About a month and a half ago, I had the opportunity to attend The RSM Classic, a PGA Tour event hosted at Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island, Georgia. One of my friends works for the PGA, and he snagged us a few free tickets to attend, so a few of us took the one-hour drive to the island to watch golfers vie for the trophy on the final day of the tournament.

It’s a far more low-key event than one would see at TPC Sawgrass, for instance, and it makes for a more relaxing day. It’s not crowded, the course boasts marsh and intercoastal views, and scattered food trucks and drinks tents throughout were readily accessible.

The day was also perfect, so even though I’m not the biggest golf fan, I enjoyed a lovely day out with friends while appreciating the skill each golfer showed at each hole. We sipped on ice-cold Blue Moon beers before grabbing some hot and fresh chicken sandwiches and tenders at one of the food trucks.

As the day drew on, we reached the 18th hole, where we witnessed Sami Välimäki clinch his victory.

Elsewhere at the tournament, I explored the PGA merchandise shop and the ruins of the former plantation house that once occupied the site. The region was once called Retreat Plantation and was a cotton plantation. All that remains today of the main house is the brick chimney and some foundations, but some plaques offered more insight into the area’s Antebellum history. I later learned the area also has ruins of slave cabins and a cemetery, but I never got to find them in time, so I hope to return again to find the ruins and learn more about it.

— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor