Ocean Course @ Kiawah: a photo tour (broken links repaired!)

[Joe Bausch]

I had the pleasure of playing the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island late last year.  It was my 2nd visit, the first being way back in 1997, I think.  Some things have changed.  Now there is a big clubhouse, and the course seems a bit polished; I remember it being more rugged the first time around.  Currently some faces to waste bunkers are being grassed, and a defined rough-line has been put down in preparation for the 2012 US PGA.

Here is the routing, with the front nine heading out east from the clubhouse, then back to the west for the back nine.




#1.  Par 4 (395 yards from the 'tournament' tees on the scorecard). 



Trouble right off the tee and all the way down, really, and water in play with a wayward approach shot right and long.



Approach shot view and from behind the green:





#2.  Par 5 (543 yards). 



Here you want to choose your line off the tee carefully!  Longer hitters can go further left.  I find this to be a very challenging hole; I'm curious to see how the big bangers in 2012 play it.  I'm guessing for guys like Bubba and Dustin, this is a green light special!  Although I wonder if there is another tee box available. . .



If you play it safer on your drive to the right, a lay-up short of the hazard is probably in order, the farther left the better to get at a difficult, elevated green:



Some beautiful trees at the OC, as these below (which I think have to be carried for the long hitters to basically turn this par 5 into a two shot hole):



3rd shot view (although not as far left as preferred):



From just short of the green showing how it is elevated a few feet:



The green is bunkered pretty well too:





#3.  Par 4 (390 yards). 



This little dogleg-left can lead to many golfers ending up picking up on the hole!  The green is small and elevated and requires a precise shot to hold.  In windy conditions, particularly if downwind, this can be a devil to hold, then also tough to get up-and-down.



A good tee shot ending up in the middle of the fw say 125 out leaves this view, but I think busting it farther on to the right leaves the best angle in:



A look back down the left part of the fw from the back of this smallish, green:



Over the green is no bargain with a hazard in play, as this shot while walking to the next tee shows:



That's all for now folks!  More later, but the Iggles game will be starting soon.

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

Pete totally reshaped the bunker in front of No. 2  That's the only recent change on the first three holes.  I'll keep posting to indicated recent changes as the photo tour continues...

[Peter Pallotta]

I love how you do things, Joe, and how well - that's one of the few routing photos I've ever been able to make out/that spoke to me. Thanks much. 

Peter

[Ivan Lipko]

Thanks a lot - the photos are great and bring back memories of how outstandingly awesome the course! It was so damned hot and humid, as well.

[Bart Bradley]

Joe:

Having played the course both ways.  Do you prefer the older sand faced bunkers or the current grassing program?

Bart

[Anthony_Nysse]

The grassed faces of the waste areas make the course look much more like Pete Dye! I like!

[Joe Bausch]

Joe:

Having played the course both ways.  Do you prefer the older sand faced bunkers or the current grassing program?

Bart

I prefer the former.  But the current method is not a deal breaker.

[PCCraig]

Thanks for the great tour of the first 3 holes, Joe.

I really, really like the 3rd hole on the Ocean Course.  A ton of fun to play and as you say it can be a pain in the butt in serious wind.

I'm not sure how I feel about the grassing over of the faces of the various bunkers on the course. I know I loved the bunker left of the 14th and it's flashed sand face looking right at you and how it contrasted with the ocean, but now it has been grassed over and it makes a big difference visually, IMO.

Keep them coming! Thanks.

[Joe Bausch]

(why didn't Vick put more air on that last pass!)

Time for holes 4-6.

#4.  Par 4 (453 yards; and I think there is still another tee box farther back!)



This is the view from the middle tees.  The farther back tees take you more to the right.

The preferred line here is left in the fw.  Yeah, lots of room to bail right but you can find a pot bunker over there, and more importantly, the angle in is poor and bunkers at the green to be carried.



My drive was not on the best line, and I barely avoided one of these deep bunkers:



A couple of shots as you approach the green, and one looking back from over the green:







#5.  Par 3 (207 yards).



Here you are on the eastern most part of the course, where this hole 'caps' this part of the loop.







#6. Par 4 (455 yards).



A slight dogleg-left par 4 where the preferred line off the tee is rightish.



A nice drive leaves a view like this for the 2nd shot:



Some from near the green:

[jonathan_becker]

Joe,

Thanks for the tour.  IMO, #2-5 are an excellent stretch of holes.

Are these photos from last year meaning a month ago or meaning late 2009?

