Where The Grass Is Greener

As originally published in The Club Magazine Volume 1, Inside The World of Exclusive Resorts. Photography by Mike Schalk.

It’s not yet 8 o’clock in the morning in Georgia’s Golden Isles, and Brendon Todd, dressed in a pair of smart slacks and a light sweater, is stepping up to the 15th hole of Sea Island Resort’s Seaside Course. An early tee time is a must for the PGA pro, as much to stave off the heat — which, in just a few hours, is expected to reach a perfectly balmy 90 degrees — as to avoid disturbances to fellow players when he inevitably sends the ball straight to the green.

On this particular morning, however, Todd, a three-time PGA Tour winner, isn’t training or even keeping score so much as he is reflecting. Based in nearby Athens, Georgia, he considers Sea Island’s three championship courses his backyard, and when he plays them, it’s often for personal reasons: to clear his head, to blow off some steam, and to reignite the spark that led him down this career path from a very young age.

The first time Todd picked up a club, he was just 5 years old, a lanky kid chasing his two older brothers from sport to sport. “We were always outside, swimming, playing wall ball, street hockey, baseball — you name it,” he remembers of his youth in Peters Township, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, and later, Cary, North Carolina.

Among all that healthy competition, he most looked forward to weekend rounds of golf. “My dad had this rule that if we played in the bunkers, he would make us rake it up.” The manual labor was hardly a deterrent, and soon Todd was outscoring his brothers — he even made his first hole-in-one at age 13. “That was kind of my coming-out party,” he says with a laugh.

Sibling rivalry blossomed into a breakout junior career, with Todd racking up wins with the American Junior Golf Association and representing his Southeast region at the prestigious Canon Cup (now known as the Wyndham Cup), where he played against fellow future PGA stars Webb Simpson and Luke List. He won the North Carolina High School Athletic Association golf championship three times before graduating to pursue the sport at the University of Georgia. There, he achieved All-American status four times and was part of the 2005 team that won the NCAA Division 1 men’s golf national championship.

Turning pro after college, however, proved to be an entirely new challenge, with plenty of ups and downs. Just two years in, he secured a spot to compete on the PGA Tour, and in 2009, at the Athens Regional Foundation Classic, he became the first golfer to score a hole-in-one on the same hole twice in the same tournament. In 2014, he captured his first PGA Tour title at the Byron Nelson, followed by a strong performance at the U.S. Open.

But for several years, Todd experienced what he refers to as “a slump,” until 2019 when he experienced electrifying success, with two PGA Tour wins — the Bermuda Championship and the Mayakoba Golf Classic — just weeks apart. “Winning two events on the tour back-to-back was amazing — not many guys have done that,” Todd says. It was just what he needed to break his not-so-winning streak.

Now, at 40, Todd still grinds through the PGA Tour, traveling more than 20 weeks per year for the league, which can be especially grueling when you have to leave behind a wife and three kids. The time apart makes off-weeks sacred, and Todd uses those in-between times to travel with his family — something that instantly snaps him back in sync with them. Trips to Hawaii, including Maui’s Montage Kapalua Bay and the Big Island’s Kona Village, are among the many Exclusive Resorts destinations the family has enjoyed, in addition to frequent visits to Sea Island, which feels like a second home. The Georgia resort’s legendary golf courses are certainly a perk, but equally alluring are the expansive beaches, kid-friendly amenities (especially Sea Island’s bowling alley and ice cream parlor), and Exclusive Resorts’ residences that allow everyone their personal space.

Lately, golf has become a vacation activity for the entire family. “I have a 10-year-old son who is really talented, an 8-year-old daughter showing great form, and even my 6-year-old daughter has gotten into it,” Todd says. “Traveling to these resorts and introducing my kids to golf reminds me of playing with my brothers and all those formative experiences we had together growing up.”

As for the future, Todd is still very much on top of his game. “The average age of the PGA Tour is dropping,” he says. “It was 31 when I was coming up, now it’s 27, but I feel like I’ve got a few more good years in me.” Indeed, retirement is a long way off: In 10 years, he’ll be eligible to join the Champions Tour and take on a whole new set of challenges. Wherever life takes him, he’ll keep playing the long game — on and off the course — competing to his full potential, making memories, and passing his love of golf on to a new generation along the way.

WHERE TO STAY: THE CLOISTER AT SEA ISLAND

For nearly a century, Sea Island has been a beloved American destination — and today, it is a favorite among Members for its 13 Exclusive Resorts residences located steps from the beach. Each Spanish-tiled home features four bedrooms, with dual primary suites, plus a two-story great room and expansive outdoor spaces, including an enclosed patio and private swimming pool.

Since its inception by acclaimed architect Addison Mizner in 1928, Sea Island has grown to include three championship golf courses, seven restaurants and bars, and a 65,000-square-foot spa. There’s something for everyone here: Gourmands can learn the culinary arts (Members can even arrange a private cooking class in their residence). Adventurers have their pick of horseback riding, sailing, fishing, tennis, falconry, clay shooting, and watersports. A busy social calendar offers even more activities, from sea turtle conservation projects to walking tours of the 100-year-old Cloister.

CREDITS: Stylist, Sara Spicer Murray | Videographer, Shane Hecksel | Digitech, Peter Murray | Crew, Henry Locke, Jonah Krier, Joe Samaniego, Chris Franklin, Jon Oppenheim | Car Courtesy of Jim Goodlett