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Golf is a game in which the better you get, the harder it is to get better. Well, Kiawah Island Golf Resort has been on top of its game for many years now, but important changes of late have helped it improve its golf vacation experience.
First, there’s the resort’s Sanctuary Hotel. We first previewed it in 2004 and recently returned to the Kiawah Island Golf Resort for a follow-up inspection. Guests who formerly had to endure the resort’s dreary Kiawah Island Inn (which, for the time being, is no longer being used) are in for a treat. The Sanctuary, which creates a guest experience that’s like staying at a grand Southern mansion, ranks among America’s finest oceanfront hotels.
The experience at Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s star attraction, the Ocean Course, has been enriched as well, thanks to a new caddie program, a new shingle-style “showplace” clubhouse beside the 18th green (it debuted when the course hosted the Senior PGA Championship this past May), and our favorite, a walking-only policy before noon.
If you choose to walk, you’re not forced to take a caddie, but be advised: walkers who opt to go it alone must carry their bags as no push carts are available. Motorized carts are permitted after noon, but they must stick to the cart paths.
Also know that the steep green fee at the Ocean Course ($239-$320) includes a “complimentary” cart and forecaddie or caddie, but that doesn’t include a tip. The pro shop will remind you of that at check-in with a card that recommends caddie tips of $65 per bag ($25 for forecaddies).
On a more positive note, the resort encourages golfers to play two rounds a day with deep second-round discounts ($110-$160 for the Ocean Course; $50-$70 for the other four courses at Kiawah Island Golf Resort).
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