The only access to Daufuskie Island is by private ferry from Hilton Head, and although the island lies just a mile away, it is truly like going back a century or more. There has never been a bridge to the island which until the last few decades was inhabited mostly by descendants of slaves who even today live off the land, speak the strange-sounding Gullah dialect, and remain faithful to their ancient, superstition-based ways. Jack Nicklaus, who designed the Melrose course on Daufuskie, seemed to pick up on the strange, haint-haunted nature of this unique little island. His tricky little design winds through piney forests and past dark, haunted lagoons and while it seems rather straightforward and not too long, it is always interesting and challenging. The wind whips in off Calibogue Sound but is often disguised by the tall pines and oaks … until one’s ball rises about the treetops. Only on the last two holes, the par-three 17th and the long closing finale, where a conoly of deep bunkers splits the fairway in two, does the golfer get to face the wind openly along the waterfront. And playing towards sunset, when the last rays of the day sink into the Atlantic, can be magical indeed! The island also boasts a fascinating and fun course at Bloody Point, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish; and a private Rees Jones design at the Haig Point development. The once-private Daufuskie Club is now a welcoming hotel operated by ClubCorp, and a safe haven from the shadows that play on this strange but sweet little island.