Crosswinds at the Ocean Course

[Peter Pallotta]

Phil Mickleson noted that throughout the round, players were facing crosswinds (as opposed to wind behind them or in their face). Does anyone think/know whether Pete Dye did this intentionally? Is this another example of PD taking what he saw/learned in GB&I and "transmuting" it for big time American professional golf? 

Peter

[Adrian_Stiff]

Winds change.

[Peter Pallotta]

Adrian -- I guess I was asking whether PD designed the course so that the prevailing winds would play as crosswinds instead of helping/hurting winds, which kind of winds I associate more with the old links courses that play out and back.

Peter

[Jason Thurman]

The reputation of Kiawah's winds is that they shift almost constantly and have no real prevailing direction. So, I doubt it.

[BCrosby]

As with most locations along the SE coast, winds usually blow on shore or off shore. I suspect Dye wasn't oblivious to that. But, as noted, the winds in the area can also blow in all sorts of directions.

Bob

[Carl Nichols]

Peter-
I know nothing about how Mr. Dye decided to route the course or the limitations he had in doing so.  But the property is in roughly the shape of a fairly long rectangle, so it may have been inevitable that the course would have a good number of holes running in the directions that they do. 

[Howard Riefs]

My understanding and experience having played it a few times is that there is no prevailing wind.

Brad Klein says otherwise:

The prevailing wind is out of the west-southwest, meaning that the course tends to play downwind, then a long stretch into the wind, and it finishes on the downwind side. Whatever the direction, however, wind is a constant factor.

http://mobile.golfweek.com/news/2012/aug/05/pga-championship-ocean-course-hole-hole/