Kiawah Island’s most celebrated golf course layout is often regarded as the most difficult golf course in the world to play. The Kiawah Ocean Course is a bona fide masterpiece, though it was cursed in its infancy the same way the Eiffel Tower was maligned when it was constructed. No matter the threat or the bet, don’t even think about playing it from the back tees. You can go back there and have the most miserable day of your life, or you can pick the forward tees and have one of the grandest days you’ve ever enjoyed on a golf course. It’s pretty much up to you. Every hole has some form of lateral obstacle in the form of bunkers, water, waste areas or some combination of those hazards.

Designed by Pete Dye, the Ocean Course was the host of the 1991 Ryder Cup Matches, the 1997 and 2003 World Cup of Golf, the 2007 Senior PGA Championship, and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships.

With all 18 holes offering panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, it’s likely The Ocean Course would have earned widespread acclaim had no tournament ever been played there. Located at the Eastern end of Kiawah Island, The Ocean Course negotiates along 2-3/4 miles of pristine oceanfront property. According to Pete Dye, “There’s no other golf course in the Northern Hemisphere that has as many seaside holes.”

The Ocean Course is a par 72 golf 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.