From The Blog

Turtle Point Golf Course Undergoing Top-to-Bottom Renovation

Under the consultation of course designer Jack Nicklaus, Turtle Point Golf Course is undergoing a top-to-bottom renovation. The course closed on Jan. 4 for the nine-month project.

After a thorough examination of the course, Nicklaus and his team prepared plans for rebuilding all 18 greens, including moving five greens due to shade issues, and expanding fairway sizes from 20 acres to 34 acres.

“We’ll be adding new tees on multiple holes and raising a number of the tee boxes,” said Kiawah Island Golf Resort (KIGR) Director of Golf Brian Gerard. “One of the most exciting changes involves the oceanfront sixteenth hole. On this Par 3, the tee box is being moved away from the dunes so the player will be hitting his tee shot with the Atlantic Ocean in the background.”

According Gerard, in addition to the design changes:
Fairways and greens are being converted to Paspalum, the salt-tolerant strain of grass that is currently on The Ocean Course, Osprey Point and Oak Point.
All new irrigation is being installed on the course.
More teeing area is being added to give more options on course set-up.
Property lines are being cleared making the course look substantially larger and more open.

According to KIGR President Roger Warren, “The goal is to both improve the conditioning of the golf course and make the experience more fun. When we get done people will be excited because it will feel like a totally new golf course.”

During the renovation, the golf school, which is located at the Tommy Cuthbert Golf Learning Center adjacent to Turtle Point’s driving range, is being hosted at other resort courses. Tomasso, Turtle Point’s Italian restaurant, and the pro shop remain open throughout the renovation.

The renovation is scheduled to be complete in October in time for the fall golf season. It is part of an on-going effort to provide guests with the finest golf experience of any resort. Prior to the 2012 PGA, Pete Dye returned to The Ocean Course and made a number of course changes to both facilitate crowd movement during the tournament and to improve playability of the course. In 2014, under the consultation of course designer Tom Fazio, Osprey Point underwent a top-to-bottom renovation followed by Oak Point in 2015.

For more information and updates on the Turtle Point renovation project, visit kiawahresort.com.