Turtle Point Golf Course at Kiawah Island

Turtle Point is Jack Nicklaus's 1981 design at Kiawah Island, the second course built on the island and the first to carry a marquee design name. For years, before Pete Dye's Ocean Course redirected international attention, Turtle Point was the reason visiting golfers came to Kiawah. The course underwent a thorough Nicklaus-led renovation in 2016 that regrassed surfaces with salt-tolerant Paspalum, reconstructed all bunkers, and modernised irrigation. It now plays with the strategic framework Nicklaus originally designed but conditions like a current-generation facility.

From the longest tees at 7,054 yards with a rating of 74.2 and a slope of 141, Turtle Point has genuine teeth. The slope is the second highest among the five Kiawah resort courses, trailing only the Ocean Course. Nicklaus provided ample fairways and approachable green complexes, but strategically placed lagoons and the new Paspalum rough penalise careless tee shots. The course rewards picking the correct target off the tee and working the ball toward it, which is characteristic of Nicklaus designs at their best.

Three holes play along the Atlantic Ocean, providing the oceanfront experience many visitors associate with Kiawah without the extreme wind exposure of the Ocean Course farther out on the barrier island. The transition from interior holes to the oceanfront stretch and back gives the round a narrative arc that many resort courses lack. The remaining holes move through interior Kiawah terrain of live oaks, lagoons, and Lowcountry marsh, giving you variety in both scenery and shot requirements.

The Paspalum installed in 2016 deserves specific mention. It handles the salt air and sandy soil better than the grasses it replaced, and the surface is consistent from tee to green. Fairways are firm enough to reward well-struck shots with extra roll. The rough, while not severe, is thick enough to penalise drives that miss by more than a few yards. Overall turf quality is on par with the Ocean Course, which is notable given the difference in green fee.