[Joe Bausch]

Are these photos from last year meaning a month ago or meaning late 2009?

Just last month.

[Jerry Kluger]

Joe: Great photos.  I think they added those fairway pot bunkers on #4 a few years back in an attempt to more clearly define exactly where the fairway is and challenge you to play on that line.  I understand that they can stretch the course back to nearly 8,000 yards - they won't set it up all the way back on all the holes but it gives them so much flexibility based upon wind speed and direction - the fun will start when they set it up for one wind direction and it changes.

[PCCraig]

The 5th hole is really a cool par-3. It plays totally different day-to-day from a back left to front right pin. I would guess the green is at least 30 yards deep?

[Joe Bausch]

The 5th hole is really a cool par-3. It plays totally different day-to-day from a back left to front right pin. I would guess the green is at least 30 yards deep?

Yes, 50 yards to be exact.

[Joe Bausch]

I've found some nice hole diagrams on the Kiawah web page, so I've included them in the earlier posts, and will as well with the newer posts.  I think they are a welcome addition!

[Mark McKeever]

Very cool Joe!  The bunker face improvements look great!  Thanks for sharing.

Mark

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

The sand bunker faces were the result of time and blowing sand.  One of the reasons for grassing in the faces is to restore more of the original look to the course.  The bunkers are much deeper now, however, as 16 years of blowing sand has brought some of the bunkers down to the water table.

On No. 5, the greenside bunker on the left was extended all the way to the back of the green making for a much more challenging back pin placement.  Pete has tweeked all of the bunking around the back of the green.

[JNC Lyon]

It appears that the green at 5 has changed completely since 5-10 years ago.  Was the green changed, or did Dye simply re-orient the bunkers and keep the green itself in the same spot?

[Carl Nichols]

I played the Ocean Course twice in September, walking it once and riding once.  Because the carts are required on many holes to stay down in the waste areas, which themselves often sit below the fairways, the difference in experiences is remarkable--perhaps as big a difference as I've ever seen on a course.

[Joe Bausch]

Let's complete the first nine today.

#7.  Par 5 (527 yards)



The view from the tips of a hole that, I think, unless playing into the wind is a birdie hole for many.



From the left part of the FW:



Some pics from near the green, which does run away a bit.





#8. Par 3 (197 yards).



Toughest part of this hole is the green running away.







#9. Par 4 (464 yards).



Tough finishing hole for this side.

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

It appears that the green at 5 has changed completely since 5-10 years ago.  Was the green changed, or did Dye simply re-orient the bunkers and keep the green itself in the same spot?

The green remains the same, the dunes evolved around it.  There used to be various wild growth in pockets of the bunkers that were removed a few years ago but are being replaced.  The waste areas are much deeper than they used to be due to erosion.  During the Ryder Cup, the waste area on 5 was level with the fairway.  Now it's about 5 feet blow the fairway level. 

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

That shot is not from the tips on No. 7.  There's a tee up on the hill to the left of No. 6 green that is behind where that shot was taken.  Not much changes on 7-9 other than some added tee area on the back tee on No. 9.

[Sean_A]

Thanks Joe.  I am not sure about the grass faces in terms of aestehtics, but I think sand will stay put better.  I noticed loose sand about the course when I was there and it was a fairly calm day.  

Here is a look at the 5th with the sand higher.  The shot looks more intimidating to me than the current look.  I know the angles are different, but you get the idea. 




I also really like the deception off the tee for #9.  It doesn't look like there is any room left of the volcano bunker, but that is absolutely where you want to be.  The 8th too is an excellent par 3.  There are a lot of good holes on the front!

Ciao

[Mac Plumart]

Kiawah Ocean is a special, special place.  I love your photo tour Joe.  You do it the right way.  I love the hole diagrams you've put up and the before and after photo of hole #1. 

I think the real magic in Kiawah comes out when the wind blows.  I've played it in 20, 30, and 40 miles an hour wind and one day with almost no wind.  Take those greens with the mounding protecting them and add in some wind and holy cow that place demands percision, but  what I like is that the internal contours of the greens aren't over the top so the course is, dare I say, fair!

I heard a criticism of it recently that it needs to be less lush green so it plays faster and firmer.  I think that makes some sense.  But nevertheless, it is a great course!!

Thanks Joe, these pics are really special.

[Jason Topp]

That 7th green was a real challenge if I remember correctly, at least with a back right pin.  We had some interesting match play momentum changes on that one.