Kiawah Island Golf Resort

This is a bucket list course! The views are incredible from the moment you step through the doors into the clubhouse. The caddies were great and the course was in great shape, especially considering how wet this winter has been. You have to try your luck at this course. The wind was howling when we played and this course is a beast in the wind. I can't wait to return.

OMG, IDK what to say, just as beautiful as you would expect. Listen to your looper, the course knowledge is invaluable. Yes, it's expensive but cheaper than pebble. Everything here is top notch. Great staff, great golf, great views, great food.

I've been blessed that both my rounds on the Ocean course - one in February about five years ago and this one in November - have been relatively calm days with a manageable two-club wind. I can't imagine trying to survive a gusty, cold day on such a demanding course. My playing partner remarked he had never seen a course so manicured in the playing areas, yet so gnarly and treacherous on the perimeter. The fairways are actually forgiving if you take the cautious lines pointed out by the caddies. It's the approach shots to plateau greens that make scoring difficult. The par-3 17th hole might be more famous, but to me the par-3 14th hole is the more amazing hole. It kicks off the closing stretch on the Atlantic Ocean. And the table-top green is so intimidating. Nobody gets in your head better than Pete Dye.

My wife and I went for a long weekend and I was able to tackle the Ocean Course. It lived up to the reputation, as it was in pristine condition and played challenging but fair. I played the Ocean tees with Robert as my caddie (highly recommended!) and cannot wait to go back again. The entire experience was second to none. The resort is outstanding and the Ryder Cup Bar is one of the best 19th Holes I've ever drowned my post-round blues in.

Amazing opportunity to play this course. It is as difficult and fun as you would imagine. The wind will impact you 2 clubs or more each direction. A challenge for certain.

For a course that's ranked No. 3 in Golf Digest's list of Top 100 public courses, it seems weird to suggest that the Ocean Course might actually be underrated, but that truly might be the case. I've played Pebble Beach, and the Ocean Course is absolutely on that level. If one is "better" (whatever that means) than the other, then it's purely a matter of personal preference. Both are perfect expressions of the land on which they rest.

One thing about the Ocean Course that you can't say about Pebble, though, is that every hole on the Ocean Course is different. And remarkably, there are no gimmick holes, and I never felt like the course was unfair. Throw in the beautiful scenery, and you've got a course that is as close to flawless as I've ever seen. You could play it every day without getting bored.

Lower scoring expectations and enjoy a bucket-list experience in a memorable setting.

Everything about this course will exceed your expectations! Staff, facilities, course, views are all fantastic

Course in very good condition, greens rolled true. Starter and cart staff excellent, guy in pro shop was rude and unfriendly

I literally do not have the words to describe the once in a lifetime experience I had last Friday. I have a list of golf courses I want to play in my life, and this has been #3...(Pebble #1 and St. Andrews #2. I was blown away by my experience...starting when I drove up to when I made my final putt on 18. The staff was friendly, the course was beautiful, the greens rolled true, the wind blew, it played like it was the hardest course in the country. I played the tips, and was advised against it, but I wanted a challenge and I received it. My caddie was extremely knowledgable, and helped a lot. Some words of wisdom. If you are not a low handicapper, don't play the tips, enjoy the day and play it forward. Buy a yardage book. Some of the shots you cannot see where you are hitting, and its great to have a view from the perfect yardage book. Caddie helps a ton, but I'm a visual golfer, so also referred to my book. Also...listen to your caddie. What he says...goes, because he is right. I had Mike as my caddie, and he has caddied over 2000 rounds at this course, and he was the bomb. I will definitely go back and play this course in the future. I cannot recommend it enough.

A friend of mine and I played Osprey Point (Kiawah) twice last week. The course was closed most of last year, opened up last November. The changes have taken root and the conditions are now, 2nd to none, greens & fairways. Passpallum is now the choice of grass and sure is easy to play & putt on.
Course allows you plenty of scoring chances, if you are striking the ball correctly, and making a few putts. Have played all the other courses at Kiawah. Sure, the Ocean course has the name & rep., but do not pass Osprey Point by.....very worthy of any golfer. A good & fair test of anyone's skill level. Can't wait to go back this Fall.

