Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 18
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 18
The 18th green of the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort sits right on the Kiawah River. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point clubhouse
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point clubhouse
The clubhouse of the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort overlooks a scenic marsh near the ninth and 18th greens. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 1
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 1
A cemetery rests at the back of the driving range near the first hole of the Oak Point Course at Kiawah. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 3
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 3
A foursome of bunkers frame the third green on the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 4
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 4
A pair of ponds create a tricky approach to the par-5 fourth hole on the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 6
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 6
The flag on the sixth green of the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort peeks through the trees. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 7
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 7
The seventh green on the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort is surrounded by trouble. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 9
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 9
The 152-yard ninth hole on the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort sits on the edge of the marshy Kiawah River. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 15th
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 15th
Sand and water protect the par-3 15th hole of the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 14th
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - no. 14th
The 14th hole of the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort emerges from the trees to reveal this daunting approach over a pond. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - alligator
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Oak Point Course - alligator
An alligator lurks on the Oak Point Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
11 Images

Renovation improves Oak Point golf course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. -- A six-month renovation has brought Oak Point, the only course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort on the western (inland) side of the Kiawah River, up to the standards of the resort's four other courses.

Paspalum Platinum grass now covers the tees, fairways and greens of the Clyde Johnston design dating to 1989. Other modifications -- greens and tees restored to their original size, reshaped bunkers, a re-contoured fairway or two, irrigation in the rough, new tee boxes on nos. 11 and 18 -- and the removal of waste areas on holes 6-7 and nearly 30 other bunkers has the 6,701-yard Oak Point as playable and enjoyable as ever.

Each nine climaxes with a green situated near Haulover Creek and the Kiawah River. Oak Point's 152-yard ninth hole was one of the highlights of alterations made to the front nine in 2004. Ponds are a nuisance throughout the round. An old cemetery sits almost hidden in plain sight at the back of the range.

The location of Oak Point, purchased by the resort in 1997, always made the course a bit of a fifth wheel in the playing rotation for Kiawah Island Golf Resort guests, but these upgrades make choosing where to play a much tougher task.

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed and photographed more than 1,100 courses and written about golf destinations in 25 countries for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Follow him on Instagram at @jasondeegangolfpass and Twitter at @WorldGolfer.
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Renovation improves Oak Point golf course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina