You could call it the most exclusive tee time in Georgia if someone would just mow the fairways.
In what may be one of the most jaw-dropping real estate listings to hit the market this year, Hampton Island Preserve — home to the long-dormant Ricefields Golf Course — is officially up for grabs. With a staggering $52.5 million price tag, it’s the most expensive residential listing in the state, according to Zillow.
But this isn’t just a mansion with a backyard putting green. It’s a 2,099-acre private kingdom, packed with everything from luxury spas and stocked ponds to a 17-acre island and a 7,200-yard golf course that once had PGA pedigree written all over it.
Designed in 2008 by Davis Love III and his brother Mark, Ricefields Golf Course was meant to be a crown jewel in Georgia’s Lowcountry revival. It wrapped through restored 200-year-old rice paddies, nestled between Savannah and the golfing mecca of St. Simons Island. Backed by coastal views and steeped in Southern history, it looked poised to rival the likes of Sea Island and Kiawah.
Then the economy tanked. The small, private membership model collapsed, and Ricefields faded from the spotlight. The course remains — but without maintenance, it’s now a surreal and overgrown ghost fairway, waiting for someone with deep pockets and even deeper vision to bring it back to life.
The Course is Just the Beginning
The Hampton Island Preserve property also includes:
- 17 bedrooms and 23 bathrooms
- Multiple guest cottages with classic Lowcountry design
- Two luxury spas, including one on a treetop canopy and another on a 16-acre organic farm
- A fully equipped equestrian center with a reclaimed wood barn and 12 stalls
- A private marina site with existing dock and infrastructure
- Miles of trails, freshwater lakes, stocked fishing ponds, open pastures, and untouched salt marshes
The property is accessible by car, boat, helicopter, or seaplane. Because of course it is.
The crown jewel is a 17-acre private island with deepwater frontage and three home sites already cleared.
It’s a listing that feels more like a Bond villain’s hideout than a Georgia estate — minus the missile silo. But for someone with the capital (and the ambition), this is a real chance to own not just a house, but a self-contained luxury ecosystem.
Whether it becomes a billionaire’s private retreat, an eco-luxe resort, or a bold resurrection of the Ricefields Golf dream, one thing’s for sure: this is no ordinary listing.
