The Anschutz family of Denver, Colorado, owns two resorts with limited public access and maintains a gated community for around 500 single-family residences.

[6] Upon Howard Coffin's death in 1937, A. W. Jones inherited the property, along with other tracts of nearby coastal land owned by the Sea Island Company.

[8] When President Calvin Coolidge decided to spend his Christmas holidays on Sea Island in 1928, the new hotel gained national attention.

Promoted as a quiet, worry-free escape, as opposed to some of the high-energy resorts in Florida, the Cloister appealed to businessmen, politicians, and celebrities, including New York Mayor Jimmy Walker, Edsel Ford, John D. Rockefeller Jr., Eddie Rickenbacker, and many others.

In addition to the hotel, Mr. Coffin also dreamed of creating a residential community on the island and encouraged his guests to consider building "cottages" nearby.

In the postwar years, the Cloister and its surrounding community grew slowly, with the hotel welcoming a steady stream of distinguished guests, including U.S. presidents Hoover, Eisenhower, Ford and Carter.

[9] The island's residential community also grew in numbers and in stature, with some lot prices pushing into the millions of dollars by the end of the 20th century.

[12] Just two years after its grand re-opening, the financial panic of 2008 and the subsequent Great Recession hit the Sea Island Company from several directions.

[14] Although two major creditors, Synovus and Bank of America agreed to a restructured loan package in 2009, Sea Island Company was unable to sell off enough of its land holdings, and again defaulted in 2010.

Later that year, the company filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, and was acquired by a consortium of investors who formed Sea Island Acquisitions, LLC, to manage the property and turn its business around.

In 1931, Howard Coffin planted an English oak acorn from General Oglethorpe's estate in England, to honor the founder of the Georgia colony.

[22] Access to the island was tightly controlled, and press headquarters (the International Media Center) was located in Savannah, Georgia, some 60 miles (97 km) to the north.

In the near future golf legends such as Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and Sam Snead all ventured to Sea Island to play the courses.

The first tournament played in the area was the Sea Island Ladies Open Invitational in 1954, which was won by World Golf Hall of Famer Louise Suggs.

The Walker Cup, one of the most prestigious amateur events throughout the world, was held in August 2001 and even featured an opening ceremony headlined by President George H. W.

The Sea Island community has benefited greatly from this event, through increased exposure and the yearly contributions the Davis Love Foundation raises throughout the tournament week.