Imagine a cluster of coins in a fountain of shallow water and you have a rough model of the geography of Beaufort, S.C. and the intricate network of barrier islands that separate it from the Atlantic Ocean. It is a fascinating geography with water everywhere in the form of inlets, creeks, rivers, tidal marshes teeming with wildlife, the sound, and the sea. And in between all this water are the nature-sculpted land forms -- islands of various shapes, all rich with thick forests of pines, oaks and other Lowcountry vegetation.

Located only a few miles north of Hilton Head as the crow flies but about 45 minutes drive, Beaufort, which is located on Port Royal Island, remains relatively undeveloped and it is still possible to walk down main street and see long-time neighbors chatting at a coffee shop or gas station.

In the old section of town, a horse-drawn carriage takes picture-snapping visitors over cobble-stoned, oak-lined streets past wood-frame houses and homes that echo back to a different time and era. Walking tours of Beaufort, which played a strategic military role in The American Revolution and The Civil War, include pre-colonial churches, a cemetery where 9,000 Confederate soldiers were buried, and plantations where state and local leaders met to draft the Articles of Secession establishing the Confederacy.

It remains to be seen how long the area’s pristine charms will survive commercialization but it is safe to say that, as a travel destination, the Beaufort archipelago is losing its status as one of South Carolina’s best-kept secrets. If you haven’t been there in fact, maybe you’ve been there through pages and films. Native son Pat Conroy’s novels are set here and such films as The Prince of Tides, The Jungle Book, and Forrest Gump have used the islands as backdrop. When you visit the town, stroll down Laurens St. toward the Beaufort River and there at the end of the street is the house where The Big Chill, an American classic, was shot.

Speaking of shots, what about Golf in the Beaufort area?

Fripp Island Resort

Fripp Island Resort, 19 miles east of Beaufort and smack on the Atlantic, encompasses the better part of a thickly forested island that is 3 miles long and 1 ½ miles wide. There are some 700 full-time residents on Fripp. The resort manages more than 300 villas, cottages and homes for a largely family and business clientele. Ocean-front properties are popular but so are rental homes that are all but obscured by pines so dense it feels like Maine.

In general, for families who might include golf as part of a vacation of more extended activities in the Beaufort area, Fripp Island Resort is well worth investigating.

Here is everything that an active family would want including two golf courses, miles of biking trails and beaches, a nature day-camp for children, a deep-water marina, tennis facilities, and swimming in either the Atlantic or one of a dozen swimming pools. There are also first-rate restaurants, including The Beach Club that serves the finest she-crab soup I have ever tasted, and a fitness center. If that’s not enough, Hunting Island State Park, just north of Fripp, is one of the largest and most majestic coastal wildlife refuges in the U.S. where over 250 species of birds and mammals take up residence.

On the north end of Fripp Island is Ocean Point, a George Cobb-designed seaside layout that traverses inlets and marshes and meanders through inland forests on the front nine, while winding out toward the ocean on the links-like back nine. Until her death in 1984, Pat Conroy’s mother lived in a seaside villa along one of the back nine holes and used to collect wayward golf balls in baskets when not taking walks on the beach with her famous novelist son, who continues to live on the island.

Fripp Island Resort took over Ocean Point in 1990 and has been restoring it by stages to higher quality. The restoration has included improving the greens and bunkers, enlarging fairways, adding fairway perimeter mounding on some holes, and elevating tee boxes. At just under 6600 yards from the back, this par 72 course with a 129 slope is a moderate challenge for accomplished golfers and a sporting experience for the high handicapper.

On the far south side of the island is Ocean Creek, a Davis Love design opened in 1995. This par 71 course of 6500 yards features several holes along an expansive salt marsh while the majority of holes wind through tall pines in a distinctly parkland setting. Scenes from The Jungle Book and Forrest Gump were shot on this land. Just forward and to the left of the tee box of number 5 is a row of trees marked with streaks of red (fake napalm). This is where the Vietnam scenes in Gump were shot before the course was built. Ocean Creek is a tight course and one that should grow in quality as it continues to mature.

The resort’s third course is South Carolina National Golf Club, Cobb’s last creation. This semi-private course also fell into disrepair under old management before the resort began upgrading it a couple of years ago. Located some 18 miles from Fripp on Cat Island, South Carolina National (formerly the Cat Island Golf Club), has one of the area’s superior public layouts from a design standpoint.

The holes are real testers, especially in the wind, but very fair. A few marshside holes by Port Royal Sound on the front nine are premium challenges as well as visual jewels. The back nine is as fine a design scheme as you’ll find anywhere, featuring a creative mix of long and short par 4's, a fine par 5 that parallels a long, narrow lake, and a short but tricky par 3 to an elevated marshside green.

In addition to upgrading course conditions, the resort plans to add tennis facilities and other amenities and enlarge and upgrade the practice area as part of a comprehensive improvement of the club. In my opinion, South Carolina National is the resort’s best course.

For information on Fripp Island Resort, call 800-845-4100.

POSTCRIPT:

A piece on Beaufort area golf would not be complete without mentioning two truly outstanding private clubs, Secession Golf Club and Spring Island Club. I was privileged to play both of these courses on my recent trip to the Beaufort area, and the opportunity was definitely one of the high points of my golf-writing career.

Secession Golf Club

On your way from Fripp Island to South Carolina National is Gibbes Island, a tiny island in Port Royal Sound. Here, shortly after turning left off 802 toward Cat Island is the entrance to Secession, one of the most visually exciting of any Lowcountry courses.

The club is a throwback to golfing in the "old country." It has a mandatory walking policy (the caddies are excellent), and the course has a links flavor. The extremely lush Bruce Devlin-signature course features wide fairways, stacked sod pot bunkers, marsh traverses, mounds, and open-fronted greens designed to accept pitch-and-run shots. Few trees populate this fabulous course whose tame demeanor on a quiet day can turn into a devil when the frequent winds whip up. After the round, golfers can retire to the large and elegant clubhouse with its complete wraparound verandah overlooking the courses and marsh beyond.

Opened only a few years, the club is close to reaching its membership limit, all with virtually no advertising. Membership is by invitation only. The majority of members are non-residents and come from Augusta National, Winged Foot, The Dallas Athletic Club, and other prestigious clubs. Beautifully designed villas to be built directly across the road from the entrance will provide housing for members during their visits to Secession, and a nearby airstrip makes getting to the club very convenient.

Spring Island Club

Farther south and closer toward Hilton Head off Rt.170 is Spring Island Club, which boasts a magnificent Arnold Palmer Company design through dense forest and open fields of former rice plantations. The setting is so remote and rustic that the wildlife makes more noise than humans, and the club is about as exclusive as you can get. Only about 300 six- and seven-figure homes have been built on the island and you will see none of them from the golf course.

Spring Island’s front nine winds through ancient oak forest which has been designated a nature preserve by a strong community of naturalists on the island. The 9th hole is one of the best risk-reward short par 5's anywhere. It starts in the woods and heads toward the Chechessee River over a narrow fairway to a green flanked by one of the largest and best preserved tabby ruins of a plantation house you will see in the South. The back nine roams over old rice fields where slaves once worked. Today, the terrain has been turned into a beautiful nine holes marked by elevations, mounds, marshes and lakes.