The Landings on Skidaway Island

Pros

• The Landings Club is in a beautiful location with many upscale amenities to offer.
• It is a beautiful place with great golf courses, amenities, and friendly people, and it strives to be the best residential golf community in the Southeast and is succeeding.
• The Landings Club on Skidaway Island is more than a private country club; it's a 6,300-acre community offering six championship golf courses, 31 tennis courts, 11 pickleball courts, eight bocce courts, and one of the area's best fine dining steakhouses.
• All six courses have been designated Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries and provide challenging play for golfers of all skill levels.
• The Club hosts notable events, including the Korn Ferry Tour's Club Car Championship.
• Magnolia Course was redesigned and renovated, with design work described as masterful by the Arnold Palmer Design Company.
• Marshwood Clubhouse underwent a major renovation, featuring a resort-style pool complex, a top-of-the-line golf shop, event lawn, Cabana Bar, and new dining options such as Arnie's Tavern and Palmer's Steakhouse.
• The Landings Club has invested more than $62 million in projects and renovations, with very few amenities left untouched.
• It is described as a wonderful community to retire, with friendly, welcoming people and a lifestyle that residents love.
• It is regarded by members as the best gated golf community in the Southeast, with plenty to offer and a focus on its people.

Cons

• The Landings Club inexplicably continues slowing tactics that lock up assets of former equity members and their families owed significant amounts of money.
• The family describes the refund policy as egregious and demonstrates a lack of good faith, with no resolution in sight.
• The club uses expensive equity memberships and exploitative financial strategies that delay or eliminate contractually obligated refunds.
• The club's customer service is awful throughout most of the club, the food is terrible, and the amenities/programs lack imagination.
• The Landings has consistently underperformed for eight years and has shown zero ability to improve.
• They don't care about their employees.

Review

The Landings Club on Skidaway Island presents itself as a premier coastal enclave, and many who visit or reside there would agree it sits in a truly beautiful location. Set within a 6,300-acre gated community, the club showcases a portfolio of six championship golf courses designed by legendary names such as Arnold Palmer, Tom Fazio, Arthur Hills, and Willard Byrd. The setting embraces marsh views, tidal creeks, and hardwood forests that change with the seasons, offering a backdrop that many members describe as nearly irresistible. Beyond golf, the community features 31 tennis courts, 11 pickleball courts, and eight bocce courts, all contributing to a lifestyle that aims to be luxurious and active. The club's ambition is evident in its ambitious capital projects and its reputation for outperforming industry norms for years, culminating in substantial investments in recent times and a visible effort to refresh venues and dining options.

The course lineup at The Landings Club is repeatedly highlighted as one of its strongest selling points. Magnolia and Deer Creek receive particular attention as two of the more popular layouts, each with its own distinctive feel. Magnolia is noted for presenting a challenging front nine and a more forgiving back nine, with players able to tailor their round based on tee choices and pin placements. The course's numbers - around 6,174 yards from the Club tees, with a 71.5 rating and 129 slope - are cited by some as offering a balanced, walkable challenge, with separate metrics for men and women. Deer Creek, designed by Tom Fazio, is frequently mentioned as a perennial host to major events, including the Korn Ferry Tour stops that bring national attention to the property. The six courses, collectively, are described as a showcase for both the natural beauty of Skidaway Island and the designers' distinctive signatures, whether it's the go-for-broke style associated with Palmer or the precise, modern touches associated with Fazio.

The Landings Club has not rested on its laurels in terms of facilities and dining. A substantial renovation program over recent years has touched multiple buildings and venues, including the Marshwood Clubhouse, which underwent a complete renovation in 2020 as part of a member-approved capital plan. The new 22,500-square-foot facility overlooks two Arnold Palmer?designed courses and includes a resort-style pool complex, a top-tier golf shop, and event space. Dining options have expanded with Palmer's Steakhouse and Arnie's Tavern serving as focal points, and The Deck at Franklin Creek adds a casual option near the tennis center. Collectively, these changes reflect a broader effort to elevate the lifestyle experience, and the club's owners point to more than $62 million invested in projects over the past decade as evidence of ongoing commitment to improvement.

The Landings Club is also pitched as a thriving residential community, where people arrive for a lifestyle that promises both beauty and social connection. Several reviews celebrate the sense of community, describing The Landings as a wonderful place to retire or to raise a family, with friendly people who make it easy to meet neighbors and forge friendships. The advocacy is loud and consistent about the value of the location, the quality of the golf courses, and the overall atmosphere. The lifestyle narrative is reinforced by mentions of the Arnold Palmer influence, the presence of the Deck for coffee and casual gatherings, and the emphasis on a relaxing, picturesque environment that draws residents back again and again.

