The new one that we will be building at The Ocean Course here on Kiawah Island. Construction begins in February. Here's what our managing direction is saying about it:
THE OCEAN COURSE CLUBHOUSE
AT KIAWAH ISLAND
Prem Devadas
Managing Director
Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, SC
The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond, VA
The Hermitage Hotel, Nashville, TN
I am happy to share with you my vision of the new Ocean course clubhouse. It is a rare opportunity to have a newer golf course (under fifty years in age), like The Ocean Course, generate an experience that is so akin to the traditional links courses of Scotland and Ireland. Certainly, in the United States, there are no comparable links experiences. Therefore, the new clubhouse needs to broaden and enhance the experience.
The building exterior needs a seaside, gray, weathered appearance that makes it look like it has been in the dunes for 100 years. The rooflines and building lines should make it appear that it could stand unaffected in the wind forever. Wood and stone would be primary building materials. The interior, although not Spartan, would have a simple, minimalist approach to décor with the emphasis on comfort. The feel the golfer and guest would have is entering a haven from the outside elements. Frankly, the purist golfer, when entering the clubhouse, would instinctively know it had been built to support the golf experience.
The cottages and guest rooms would share the commitment to simple comfort and would be priced at a mid-point between the villas and The Sanctuary ($250-$300 per night). It does not need to be elegant to meet the needs of the purist golfer. It does, however, need to be comfortable and display an acute understanding of the special bond between the golfer, the game and its traditions.
The cottages will come in future stages. The clubhouse with 20 rooms will be built first. It will open in the spring of '05 in time for the PGA Club Pro Championship which will be held on The Ocean Course.