The Ocean Course at Kiawah--Serenity and Serendipity--A video and photo tour

[Peter_Herreid]

Through a serendipitous fusion of timing, generosity of spirit and luck with weather, I had the opportunity to play the Ocean Course in what I would imagine would be the most phenomenal circumstances possible…

The (relatively) new clubhouse quite close to the 18th green


During a fortunate break between two fast-moving storm fronts, I was able to experience the Ocean Course essentially alone, with just my caddy to guide me, having never played the course before.  Having heard some horror stories of folks getting tortured by the course by playing from the incorrect set of tees for their games, I suggested to my caddy that we take advantage of the unique circumstances by having him select for me whatever tee location he wished, based on my game, the conditions, the excitement level of the carry, or whatever he wished.  I basically handed myself over to his expertise and knowledge of the course to help create the best-possible experience for me.

Time to tee off!


As a result, we wound up playing one way, way back (Tiger) tee, one “Tournament” (next set up) tee, two “Ocean” (basically, Black) tees, six “Dye” (equivalent, Blue) tees, seven “Kiawah” (white) tees and even one “Carolina” (forward) tee.  I am an 11 HCP, by the way.  I think the total yardage wound up right around 6450 yds, but with quite a mix of looks, carries and feels to the holes.  This was definitely a good move, and I never felt overpowered, but rather properly challenged, by the course.

I must say, the morning wound up being perhaps the most serene experience I have ever had on a golf course; more like a pleasant walk with a close friend over exciting terrain, than a hair-raising ride around a brutish golf course.  While the breeze was fairly gentle, perhaps a few gusts in the 15 mph range, it was coming from the less-common westerly direction, so the long stretch of #5-#13 was into whatever breeze came up.

Below is a short video tour (turn off the sound if the music is choppy)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0i3XU3qlmw

 ...followed by some photos of some holes on the front nine.  Back nine photos to follow…

The lowering clouds and mist lent a ethereal quality to the light and shadows of the early morning...From the 2nd tee


Not unlike the snag photos we recently saw from Old Macdonald, this one and the fairway and green elevations wonderfully frame the 3rd green..


The 3rd green is an incredibly tiny target, especially with any breeze at all...


The strong (230 yd +) from the very back tee on #4...


From behind the 5th green, looking away from the beckoning first glimpse of the Atlantic...


The 7th green, again looking north, perched on its own tiny dune...


The sweeping curve of #9, as the green is up by the maintenance cart at the top end of the left waste area...


Back nine a bit later...

[Peter_Herreid]

On to the back nine…

One of the steep fairway bunkers to the right of #10


I loved the way the 10th green is just tucked in this corner of the dune (taken from the back tee on #11)


From the 11th fairway, one can see just right of center one of the many “volcano” bunkers scattered around the course.  Perhaps my only real issue with the course, I felt this feature was overdone…


The Cape-like 13th hole, into the breeze on this day, required an exhilarating decision off the tee, no matter how much or how little one decided to challenge it…


With the storm clouds gathering, trying to hit the 14th green downwind was like trying to kick a field goal at Heinz Field—it seemed as if the target was moving around!


The infamous 17th, I’m not sure that this front right hole location might not be amongst the hardest on the entire green (taken from the 200 yd tee)


Those houses are quite a distance away north, but this gives one an idea of the narrowness of the 17th green in front…


While not entirely blind, the preferred landing area on #18 is somewhat obscured down low left of the right-hand bunker complex, but requires hugging those bunkers as tightly as possible…


Home at last!  The 18th green with the clubhouse looming behind…


A final moment of serenity and relaxation looking out from the clubhouse porch…


Enjoy!

[Kalen Braley]

Peter,

Thanks for the pics, the place looks fantastic as always....a few similarities to MPCC shore with the waste bunkers and gnarled trees.

A quick question.  Is that grass growing in the bunkers?  As its symetrical in nature, looks as if it was planted.

[Peter_Herreid]

Kalen--

My caddy said those were, in essence grass "plugs" meant to stabilize the back sides of the steep-backed bunkers, in an effort to diminish erosion and the need to push sand up those sides...

It reminded me of those late-night infomercials where follicularly-challenged men demonstrate their carefree skiing and running and dancing skills after "hair restoration' procedures!

It was still obvious!

[Kalen Braley]

Thanks Peter,

My GCA.com education continues... 

[David Neveux]

Peter,

Thanks for the pictures, and the memories from my round there.  What a great place, and with the course to yourself, man that is THE BEST!! 

