NSG_Winter2017

PLEASURE
ISLAND
Stage your personal War by the Shore at Kiawah resort
By MITCH MARCUS
A
fter spending several days at Kiawah Island Golf
Resort and playing three of its five courses, I can
rightfully say it is a golfer’s paradise. It is remarkably
beautiful and happy place; even the occasional double bogey
won’t sour your mood.
Kiawah is a barrier island, located about 25 miles
southwest of Charleston, S.C. There is also plenty of doings
to keep non-golfing spouses busy, including shopping at the
Freshfields Village mall, relaxing on the beach, exploring the
island by bicycle and more.
But I was there to golf!
My first round was at Turtle Point. Our foursome agreed
the course was in pristine condition, having undergone a
nine-month renovation overseen by Jack Nicklaus and his
architectural team. Renovations included refurbishing green
complexes, re-grassing the greens, tees and fairways with
paspalum, a salt–tolerant strain also used on the resort’s
Ocean Course, Osprey Point and Oak Point. Turtle Point has
rated as high as 48th on Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest Public
Courses, and has hosted the Carolinas Amateur, the
Carolinas PGA, the South Carolina Amateur and the 1990
PGA Cup matches.
Three oceanfront holes (14-16) are the highlights, but
the entire course is sufficiently challenging for even the
best golfers. There are six sets of tees, allowing for higher
handicappers to enjoy the course at a playable length, while
the way-back Tournament Tees at nearly 7000 yards would
provide a test for anyone, especially considering the
ever-present wind and the small greens. The 14th is an uphill
par 3, with a beautiful ocean vista as a backdrop. Playing
straight into the wind, as we did, was probably a three-club
difference. The next two windswept holes border the ocean.
I was ecstatic to go bogey, par, par.
The famous - or infamous - Ocean Course was the next
test. This Pete Dye design is only the fourth course to have
hosted each of the PGA of America’s major championships,
It also hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup: The War by the Shore.
The wind is always blowing, with no prevailing direction.
From one day to the next, a player might experience an
eight-club differential on any given shot. The course has been
rated as high as the No. 4 public and No 25 best courses in
the United States.
Again, the six tee boxes allow for play at every level. One
of my playing partners, Tony from Texas, played the
tournament tees at 7,356 yards. The rest of us played two
sets of tees forward, a respectable 6,475 yards. Watching
Tony break 80 from the back tees with the wind howling was
the most impressive round of golf I have ever witnessed
firsthand.
My highlight was birdieing the 501-yard 2nd hole, a
beautiful par 5, by sinking a pretty lengthy double-breaking
putt. Pure luck. A 2 on the par-3 5th hole gave me two birdies
on the first five holes. After that, it was all downhill, though,
as a 12-handicap, I was happy to break 90.
A round at Osprey Point followed. This Tom Fazio
designed course was totally renovated in 2014. Also in
pristine condition, this course winds through low-country
forests, lagoons and saltwater marshes. With the wind a bit
more relaxed, and playing the par-72 course at a leisurely
6200 yards, it was a welcome respite from the two previous
demanding rounds. It was playable and pleasing to the
eye, as long as you don’t mind a few alligators sharing your
golf course.
Paradise found at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. l
Mitch Marcus is a North Shore community
banker whose passions include golf and travel.
10 >>> WINTER 2017