Number 16: The Ocean Course

Ceiling: 93

Rating: 89.5

Trend over Time: 6.5

The Ocean Course holds a special place in this ranking to me for a few reasons, one, it is one of the 3 courses in my home state(s) of NC/SC. Second, it is the first truly top course I ever got the chance to play. Later to come will be Merion which was my first perennial top 10 course but the Ocean Course was the first perennial top 25 course I had the pleasure to stroll. The main thing that comes to mind for me with the Ocean Course is variability. Being on the coast of South Carolina means a couple things. One, there can and will be wind. Sometimes a ton of it. And two, it can be played basically every day of the year, even though that can mean drastically different things. The Ocean Course is a completely different beast on January 25th when it is 43 degrees and blowing 25 than on July 25th when it is 93 degrees and blowing 10. Also, notably, on July 25th, I celebrate my birthday…

Culture:

To begin with, The Ocean Course is a public facility. It’s also a resort style course with a high price tag. It’s also a course that for my money does not get rated properly because many of its customers have no business playing it. I have heard multiple guys on tour say it is one of their favorite tests that gets a bad rap for that very reason. A bunch of 20 handicappers go pay $500 and lose half that in golf balls in the process. With that said, if you have the chops for Kiawah, you will LOVE IT. Pete Dye similarly gets a bad rap among laymen, but I think it is incredibly foolish to paint him in such a way. His courses are actually quite simple but intend on making higher level players think. Once you understand the purpose of his course and holes, you’ll begin to appreciate his genius. Just look at all the architects who do the best stuff today who started under Pete. It’s rather impressive. Finally, while it may be a resort, there is no questioning where you are when out at The Ocean Course. From the natural surrounds and wildlife present, you know you are on the SC coast. God it’s a beautiful place to make bogeys, doubles, and more.

Competition:

The Ocean Course has hosted 2 PGA’s, the notorious 1991 Ryder Cup, and a handful of other smaller events. It’s an absolute bear for the highest level of competition. Plain and simple. It tips at nearly 7900 yds(!) and when they want to dial up the difficulty, it doesn’t take much. In the two PGA’s at Kiawah, Other than Rory winning by 8 at -13 in 2012, only 2 other players across those 2 championships have reached -5 or better… that’s fairly unheard of stuff outside of the US Open. That said, while it doesn’t fit “the mold” of US Open course, The Ocean Course is everything a US Open course is meant to be and could host one in a heartbeat. It is a true full game examination that is hard to begin with, and when the wind really blows, forget about it. One of the reasons I enjoy watching the pros play it so much is the variability of shots the wind creates and the way the course never lets up. The closing stretch of 12-18 is maybe the course’s toughest stretch so truly no tournament is over until the end.

Architecture:

The routing at The Ocean Course is one of the cooler ones I know. With coastal courses that have a prevailing wind, often times one of the challenges is creating a routing that avoids monotony in the wind direction you face. Pete Dye routed Kiawah in a “figure 8” that keeps the maximum amount of fluctuation in wind direction in the round. From there, like many of his courses, optical elusion is a tactic gamed by Dye. His goal is often to obscure the view of safety so if you don’t do your homework, it looks like you don’t have anywhere to miss when in fact that is not the case at all. Once you understand each hole, the architecture begins to open up and the course’s true brilliance is revealed. As previously stated, the natural beauty of The Ocean Course is immaculate. If you like ocean and tidal landscapes, book a tee time, because the whole round feels like a wonderful stroll through the dunes.