I played Kiawah’s River Course a couple weeks ago, and am just now putting together my thoughts. Kind of tough to have a good feel for a course after just one play, so jump in if you have played it.
First, the weather was perfect – sunny, mid-50’s with a fresh 1-2 club breeze. A little wind sure adds texture.
The routing felt OK, but a little disjointed with 3-4 long walks between holes. The flat terrain was not manipulated much, although all (?) the par threes had elevated tees. There aren’t many houses to break up the course or views, but the course feels like it meanders around quite a bit (does not feel like a “field of play”). Most of the holes were self-contained, although you could see other holes at 3-5, 7-8, 14-15, and 16-17. With all that, the course was still comfortably walkable.
The greens were the most enjoyable aspect of the course. Really interesting undulations and some fun recovery challenges. Several greens had fall-away rear portions which, when combined with firm Bermuda and a following wind, caused a few well-struck irons to skip through the green rather than stick like a dart. I liked this and would try to play a different shot next time. The green speeds were very reasonable given the slopes, although this is going to change (see below).
Many holes had cape-like angles for the back tee boxes which would make the better player think, especially in a normal wind.
Three of the par-5’s required the player to decide whether to challenge a hazard (bunker or water) on the second shot in order to get a shorter and more favorable angle for the third.
To be continued...