Ryder Cup 2 infographic
Graphic shows holes of gulf course.
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GOLF

Kiawah Island - Hole by Hold Guide

August 28, 1991 - Graphic shows holes of gulf course.

HOLE 1
361 metres (395 yards), Par 4
A short par-four, but possibly the narrowest fairway on the course. A waste bunker guards the right side of the fairway from tee to green and thick dune grasses line the left. A good drive will lead a short iron to a directly undulating green tucked into a natural dune area with generous access from the left.

HOLE 2
497 metres (543 yards), Par 5
Here the players are as far from the Atlantic as the course permits, yet the view looks straight into the breaking waves. The primary hazard is a marshy area bisecting the fairway some 135 yards short of the green. Once the players have decided whether the first shot will fall short of or extend beyond this, the elevated green is protected by dunes in front and behind, a deep waste bunker to the left and marshland to the right.

HOLE 3
357 metres (390 yards), Par 4
The shortest par-four, but deceptive. A good drive to the left of the fairway is required for the best view of the putting surface. Otherwise the green slopes away on all sides with a marshy area to the left.

HOLE 4
414 metres (453 yards), Par 4
Considered one of the toughest on the course, heavily dependent on wind direction. Once the line of the first drive has been established, the second shot to the green can be played with any club 8 – iron up. Against the wind, players may opt to bail out to the left and try to save par with a chip and a putt.

HOLE 5
189 metres (207 yards), Par 3
Turns back towards the Atlantic for the first par-three. A sandy, waste area lies between the tee and the large green. It is important to select the club that will reach the correct half of the green, avoiding a putt over the large hump in the middle.

HOLE 6
416 metres (455 yards), Par 4
Three wind-pruned oak trees frame the far side of the fairway. The perfect drive is one directly at the centre oak with a slight draw, eliminating a waste bunker and a small pond to the left. The approach is played to a green open in front but protected left and right by more sand.

HOLE 7
482 metres (527 yards), Par 5
Wind conditions will determine the strategy from the tee. A natural dune area must be circumnavigated before the second shot can be fired at an elevated green. This will be an exciting hole, where attack rather than caution is likely to win the day.

HOLE 8
180 metres (197 yards), Par 3
More demanding than it looks as the elevated green becomes narrower as it extends away from the tee. Any shot that is too long or veers to the right will find the sand, so the ideal will be to play to the centre of the green.

HOLE 9
424 metres (464 yards), Par 4
Two solid shots required on a fairway dependent on length rather than direction. Deep sandy bunkers and rough grassy areas demand that the second shot be straight if the green is to be found successfully.

HOLE 10
401 metres (439 yards), Par 4
Away from the ocean, the hole which most epitomises the links look. A long drive to the crest of the fairway sets up a second shot to a green set down in the dunes. A sandy waste area to the left and steep-faced waste bunker to the back guard the green which can be attacked by a variety of shots.

HOLE 11
527 metres (576 yards), Par 5
An inverted ‘S’ shaped hole, with waste bunkers guarding the inside of each turn. Yet two good shots could set up a short approach to a deep green set high on a dune ridge. Downwind, a good second shot could set up an eagle.

HOLE 12
426 metres (466 yards), Par 4
Possibly the widest fairway on the course gives way to the one of the narrowest of approaches. The green is guarded closely by the canal with dunes and thick native grasses to the left and rear. Although narrow, the approach is open in front, providing some leeway to the left.

HOLE 13
369 metres (404 yards), Par 4
To reach the fairway, the first shot must carry across the canal, which provides a further hazard to the second shot if this is fractionally too long or to the right. Again, the approach to the green has been left open to the run up shot.

HOLE 14
200 metres (219 yards), Par 3
The Ocean Course turns back to the Atlantic for the final time, with a view that suggests to the player that any ball overshooting the green will land in the sea. In reality, this is not the case, but any shot missing the highly elevated green is likely to lose the player the chance to save par.

HOLE 15
385 metres (421 yards), Par 4
Waste areas to the left and behind the green are the main problems with this hole. Short irons will be the best clubs to use unless there is a strong wind from the North East.

HOLE 16
529 metres (579 yards), Par 5
Hazards here include a lake in front of a fairway which is higher on the right side, a long shallow bunker guarding the second shot and a deeper one protecting the left side of the green which is perched high on a dune ridge.

HOLE 17
180 metres (197 yards), Par 3
One of the most difficult holes of the course. A variety of teeing areas means that the target can be attacked from the left, giving a long narrow approach to the green with a lake immediately to the right, or from the right, giving a wide but shallow green with the lake immediately in front, or from the centre, lengthening the shot and presenting the player with a large hump cutting into the green.

HOLE 18
401 Metres (439 yards), Par 4
As the fairway falls away to the right, the best drive will be one that hugs the right side, to set up a second shot at a green open at the front but running away to the back left. Wind direction and strength will influence players as to whether to aim for the flag or simply to hit the green with long irons or even fairway woods.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 28/8/1991; STORY: Graphic News
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