ISLAND EVENTS
Island Prepares to Host PGA Champions
entities have been preparing for months.
Courtesy of PGA of America/Gary Kellner
The Wannamaker Trophy has arrived at Kiawah
from San Francisco and, less than a year from now,
156 of the world’s best golf professionals follow,
fighting for a chance at the 2021 title. The PGA
Championship will be played May 17-23, 2021 at the
Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course.
Tickets officially went on sale in early August. If
you weren’t able to purchase your tickets at that
time, there’s still another chance. An official ticket
exchange will provide a guaranteed way to buy 2021
PGA Championship tickets from verified sellers in a
convenient, safe, and 100% guaranteed environment.
This program will very likely be launched in early
September on pgachampionship.com with PGA
partner, PRIMESPORT.
If you did get tickets, Kyler Rose of the PGA’s
marketing team recommends some moments you
won’t want to miss. “Attend one of the practice
round days (Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday). The
atmosphere is much more relaxed and if you are
attending with young children, the players are much
more engaging (think autographs and photos). I also
recommend bringing a chair and claiming a spot
around the 17th hole on Sunday. What happens on
this hole within those last few groups could decide
the Championship.”
The week of the PGA will be a busy time for the
island, with guests and attendees arriving from
all over the world. In anticipation of that, island
PARKING AND SHUTTLES
Parking has been a big concern since the PGA
Championship was announced. All PGA guests
driving to the island will park outside of the main
gate, near Freshfields Village. On-island shuttle
service will be provided for those staying on
Kiawah Island during Championship Week. PGA
operations, parking and logistics teams will begin
working closely with KICA’s team in the coming
months on access to the island, passes, and more.
Member information will be provided in early 2021.
ASSOCIATION PLANNING
Since KICA maintains the landscape of common
property throughout the island, the association
will play a large role to ensure the island looks its
best while on showcase during the championship.
Director of Land Management Doug Walter sets a
high bar for the look, saying, “We want it to showcase
the natural beauty of the island, not too formal but
maintaining an understated elegance. In everything
we do, we want to promote sustainable practices,
blending colorful tropicals with foundations of
native plants.”
Doug also notes that, while these landscaping
updates throughout Kiawah’s visually prominent
interior corridor are being timed for the PGA
Championship, the plantings will offer long-term
appeal for members to enjoy.
KICA’s timeline for water management projects was
structured to include a lull in construction for the
first part of 2021, ensuring the island will look its
best during the event. Projects currently underway,
the new outfall structure at Pond 30 and the dredging
of the Trumpet Creeper inlet, will be completed by
the end of the year, allowing mitigation plantings to
grow in before the excitement starts.
As we draw closer to the event, be on the lookout
for more information in KICA’s weekly email
newsletters. We’ll provide important info and
interesting tidbits as soon as they’re available.
4 | KIAWAH ISLAND DIGEST