how hard is the ocean course

Ocean Course 72 Par | 7,676 Yards | 77.3 Rating | 144 Slope Consistently ranked in the Top 20 of America’s Toughest Golf Courses by Golf Digest, the Ocean Course is undeniably the toughest course to beat on Kiawah Island.

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What are the conditions like at Ocean Course?

May 14, 2021 · 155! Explaining the Ocean Course’s fearsome slope rating. The best shot Keegan Bradley ever hit. Here's what made Kiawah's Ocean Course so hard in 2012.

What is the length of the Ocean Course?

According to Arccos data, the average score of its users playing the Ocean Course is 85, with a healthy supply of those being single-digit players. While the average handicap of Arccos users...

What makes the ocean course different?

May 13, 2021 · The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, site of the 2021 PGA Championship, is a lesson in the anatomy of a difficult course.

How much does it cost to play the Ocean Course?

Mar 17, 2021 · The Ocean Course experience . ... Considering how difficult the course can play, especially when the wind kicks up, these bagmen are vital to guiding bogey golfers around the course in as few shots as their skill allows. As for the course, Dye's mastery of visual intimidation is on full display. It seems there's always a ribbon-thin, 300-yard ...

How difficult is Kiawah Island Ocean Course?

72 Par | 7,676 Yards | 77.3 Rating | 144 Slope Consistently ranked in the Top 20 of America's Toughest Golf Courses by Golf Digest, the Ocean Course is undeniably the toughest course to beat on Kiawah Island.May 8, 2020

Is the Ocean Course hard to walk?

It's a six and a half-mile walk. It helps that the holes are close together, so not a long haul from one green to the next tee like it would be on a course designed for carts. It can be harder in the summer due to the heat.Oct 6, 2017

Is Kiawah Island Golf Course hard?

It is fairly easy—and frankly repetitive—to explain how difficult the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort plays, something that surely its architect, the late Pete Dye, cackles about while he looks down—or as some frustrated pros might suggest “up”—at his masterpiece.

What is the slope rating for Kiawah Ocean Course?

155The Ocean Course is a par 72 course and from the championship tees, it stretches to 7,876 yards (7,202 m) with a slope rating of 155 and a course rating of 79.1, the highest in the country, according to the United States Golf Association.

Does the Ocean Course have sand traps?

The consistency of the transition areas changes dramatically from hole to hole and even from transition area to transition area on individual holes. You will find some to be soft, like traditional sand traps, some to be as hard as dried clay, and everything in between.Feb 16, 2012

Do you have to have a caddy at the Ocean Course?

The Ocean Course is walking only except during the summer months (June, July and August), when carts are allowed for golfers teeing off after 10am (carts restricted to paths). Caddies are not mandatory for anyone walking the course but are highly recommended.

Why is Ocean Course so hard?

There's the added factor of the winds coming off the ocean and across the fairways. When there's a strong wind, however, the holes become nearly impossible. Keeping the ball on those big, wide Pete Dye fairways becomes ultra-difficult.

What is a good score at the Ocean Course?

A 79 would be a good score. Calculating slope is a more complex matter, but it's safe to say that the result of a bogey golfer playing from the tips on the Ocean Course would not be pretty: 155 is the maximum slope rating any course can be assigned.May 19, 2021

How long is the Ocean Course?

7,876 yardsKiawah Island's Ocean Course in South Carolina will measure at 7,876 yards and be the longest course in major history when it hosts the PGA Championship - watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf.May 19, 2021

What is the hardest course in golf?

World's 10 toughest golf coursesThe Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, South Carolina, United States. ... Carnoustie Golf Links, Dundee, Scotland. ... Ko'olau Golf Club, Oahu, Hawaii, United States. ... Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin, United States. ... Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club, Lijiang, Yunnan, China.More items...•Aug 3, 2018

What is the hardest PGA course?

Toughest Courses (Season)RankingCourseYardage1Augusta National Golf Club75102Bay Hill Club & Lodge74663PGA National (Champion)71254Memorial Park Golf Course741226 more rows

What is the hardest slope in golf?

The slope rating value always lies between 55 and 155, with 113 being the average or 'standard' value. A slope rating of 155 means this is the most difficult course (for a specific tee) you can imagine. The higher the course and slope rating, the more strokes will be added to your handicap.May 26, 2021

PGA Championship 2021: How hard is Kiawah for the average golfer? This data says very hard

It is fairly easy—and frankly repetitive—to explain how difficult the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort plays, something that surely its architect, the late Pete Dye, cackles about while he looks down—or as some frustrated pros might suggest “up”—at his masterpiece.

Pros v Joes: The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island

We used average player data to showcase the myriad ways the Ocean Course is a different challenge for tour players than it is average golfers.

Where is the Ocean Course?

The Ocean Course is built on a 2 ½ mile stretch of beachside property located about 30 miles from Charleston, South Carolina. With no homes allowed on site because of environmental restrictions, Dye said he was like a “kid with a lollipop” because of the flexibility that gave him to create the course he desired.

How many yards is the longest golf course in the world?

With a scorecard yardage of 7,876 yards, it will be the longest major venue in history. It is 135 yards longer than the previous record holder, Erin Hillls, the host of the 2017 U.S. Open. Golf Digest has also declared the Ocean Course the most difficult in the country.

What grass is used on Kiawah Island?

Kiawah Island was built with the Bermudagrass that is common in the Southeast. It was changed to a seaside-friendly strain of paspalum before the 2012 PGA Championship, making it the first major played on that surface.

Where is the PGA Championship 2021?

