Cat Island Club

Cat Island Club, previously named Sanctuary Golf Club at Cat Island, and before that, South Carolina National Golf Club, is a Private, 18-hole golf course in Beaufort, South Carolina, north of Broad River.

The course opened in 1985. It is the final course design of renowned golf course designer George W. Cobb. The front nine holes play out through oaks draped with Spanish Moss. The back nine holes play out to striking views of the Port Royal Sound.

The course was purchased out of bankruptcy in 2007 by Owner Richard Grant. The course was returned to excellent condition. The setting along the river has always been beautiful.

The course was subsequently owned and operated by Jeff Fischer, who also owned Lady’s Island Country Club on the north end of Lady’s Island. He closed the Sanctuary Club abruptly in January 2019, saying the course was for sale while he consolidated operations to his other club.  

The course stayed closed until the fall of 2022, when it reopened as a private venue. John LaFoy restored the course to the original classic George W. Cobb design.

Cobb had roughed out the hole locations, but LaFoy did most of the hands-on work. LaFoy, also a golf course architect and past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, worked for Cobb then. Usually, when golf courses are built, tweaks are made during the construction phase, but LaFoy didn’t get that chance when Cat Island was built in 1985. Almost 40 years later, he got the chance and is “polishing the apple.”