In a conversation with the Resort’s uber-charming Director of
Golf, Brian Gerard, we touched on some of the aspects that differentiate
the course. Brian has been with the Resort since 1986, when the bridge
to Kiawah was still wooden, there were no roads beyond Osprey Point,
and The Ocean Course was just a dream. He remembers the Ryder
Cup vividly, and laughs at the staffing differences then versus the huge
production of the 2012 PGA. In 1991 the staffs of Cougar Point, Turtle
and Osprey all took turns manning the small tent and shepherding the
players throughout the day.
Brian noted that each of the holes on the course is different from
every other, and each is memorable in its own way. He commented that
when Pete Dye visits and “tweaks” the course he does so from every tee,
not just from the back tees of the more skilled players. He works to draw
your eye away from the best approach, putting bunkers or water hazards
directly in your line of sight - hence the “diabolical” designation. For the
mere mortals among us, there is actually much more room than one can
see from the tee, and there are significantly friendlier choices than the
Tournament Tees that require special permission before play. There is
also a sense that one is completely surrounded by the wonders of nature in what other tournament anywhere have we seen a gator devouring a TV
microphone or a collared bobcat observing the action from just behind
the 14th tee?
Brian is justifiably proud of the extremely low turnover of The
Ocean Course’s key staff members, including Jeff Stone, the course’s
Greens Supervisor since 2003 who spent ten years at Turtle Point before
moving to his current position. Finally, he seems genuinely delighted
by the way the course has evolved and changed over the years based on
nature’s whims - sand blows, fairways shift, hazards grow or shrink, and
through it all The Ocean Course just keeps getting better and better.
As for the future, Brian and his team are committed to
maintaining a “Be the Best” attitude and commitment. They expect
continued development around the course to follow its historic pattern
of remaining well-hidden, giving the appearance of a pristine natural
haven for birds and other wildlife despite the continued development of
properties throughout the Island. The absence of homes directly on the
course remains one of its most appreciated features. Dye’s masterpiece
stands as a living testimony to development undertaken with reverence
for maintaining and preserving natural habitat.
In my research while writing this article, Allen Allnoch of Links
Magazine seemed to say it best: “Like the great links of Ireland and
Great Britain, The Ocean Course evokes a sense of timelessness - even
as it creaks and shifts in response to its environment, and to the finish
strokes of the man who crafted it.”
The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island is indeed timeless! n
Photographs courtesy of Tina Schell
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