The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, South Carolina - Ranked by Golf Digest as The Toughest Resort Golf Course in the U.S

The Kiawah Island Golf Resort features five golf courses, including The Ocean Course, which is a Pete Dye design that opened in 1991. The course is located on the eastern-most end of the island and features more seaside holes than any other golf course in the Northern Hemisphere. Ten holes play right alongside the Atlantic Ocean, while the other eight holes run parallel to them.

Originally, Dye designed the course to sit behind dunes and afford it some protection from the ocean winds. His wife, Alice, however, suggested the course be raised so as to allow unobstructed views of the Atlantic from every hole. The downside to that change, however, exposed the course to the area's brisk, unpredictable sea breezes. Perhaps no other course in the world, aside from those in the United Kingdom and Ireland, is so affected by wind as The Ocean Course. From one day to the next, it's been reported that the wind can make up to an 8-club difference on a given hole.

The wind, Dye's penchant for designing golf courses that make high-handicappers want to cry "Uncle,'' and the natural landscaping all contributed to a #1-ranking by Golf Digest on its list of America's 50 Toughest Resort Golf Courses. The 18-hole, par-72 course plays to 7,296 yards from the longest tees with a daunting slope rating of 152 on Bermuda grass.

Hole No. 2 is the first example of some of the challenges to be found on The Ocean Course. This par-5 plays to 543 yards from the back tees and features a fairway framed by ancient live oak trees. Dye himself called this hole "diabolical,'' as it also features two crossings over marshland and an approach shot to an elevated green that sits between two dune ridges in the front and back.

Hole No. 4 is similarly demanding, a long par-4 that plays to 453 yards from the back tees and can play as the toughest hole on the front nine. As before, there are two forced carries over marshland required on this hole. In addition, depending on distance and how the wind is blowing, approach shots to a large green can vary greatly. In GOLF Magazine's Par 2000, this hole was rated one of the Best 500 Holes in Golf.

Since its opening, The Ocean Course has been showered with accolades. Golf Digest named it the #1 Golf Course in South Carolina, while also ranking it #25 on its list of 100 Greatest Golf Courses and #4 on the list of Best Public Golf Courses. The Ocean Course has also played host to such tournaments as the 1991 Ryder Cup Matches, the World Cup of Golf in 1997, and the PGA Professional National Championship in 2005.

The course also features its own clubhouse, designed by noted architect Robert A. M. Stern Architects with a weathered, seaside exterior. The 24,000-square-foot clubhouse is home to a Pro Shop, locker rooms, an 80-seat upscale restaurant, and an outdoor dining porch near the ocean.

The resort also is ranked the #1 Tennis Resort in the World according to Tennisresortsonline.com, and also offers kayaking, nature tours, bicycling, beach activities and more.