Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Turtle Point Lane,

Kiawah Island, South Carolina SC 29455

  • Office

    +1 (800) 654 2924
  • Pro shop

    +1 (843) 266 4050
  • Fax

    +1 (843) 768 2736
  • Golf pro

    Mark Schaffer (PGA, Head Professional); Brian Gerard (PGA, Director of Golf).
  • Academy

    Tommy Cuthbert Golf Learning Centre

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Tree-lined parkland. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk.

  • Surroundings:

    Woodland, residential and seaside.

  • Designer:

    Jack Nicklaus, who returned in 2000 to renovate and lengthen his original design.

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
7061
6159
5210
Par
72
72
72
SSS or slope
74.2
69.9
71.5

At the same location:

Kiawah Island Resort is home to five 18-hole championship courses: The Ocean Course (par-72, 7356 yards from the back tees); Osprey Point (par-72, 6932 yards); Turtle Point (par-72, 7061 yards); Cougar Point (par-72, 6875 yards), and just before you get onto the Island, Oak Point (par-72, 6701 yards).

Location

Latitude:

32.607468

Longitude:

-80.086941

How to get there:

23 miles SW of Charleston

From the centre of Charleston, take Hwy 17 West. After crossing the Ashley River Bridge (with Holiday Inn rotunda on your left) turn left onto the 171 (Wesley Drive / Folly Bridge Blvd). After 1 mile turn right onto the 700 (Maybank Hwy). After approx 7 miles at crossroads, turn left onto Bohicket Road (Main Road*). After approx 10 miles turn left at roundabout, direction Kiawah Island (turn right for Seabrook Island). After 1 mile stop at gatehouse. 2.8 miles after gatehouse (just before second gatehouse) turn right into Green Dolphin Way. After o.5 miles turn left into golf clubhouse. (* Note : Main Road also connects directly to Hwy 17, ten miles west of Charleston).

Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Turtle Point course)

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.

Est. 1981

Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Turtle Point course): Turtle Point is located in a wonderfully quiet and mainly natural setting, the closest of the five Kiawah Island Resort courses to the flagship Sanctuary Hotel. This early Jack Nicklaus design was the second of the Kiawah Island golf courses to be built. It remains a thoroughly enjoyable test of golf, offering three oceanside holes into the bargain.

Predominantly played through a wooded environment of palmetto palms, live oaks, pines and magnolias, a dramatic change of scene awaits at the short par-3 14th. Here you emerge from the woodland to be greeted by the layout's three Atlantic-facing holes.

The oceanside trio includes the short par-4 15th, bookended by two short testing par-3s at 14 and 16. The par-4 17th brings you back inland, and leads onto the excellent long par-4 18th, dangerously flanked by water up the left side and in front of the green.

This always popular Kiawah Island course does not take kindly to wayward long-hitting. The demands here are recurringly for accuracy and strategy versus length. From the tips, at over 7,000 yards, your fairway woods and long irons will need to be struck straight and true.

Each tee gives you a good view of the hole ahead, which may convince you that cautious course management has a premium over "rip it" and "go find it" golf. In addition to some out-of-bounds, several small lakes and ponds also threaten alongside the tightish fairways and around the small greens. There's also plenty of stylish bunkering to factor into your shot-placement.

With real estate generally kept well behind the tree-line, there's always a pleasantly natural feel to this relatively flat but thoroughly absorbing layout. An elegant and challenging course, with its three oceanside holes adding an exciting extra dimension.

List of courses: Charleston / Kiawah

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season: starts from $305 for non-resort guests.

Contact club/resort for full details, discounts, resort guest rates, etc. [Last updated: 2024].

Other information

Non-metal spike facility. Walking permitted.

Practice facilities

Excellent

Did you know?

The Turtle Point course has hosted many important championships including the Carolinas’ Amateur, the Carolinas’ PGA, the South Carolina Amateur and the 1990 PGA Cup Matches, the club professionals version of the Ryder Cup.

The Sanctuary Hotel provides luxury resort accommodation, and is the hub location of the Kiawah Island Resort. Previously this role was played by the Kiawah Resort Inn (now demolished), which was located in the West Beach area of the island, close to the Cougar Point clubhouse.

Where2Stay

  • The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf ResortAAA 5-diamonds

    One Sanctuary Beach Drive, Kiawah Island, SC 29455

    +1 (843) 768 6000

    Visit website

    Located along the pristine shores of Kiawah Island, this luxurious oceanfront hotel, just thirty minutes from downtown Charleston, captures the spirit, history and charm of the beautiful south. It also provides the perfect base from which to discover Kiawah Island's five championship golf courses.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      Kiawah Island's five championship courses are all within a short drive : Ocean Course, Turtle Point, Cougar Point, Osprey Point and Oak Point.

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      No

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Patriots Point; The Links at Stono Ferry; Shadowmoss Plantation.

  • Kiawah Island Villas

    Kiawah Island, SC 29455

    +1 (843) 768 6000

    Visit website

    Resort villas of different sizes and price options are available on a vacation rental basis, providing an ideal base from which to discover Kiawah Island and its fabulous array of championship golf courses.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      Kiawah Island's five championship courses are all within a short drive : Ocean Course, Turtle Point, Cougar Point, Osprey Point and Oak Point.

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      No

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Patriots Point; The Links at Stono Ferry; Shadowmoss Plantation.

Find a course

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Tournaments

Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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