Yet alongside the praise there are significant critiques that temper the glowing portrait. One of the most persistent concerns relates to equity memberships and refund policies. A family recounts a long-standing struggle dating back nearly 15 years, waiting for a contractually obligated refund tied to a resigned Equity Membership purchased more than three decades ago. The club is described as having modified its refund process in 2009 in response to the recession, shifting from a policy of one retired membership refund for each new member to a ratio of one resigned membership refund for every three new members, coupled with a requirement that new member payments be made in full - spread over up to three years. The author argues that the economic downturn has long since passed and that membership has grown substantially, with clear evidence of financial strength in the club's public communications, yet the refund process remains a drag on assets and continues to lock up funds for families who had once invested heavily to enable the club's growth. This has led to accusations of inequity and a perceived lack of good faith in honoring contractual obligations.

Other reviews highlight, in more pointed terms, that there are people who feel the club's internal priorities do not always align with its membership's expectations. A reviewer succinctly notes that "they don't care about their employees," while another laments the quality of service and dining, describing customer service as awful, the food as terrible, and the amenities as lacking imagination. Some express disappointment after long memberships, stating that they saw little improvement in the eight years they were members, and that the club's offerings did not rise to the level one might expect from such a storied institution. These voices emphasize observable gaps between the club's architectural grandeur and golf pedigree and the day-to-day experiences of customers and families who live within The Landings' gates.

Despite these tensions, a large portion of feedback remains passionately positive, painting The Landings Club as a "private" and desirable community where people feel at home. Many affirm the genuine warmth and welcoming nature of the residents, describing it as a community where "the difference maker is the people" and where the lifestyle - marsh views, golf, and a sense of belonging - shines. The descriptions of retirement-friendly amenities, the continued investment in facilities, and the ongoing pride in the island setting all contribute to a perception of a high-quality resort-like environment. Even within critiques, readers often acknowledge the club's enduring appeal and the draw of a refined, private community that offers extensive recreational options and a picturesque setting.

Taken together, The Landings Club emerges as a place of remarkable beauty and abundant amenities, anchored by a celebrated golf roster and a comprehensive, club-centered lifestyle. The charms of Skidaway Island - the marshes, the wildlife, the views, and the sense of exclusivity - are real and repeatedly praised. At the same time, the club's fiscal and governance choices - particularly around equity refunds and long-standing financial arrangements - appear to be a source of considerable contention for some members and their families. The club's dense investment in renovations and its robust event calendar, including hosting prestigious tours and upgrading dining experiences, underscore a commitment to excellence. Whether one experiences The Landings as an ideal retirement locale or a cautionary tale about private-club equity structures may depend on how highly one weighs the balance between landscape, legacy, and the sometimes slow-moving mechanics of member refunds and governance.

Restaurants

• The Plantation Club (2.3 miles)
• McDonald's (4.5 miles)
• Pearls Saltwater Grille (4.5 miles)
• The Wyld Dock Bar (5.3 miles)
• Savannah Fried Chicken (5.7 miles)
• Green Tea Restaurant (6.1 miles)
• McDonald's (6.1 miles)

Physicians

• Boland Eye Center PC/Eyewear Studio (4.8 miles)
• Southcoast Medical Group (5.9 miles)
• Dr. Jules Victor III, MD (5.9 miles)
• Savannah Neurology Specialists (6.2 miles)
• Coastal Allergy & Asthma PC (6.2 miles)
• Arrow Allergy Research (6.2 miles)
• Georgia Gastroenterology Group (6.2 miles)

Parks

• Lake Mayer Park (4.9 miles)

Hospitals

• Georgia Regional Hospital (5 miles)
• St Joseph's/Candler Health (6.3 miles)
• Memorial Heart and Vascular (7 miles)
• Memorial Neuro ICU (7 miles)
• Memorial Health University Medical Center Answerone/Nurseone/Switchboard (7 miles)
• Memorial University Medical Center - Pediatric ICU (7.1 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (5.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (5.8 miles)
• Health Delivery Pharmacy (5.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (6.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (6.3 miles)
• Kroger Pharmacy (6.6 miles)
• Lewis Brothers (6.9 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (6.1 miles)
• Starbucks (7.2 miles)