Kiawah Island GR
Kiawah Island, SC (about 45 minutes from Charleston)
Fat Guy Review: Upon our first drive onto Kiawah Island (for a 2002 corporate golf boondoggle disguised as a software power-user's conference), with his head on a slow swivel my boss Bill remarked, "I've never been to a golf resort like this before." To which I replied, "I don't think there are any other golf resorts like this." The place is huge, with 26 square miles of gated-access island, 5 top-shelf golf courses, and legions of resort lodging options.
Kiawah is pure in its genteel Low Country Southern charms. It's also perfectly landscaped, with a postcard view from nearly any spot on the island. I almost can't begin to describe the understated, uncrowded, unhurried, somehow almost-naturally perfect, relaxed-yet-refined atmosphere: from the pristine roadways to the subtle signage to the camoflauged curb appeal of the golf villas, not to mention the individuality of the architecture and detail on the custom vacation homes. It's like a 26-mile Tommy Bahama ad. Somebody put a lot of thought, hard work, and cash into making it look like God did it all. The result is a perfect balance between nature and ultra-upscale, to the point that it makes Hilton Head look more like Myrtle Beach. Kiawah is a posh Must-Getaway spot for the upper crust set, although your average middle class family of 4 will struggle with prices and inheritance envy.
Ocean Course:
#11 Top 100 You Can Play, Golf Digest 2000
#1 Toughest Course in America, Golf Digest 2007
Walking Only before Noon
Check your ego, scorecard, and wallet at the door. This is as beautifully brutal a seaside links as you'll find. Hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup (aka "The War On The Shore"; ask your knowledgeable caddy for his stories) and scheduled to host the PGA in 2012. Best played barefoot and taken as a walk on the beach, briefly interrupted by some tough golf shots. Score takes a backseat to the gorgeous 360-degree Low Country and ocean vistas. The elevated fairways (suggested by architect Pete Dye's wife, to give players views of the ocean over the dunes) are closely flanked by waste areas, dunes, and marsh, largely leaving you only 3 types of lies: short grass, sand, or lost. Hitting those raised fairways is key, with windswept, angled tee carries from the Blues. The front is a unique, well-done marshland prelude to the more memorable seaside back, which features ocean winds and cart paths winding through dune complexes. The par-3 17th is an all-you-got knee-knocker 3-wood over water.
Ocean Course #17
An impressive new clubhouse was built in '06 (after I played it), with an extensive, pricey pro shop. The toughest part of the Ocean Course? The $338 2010 greens fees, plus caddie tip of $50+ (but one of the few courses I've played that may be an exception to my rule that any greens fees in the triple digits should come with a stripper). Rating: 9.5
Cougar Point: Gary Player did an outstanding job of evoking picturesque, Spanish-moss-laden Low Country scenery in among the surrounding vacation homes.
Cougar Point
The interesting-but-fair layout plays short from the Whites, building to a tough finish featuring nice risk/reward water holes and an Augusta-meets-Harbour Town 18th. The clubhouse is surprisingly small and spartan, with just a men's room bench for changing into your golf attire. Rating: 7.75
Osprey Point: An oppulent Southern Plantation-style clubhouse (great bathrooms!), top notch service, and pretty views, but kind of a mundane round for the $165 price tag. The island's most Floridian-resorty course from the Whites, with enough forced water carries to lose a few; but a long, tough, Driver/Rescue-3 kinda day from the Blues. Rating: 7
Osprey Point
Turtle Point: With a notable uptick in difficulty from Osprey, Nicklaus asks you to make shots to make par. Long from the Blues, with water carry approaches, reasonably wide fairways flanked by houses (O.B.) on both sides (although the palms will kick half your wayward drives back in bounds--barely), and Jack left just enough strategically placed trees in the rough to block many of your more direct recovery lanes.
Turtle Point
Tutle Point's three gorgeous oceanside holes (#14-16) are cleverly tucked against beachside dunes, with dune fingers creating optical hazards going into tough green complexes swept by ocean breezes, and the sound of crashing waves as a backdrop.
Take a quick walk across the wide beach to touch the waves, and maybe offer a ball to the golf gods. A fun test, and worth it just for the oceanside swing. Rating: 8.25
Tips for playing on Bermuda grass for you Damn Yankees: Bermuda is a gnarly club-grabber, growing here on moist, firm Low Country turf to which you're probably not accustomed. Take an extra club in the fairway and two from the rough, and choke down a half-inch on full shots, as the ball sits higher on Bermuda than on the Bent grass you know so well. Use a Texas wedge or 7-iron-putter-stroke chip around the greens if possible. If a chip calls for a lofted club, go firm and hard, with height. Your traditional decel trap chip will only go about 3 feet off tight Bermuda lies, despite your best efforts to adjust your technique. Bermuda greens tend to be quicker downhill or downgrain, and slower uphill or into the grain, than Bent. Kiawah's greens are quick and subtle, probably in the 10-11 range on the Stimp. Bring the bug spray to play here. Also, check the high weeds for gators before you sidle up to a ball near a water hazard!