Kurt Lundgren
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

On the first tee box, our caddies did everything they could to force our group (single digit handicaps) to play the WHITE tees. We had been warned about this, but were still unprepared for the guilt trip the caddies would lay on us about wanting to play more than 6300 yards. Everything about this course centered on a "factory-like" experience of getting golfers through 18 holes as quickly as possible. I have played most of the great public and private golf courses in the country and without exception, found the greens at The Ocean Course the longest and slowest I have ever played....including the muni's. The reason we received? If we allowed the greens to play faster, rounds would take a lot longer. While I would love to compliment the natural beauty of the site itself, I find it difficult given we were constantly aware of the fact that we had chosen to play the BLUE tees (6700 yards). Note that 3 of 4 golfers shot their handicap. The foolish statements made by caddies on the first hole that 6300 yards at Kiawah was like 7000 on most courses were absurd.

OWN YOUR ROUND AND SET THE TONE WITH YOUR CADDIES ON THE PRACTICE RANGE.

Really fun...really tough! The entire experience is amazing - from the clubhouse, to the golf course, to the service. The course is just amazing. The winds were up and the pace was slow, but we had a blast. If you play real golf rules, you'll probably shoot your highest round of the season - if not of your entire gilding career. I shot 86 and striped it all day. Ugh. The back 9 is pure bliss with a hint of evil.

An extremely difficult course for a high handicapper like me but I still enjoyed myself immensely. Scored boggy on a number of holes which was very satisfying given the challenge of getting from Tee to Green.

Wow. Everything that has been written or said about this tract doesn't do it justice. Walk w/caddy, play it forward and just soak it up. This is what golf is supposed to be.

First, I was really lucky because the day I played the Ocean Course there was NO wind and we finished the round in just under four hours (we were a twosome).
That being said, it is challenging and I am sure with the wind even more so but the forward tees are very "female" friendly. There were only a few holes that had a carry that was a bit long. And the 16th Par 5 was 447 yards and even our caddy said it was more like a "par six" for women.
The only annoying thing were the "love bugs" they would swarm you on the tee. They do not bite but they are very distracting. And, I am told they are only around for 3 or 4 days. Maybe they were around because their was not wind.
This is a beautiful course and a bucket list for any avid golfer.
After your round, enjoy the "crispy shrimp" at the Ryder Cup Grill and sit outside if the "love bugs" are not in play.

I really enjoyed this course which surprised me because I met some golfers the day before I played that said "it was too narrow, unfair, too hard, etc."
I had a great time while playing from the forward tees. Yes, some fairways are narrow but not all of them are "too narrow."
The one hole that was really narrow was the 16th hole (see photo) but it was a lot of fun to play!
I would say if you have a really bad hook or slice you will have a hard time but if you are normally straight off the tee, have a mild fade, or mild draw, you will love this course.

I played this course with buddy, we both had caddies and walked (no option to ride which is how I like it).

I had Scott Hall caddy for me, great guy, really into it and so knowledgeable. Recommend you ask for Scott when you book.

Well the course was very very hard, I'm a pretty good player and it kicked my butt, I did play the black tees, so recommend "play forward".

Definitely a bucket list course!

The Ocean Course is fantastic. Lucky enough to play it multiple times when my family used to vacation at Kiawah.

When it opened the course was overly difficult. Now it's only extremely difficult if the breeze is up. Over the years the edges have been softened to allow a little more room to maneuver.

Don't play it all the way back, especially in the wind.

Play match play so you don't have to keep score!

Have fun and enjoy the amazing views!

I have played a lot of good course including Pinehurst #2 and Kapalua and this is the best course I have ever played. You can't imagine how good it is until you play it. Everything is done right from the clubhouse to the practice area to the course itself. If you're going to play a course that has hosted a major you can't do much better than this.