Info:        

Kiawah Island Golf Resort
One Sanctuary Beach Drive
Kiawah Island, SC 29455

Web:
www.kiawahresort.com

Phone:
800-654-2924

Kiawah Island Golf Resort 

Golf, Alligators, Family Activities and More

by Mitch Kaplan
photos by Mitch Kaplan

Kiawah took me by surprise.

Not just the golf. The entire resort.

How so?  Well, first-off, playing the famed Ocean Course—past host to the Senior PGA Championships, the Ryder Cup and future host to the PGA Championships—proved surprisingly user-friendly, even for a high-handicapper.

Secondly, the place is really a family resort with all kinds of activities for all kinds of ages and interests.

Golf First                        

I admit it—I was intimidated by the idea of playing Kiawah, especially that Ocean Course.

"Don’t worry," golf public relations director Mike Vegis reassured me as we hit on the range, "the Ocean is a good test for all abilities. In fact, the great thing about it is that, because of the variable winds and the shifting sands, it plays differently every time."

Variable winds? Shifting sands? Oy boy.

The Pete Dye-designed course is set above the oceanside dunes, with ten holes running right along the ocean. The other eight sit inland, but parallel. The result

• beautiful water views
• winds that sometimes are easterly, sometimes westerly, sometimes subject to north-south influences
• and, omnipresent, playable dunes and waste bunkers that change shape and depth with the wind.

Oh, and then there are a fair share of marsh-wetlands to hit over, too.

At 6,202 yards from the white tees, it’s a challenge for the average guy. But, at 7,356 yards from the tournament tees—well, you’d better be both long and accurate.

Truth is, relative to my own standards, I held my own. (Discounting about five shots trying to get the ball onto the steeply elevated green on the par-three third, that is.) There’d been no need to be nervous. Heck, it’s only a golf course, right?

It’s only one of five courses, actually, all of which receive stellar rankings from Golf Digest. The other four

• Osprey Point
• Cougar Point
• Turtle Point
• and Oak Point

are spread over the resort. Each presents its own distinct personality, ranging from the pinpoint accuracy required on Turtle Point, to Oak Point’s undulating fairways, to the very playable Osprey Point.

Each is meticulously maintained, and all are certified by Audubon International as cooperative sanctuaries.

Off-Course                          Off-Course                     

Kiawah, again surprisingly, proved to offer much more than golf. And, all of its wide range of activities are offered with kids’ elements.

Perhaps the most popular is Kamp Kiawah, a kind of all-day day camp for ages five to 11 that operates during high season. Activities include beach treasure hunts and pirate games, swimming, sports, water rocket launches, relay races—and the list goes on.

Family activities fill the resort’s schedule, ranging from pick-up soccer, volleyball and basketball, to crafts-making and a weekly barbecue.

Want to explore with an expert? Try guided

• hiking
• biking
• boating
• fishing
• van excursions.

Then, there’s ocean seining, a kind of net fishing done under the tutelage of a pair of naturalists. If you catch anything, it can be given a new home in the aquarium at the resort’s science center.

And, let us not forget the ocean and miles of beach for swimming, sun worshiping, boating, whatever.

Lodging and Dining in Style                          

"Check out this view," I said to my wife Penny immediately upon entering our Sanctuary Hotel room. The ocean spread before us pretty as a postcard, and the room’s balcony afforded the perfect spot to sip morning coffee and watch the sun rise.

The Sanctuary is five-diamond rated by AAA, and five-star by the Mobil Guide. It earns those ratings. The rooms are spacious and luxuriously furnished, many (like ours) with ocean-view balconies. The spa and fitness club are spacious, professionally staffed and beautifully equipped. The place will satisfy anyone looking for sophisticated, first-class hosting.

Sophistication also describes the dining at the hotel’s Ocean Room, where the steaks are superb, the seafood as fresh as you’d expect from an oceanside gourmet restaurant, and the service wonderfully gracious.

The resort grounds hold ten more places to eat, as well as condominium and resort home lodging. And, for those who like to explore a bit, good eateries serving regional low-country fare can be found nearby at spots like JB's Smokeshack and Rosebank Farms Café.

Back to Nature                        

"Check that guy out," I said point. It was a racoon blithely strolling down the walking path. He was our first wildlife sighting. Others included myriad bird species, butterflies galore, herons and, yes, several alligators.

In the end, Kiawah may be an upscale destination resort, but it sustains a strong ecological commitment and remains an island with acres of lush wetlands and woodlands set literally at the end of the road.

If there’s a downside, it feels like it’s a long way from anywhere—although it’s actually just 21 miles from Charleston.

But, when you come right down to it, whether you’re playing golf on the ocean’s edge and along pristine wetlands (watch out for those alligators), swimming in the ocean, cycling or hiking through the preserve, or doing anything else here, it’s Ma Nature who makes the day.