Best Bar Nearby: The darkwood bar at the Turtle Point clubhouse is the best spot to belly up with a gin & tonic after a round. The veranda at Osprey Point just begs for mint juleps, and the bar at the resort's Sanctuary Hotel feels like a cross between a Hemmingway hangout and a James Bond set. Note: Both my visits here were prior to the building of the grand new Ocean Course clubhouse, which from what I've read, is among the nicest public/resort course clubhouses on the planet. Or, Fischer's is a fun little saloon with good live Southern acoustic music. For those who can only stand the Low Country pace for a day or two before wanting some action, the bartender at Turtle Point's clubhouse recommended Charleston Gentlemen's club Diamonds (2015 Pittsburgh Ave, North Charleston, 843-723-6666).
Where To Stay & Grub: New in '04, The Sanctuary Hotel ($240 PN & up) has become the resort's centerpiece. With a construction price tag of $500,000 a room, it exudes a classic '30's aura, reminding my boss strongly of The Breakers in Florida. A morning stroll through the grounds revealed Town Cars picking up guests, massive front doors opened by doormen, marble floors polished to a fine sheen, 30-foot ceilings, crystal chandeliers, Gone-With-The-Wind lobby staircases, a Rodeo-like indoor shopping promenade, a pristine beach, an infinity pool, even flowers rolled up in the pool towels, and every woman we passed under the age of 55 was pure hardbody trophy wife. Sanctuary's bars and restaurants are the island's best, the poolside lunch is a study in relaxation, and you can't beat the scenery. This is how the top 2% vacations. Even if you can't afford to stay here, no trip to Kiawah would be complete without stopping by The Sanctuary for a stroll around the grounds and a nice luncheon or cocktail.
Don't feel like swilling $12 martinis in Sanctuary's posh surroundings? Kiawah's other food options range in quality, but overall they're reasonable given the captive audience on the island. Shrimper's, in the shops near Cougar Point, served a decent Shrimp Po' Boy. The Dagwood turkey club on the veranda at Osprey Point Clubhouse was solid. The old Ocean Course Grill had great She Crab soup, but the rest of the menu was not worth ordering back when I was there in around 2004, although I'd guess they also upgraded the menu and chef when they built the massive new clubhouse. Golf Digest Senior Editor Matty G. says, "The best part about the Ocean Course is the clubhouse. After a few minutes by the fire, heating your hiney, try the Bloody Mary and the blue-cheese bacon burger for lunch." The salmon at Turtle Point Clubhouse was among the best fish I've ever had, well-grilled and doused in a balsamic mushroom sauce. Good steaks and a great darkwood bar there too. Town Market @ East Beach has a food court with varied, quality choices at reasonable prices. My caddy recommended Rosebank Farms just off the island for farmer's market fresh foods, and longtime visitor Mike K. digs Chez Fish.
Don't forget, Charleston is only a 45 minute drive. For Charleston booze & grub options, see below.
On the way back to the airport, we stumbled on Bessinger's BBQ, a staple in these parts. The meat is top notch, and the sauce is a tangy mustard-based concoction with the perfect hint of sweet. It's a great change of pace if you're a BBQ guy, and worth taking a bottle home for the fridge.
Tip: The great unwashed middle classes may want to try a different angle to make Kiawah more affordable. Rent a condo or villa during the fringes of the off-season on a golf package, and a couple might get away with a $700-$1000 baseline for a 2 or 3 day weekend including flights (flights ranged ~$250-$400 from Philly). Spend mornings on the links, afternoons lounging at The Sanctuary, grill your own fresh seafood from Rosebank Farms for dinner, bring your own top-shelf booze, crash at your villa, and live the lush life on a budget. Off-season is a good option here, although chilly deep winter ocean winds may wreak havoc with your game, especially on the Ocean Course. 2010 deals include stay & play packages at $280 pp/pn at Sanctuary Jan-Mar, or $359 pp/pn Apr-May.
