The Wednesday of that week costs nothing to attend.
Sea Island has scheduled Seaside's whole fall around that one week, and most of the dates are already public.
The Sea Island course schedule lays out the fall in order:
Sea Island's guest-facing Seaside page fits that timeline. It lists the course as closed May 1 through October 18 and posts rates starting October 19. Between reopening and the opening tee shot, the course gets roughly a month of cart-path-only play. During that month it is also closed October 23 to 25 for the Gentlemen's Member-Member and on the November prep days.
As of today, October 10, the reopening date is still ahead. No post-completion report on the restoration has been published yet. The October 19 reopening and the RSM routing are what Sea Island has scheduled.
Seaside is a Tom Fazio design. Sea Island says the restoration is led by Love Golf Design and carried out by MacCurrach Golf Course Construction. The stated goal is to keep the course's original character while adding some enhancements.
In 2025, Sea Island announced the planned scope: a new irrigation system, complete grass replacement, restored bunkers, and greens rebuilt to USGA specifications. A first phase was to cover irrigation, fairways, bunkers, and seawall repairs, with the rest of the work in 2026. That announcement doesn't say which holes were changed, which grass was chosen, or whether the yardage moved. Those details will come out once the course is open and in play.
The most recent public update is a progress video with Davis Love III that Sea Island posted August 28, 2026. Love hosts the RSM Classic through the Davis Love Foundation.
For anyone who just wants to see the restored holes, Wednesday, November 18 is the easiest day. The official spectator page says all patrons get in free that day for the Yamaha Pro-Am, which is played on both Plantation and Seaside. Gates open at 7 a.m. The tournament's schedule calls it Community Day. A charity putting challenge starts at 3:30 p.m. the same afternoon.
Because the Pro-Am uses both courses, a spectator can spend the day on Seaside. Competition runs Thursday through Sunday, November 19 to 22. According to the Golden Isles Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament concludes on Seaside.
| Day | Date | What's scheduled | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Nov. 16 | BMW Pro-Am | Closed to patrons |
| Tuesday | Nov. 17 | PGA TOUR practice rounds | Closed to patrons |
| Wednesday | Nov. 18 | Yamaha Pro-Am on both courses, Community Day, 3:30 p.m. charity putting challenge | Free |
| Thursday | Nov. 19 | Competition begins | $65 grounds |
| Friday | Nov. 20 | Competition | $65 grounds |
| Saturday | Nov. 21 | Competition, Military Day | $65 grounds |
| Sunday | Nov. 22 | Final round, concluding on Seaside | $65 grounds |
The stakes are a little higher than last year. PGA TOUR lists the 2026 purse at $7.4 million, up from $7 million in its 2025 listing. Both years carry 500 FedExCup Fall points. The 2026 dates also start one calendar day earlier than 2025's November 20 to 23, still running Thursday to Sunday.
Saturday's Military Day falls on November 21. For the many military families in coastal Georgia, that's the Saturday to circle.
The tournament's own pages disagree on the free-admission age for kids. The ticket checkout says patrons 16 and under get in free with a ticketed adult. The spectator FAQ says 15 and under. If you're bringing a 16-year-old, check with tournament staff first. Neither source lists a resident-only price.
Tournament parking is at the St. Simons Island Airport off Skylane Road. The $65 daily grounds ticket includes the shuttle from there. Shuttles run continuously from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. A separate wheelchair-accessible shuttle is available.
For island residents within riding distance, the official page encourages coming by bicycle. Bike parking is by the main entrance. The spectator page still carries a 2025 timestamp even though it shows 2026 dates, so check the shuttle details again the week before.
Drivers will find the Frederica Road and Sea Island Road intersection unchanged this November. Glynn County says the planned roundabout there is still in final design, with utility coordination and property acquisition still to come. No 2026 tournament-week traffic plan or road closure had been announced as of this writing.
There's one more way onto the restored course, and it involves playing it. The 2026 volunteer package costs $100 and requires at least 15 hours of work, with volunteers at least 16 by the start of the tournament. After 15 hours, it includes a round at Sea Island Golf Club. It also includes a golf shirt and outerwear, a cap or visor, food during each shift, grounds access, and one digital ticket per day Thursday through Sunday.
For 2026, the volunteer page sends new applicants to a waitlist and lists Maddie Coley as the contact. Anyone hoping to work the week should get on that list now.
A program many locals still associate with the tournament has ended. PGA TOUR says RSM Birdies Fore Love concluded at the 2024 RSM Classic. The giving tied to the event continues through other channels, and the newest round was announced this month.
The Islander reported that Rich's Consumer Brands Charitable Fund, the Davis Love Foundation, and the RSM Classic gave $207,000 to coastal Georgia organizations at their annual luncheon at Rich Products on St. Simons Island. The single largest award was $100,000 to the Mallery Park Renovation Fund, for new fields, dugouts, and amenities at that St. Simons landmark.
The other 2026 recipients:
The partnership marked its 10th anniversary in 2025 and calls 2026 the start of its "Next Big 10." With this year's awards, the partners have given more than $940,000 to nearly 50 organizations across the Golden Isles. Mark Love, executive director of the RSM Classic, put it this way:
"Seeing this partnership between Rich's and the Davis Love Foundation continue to grow is especially meaningful for all of us who care about this community."
So the restored Seaside gets its first real crowd on a free Wednesday. A week after the final putt, it closes again for the Mariner's Chalice, and the $100,000 for Mallery Park goes toward new fields and dugouts on St. Simons.
If you're heading to the RSM Classic this year, or you'd like a few tips from someone who has lived through more than a dozen Golden Isles Novembers, I'm always glad to hear from neighbors. You can find more about life around Sea Island and St. Simons Island, or reach out to Janice Morgan anytime. Let's Connect.
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