Virginia Golfer July / August 2014 | Page 28

TheVirginia Explorer The surrounding sound and beachfront properties make Kiawah Island a top destination. Kiawah Island (Cassique Course) W hen most golfers think K i awa h , t h e y ca l l to mind K iawah I sland G olf R esort , the stellar 90-hole complex headlined by the Ocean Course, Pete Dye’s moated sandcastle at the eastern tip of the island. Well under the radar is Kiawah Island Club, which promotes itself as an ideal place for “Links Lovers, Pleasure Seekers, and Memory Makers.” An exclusive private membership club for property owners, Kiawah Island Club combines superlative amenities with great golf. The star venue of the club’s 36-home facility is the Cassique Course, a one-ofa-kind design by five-time British Open champion Tom Watson, whose fondness for 26 of authentic links golf is readily apparent in his design flourishes. Hole settings are modeled after the classic links courses of Scotland and Ireland. Cassique also presents a Lowcountry golf experience, with salt marsh and savannahs flanking many of the gently rolling fairways, which are invariably swept by brisk sea breezes. The stylish clubhouse at Cassique, patterned after a 19th-century English country manor, offers fine views of the tidelands fanned out along the Kiawah River. Voysey’s, the clubhouse’s pub and private restaurant, features a menu designed by acclaimed chef T Colicchio. om The amenity package at Kiawah Island Club is second to none. The 9,000-squarefoot Sports Pavilion is exceptional, with yoga V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | J U LY / HH