Annual Championship

The year-ending individual match play Southern Seniors Championship has been held at Sea Island GA since 1982. Sea Island's combination of world-class golf and Mobil Five-Star hospitality creates a fitting setting for one of the oldest championships in senior amateur golf.

The Colonial Lounge at The Cloister

Seniors play filghts of 16 and Grand Seniors play flights of 8. Both championship flights are determined by handicap and compete at scratch. Winners' names are engraved on the Southern Seniors Perpetual Trophy and Grand Seniors Trophy. All other participants are flighted by handicaps and play with the full difference.

The official Ladies Match Play Championship began in 1972 when the first Ruth Barker Memorial Trophy was established by her husband Richard B. Barker. Ladies play flights of 8 with the championship flight determined by handicap and playing at scratch. Other participants are flighted by handicaps and play with the full difference.  

Seaside Course 18th hole

The Seaside, Plantation, and Retreat courses have flourished following their restoration in recent years. Rees Jones updated the Plantation course in 1998, Tom Fazio redesigned Seaside in 1999, and Davis Love III completed Retreat in 2002. The most heralded is Seaside, which has hosted numerous USGA events, including the Mid-Amateur Championship and Senior Women’s Amateur championships, as well as two UBS Cups in 2002 and 2003.

Southern Seniors partnership with Sea Island can be attributed to continuous improvements at the resort. In 2006 The Cloister Hotel reopened as part of a $500 million rebuilding of the entire property. In 2009 was the first resort to receive four Mobil Travel Guide Five-Star Awards for excellence. The Cloister, The Lodge, The Sea Island Spa, and The Georgian Dining Room, each received Mobil’s highest honor for excellence. This unprecedented recognition was repeated when the resort earned four Five-Star Awards again for 2010.

Plantation Course 18th hole

The final match to determine the Southern Seniors Champion is played on the Seaside Course.  The PGA TOUR will play The McGladrey Classic, a new Fall Series event, on Seaside October 7-10, 2010.

The traditional date for our year-ending event is the week immediately after Thanksgiving. The Annual Championship announcement and entry information is distributed to the membership in September. Members are encouraged to secure accommodations at preferred Sea Island lodging facilities as early as possible.