Cassique/kiawah island club

[David Cronheim]

Just got back from kiawah. We had a great week of weather and I got some great beach and golf time. As promised, I'll report back on the golf. I played Chechessee Creek, Oak Point, Yeamans Hall and Turtle Point.

Ccc is fantastic and absolutely as good as advertised. I loved the clubhouse and the relaxed aura of the place is hard to match. (at least until I got to yeamans...).

Oak point is horrible. It's perhaps the worst course I've played in the last few years. I played it since one of our group was looking for a lower priced option and since I'd never played it, I figured I'd give it a shot. Awful. Every hole has a pond, tree or hazad that ounces the driving area at 260 yes from the tips. You spend half your day looking for your ball in hazards you can't see. Terrible.

Yeamans Hall was a real treat. It goes directly into my top 10. I think it may be Raynor's finest work. It's a surprisingly hilly course that's a fun roller coaster ride throughout. There's really not a boring hole. I can't speak highly enough about the layout, conditioning, or general ambiance. It's pure old south that harkens back to a simpler time. I've never played augusta, but I imagine the feeling driving down magnolia lane to e similar to the wonderful drive in to YH. If you haven't read rans review, you should.

I had played turtle point before. I think it's a decent track, but the ocean holes seem a bit forced. It feels like they put three holes on land better suited for 2. Both par 3's are quasi-blind.

All in all, a great week. Next time in charleston, I'll hope to hit up bulls bay, cassique and briars creek.

[David Davis]

Bringing back this old thread as I finally had a chance to play Cassique last week when I was out at Kiawah Island. I had not heard much about it and my buddy that lives out there and seems to be a member everywhere somehow let me choose between this course or The River. Being the big Fazio fan that I am, I chose for the Watson course since I don't think I've ever played one of his courses.


As mentioned in this thread indeed literally millions of cubic ft of earth moved in and the course was nearly 100% fabricated. Plus points were that weather was amazing and course was playing really firm and fast, seemed the Bermuda was going dormant, quite yellow brown, greens were like very quick even for end of the day. Quite severe undulations. Hard to imagine this was a flat swamp before they started moving dirt. There are some pretty unreal visuals out there and the course works it's way through links like terrain to typical SC swampland. I was told that Watson copied holes from several famous links holes. Some were recognizable indeed.


There was a strange set up in the routing of have a couple holes, I think 6 and 7 that were able to be played in totally different order. I played the par 4 dogleg left around the dune to a high raised green and part 3 that plays as a drop shot par 3. As opposed to the left fairway par 4 playing to the lower green and following par 3 that plays up to that same raised green only from a 90 degree angle. Interesting but strange set up and a waste of maintenance costs in my mind. Note that these also changed the tee shot on 8, not only the angle of the shot but also the height of the tee shot dramatically.


I think it was 15 that was also an interesting hole. Par 5 with a couple options of how to play it, risk reward left with speed slot or open and more space right. visually quite spectacular with the marshlands and a fun hole before the bbq snack shack.


I'm guessing it's about a Doak 5 (don't know what he actually gave it). I'd play it again for sure and would recommend it if you are out on a trip to Kiawah as it's unique in the offering out there.

[PCCraig]

David,


I was just down in Kiawah this past September and I continue to enjoy every round I play at Cassique. I think it's a really fun golf course and in recent years it seems the maintenance has been stepped up quite a bit by the new owners. They continue to tweak the course a bit in good ways, like the green surrounds on the par-4 7th. The combination you played on holes #4-6 is my favorite, mostly because I like the drop shot par-3 and the lower left tee shot on the par-5 6th.


The River Course was totally renovated/regrassed a couple of years ago and that benefited the course quite a bit. I still prefer the Cassique more because I think it is more fun, but the River is a very solid course in it's own right. There are some really cool holes there, like the short par-4 5th and the par-5 16th.

[Ronald Montesano]

The Cassique lists three routings, but it's hard for me to imagine more than two. I have an email in to "source" for clarification.



Due East
Pulpit
Nip-n-Tuck

I was told that some members eschew the upper/lower tees by playing the 4th to the right, reaching the pulpit/high point of the course at that green. They then hit their pitch shots down to #5 green, and hit tee balls from the elevated tee (#6) before continuing on with the 5th hole, business at hand. They then circle back to the right and find their tee balls.


If one likes drop shot pitches and drives, it's certainly the way to go.