Kiawah Island Club - Cassique Course

What a hoot to play. I had a first off tee time on my birthday here and it exceeded expectations. I had a great walking caddie and we got around in 3 hours easy. It's a links-inspired course full of pot bunkers (many have been rebuilt) and you can see odes to Turnberry, Carnoustie and many others throughout the round. The front nine is more open and even has a flexible routing for the members. there was a par 3 not in play the day I was there and wish it was because it looked gorgeous.

The back nine is a little more lowcountry in feel with more trees and finishes beautifully along the river. I can't recommend this course enough. I've only toured Ocean and not played it but my guess is Cassique is not only more player-friendly with scoring chances but you can also play the ground a little more.

It might be tough to get on but if you're a member at another club I'd recommend trying to get a reciprocal tee time here. I was a guest of the new Timbers Kiawah development, where property owners are eligible to join the Kiawah Club.

What a great looking and interesting course! I don't normally use exclamation points, but this creative design shoots right up my favorites list. Traditional Lowcountry holes through trees draped with Spanish Moss and scenic marshes take a backseat to linksy challenges lined with wild mounding scarred by deadly bunkers, a la the Dye course at French Lick Resort. The ninth hole is the scene of the most dastardly trick I think I've ever seen from an architect. The hill leading up to the severely elevated green is cut as part of the green. It basically repels any shot that lands short, leaving a horrifying shot up the hill - either with an iron, putter or hybrid. Up top, the green runs away from players. I took a triple and loved it. There's also a trio of routings that allows players to play different par 4s at no. 4 and have different par-3 experiences at no. 5 and different tee angles to play the par-5 sixth hole. What a special place.