Kiawah Island

Join the ranks of avid golfers who have The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort on their must-play list for a true test of skill. Located on the eastern-most end of the island, The Ocean Course boasts the most seaside holes in the Northern Hemisphere with ten hugging the Atlantic and the other eight running parallel to those. Although it was originally planned to sit behind the dunes, designer Pete Dye’s wife, Alice, suggested raising the entire course to give players unobstructed views of Kiawah’s stunning coastline from every hole. One catch? This improved view made the course substantially more demanding as it also exposed play to the Atlantic’s brisk and unpredictable breezes. In fact, it’s unlikely that any other golf course in the world—outside the United Kingdom and Ireland—is affected as much by wind. From one round to the next, a player can experience up to an 8-club difference on holes depending upon the wind’s direction and strength. Interesting fact: Because there are no prevailing winds on The Ocean Course, Dye designed two courses in one—one for an easterly and the other for a westerly wind. Since its construction by Pete and Alice Dye in 1989-1991, The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort has hosted iconic championships, indelibly engraving its reputation as one of the world’s greatest golf courses. From the epic “War by the Shore” Ryder Cup to Rory McIlroy’s triumph at the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championship, experience The Ocean Course’s storied tournament history. You must stay at Kiawah Island to play this golf course. Caddies are required. Caddie fee is included, but the recommended gratuity is $120 per person. This course is always walking only, with the exception of June-August after 10am, when carts are allowed but restricted to CPO. Recommended forecaddie gratuity is $60 per player.

Designed by the consensus pick as the best contemporary architect in golf, Osprey Point is a classic Tom Fazio layout. It's also a classic example of why Fazio enjoys such a lofty professional perch. At Osprey Point, Fazio had a superb natural canvas on which to create a masterpiece in playability and variety. The setting for the course features four large natural lakes, fingers of saltwater marsh, and dense maritime forests of century-old live oaks, pines, palmetto palms, and magnolias. Into that backdrop, Fazio blended a par-72 layout that stretches 6,871 yards from the back tees. While the course features plenty of strong holes - including the 453-yard, par-four ninth and a pair of threes longer than 200 yards - Osprey Point also offers strategic short par fours, long a Fazio hallmark, to tempt the big hitters. With some renovations, there has only been an increase to the amount of championship play. The course was lengthened to 6871 yards, state-of-the-art cart paths were installed, and several holes were lengthened. An elegant clubhouse now stands overlooking the immaculate driving range. You must stay at Kiawah Island to play this golf course.

One year before the Ryder Cup Matches were played at The Ocean Course, Kiawah hosted the club professionals' version of the international match-play competition when PGA Cup Matches were played at Turtle Point. The PGA of America is just one of many organizations that have selected the Jack Nicklaus design as the site of a premier event. More recently, the course has hosted both the Kiawah Pro-Celebrity Challenge, and the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday after the Masters tournament. Opened in 1981, Turtle Point is a low-profile design in which fairways and green settings are blended into the existing landscape without the artificial mounding and radical features that became so popular later in the decade. At 6,914 yards from the back markers with five par fours stretching 420 yards or longer, the course offers a tough test for all golfers. And the 412-yard 15th, the middle hole of a spectacular, three-hole oceanfront trio, with its tiny green tucked into the dunes, can be the hardest hole on the course, depending on the wind of the Atlantic. You must stay at Kiawah Island to play this golf course.

The Gary Player-designed Cougar Point Golf Course was built on the site of the former Marsh Point Golf Course, Cougar Point is a par-72 layout stretching 6,861 yards from the back tees, making it 600 yards longer than the old course. The new course follows the routing of Marsh Point but retains little else from its predecessor. Also designed by Player, Marsh Point was the first resort course in the Charleston area when it opened in 1976. Cougar Point is known for its three-hole stretch midway through the front nine where holes border the tidal marsh and offer panoramic views of the Kiawah River and miles of adjacent marsh. From these holes, it is not uncommon to see countless wading birds among the acres of needle rush and spartina grass or pelicans and osprey soaring over the river and creeks eyeing a possible meal. Golfers can easily find their attention diverted from birdies to birds. Starting with the par five 15th hole, Cougar Point offers four magnificent finishing holes culminating with the dramatic par four 18th hole. You must stay at Kiawah Island to play this golf course.