The 2021 PGA Championship gets underway this week at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. (Gary Kellner/PGA of America) The PGA Championship returns to Kiawah Island this week. The Ocean Course, designed by Pete and Alice Dye, is known for both its beauty and its brawn. With a scorecard yardage of 7,876 yards, it will be the longest major venue in history.

Where was the 1991 Ryder Cup held?

The crowd watching play during the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island. (David Cannon/Allsport) “For the first time in history, the heralded event had been awarded to a course that did not exist and there was less than two years to build one worthy of the event,” Dye wrote.

Where is the 14th hole in Kiawah?

Kiawah’s 14th hole was inspired by the famed Redan hole at Scotland’s North Berwick. The elevated green on the 238-yard hole runs diagonally from right to left, with a green that runs away from the player. A deep bunker guards the left side of the green. Only 39% of the field hit the green in 2012.

What year was the 17th hole in the Ryder Cup?

The 17th hole was made famous by Mark Calcavecchia’s shank in the 1991 Ryder Cup. It was part of a collapse that sent an emotional Calcavecchia to weep in the sand dunes, away from the tumult of the Ryder Cup’s final holes. He started hyperventilating and almost passed out from the stress of possibly costing his country the Ryder Cup.

When is the Ocean Course walking only?

The course is walking-only September through May. Carts are allowed after 10 a.m. during the hotter summer months June through August.

How much does a caddie tip for golf?

These rounds require a forecaddie. Recommended tip for any caddie is at least $100 a bag. Considering how difficult the course can play, especially when the wind kicks up, these bagmen are vital to guiding bogey golfers around the course in as few shots as their skill allows.

Where is the 103rd PGA Championship?

The 17th hole of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort , the site of the 103rd PGA Championship. Gary Kellner/PGA of America. From the moment it opened in 1991, the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island has been a showstopper.

How many shots did Rory McIlroy win in 2012?

It's hard to fathom that somebody will have as easy a time winning as Rory McIlroy did at the 2012 PGA Championship, cruising to an eight-shot victory. It all depends on the weather. You could say the same for your round.

Where is the clubhouse at Kiawah Island Golf Resort?

The magnificent clubhouse at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort sits on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Gary Kellner/PGA of America. Part of the pure joy of a round on the Ocean Course is the excuse to show up early and stay late at the magnificent clubhouse. This is one of the coolest spots in golf.

How long is the Ocean Course?

The Ocean Course is sort of a throwback because Dye built it to be a walking course designed for play with a caddie. It’s a six and a half-mile walk. It helps that the holes are close together, so not a long haul from one green to the next tee like it would be on a course designed for carts.

Which is harder, 17 or 14?

Of the par threes, 17 has all the history because of the Ryder Cup, but 14 is actually harder because it’s elevated, so it gets more crosswind. Seventeen is visually harder because you have to carry water the whole way. But 14 is elevated to the same height as the sand dunes, and the course turns back eastward, which means you’re more likely to get a headwind. The silver tee lies only 160 yards from the green, but you might need a 2 iron to hit it from there.

How long is a par 72?

Par 72. Length 7356 yards. Slope 144. Rating 77.3. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina is one of America’s most prestigious rounds of publicly accessible golf. The headliner of five 18-hole courses at Kiawah Island Resort, the Ocean Course was designed by architect Pete Dye and opened in 1991, just prior to its staging ...

Who won the 2012 PGA Championship?

It also hosted the 2012 PGA Championship, won by Rory McIlroy, and the 2021 PGA Championship. The Ocean Course is a windswept coastal layout that plays along a narrow and sandy section on the east end of the island.

Is the Ocean Course walking only?

For daily resort play, the Ocean Course is a walking-only layout that comes with cad dies, with the exception of summer months after 10 a.m., when carts are permitted. It has been ranked within the Top 5 public golf courses in the country according to top magazine panels.

How many bunkers are there in a golf course?

Yes, 967 bunkers on one course. That's an average of almost 54 per hole. Some of them are so small there's barely room for golfer and ball. Some of them are barely recognizable as bunkers, as Dustin Johnson found to his cost playing the final hole at the 2010 US PGA Championship with a one shot lead.

What is the most famous golf course in the world?

The Ocean Course is one of the world's most famous courses. Andrew Redington/Getty Images North America/Getty Images. Top on our list has to be the Pete Dye-designed Ocean Course. Dye designs golf courses so difficult and torturous that he's earned the nickname "The Marquis de Sod.".

How many yards is Jade Dragon Snow Mountain?

Courtesy Doug Knuth/Creative Commons/Flickr. The longest golf course in the world at 8,548 yards, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain includes a 711-yard par-five (and two more that measure over 680 yards), a 525-yard par-four and a 270-yard par-three.

Where is Whistling Straits?

Another Pete Dye-designed exercise in masochism, Whistling Straits is suitably located on the site of an abandoned artillery range on the shores of Lake Michigan. When current world No. 3 Lee Westwood first saw the course he said, "I'd been told there are 10 difficult holes and eight impossible ones.

What is the Palm Course called?

Matt Turner/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images. The Palm Course at Saujana is so tough it's been nicknamed "The Cobra" and its fangs have tested many of the world's top golfers as it's hosted six of the last 13 Malaysian Opens, a co-sanctioned European/Asian Tour event.

Where is Bethpage Black?

Bethpage Black, New York, United States . For the "highly skilled," or foolhardy, only. This course, one of five at Bethpage State Park in Long Island, New York, is so tough it has a sign by the first tee that reads "The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.".

Who designed the Touessrok golf course?

courtesy Le Touessrok golf course. Designed by two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer of Germany, Le Touessrok golf course is set on its own island and is the only one I know that cannot be reached by road, only by speed boat or helicopter. It's stunningly beautiful but also extremely tough.