Course Review - Kiawah Island Golf Resort

The last chance of glory in this year's Majors has arrived with the 94th playing of the PGA Championship, hosted for the first time at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, 40kms south of Charleston, South Carolina's 2nd largest city.

The resort opened in 1974 and boasts 5 courses three of which are credited to golf icons Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Fazio. However, the undoubted star of the piece is the Ocean course, designed by Pete Dye in collaboration with his wife Alice who, incidentally, came up with the idea of an island green for the signature 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.

In this instance, the Ocean Course was originally conceived to sit behind the coastal dunes and it was Alice who suggested raising the entire layout so that players could benefit from the spectacular Atlantic Ocean vistas. Although with the improved views came increased wind, unpredictable and demanding in the extreme.

The Ocean Course sits on the southern coastline of the easternmost tip of the long and narrow east-west running strip of land that is Kiawah Island, and by a quirk of geography there are no prevailing winds here. Instead, there are swirling, shifting gusts that ask demanding questions of the players' shot making and ingenuity.

So, with that in mind, Pete Dye designed what are in effect two different courses, one for the easterly winds and another for the westerly. Keeping flexibility to the maximum, Dye built in up to six tee box options, different landing areas and obstacles, and oftentimes very large greens that can cope with approach shots played with a variance of as much as eight clubs depending on the severity of the weather.

That said, this 7200m par 72 titan is far from unfair. Everything is in plain sight, with few blind shots or surprises. However, clear thought and strategy is required from the first - to choose the best approach angles, shape of shot, and knowing where you can and can't miss around the greens.

In the 21 years since the memorable War on the Shore Ryder Cup held here in 1991, Pete Dye has revisited the course several times and made numerous, often subtle changes. But the layout has retained its essential character it and will present a rigorous test to the players, leaving them little chance to appreciate the innate beauty of their surroundings.

A Golf Weather
Editorial