The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island: A Guide to the Course
Built in a hurry for the 1991 Ryder Cup, Kiawah Island's Ocean Course is one of golf's great wind-swept tests. Here is its history, its key holes and how to play it.
Few American courses were born under as much pressure as the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. It was built in a hurry for one of the most heated Ryder Cups ever played, and it has since hosted two PGA Championships on a stretch of South Carolina coast where the wind decides almost everything. This guide to the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island covers how it came to be, what it is like to play, the holes worth knowing, and how to plan a round.
If you are heading to Kiawah, or looking for a gift for someone who has already battled the wind there, here is the story behind the course.
A Course Built for the Ryder Cup
The 1991 Ryder Cup was originally headed for PGA West in California. The time difference was a problem for European television audiences, so the PGA of America moved the matches to the East Coast, and a brand-new course on Kiawah Island was commissioned with only about two years to spare. Pete Dye designed it, and it was barely finished in time. There was no permanent clubhouse that week, only tents and trailers.
A key idea came from Alice Dye, Pete's wife and design partner. Rather than tucking the course down among the dunes, she suggested raising the holes so they sat level with the dune tops, giving golfers open views of the Atlantic. That decision is why the course feels so exposed, and so beautiful.
The matches themselves became known as the "War by the Shore." Tension ran high all week, and it came down to the final hole of the final match, where Bernhard Langer missed a six-foot putt against Hale Irwin. The United States won 14½ to 13½, its first Ryder Cup victory since 1983.
Major Championships Since 1991
After the Ryder Cup, Dye returned several times to soften some of the harshest edges of his original design, but the course remained a serious test. It hosted the 2007 Senior PGA Championship and then the 2012 PGA Championship, which Rory McIlroy won by eight strokes, a record margin for that championship.
The PGA Championship returned in 2021, when the course was set up at 7,876 yards, then the longest in major championship history. Phil Mickelson won by two shots at age 50, becoming the oldest major champion in the history of the sport. With those events, the Ocean Course joined a short list of venues that have hosted the Ryder Cup, the Senior PGA Championship and the PGA Championship.
What the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Is Like to Play
According to the resort, ten holes run right along the Atlantic and the other eight run parallel to them, which the resort says is more seaside holes than any course in the Northern Hemisphere. There is no prevailing wind, so the breeze can come from the east one day and the west the next. Dye effectively designed two courses in one, and the resort notes that the same shot can call for a club difference of as much as eight clubs from one round to the next.
The difficulty is real. Golf Digest named it the toughest course in America in 2010, pointing to its big slopes, many bunkers and Bermuda grass. Fairways can be hard to hit in a crosswind, but most golfers find the approach shots are where the course really bites, with greens perched above sandy waste areas and marsh.
The good news is that it is a resort course, open to the public, with a wide range of tees. A 2019 Sports Illustrated review noted the middle tees at roughly 6,475 yards, compared with more than 7,300 from the championship tees. Picking the right set is the single most important decision you will make.
Holes to Know
The 2nd and 3rd
Early on, the 2nd crosses marshland twice, and the 3rd plays up to an elevated, tabletop green. Together they show the mix of marsh, sand and raised greens that defines the course.
The 13th and 14th
The 13th runs alongside a canal on the right, and the 14th climbs to an exposed, elevated green with wide ocean views. This is where the wind starts to feel personal.
The 17th
The most famous hole on the course is the par-3 17th, which can play around 220 yards from the back tees across water to a green guarded short and right. In a strong wind it asks for a long, committed carry, and during the 1991 matches ragged dunes lined the back and left of the green, where grass and two bunkers sit today.
The 18th
The closing par 4 heads home past the dunes on the right toward the clubhouse. It is where the 1991 Ryder Cup ended, and it is a fine place to finish your own round.
Tips for Playing the Ocean Course
- Move up a set of tees. Wind can add hundreds of yards to the card. Pride is expensive here.
- Take a caddie. The resort offers caddie services, and a caddie who knows the wind and the greens is worth a lot on a course this exposed. Check the current walking and cart policy when you book.
- Keep the ball low. Knockdown shots and bump-and-runs hold up far better than towering approaches in a two-club breeze.
- Aim for the fat part of greens. Missing on the wrong side often leaves an awkward recovery from sand or tight grass.
- Bring plenty of balls and a sense of humor. Everyone loses a few out here.
- Stay for a drink. The clubhouse, with its Ryder Cup Bar, looks out over the finishing holes.
For tee times and current details, visit the resort's official Ocean Course page.
An Ocean Course Print for Your Wall
Our Ocean Course print maps all eighteen holes in a mid-century style, every hole drawn and numbered from real map data, so you can follow the routing out along the Atlantic and back again. It comes in 12x16, 18x24 and 24x32 inches, unframed on museum-quality matte paper or framed in black, white or green and ready to hang. For more courses from the state, see our South Carolina golf course prints. Golf Print House is an independent shop and is not affiliated with Kiawah Island Golf Resort.
FAQ
Who designed the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island?
Pete Dye designed it, with significant input from his wife Alice Dye, who suggested raising the course for ocean views. It opened in 1991 for the Ryder Cup.
Can the public play the Ocean Course?
Yes. It is a resort course and can be booked by the public through Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Check the resort for current rates and policies.
What is the hardest hole on the Ocean Course?
It depends on the wind, which changes day to day, but the long par-3 17th over water is the best known and often among the toughest.
What major championships has the Ocean Course hosted?
It has hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup, the 2007 Senior PGA Championship, and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships, won by Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson.