Doin' the Charleston

The Links at Stono Ferry
Hollywood
6,701 yards, par 72
• Greens fee: $51-$75 843-763-1817, stonoferrygolf.com
• Architect: Ron Garl (1989)

The best bargain in town is dotted with relics from the Revolutionary War. A pleasant if unexciting front nine meanders through the forest, but things perk up a lot thanks to some scenic holes on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Wild Dunes Resort (Links Course)
Isle of Palms
6,396 yards, par 70
• Greens fee: $135-$165 843-886-2180, wilddunes.com
• Architect: Tom Fazio (1980)

Erosion has trimmed Wild Dunes' beachside par-5 closing hole to a par 3, and a few too many condos mar the once pristine dune landscape, but it's still a delight to play one of Tom Fazio's earliest solo designs. This lowprofile layout weaves through dense Lowcountry foliage and reaches a climax with its two final holes — or one-and-a-half, thanks to erosion — set alongside the Atlantic Ocean.

• Where to stay
The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, a Golf Magazine Gold Medal property, is one of the finest hotels in the U.S. (800-654-2924, kiawahgolf.com). The Sanctuary Championship Golf Package includes lodging, breakfast, three rounds of golf (one on the Ocean Course) and a dinner at any resort restaurant (surcharge for dining at the Ocean Room). Rates start at $320 per person,per night, double occupancy.

The best bet in-town is Charleston Place (843-722-4900, charlestonplacehotel.com), where rooms start at $259.

• Where to eat
For a night on the town, you can't go wrong at Charleston Grill (843-577-4522, charlestongrill.com), where the live jazz is matched only by the imaginative twists on Lowcountry favorites.