I thought the two nines were very unique and different from one another.  Out of curiousity, which nine did you prefer? 

My group also played the course from around 6400, the Dye tees I believe.  I personally would have liked to play it from a bit farther back, being that I hit the ball quite a long way (and in hind-sight wished I would have realized that before selecting driver on hole #1) but not wanting to split up the group, it was a good thing and I still had a great time. 

Thanks again for posting,

NEV

[Richard Boult]

added to http://delicious.com/golfclubatlas/South%2BCarolina

[Anthony Gray]

  In my golf travels this is the place where myself and my family was treated the worst. I went the day before my tee time to buy some things and have lunch. I was told by security to come back the day you have a tee time. They do not know how to respect the traveling golfer. 

   Anthony

[RJ_Daley]

Hey Peter, I know what you mean by a special 'have it to yourself day' at TOC.  My only play there was Jan ~'98, and I hit one of those rare, once in a decade or so unseasonably warm days that hit 70*, and while I must admit - they talked me into taking a cart rather than walked.   I played with a husband a wife, and the three of us had the course to ourselves for first 9 and then about 2-3 other groups showed up.  Ironically, it is the first course I ever video taped as well.  The she crab soup afterwords was a treat as well. 

I do not remember that vulcano bunker, I'll have to go to the video replay sometime.  I must have a good half hour of tape there. 

[Mike_Cirba]

Peter,

Your pics brought back wonderful memories...thanks for posting them.

I did find myself wishing that the great man did more courses in this vein in recent years, as some of his more over-the-top efforts seem to be almost parodies of his best stuff.

Still and all, I'm betting that within the next 50-100 years, some enterprising architect somewhere will build a "tribute" course to Pete Dye along the Pacific Coast in west Nebraska, replete with retro island greens, wooden sleepers, bold, steep features, and perplexing green complexes.

Someone will post "preview" holograms of the course as it's being built on the World Government website, and hundreds of future neo-nerds will flock to that thread instead of one about a computer-accurate reclamation/restoration of a long-lost Tom Doak course in the "flyover country" of Aberdeen Maryland that closed 70 years prior and is now being uncovered beneath the remains of a housing development that was made a ghost town during an unfortunate chemical spill in 2036 and is now just again deemed safe for human habitation. 

[John Mayhugh]

In my golf travels this is the place where myself and my family was treated the worst. I went the day before my tee time to buy some things and have lunch. I was told by security to come back the day you have a tee time. They do not know how to respect the traveling golfer. 

Anthony,
I think you caught the wrong security guard on the wrong day.  I was visiting a friend that lives in Charleston a year or so ago and we drove out there for lunch and to buy a shirt.  No time to play that trip.  But we were treated great by everyone.

Peter,
Thanks for posting the pics.  It brought back some nice memories of a course that is way overdue for a follow-up round.  I love the way you took advantage of the situation you had to get the best possible 18 hole experience.  Wish I could have been there with you.

[Anthony Gray]

  John,

  I was expecting your experience. I wish it would have been different for my wife and I. It was like no other experience at a top 100 public course that I have had. Very strange and very dissapionting.

   Anthony

[Tim Bert]

In my golf travels this is the place where myself and my family was treated the worst. I went the day before my tee time to buy some things and have lunch. I was told by security to come back the day you have a tee time. They do not know how to respect the traveling golfer. 

Anthony,
I think you caught the wrong security guard on the wrong day.  I was visiting a friend that lives in Charleston a year or so ago and we drove out there for lunch and to buy a shirt.  No time to play that trip.  But we were treated great by everyone.

John - A better response might have been "Just wait till you get to Knoxville this weekend."

[John Mayhugh]

John - A better response might have been "Just wait till you get to Knoxville this weekend."

If I were smart enough to think of it, that would have been the perfect response.  Wish you could make it Saturday.

[PCCraig]

  John,

  I was expecting your experience. I wish it would have been different for my wife and I. It was like no other experience at a top 100 public course that I have had. Very strange and very dissapionting.

   Anthony

I think you went to the wrong Course.

[PCCraig]

I will attest to how this is probably the best time of year to play TOC.

I was there a little under a year ago this new years. I played it in consecutive days. Both days I was the first person out after a frost delay and played a little over a 3-hour round both times as a two-some. While it was a little cold, by the time you walk yourself all over the property and the sun gets a little higher it was perfect.