Further info from various golf mags:
Ocean Course- #1 Toughest Course in America, Golf Digest 2007: "Pete Dye, now 81, has been torturing golfers for half his life, and the Ocean Course, strung along the Atlantic coastline with fairways and greens perched above sand, sea oats and sweetgrass, is perhaps his most Dye-abolical design. (Eight of our top 50 were created by the man they call the "Marquis de Sod.") The Ocean has the highest combination of Slope Rating (155) and Course Rating (79.6) in America, according to the U.S. Golf Association. With forced carries over marshes, endless waste bunkers and roll-resistant Bermuda grasses, the Ocean is a rare course that can bring tears and fears even to tour pros--it was dubbed Looney Dunes after multiple mishaps in the 1991 Ryder Cup. For the rest of us, it kicks sand in our face--literally when howling winds turn club covers into windsocks. Play it in the mornings when it's walking only. You can't cross the Rubicon in a golf cart."
T&L Golf Review: Named 2006 T&L Golf Best Golf Resort, Best Southeast Buddy and Family Trip Resort, Best Southeast Golf Resort Restaurants and Best Spa/Gym.
Undoubtedly one of Pete Dye's most superb designs, a recent article in Cigar Aficionado rated it the 4th most difficult course in North America. With 10 holes directly on the Atlantic and the other 8 winding through the surrounding marshes and dunes, the Ocean offers a natural links reminiscent to the great courses of Scotland, and boasts upwards of 50 sand bunkers.
Pete Dye was back in 2002 for a $2.5 million rennovation of the Ocean Course, including resurfacing the greens and major changes to 3 holes (Pete moved the 18th green closer to the ocean).
Golf.com Review, Ocean: The Ocean Course played host to the 1991 Ryder Cup. The difficulty on this course is due to the numerous dunes, marshes, and sand bunkers spread throughout its design. Water hazards come into play at least 16 times. The fairways are wide open, but there is no rough. There are a variety of greens that vary in size. A very scenic course with a view of the ocean on every hole. The signature hole is #17, a 197-yard par 3, requiring a tee shot over water, and if you miss the green you're in serious trouble.
Best Bar Nearby, Kiawah Island: T&L Golf recommends Turtle Point Bar at Kiawah Island Resort.
Best Bar Nearby, Charleston: 30 minutes to the SE, long time visitor Mike K. digs College of Charleston hangout Market Street Saloon as Charleston's version of Coyote Ugly. Or hit one of the lively music bars. Mitchell's on the Market (102 N Market St) offers salsa and jazz, and the Music Farm (32 Ann St) is where Hootie & the Blowfish honed their licks. Sip local brew Palmetto Ale and people-watch at the bar at Carolina's (10 Exchange St), or grab a frothy pint at the Blind Tiger Pub (38 Broad St).
Where To Grub, Kiawah Island: T&L Golf says lunch is good at the Osprey Point clubhouse veranda, or the Ocean Course clubhouse. Travel Channel recommends the Mingo Point Oyster Roast & BBQ ($30 pp every Summer Monday 6:30 PM-10:30 PM, between Kiawah Isl bridge and the 1st guard house, reservations required, 768-2768). A Kiawah Island tradition as well as a crash course in Southern culture, featuring live beach and bluegrass music. OR the best pizza on the island per www.Kiawahislandgetaway.com is Sidi's Cookhouse (formerly Fiddlehead's, 768-4356), order the 20" deluxe. Per US Air Attache' Magazine, Rosebank Farms Cafe (overlooking Bohicket Marina at the entrance to Kiawah Isl, 1886 Andell Bluff Blvd, 843-768-1807) serves homestyle Lowcounty cooking with a nouvelle twist.
Where To Grub, Charleston (see also: Fat Guy's review of Wild Dunes): 30 minutes SE, Don K. says he had the best steak he's ever had at jazz venue High Cotton. Washington Golf Monthly likes Sticky Fingers (843-853-RIBS), widely recognized for their unbelievable ribs and BBQ. T&L Golf says try Louis's (200 Meeting St) for scrumptious crab-and-lobster cakes and main courses such as fresh grouper, crab, and sea bass. OR sample the fried fish, barbequed ribs and collard greens at Alice's Fine Foods (468 King St), a down-home, cafeteria-style diner. Travel Channel and Heisler both like 82 Queen Street (82 Queen St, www.82queen.com) for upscale dining in Charleston, enjoy Lowcountry classics and Key Lime pie on the brick patio, or fried green tomatoes, grits, and award-winning She Crab soup in the formal dining room. Near the airport, Delta's Sky magazine likes The Noisy Oyster (7571 Rivers Ave, 843-824-1000) for generous portions of fresh seafood under the watchful eye of a life-size stuffed shark. Their oysters come raw, fried, and fancy. Other menu standouts include Cheddar corn bread, a BBQ shrimp BLT, and tangy gumbo made with loads of Lowcountry shrimp, all washed down with a Palmetto Ale.
Where To Stay: The new Sanctuary at Kiawah Island is a 5-star seaside resort which cost $500m per room to build per Philly's Metro paper. Sits along 10 miles of private beach.