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KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - Oak Point is the stepchild of the Kiawah Island Golf
Resort's five excellent golf courses.
Note I didn't say ugly stepchild, or even red-headed stepchild. It would be
difficult to build an ugly course in this part of the world, where deer dart
through the dense maritime forests of the South Carolina lowcountry and bull
gators slither through tidal creeks like primordial nightmares.
First of all, Oak Point isn't on Kiawah Island, like its brethren. It's on
Johns Island, just outside the gates of the ritzy resort. Thus, it doesn't
get as much resort play as the others.
The resort added Oak Point to its designer collection in 1997, when they
bought the course built on the site of a former cotton and indigo
plantation, called the Hope Plantation.
Kiawah officials finished a major renovation to the front nine in 2004, in
which they abolished completely the third hole, so tight that many
complained it was unfair.
They added a par-3 ninth hole that has a view of Haulover Creek and
lengthened the par-4 first hole into a par-5.
Also, opinions differ widely on this Clyde Johnston layout. Some feel it is
the least of the resort courses, in terms of quality, while others swear it
is their favorite.
"I can get on here a lot easier than the other courses," said Robert
Jenkins, a local resident.
Accessibility isn't the only trait Oak Point admirers cite. It has that
picture-postcard scenery all of the island's golf courses have, and the
rolling terrain gives glimpses of the Kiawah River and Haulover Creek.
It's a shot-makers course where you need to hit to certain areas, and the
course has a nice mix of interesting holes, like the two closing holes.
"That's why it's my favorite," said starter Jerry Wilson. "It's a thinking
man's course."
The 17th, a long par-5, requires a tee shot between a narrow chute of trees.
The fairway opens up, but your first shot here is scary. There's a swampy
pond left and thick trees right. Your second shot is slightly uphill, and
fairway bunkers start about 150 yards out and knobs and knolls pop up the
closer you get to the elevated, undulating green, which gives a great view
of the surrounding marsh.
No. 18 is a beauty, a mid-length par-4 with a 250-yard carry over the creek
from the back tees. Of course, you could get lucky if you hit into the creek
at low tide, when it's relatively dry. The well-guarded, bulk-headed green
is set out in the marsh, with water short and right and bunkers left.
Oak Point: The verdict
Johnston added mounding to get more movement at the comparatively flat
layout, and the course has plenty of water to keep you occupied. The greens
are excellent.
Oak Point Point has one of the nicer clubhouses of the resort courses,
overlooking the 18th green and Haulover Creek. You can sit in the rocking
chairs on the porch and sometimes see dolphins swimming up the creek.
There are quite a few homes going up around the perimeter, most likely the
result of the Kiawah brand name.
"When I first came out here in '89 there were two houses," Wilson said.
I'd rank the course, 6,701 yards from the championship tees, at the bottom
of the resort's five courses, which isn't to say it should be avoided,
considering the quality of the other tracks. It is still very much a
worthwhile play.
Stay and play
The Sanctuary, the resort hotel at Kiawah, is one of the most genteel
settings imaginable, for anyone other than the wealthy, aristocratic gentry.
The hotel itself can only be described as splendid, a five-diamond winner in
2007.
This isn't one of those mammoth, gaudy oceanfront hotels you may find in,
say Myrtle Beach. It's a mansion really, with wide, elegant staircases,
beautiful oak floors and, almost always, views of the Atlantic Ocean which
it fronts.
The hotel has 255 rooms, with the smallest of the "King" rooms 520 square
feet, all comfortably furnished with four-poster beds, and all the amenities
you would expect from a resort consistently ranked one of the best in the
country. There's a luxury spa, of course, as well as a variety of outdoor
activities for the family.
There are also beachfront rental homes with private docks and luxury villas.
The service at Kiawah is as good or better than any golf resort where I've
ever stayed.
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