Naturally Kiawah Magazine Volume 32 | Page 40

The difficulty of the course was tested and proven during that famous Ryder Cup match, which came down to an incredibly exciting finish at the final putt of the final hole in the final match. Mother Nature piped in with dense fog during Saturday’s play, causing a need to provide lighting on the course well into the evening, and happily for the viewers, 90-minutes of commercial-free broadcasting. Mother Nature further reinforced her reign during the 2012 PGA Championship, where extreme winds on the second day of play caused an incredibly high average score of 6-over-par 78. This from the world’s finest golfers! The wind on The Ocean Course can mean the difference between a pleasant day of golf and a grueling test of endurance. Because of the course’s geography, there are no prevailing winds - anything can happen on a given day. During the Ryder Cup for example, players used 7- and 8-irons during practice rounds on the 17th. During the final matches that Sunday, they used 3-irons through 3-woods simply to accommodate a change in the winds. Because of the way Dye designed the routing of the course for the ever-shifting winds, the course is famous for delivering very different playing conditions from one hole to the next, and from one day to the next. In his book Bury Me in a Pot Bunker, Dye says “The combination of the beautiful ocean views on one side and the vast saltwater marshes on the other captivated me.” Apparently, the players in that infamous Ryder Cup battle agree. Team Captain Dave Stockton told me if he were from the east coast he would definitely have built a home here. His memories are positive d \