2.
Kiawah Island
Ocean Course
South Carolina, United States
Ranked among the greatest and toughest U.S. golf
courses is Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s wind-swept
Ocean Course, located on the eastern-most end of
Kiawah Island. The Ocean Course is the fourth
course to have hosted each of the PGA of
America’s major championships and will also
host the 2021 PGA. The Ocean Course was
designed in 1991 for the Ryder Cup by Pete and
Alice Dye. Pete had laid out the challenging
course to sit behind the dunes when his wife Alice
suggested raising the course to allow
unobstructed views of the Atlantic coastline from
every hole. So they elevated the windswept
masterpiece, resulting in a course with more
seaside holes than any other in the Northern
Hemisphere: there are ten holes right along the
Atlantic with the other 8 holes running parallel.
The view is outstanding, but the course is exposed
to brisk and unpredictable sea breezes; as a
matter of fact, no other golf course in the world
(except for the U.K. and Ireland) is affected so
much by the wind. A player can experience up to
an 8-club difference on holes, depending on the
direction and strength of the winds. But no
matter how windy the course, inside the Kiawah
Island Golf Resort’s Sanctuary Hotel, villas,
condos and rental homes, there is only serenity
and southern hospitality.
3.
The Palmer
Ryder Cup Course
Kildare, Ireland
Nestled on 550 acres of Irish countryside in
Straffan, Kildare is one of Europe’s greatest
golfing destinations. The Palmer Ryder Cup
Course (designed by Arnold Palmer) is a must-
play course in a velvety lush setting just 18 miles
from fast-paced Dublin. With 18 of the most
dramatic holes in Europe, the course promises,
entices and challenges even the most avid of
golfers. A challenge ensues at every turn, fairway,
cascading water feature and leafy, verdant space.
The 7,350-yard course is set around the River
Liffey which flows through the 550-acre lush
Kildare estate. Mature indigenous Irish trees
carve their way around the fairways allowing
golfers to test their game in all aspects. Walking
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Located on the eastern-most end of Kiawah Island,
The Ocean Course has more seaside holes than any
other course in the Northern Hemisphere.
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Photo courtesy of Kiawah Island Golf Resort
