Kudos in the Carolinas

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort has been considered among the nation’s best. Now this Pete Dye masterpiece can claim to be the nation’s best — at least if you put stock in its ratings. In an unprecedented coup, Kiawah swept the critics in 2007. It was named the No. 1 golf resort in the U.S. by Travel and Leisure Golf magazine, the Best Family Resort in the East by Travel and Leisure, and the second best island in the country by Condé Nast Traveler. AAA gave the Sanctuary, the resort’s luxury hotel that offers a spa and several restaurants, five diamonds; Mobil followed suit with four stars. The Ocean Course fared just as well: Golf Digest gave it a rare and perfect 5-star rating. And Golf Magazine, the premier rater of courses, moved the Ocean Course up to No. 3 in its latest “Top 100 You Can Play,” behind only Pebble Beach and Pacific Dunes. Why the sudden buzz? Kiawah is an “overnight success” ten years in the making. Over the past decade, its owners have poured some $177 million into renovations at an already heralded property. The highlight is the Sanctuary, but they also built three new clubhouses and renovated the resort’s five 18-hole courses, designed by the likes of Tom Fazio, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus. The Ocean Course (the flagship layout) got a $4 million facelift from Dye, who relocated the 18th green next to the ocean. The next phase is a $20-million-plus clubhouse at the Ocean Course, scheduled to open next month when the infamous layout hosts the PGA Senior Open Championship. With 90 holes of golf, plus great lodging, service, food, and a myriad of activities, there has literally never been a better time to visit Kiawah. To get all the details, check out kiawahgolf.com.

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