Land at Charleston International, grab a rental car, and about 40 minutes later you roll up to the gates of Kiawah Island. That drive matters, and I’ll come back to it, because how you get around Kiawah is one of the few things people get wrong on their first trip.

I’m Pete, and I run Golfed, an app for logging every course you’ve played, so a place like Kiawah is right in my wheelhouse. You can knock out five legit championship courses in one trip, all run by the same resort, all a short drive apart. It’s one of the rare destinations where the golf lives up to every bit of the hype, and there’s a real vacation wrapped around it for whoever you drag along.

Here’s how I’d think about a Kiawah trip.

Quick Facts

  • Five public championship courses, plus two private courses: Cassique and the River Course
  • About 40 minutes from Charleston International Airport
  • Home of the 1991 Ryder Cup, the “War by the Shore,” and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships, with the PGA Championship returning in 2031
  • The Ocean Course has more seaside holes than any course in the Northern Hemisphere
  • Best weather is spring, from March to May, and fall, from September to November
  • Gated island, so a rental car is close to essential
  • Freshfields Village sits right outside the gate for food, coffee, and shopping
  • Charleston, one of the best food cities in America, is about 40 minutes away

Perfect For…

Bucket-List Chasers

If the Ocean Course is on your list, and it should be, this is the trip. Standing on that property where the Ryder Cup and two PGA Championships were decided is worth the trip on its own. The rest of the lineup just makes it a no-brainer.

Guys’ Trips

Five courses, a stack of rental houses big enough for the whole group, and Charleston a short drive away when you want a real night out. Golf all day, then steaks and bars in the city or a low-key night grilling at the house.

Couples and Mixed Groups

This is where Kiawah pulls ahead of a lot of pure golf destinations. The beach is gorgeous, Freshfields has shopping and good restaurants, and Charleston is one of the best food-and-history towns in the country. Non-golfers will not be bored, which buys you more golf.

The Courses

The Ocean Course

 

The headliner, and one of the most famous courses in the world. Designed by Pete and Alice Dye, it hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships, and it’s already booked to host again in 2031.

Ten holes run right along the Atlantic, and the wind off the water can turn a good round into a long afternoon in a hurry. One piece of advice: do not play it from the back tees. Move up, enjoy the views, and you’ll have one of the best days of golf in your life. Play it from the tips to prove something and you’ll lose a sleeve and your dignity.

Turtle Point

A Jack Nicklaus design and a genuinely great golf course that gets a little overshadowed by its famous neighbor. The front nine winds through live oaks, then the middle of the back nine, holes 14 through 16, swings out toward the ocean. Some folks will tell you you’re as close to the Atlantic there as you are on the Ocean Course.

Osprey Point

The most player-friendly of the bunch, and a really fun round. Tom Fazio built it around four natural lakes, marsh, and maritime forest, so there’s water in sight on most holes without it constantly being in play. Save room after for the clubhouse, the barbecue there is a legit reason to linger.

Cougar Point

A Gary Player design with some of the prettiest river views on the island, especially through the middle of the front nine along the Kiawah River. The clubhouse is newer and a great spot for a beer and lunch when you make the turn.

Oak Point

The one people skip, and they shouldn’t. It actually sits just off the island on Johns Island, so you pass it on the way in. Clyde Johnston routed it along the Kiawah River and Haulover Creek, it usually plays a little friendlier on the wallet, and you’ll see more wildlife here than anywhere else, gators included. A great value round to balance out a pricey Ocean Course tee time.

The Two Private Ones

Worth knowing about even if you can’t just book them. Cassique, a Tom Watson links-style design, and the River Course, a Tom Fazio layout, are both part of the private Kiawah Island Club and require membership or a member to get you on. If you know someone, beg. If you don’t, the five public courses are more than enough.

Where to Stay

You’ve got options at every level. The Sanctuary is the resort’s five-star hotel if you want to do it big. For most groups, though, the move is a rental. There are a ton of resort villas, and Airbnb and VRBO are loaded with houses on and around the island. Splitting a big rental with the group is the best value, gives you a place to grill and play cards, and keeps you close to the first tee.

Getting Around: Rent a Car

This is the tip that saves your trip. Kiawah is a gated island, and getting an Uber or Lyft to come through the gates, or to find you out there at all, is a real headache. Cars are scarce and waits are long.

Just rent a car at the airport. Everyone in the group should have a way to get around, because you’ll be driving between courses, out to Freshfields, and into Charleston, and you do not want to be stranded behind a gate waiting on a ride that may never show.

Beyond the Golf

Freshfields Village is your home base off the course. It’s right outside the island gate and has coffee in the morning, solid restaurants, and shops for whoever skipped golf that day. It’s the easy answer for breakfast or a group dinner without driving far.

Then there’s Charleston, about 40 minutes away and one of the best food cities in the country. Cobblestone streets, incredible restaurants, rooftop bars, and history everywhere. Build in at least one night in town. The beach is also right there on Kiawah when you need a recovery afternoon.

Pro Tips

  • Book the Ocean Course early, especially in spring and fall. Tee times go fast.
  • Play the Ocean Course from a forward tee. Have fun, take the photos, skip the suffering.
  • Rent a car. Do not rely on rideshare on the island.
  • Pair a splurge round on the Ocean Course with a value round at Oak Point to balance the budget.
  • Stay in a group rental to save money and have a place to hang at night.
  • Log your rounds as you go so you remember which course you actually liked best. I use Golfed for this, since keeping track of where I’ve played is the whole reason I built it.
  • Build in a Charleston night. Your non-golfers will thank you, and so will you.

Final Thoughts

Kiawah is one of those rare trips that delivers for everybody. Serious golfers get a true bucket-list course and four more that hold their own. Everyone else gets the beach, Charleston, and a Lowcountry vacation that happens to have great golf attached. Five courses, easy logistics once you’ve got a car, and a setting that’s hard to beat anywhere in the country.

It’s been near the top of my own list for a long time, and once you’ve played it, it’s the kind of place you’ll want to log and remember. Put it on the schedule.

About Golfed

Golfed is a new app for logging every course you’ve ever played. Each course gets a ranking, and you can track your courses against the Golf Digest Top 100, Second 100, and Top 100 You Can Play, broken out by state, architect, and more. It’s built for golfers who care about where they’ve played. Track where you’ve been and where you’re headed, and check Kiawah off the list.

Golfed is free on iOS and Android at golfedapp.com