Hole-by-Hole Review

Hole 1

The dogleg left was changed from a par 4 into a par 5 in 2004 by moving the green back 120 yards.  It is now an excellent risk-reward second shot for the better player with water left and bunkers right but a large, accepting green.  Favor right side of fairway on tee shot as trees on inside of dogleg can block second shot.

Hole 3

In 2004, Oak Point discarded the old, unfair No. 3 and made the 4th hole No. 3.  The hole has two distinct sets of tee boxes giving options for setup.  Players should favor the left side of the fairway with a driver or a fairway wood to avoid a fairway bunker.  A good tee shot should leave a shot iron to a well-protected, tiered green that slopes to the front.

Hole 5

Players will want to favor the left side of the fairway on their drives as shots too far right might be blocked out by trees on their approach to the greens.  If the pin is in the back, it’s a gut check shot as the back plateau is tiny but substantially above the rest of the green.   Shots too far can possibly find the lagoon behind the green.

Hole 7

This par 3 will probably take a mid-iron to reach with a very difficult green long, narrow green to hit.  Make sure to check the pin location before selecting a club and the difference from a front to back pin placement could make up to a 3-club difference.  Pushed tee shots will force players to contend with a large oak tree on their second shot.

Hole 9

This hole was created in 2004 with the course redesign giving the front nine a very strong finishing hole with a dramatic Haulover Creek/Kiawah River backdrop.  While relatively short, the wind will play havoc with a miss-hit shot.  Into the wind, add two to three clubs depending on the strength.  The wide green can make for some monstrously long putts if not accurate on your tee shot.

Hole 11

Players will hit a mid-to-long iron into this tiered green sloping toward the front.  This green is heavily guarded by bunkers most of the way around the green and water front and right.  If the pin is in the back, make sure to take at least one extra club.

Hole 13

A relatively straight par 4, this hole features a pond on the right that narrows the fairway for the big hitters.  Look for a mid-iron into green that runs from front to back guarded by a large bunker front left and a small bunker front right.

Hole 15

This hole calls for a mid-to-short iron shot over water.  The green is wide but not too deep.  If the pin is on the left, an oak tree comes into play.  Make sure to use enough club as a long bunker runs the length of the green just over the water.  The three pot bunkers in the back generally don’t come into play.

Hole 17

This hole can play extremely long, especially into the wind.  Tee shots are hit our of a shoot that makes the hole look tight but there’s a lot of room in the landing area, however, the bigger hitters can reach a lagoon on the left.  Fairway bunkers guard the landing area of the second shot.  The elevated green is tiered with a severe drop from the middle to the front of the green.  A number of bunkers guard the green as well as water behind it.

Hole 2

This medium-length par 3 has a large green that narrows on the right with a bunker short right and water on the left.  The oak tree behind the green is nearly identical to the one on the Kiawah Logo.

Hole 4

Players should favor the right side of this reachable par 5.  Water runs along the left side of the fairway starting just beyond a fairway bunker visible from the tee and partially cuts across just beyond the lay-up area.  If you’re laying up, make sure of your distance - figure around 135 yards to the green is still safe – 110 yards to the green is over the water.  The green is fairly generous so the bigger hitters should go for it in two.

Hole 6

This slight dogleg right hole is probably one of the best par-4s on the resort with the green beautifully framed by trees.  Aim your tee shot just to the right of the fairway bunkers.  Be careful as the fairway narrows between the bunkers on the left and the trees on the right.  You’ll then have a mid-to long iron to a well-protected, slightly elevated green.

Hole 8

There is a generous landing area for your tee shot.  For the longer hitters, the real challenge comes with the second shot.  To get it on, the second shot much carry a set of cross bunkers around 50 yards out from the green.  Going for this green in two only pays off if the pin is on the right side of the inverted “L” shaped green which is heavily guarded by bunkers both left and right.

Hole 10

The fairway narrows in the tee shot landing area with an oak tree on the right that can block shots hit on that side.  Players how block their tee shot or slice will end up in the old plantation cemetery on the far end of the driving range (we suggest taking a drop from there).  Most players will hit a mid-to-short iron into a green that is severely slopped from front to back so players should try to leave their ball below the hole.

Hole 12

This par 5 plays long as it’s slightly uphill.  Fairway bunkers guard the right and big hitters can reach the water on the left side of the fairway.  A pot bunker guards the front of the elevated green making it impossible to see the surface of the green from the fairway.

Hole 14

This is probably the hardest driving hole on the golf course because its so tree-lined.  The farther you try to hit your tee shot, the narrower the fairway gets and the big hitters can reach the lagoon in front of the green.  A good drive will leave a short iron over the water to the green.  The greenside bunkers generally don’t come into play unless the shot is way off target.