South Carolina

Kiawah and Charleston in 4 Days

4 Days
5 Rounds
$2,200–$4,500 Per golfer
March–May and October–November Best time

Estimate: Per golfer, 4 nights shared lodging on Kiawah plus 5 rounds, excluding flights and caddie tips. The Ocean Course is reported at roughly $370–$485 for 2026 depending on season, with the caddie fee included; the other Kiawah courses cost less and rates are quoted at booking. The high end assumes The Sanctuary in peak spring.

This trip suits a group that wants one serious test, good food and some non-golf time. The Ocean Course is the headline and it is hard, so the rest of the schedule is built around easier, more forgiving resort golf and a day in Charleston.

Kiawah works because staying on the island gets you lower green fees and cuts out a long early drive, and Charleston is close enough to make a city night easy. The Charleston Muni round keeps the cost down and gives you a feel for local golf.

Day by day

  1. 1

    Arrive, warm up on Osprey Point

    Osprey Point

    Fly into Charleston and drive out to Kiawah. Play Osprey Point in the afternoon to get used to the grass and the wind before the big day.

  2. 2

    The Ocean Course

    The Ocean Course

    Book the earliest tee time you can; the wind usually builds through the day. Walk with a caddie and play the correct tees, because the forced carries punish ambition. Leave the afternoon open; you'll want it.

  3. 3

    Turtle Point and Cougar Point

    Turtle PointCougar Point

    Turtle Point in the morning and Cougar Point after lunch. Both are cart-friendly, so this is the day to play 36 without wrecking your legs.

  4. 4

    Charleston Muni, then the city

    Charleston Municipal Golf Course

    Check out, play the Muni on James Island on the way into town, then spend the evening downtown before flying out the next morning.

The courses

The Ocean Course

No. 30 in America →

Pete Dye · 1991 · Public; lower rates for resort guests

Ten holes on the Atlantic and eight running parallel to it, and the host of the 1991 Ryder Cup and two PGA Championships. Wind decides everything.

Osprey Point

Tom Fazio · 1988 · Public; lower rates for resort guests

Lakes, marsh and maritime forest, renovated by Fazio in 2014. The most forgiving course on the island, which makes it a good warm-up.

Turtle Point

Jack Nicklaus · 1981 · Public; lower rates for resort guests

Renovated by Nicklaus in 2016, with a stretch of oceanfront holes mid-round.

Cougar Point

Gary Player · 1976 · Public; lower rates for resort guests

Marsh views over the Kiawah River; reopened in 2017 after a Player-led renovation.

Charleston Municipal Golf Course

Troy Miller (2020 renovation) · 1929 · Public

The city course on James Island, renovated in 2020 and widely praised since. Cheap, fun and on the way between Kiawah and downtown.

Booking it

All five Kiawah courses are open to the public, but staying on the island through the resort gets lower green fees and is the practical way to lock in Ocean Course times in peak season. Ocean Course times can be booked online or by phone, and no resort stay is required. Charleston Muni books through the City of Charleston's system.

Worth knowing

  • The Ocean Course is walking-only except June–August, when carts are allowed after 10 a.m. with a mandatory forecaddie. The caddie fee is included in the green fee, but plan on a gratuity (around $120 per player is the recommended amount).
  • Pick tees one set forward of normal on the Ocean Course. Wind off the Atlantic can add three or four clubs on some holes.
  • Oak Point, the resort's fifth course, sits just off the island and is the easiest tee time to get if you need a fill-in.
  • Budget for a car. Kiawah is about an hour from both the airport and downtown Charleston.

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