Turtle Point - Kiawah Island Club (Kiawah Island, SC)

Turtle Point’s entire reputation hinges around three holes 14-15-16 that play alongside the Atlantic Ocean. Two par threes bookend a short par four. As much fun as it is to reach the shore, the holes, in my opinion, are disappointing. They’re wedged between the villas and the dune, and are really tight. There’s little room for error. The green on fourteen, the best looking hole of the three, is a two level affair with the rear significantly higher than the front. It’s the only green at Turtle Point that does this! It’s so out of place that it’s shocking when you first see it! And the biggest kicker?! You never see the ocean during this stretch because the dune is too high. 

(The fourteenth green occupies a beautiful location in the dunes. Even though pictures tend to flatten out slope, you can still make out the height difference between the back tier, where the pin is located, and the front where the pin shot marker is. The dip between them is even evident.) 

Jack Nicklaus designed Turtle Point in 1981. Most of the holes play in the lush environs of Kiawah Island. (We saw more gators here than anywhere else.) The interior holes are solid, if not exciting. Water guards eight greens, and surprisingly, five times it’s on the left. This should bail out many of the resort golfers who are hitting a left to right shot. 

(Jack does a good job giving golfers plenty of room to bail out. The sixth is a fine par four with plenty of short grass right and long of the green. While par is a good score, weaker players who hit smart shots can secure a five handily.) 

The best two holes are nine and eighteen. Nine is a dogleg left that entices players to cut the corner, however, the smart play is out to the fairway bunker which opens up the angle into a green guarded by water left. Eighteen is a straightaway par four with water on the left and red stakes on the right. A good drive leaves a mid iron approach over water and sand. Even this early in his architectural career, Nicklaus had a penchant for finishing off his outgoing and incoming nines strongly. 

(The second par three on the ocean feels cluttered with the plants and palmetto bushes breaking up the view. The wind has a huge impact yet the lack of references makes it hard to judge. The villas are just beyond the bushes to the right. The picture used in advertisements is from their balcony.) 

Golfers debate which course is better, Osprey or Turtle? Many publications put Jack’s course ahead so I’ll let architect Brian Curly make the call. He recollected that if the Ocean Course wasn’t ready in time for the Ryder Cup, the contingency plan was Osprey. Enough said. I give Turtle Point a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play).

[It hurts looking at this scorecard. I got off to a decent start, and totally lost it at the turn. Everyone in the group made a birdie. That’s always a great thing. My birdie came on one of the ocean holes. I thinned a 5hy about four feet off the ground, watched as it ran at least fifty yards before exhausting its last breathe two feet from the hole. Better to be lucky than good. It cost $225. A hundred more than I think it deserves.]

Great group of guys making memories at Kiawah!