Kiawah Island Golf Resort facts for kids
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| Club information | |
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 Location in the United States
Location in South Carolina
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| Coordinates | 32°36′34″N 80°05′52″W / 32.60944°N 80.09778°W |
| Location | Kiawah Island, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Established | 1974 |
| Type | Resort |
| Owned by | CCA Financial |
| Total holes | 90 |
| Tournaments hosted |
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| Website | kiawahresort.com |
| Ocean Course | |
| Designed by | Pete Dye & Alice Dye |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,876 yards (7,202 m) |
| Course rating | 79.1 |
| Slope rating | 155 |
| Turtle Point | |
| Designed by | Jack Nicklaus |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,911 yards (6,319 m) |
| Course rating | 73 |
| Slope rating | 134 |
| Osprey Point | |
| Designed by | Tom Fazio |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,902 yards (6,311 m) |
| Course rating | 72.8 |
| Slope rating | 135 |
| Oak Point | |
| Designed by | Clyde Johnston |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,701 yards (6,127 m) |
| Course rating | 71.9 |
| Slope rating | 130 |
| Cougar Point | |
| Designed by | Gary Player redesigned |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,814 yards (6,231 m) |
| Course rating | 72.7 |
| Slope rating | 134 |
Kiawah Island Golf Resort is a fun place to visit on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. It's a big resort with lots of things to do, especially if you love golf! It's located along ten-mile (16 km) of beaches and inland areas. The resort is about thirty miles (50 km) southwest of Charleston.
The resort first opened its doors in May 1976. Since then, it has often been named one of the best resorts in the country. You can stay at The Sanctuary, a fancy hotel with 255 rooms and a spa. The resort also manages almost 500 private villas and homes. Plus, there are more than a dozen restaurants to choose from!
While it's famous for its golf courses, Kiawah Island Golf Resort also has the Roy Barth Tennis Center. This center has 22 tennis courts and a special tennis academy.
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Golf Courses at Kiawah Island
Kiawah Island Golf Resort is home to five amazing golf courses. The most famous one is called The Ocean Course, which was added in 1991.
The Ocean Course: A Challenging Golf Experience
The Ocean Course is the most well-known golf course at Kiawah Island. It was designed by Pete Dye and Alice Dye. They made the course so that golfers could always see the Atlantic Ocean shoreline. However, they also designed it to be open to the strong winds that often blow in the area. This makes playing golf here very challenging!
Many golf magazines like Golf Digest and Golf Magazine have called The Ocean Course one of the best in the world. It's also known as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary." This means it helps protect nature and wildlife. In 2010, Golf Digest ranked it as the 25th greatest golf course in America.
The Ocean Course is a par 72 course. From the longest tees, it stretches out 7,876 yards (7,202 m). It has a very high slope rating of 155 and a course rating of 79.1. These numbers mean it's one of the toughest courses around! Because of its big slopes, many sand traps (called bunkers), and tricky Bermuda grass, Golf Digest called it the toughest course in America in 2010.
The Ocean Course even appeared in the 2000 movie The Legend of Bagger Vance. In 2008, it became the first golf course you could play in the online video game by World Golf Tour. Helicopters with cameras and GPS were used to map out the entire course. This created a super accurate virtual version of the course!
Major Tournaments at The Ocean Course
The Ocean Course became famous very quickly. In its first year, it hosted the Ryder Cup in 1991. This is a big golf competition between teams from the United States and Europe. The United States team won by a very close score of 14½–13½. The strong winds made it hard to play. The U.S. team only won when a player from Germany, Bernhard Langer, missed a short putt. This putt would have tied the score and kept the cup for Europe.
In 1996, the course hosted a special match for "Shell's Wonderful World of Golf." It was played between two famous women golfers, Annika Sörenstam and Dottie Pepper. The Ocean Course also hosted the World Cup of Golf twice. It was held there in 1997 and again in 2003.
The PGA Championship is another major tournament that has been played at The Ocean Course. In August 2012, Rory McIlroy won by a huge eight strokes. The championship came back in May 2021. This time, Phil Mickelson won, becoming the oldest major golf champion ever at 50 years old!
Turtle Point: A Jack Nicklaus Design
The Turtle Point course was designed by the legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus. This course has also received praise from Golf Digest magazine. Turtle Point has hosted regional tournaments, like the Carolina Amateur.
Turtle Point is a par 72 course. From the tournament tees, it measures 7,061 yards (6,457 m). It has a slope rating of 73/134.
Osprey Point: Designed by Tom Fazio
The Osprey Point course at Kiawah Island was designed by Tom Fazio. He is another well-known golf course architect.
Osprey Point is also a par 72 course. It measures 6,932 yards (6,339 m) from the tournament tees. Its slope rating is 72.8/135.
Oak Point: Built on Old Plantation Lands
The Oak Point course was designed by Clyde Johnston. Kiawah Island Resort bought this course in 1997. Clyde Johnston designed the course on land that used to be a plantation. This land once grew crops like tomato and indigo.
Oak Point plays to a par of 72. It measures 6,701 yards (6,127 m) from the tournament tees. The slope rating for this course is 71.9/130.
Cougar Point: A Redesigned Course
The Cougar Point golf course was first called Marsh Point. It was redesigned in 1996 by Gary Player, another famous golfer.
Cougar Point is a par 72 course. From the tournament tees, it measures 6,875 yards (6,286 m). It has a slope rating of 72.7/134.
