OKATIE, S.C. -- Spring Island in Okatie, SC has been ranked the 17th best golf community in America by Travel + Leisure Golf. Each year the magazine compiles a list of America's top 100 golf communities in which each property is reviewed in six categories: golf amenity; residential architecture and style; location; management, service and programming options; nongolf amenities; and environmental stewardship. In 2007, Travel + Leisure Golf ranked Spring Island 23rd. Currently, the community is constructing a new sports complex complete with fitness center, multiple pools, tennis courts and a new croquet pitch.

Travel + Leisure Golf is not the only group to recognize Spring Island this year. In October 2008, Spring Island was named one of Links magazine's top private golf communities and Old Tabby Links was named one of the 25 best residential golf courses in America. In 2007, Spring Island was named one of Golf Connoisseur's Top 40 Golf Communities in America and was one of the Links Top 100 Premiere Properties.

Spring Island is a 3,000-acre island community created by Chaffin/Light Associates in the South Carolina Lowcountry 25 minutes from Hilton Head and Beaufort, and 30 minutes by boat from Port Royal Sound and the open Atlantic Ocean. Spring Island is limited to no more than 410 families on the 3,000 acres with 1,200 acres protected as nature preserve. Spring Island offers the finest amenities man and nature can offer to include: golf, fresh- and salt-water fishing, equestrian, tennis, quail hunting, nature center, fine and casual dining options, and a wide variety of educational pursuits. www.springisland.com

Chaffin/Light Associates (CLA) has created internationally recognized, conservation-based communities that feature superb recreational facilities, including some of the best golf courses in the United States, while building and supporting non-profit organizations which provide arts, conservation and educational programs. CLA communities include: Spring Island, Chechessee Creek Club and Callawassie Island, South Carolina; Balsam Mountain Preserve, North Carolina; Roaring Fork Club, Idarado Legacy, Park East and Snowmass Village, Colorado; Semiahmoo Resort, Washington; and The Dunes Club, Amelia Island, Florida.