Some of my favorite holes out there were the 3rd (I love the small green), the 5th (played a front pin and a back pin, played totally different), 8th (love the smaller green as well) and the best hole there, the 14th (just awesome, I could play that hole 100 times and not get tired of it), and the 18th. The only hole I'm not crazy about is the 17th...I know people love it but it doesn't fit with the rest of the course, and taking your tee shot from anything over 180yards is nuts. The second time I played it I bailed out to the left and got up and down for a par 

The second time I played it I needed a birdie on 18 to break 80, I hit a perfect 3-wood into the wind from 220 yards out to 3 ft, and made the putt...I left the course with a HUGE smile on my face.

Thanks for the pics!

[Tim Bert]

Wish I could make it too, John. Hendren raves about the place.

I might still be able to swing it if people are open to a bored 5 year old and a screaming 2 year old coming along for the ride!

[Rick Sides]

Does anyone know what green fees run in the spring?

[Tom Ferrell]

My architectural education began at the Ocean Course in 1988 or '89, when my ex-Mother in law lived on Kiawah, and I visited there often.  I would go down and walk around and look at TOC under construction.  One day I met an older gentleman who turned out to be Pete Dye.  He pointed out some of the options he was trying to create down in the 11/12/13 corner and explained how the routing would ensure periods of comfort and discomfort in every player, thanks to wind.

I must have played TOC 25 times over the course of the next several years and attended the 1991 Ryder Cup.  Fantastic place.  The golf course reveals new facets with every visit.

Thanks for the photos. 

[Tom Yost]

What's with the 17th hole?

Here is a credible American links with what appears to be a Florida-style resort course water hazard hole thrown in.

Now I'm not well traveled, and I've never played the Ocean course, and I know that it's generally not good practice to make any judgments of a course base on photos, but does anyone else think that that 17th sticks out as uncharacteristic ??

[John Foley]

Peter - thanks for the memories. Pics & video are awesome.

The Ocean Course IMHO is way way underrated.

I love the routing, I love the green complexes (though the old 17 was better).

The prices now a days are tough but a little over 10 years ago I paid $90 in the fall and it was spectacular.

Can't wait to get back.

[Matt Kardash]

While I see people's points when they say the 17th is out of place, I never really thought it was THAT out of place...at least not like the 5th at Whistling Straits. I think it's because the ocean course has a few water holes (12, 13), and a bunch of holes on the front 9 where you have long tee shots over the marshes. I think for that reason the 17th doesn't quite stick out like a sore thumb to me.

[Carl Nichols]

Peter,

Your pics brought back wonderful memories...thanks for posting them.

I did find myself wishing that the great man did more courses in this vein in recent years, as some of his more over-the-top efforts seem to be almost parodies of his best stuff.

Still and all, I'm betting that within the next 50-100 years, some enterprising architect somewhere will build a "tribute" course to Pete Dye along the Pacific Coast in west Nebraska, replete with retro island greens, wooden sleepers, bold, steep features, and perplexing green complexes.

Someone will post "preview" holograms of the course as it's being built on the World Government website, and hundreds of future neo-nerds will flock to that thread instead of one about a computer-accurate reclamation/restoration of a long-lost Tom Doak course in the "flyover country" of Aberdeen Maryland that closed 70 years prior and is now being uncovered beneath the remains of a housing development that was made a ghost town during an unfortunate chemical spill in 2036 and is now just again deemed safe for human habitation. 

Mike:
Have you read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy?

[Mike_Cirba]

Peter,

Your pics brought back wonderful memories...thanks for posting them.

I did find myself wishing that the great man did more courses in this vein in recent years, as some of his more over-the-top efforts seem to be almost parodies of his best stuff.

Still and all, I'm betting that within the next 50-100 years, some enterprising architect somewhere will build a "tribute" course to Pete Dye along the Pacific Coast in west Nebraska, replete with retro island greens, wooden sleepers, bold, steep features, and perplexing green complexes.

Someone will post "preview" holograms of the course as it's being built on the World Government website, and hundreds of future neo-nerds will flock to that thread instead of one about a computer-accurate reclamation/restoration of a long-lost Tom Doak course in the "flyover country" of Aberdeen Maryland that closed 70 years prior and is now being uncovered beneath the remains of a housing development that was made a ghost town during an unfortunate chemical spill in 2036 and is now just again deemed safe for human habitation. 

Mike:
Have you read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy?

Carl,

No, I haven't?   Is it a good read?

[Carl Nichols]

Mike:
It's a great (gripping and harrowing) read--I think he won the Pulitzer for it--but the reason I asked is because it's post-apocalyptic, and McCarthy seems to have your optimistic view of the future.