Kiawah Island's Ocean Course named America's Toughest Golf Course

Hole 16 on The Ocean Course, host site of the 2012 PGA Championship.

In roughly 250 days the world’s best golfers will descend upon America’s Toughest Golf Course, The Ocean Course, for the 2012 PGA Championship.  The January 2012 issue of Golf Digest Magazine recently crowned the Kiawah Island Golf Resort course with the prestigious title for the second time.

The PGA Championship’s tradition of attracting the world’s most talented field of any major championship, combined with The Ocean Course’s title of America’s Toughest Golf Course, will leave spectators guessing who will take home the Wanamaker trophy in August. 

There is no other golf course in the world, outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland that is affected by as much wind as The Ocean Course.  The course was designed by Pete Dye, legendary golf course architect, with easterly and westerly wind challenges in mind. 

Located on the eastern-most end of Kiawah Island, The Ocean Course has more seaside holes than any other course in North America.  The entire course allows players unobstructed views of the Atlantic coastline from every hole. This view, however, makes the course substantially more demanding as it exposes the course to the area’s brisk and unpredictable sea breezes. 

In addition to the toughest course title, the 2012 PGA Championship is anticipated to be the longest major in history with its current yardage setup on The Ocean Course.

“For the fourth time since 1991, Pete Dye has come in to tweak his masterpiece,” said Roger Warren, president, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, and a past president of The PGA of America. “He continually works to make it as spectacular as it can be.”

Want to watch history in the making? The 2012 PGA Championship will be contested August 6-12, 2012 on The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.  This will be the first time that South Carolina has ever hosted a major championship. Tickets are still available to the 2012 PGA Championship; visit the ticketing page for more details.

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