The Villas at Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Spread across Kiawah Island, The Villas at Kiawah Island Golf Resort give a golf break the feel of having your own place between rounds. The resort managed villas offer living areas, full kitchens and outdoor decks or patios, with one to four bedrooms available. Five championship courses are part of the resort, so the day can be built around a major test by the Atlantic or a different course closer to your villa. Guests who reserve their villa through the resort receive access to its amenities, priority golf reservations and unlimited transport between their accommodation and resort venues. The pool complexes at Night Heron Park and West Beach Village are also included, useful on warm South Carolina afternoons.

The Ocean Course is the headline round, a par 72 by Pete and Alice Dye at the island’s eastern tip. Ten holes meet the Atlantic, while the other eight run alongside the coast, and the raised design gives sea views throughout the course. It also leaves the golfer exposed to the wind, which can alter club selection by as much as eight clubs as it shifts across the day. Osprey Point, designed by Tom Fazio, joins Oak Point by Clyde Johnston, Turtle Point by Jack Nicklaus and Cougar Point by Gary Player to complete the five course line up. Each is grassed in Paspalum from tee to green, helping the ball sit neatly and giving the putting surfaces a consistent roll. At Turtle Point, the Tommy Cuthbert Golf Learning Center has PGA certified professionals for 45 minute private sessions covering full swing, short game, awkward lies and course strategy.

Evenings can remain close to the golf. The Atlantic Room serves seafood, while the Ryder Cup Bar looks over The Ocean Course for pub dishes and cocktails. Turtle Point has contemporary Italian cooking at Tomasso, and Osprey Point’s Cherrywood BBQ & Ale House pairs barbecue with more than 60 local and imported beers. Charleston is 21 miles away when you fancy an evening off the island.