Away Game: Kiawah Island
Respecting The Ocean
The 255-room Sanctuary on Kiawah Island overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.
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The Ocean Course and I have had a contentious relationship. It picks on me for the weaknesses in my golf game; I pick on it for its $338 green fee and degree of difficulty. But after a recent trip to Kiawah Island, S.C., we've come to terms. I've finally removed my cap and shaken hands with the toughest course in America. From my favorite hole -- the 19th -- I ordered a dirty martini on the rocks with blue-cheese olives, and I took a seat overlooking the 18th green, where only minutes before I had hooked, sliced, chunked and yipped my way to a bogey.
In the Southern comfort of the Ryder Cup Bar in one of my favorite clubhouses in golf, the three-club wind was no longer a factor. I had a clear view of the Atlantic Ocean, the benefit of a red sunset, a plate of the crispy shrimp appetizer, a stiff drink and some stories to tell.
I still wouldn't say I love it, but I do respect it, and now I get it. You don't play the Ocean Course for good misses and giggles; you play the Ocean Course so you can commiserate with friends about how you had a decent round going -- until you hit your first tee shot.
"You have to embrace the fact that it's an aspirational and inspirational golf experience," says Roger Warren, president of the Kiawah Island Golf Resort and a former president of the PGA of America.
I embraced shots that would make a beginner look bad, two birdies that felt like eagles, and an up-and-down par on the 197-yard 17th from the fringe of the 10th green. An 88 was my score, and I'd like to think I'm a legitimate 8-handicapper.
I played the Dye tees, which are 6,475 yards. "Play it from the back tees and you might get killed," says Pete Dye, who built the course for the 1991 Ryder Cup. (The United States defeated Europe, 14½-13½, in the War by the Shore.) Dye says he built the back tees (7,606 yards) because the USGA wasn't controlling the golf ball. He was preparing for the distant future, which he was sure would include a lot of distance. "We didn't use 'em for the Ryder Cup. I really didn't think we'd use 'em for a million years. Now, 20 years later, we're using 'em."
The pros will return to the Ocean Course in August 2012 for the PGA Championship, South Carolina's first major.
The pool overlooks the beach.
Dye has been on site about once a month for a year, tweaking tees, bunkers and greens and clearing space for tents and galleries. He says the changes shouldn't make the course any easier or harder for amateurs. "It's a hard course if you're playing bad," Dye says. "The fairways are liberal, greens are receptive, but the wind causes problems. I get around OK, and I'm half of 170 years old."
There's the inspiration that Warren was talking about. When I go back, my aspiration is to keep my score under half of 170. The point being: I'll go back. Though the Ocean Course rearranges my teeth, Kiawah has few peers when it comes to U.S.-based golf resorts. It's in the same class as Pebble Beach, Sea Island, Pinehurst and The Greenbrier. The destination is a good fit for families, couples and buddies.
Old oak trees line never-ending roads, open fields and bike trails throughout the gated property, which features five golf courses, 11 restaurants, tennis courts, miles of beaches and the Sanctuary, an appropriately named 255-room luxury hotel built in 2004. There are also hundreds of villas and private homes for rent. (For details go to kiawahresort.com).
There's some debate about which is the next-best course at Kiawah. I prefer Osprey Point, a Tom Fazio design, over Turtle Point, which is one of Jack Nicklaus' first designs. Osprey has water on almost every hole, but it comes into play only if you hit a horrible shot. Turtle Point is a little cramped for my style, especially the three oceanfront holes on the back nine. Warren says he likes the Gary Player-designed Cougar Point "because I can still hit the par 5s in two." It's also the course best suited for family golf or a few holes at the end of the day. Oak Point, designed by Clyde Johnston, offers a break in the green fee because it's the only course off the island.
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