Ocean Course Part 1

I will be talking about the different golf courses on Kiawah Island in detail.  I mentioned the golf courses in my early post called Golf Courses of Kiawah Island.  Today I will be talking about The Ocean Course, which is located on the eastern-most end of Kiawah Island.  There are two different comments on the course of each hole.  They are Pete Dye, who designed the course and the local knowledge.  I will go hole by hole of what Pete Dye says and the local knowledge.  Hole 1 – Pete Dye says that this is the farthest hole away from the ocean and that it is as open as possible off the tee.  The better players will hit driver and 8 or 9 iron.  It should be an easy starting hole.  Local knowledge says it is one of the easiest holes on the course.  The left side of the fairway gives the best angle into the green.  Hole 2 – Pete Dye says that this could be a difficult hole for guests due to the two crossings over marshes.  Even though there is no water around the green just sand, a good player has a wide-open fairway.  Local knowledge says it is a very good risk/reward hole.  Sounds like you could do well or not so well on this hole.  It all depends on your hits.  Hole 3 – Pete Dye mentions it is one of the most unusual holes on the course.  He also says it is probably one of the widest fairways on the course.  Local knowledge mentions that is the most outstanding hole for its elevated, tabletop green.  Also your positioning for your drive is very important.  Hole 4 – Pete Dye says players will have to let it fly since it is a longer fairway.  Local knowledge says it is just a hard hole.  You need a good drive for a chance to reach the green in tow.  Hole 5 – Pete Dye mentions that the green is big that it is really two greens.  The wind is the only factor into this hole.  Local knowledge mentions that it is a great strategic hole.  There can be as much as a 3 to 4 club difference depending upon pin location.  Hole 6 – Pete Dye references that this is the most demanding driving hole and has sand on both sides.  Local knowledge references that most of the holes place a premium on driving but the hardest part of this hole is the second shot.  Hole 7 – Pete Dye indicates that the wind is a huge factor because you can lose a shot.  The green has no change in elevation and there is a major dip in it.  Local knowledge indicates that it can be hard or easy depending on the way the wind is blowing.  Hole 8 – Pete Dye points out that is can be easy or a nightmare due to the wind.  Local knowledge points out that it is a tough risk/reward hole depending on the pin placement.  It is a teaser hole because players want to hit it long and there is no reason to.  Hole 9 – Pete Dye says that the better players will try to hit a roper because of the way the hole is set up.  You could use either a driver, 7-iron in the downwind or into the wind it could be a driver, long iron.  Local knowledge says another hard hole no matter how you slice it.  The drive position is key for this hole.  I will talk about the other nine holes in the next blog.