Wednesday, May 18, 2005
The Ocean Course
We went on a great vacation to Kiawah Island last week with my wife's extended family. You will never hear me complain about my inlaw family. They have always treated me better than I deserved.
My father-in-law paid for the house where we stayed. As a small thank you, I treated him (and me ) to a round at the world famous Ocean Course.
The course is - you guessed it - on the Atlantic Ocean. Since there are hardly any trees, the wind blows constantly. Although they cut a golf course into wilderness, everything even slightly off the course is in its natural state. We found lots of wiry grasses, prickly bushes, and native sand. Golf Digest calls it "America's toughest resort course."
Caddies are required at the Ocean Course. I am not sure if this is to help players around the course or simply to avoid lawsuits from the families of lost golfers. Either way, Paul was an able and friendly guide. It was a great experience, and I look forward to a return visit to the Ocean Course. See the photos below for a taste of our experience.
Several early tee shots are like this one, where the best line requires a carry of about 230-240 yards (that is all marsh in front of me). Luckily, we had the wind with us on most of these holes.
I played well most of the day, keeping the ball in play and out of the ever-present sand. I shot 85, which is high for me, but it was a good score on this difficult course.
This hole is a 194 yard par three with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop. The pin was tucked in the rear left part of the green, but I hit a solid four iron to 25 feet.
My playing partners occasionally hit their balls in tough spots. Before he played his shot, I suggested that emerging from the bunker uninjured should be his primary goal.
We saw a couple of 12' long alligators, a black snake, a water moccasin, and this little guy. He seemed to enjoy his surroundings and managed to find a spot safe from errant golf balls.
My father-in-law paid for the house where we stayed. As a small thank you, I treated him (and me ) to a round at the world famous Ocean Course.
The course is - you guessed it - on the Atlantic Ocean. Since there are hardly any trees, the wind blows constantly. Although they cut a golf course into wilderness, everything even slightly off the course is in its natural state. We found lots of wiry grasses, prickly bushes, and native sand. Golf Digest calls it "America's toughest resort course."
Caddies are required at the Ocean Course. I am not sure if this is to help players around the course or simply to avoid lawsuits from the families of lost golfers. Either way, Paul was an able and friendly guide. It was a great experience, and I look forward to a return visit to the Ocean Course. See the photos below for a taste of our experience.
Several early tee shots are like this one, where the best line requires a carry of about 230-240 yards (that is all marsh in front of me). Luckily, we had the wind with us on most of these holes.
I played well most of the day, keeping the ball in play and out of the ever-present sand. I shot 85, which is high for me, but it was a good score on this difficult course.
This hole is a 194 yard par three with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop. The pin was tucked in the rear left part of the green, but I hit a solid four iron to 25 feet.
My playing partners occasionally hit their balls in tough spots. Before he played his shot, I suggested that emerging from the bunker uninjured should be his primary goal.
We saw a couple of 12' long alligators, a black snake, a water moccasin, and this little guy. He seemed to enjoy his surroundings and managed to find a spot safe from errant golf balls.
