Kiawah Island Resorts, Ocean Course
Ocean Course At Kiawah Island Resorts opened for play in 1991. The course was designed by Pete Dye.
The Ocean Course just ranked 25th in Golf Digest's 100 Greatest U.S. Golf Courses List and 4th on Best Public Course List
Probably no other golf course in the world outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland is affected as much by the wind. From one round to the next, a player can experience up to an 8-club difference on holes depending upon the direction and strength of the wind. There are no prevailing winds on the course. Dye took this into account when designing the course. In fact, he designed two courses into one - one for an easterly wind and one for a westerly wind.
Located on the eastern-most end of Kiawah Island, The Ocean Course has more seaside holes than any other course in the Northern Hemisphere - 10 right along the Atlantic with the other 8 running parallel to those. Although it was originally designed to sit behind the dunes, Dye's wife, Alice, suggested raising the entire course to allow players unobstructed views of Kiawah's beautiful Atlantic coastline from every hole. This improved view, however, made the course substantially more demanding as it also exposed it to the area's brisk and unpredictable sea breezes.
The Ocean Course gained instant notoriety as the host of the most dramatic "War by the Shore," abattle decided literally by the final putt of Sunday's final match in 1991's Ryder Cup Matches. In 1997, The Ocean Course hosted the World Cup of Golf, with the world's finest golfers from 32 countries competing in the stroke play tournament. The inaugural UBS Cup took place on the course in 2001, and in 2003 the course hosted the World Cup Championships World Cup. The PGA Professional National Championship was played in June 2005.
With 18 holes offering panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, it is likely The Ocean Course would have earned widespread acclaim had no tournament ever been played there. In May 2007, The Ocean Course hosted the Senior PGA Championship, and in 2012 the course will host the PGA Championship.
The Ocean Course made its big screen debut in the movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance."