Charleston South Carolina Golf

Man it gets hot in Charleston.  It’s the humidity that does it.  Despite the heat, Charleston is a very pretty city.  The people are great.  The food is very tasty.  The downtown area was a fantastic place to walk around and watch people.  That’s where there’s a little market where you can get souvenirs.  The market is covered and stretches several blocks.  It looks like it used to be a farmers market.  And the bars in the area are really cool.  We went to a rooftop bar which had great atmosphere and cool drinks.  The good looking chicks didn’t hurt either 🙂  But the most important thing is the golf is great!

All anyone can talk about is Kiawah Island.  It’s obviously the main attraction and for good reason.  It’s ranked in the top five of courses throughout the United States on most lists.  It’s a little pricey, but if you want to play the best in Charleston, and one of the best in the country, this is the place to go.

We didn’t play Kiawah Island.  I’m not saying I won’t, but we didn’t play there this trip.  There are a lot of nice courses in the Charleston area.  We played another nearby course called Wild Dunes.  We played the Links Course, which was apparently rated pretty high by Golf Digest Magazine.  It was a community course, one of a few.  It was also water front and well maintained, but for a more reasonable price than Kiawah.  The last half of the back nine held the feature holes, and ran along the water.  As you might expect on the eastern coast, there were sand dunes and reinforcing fences.  Of course, there was also wind.  These were some beautiful holes and they even come with an audience looking down on the eighteenth hole from an adjacent hotel.  The 18th is their signature hole and is beautiful!  Don’t wear yourself out too much and save some for the crowds.  This picture is from their website .

The Links Course at Wild Dunes
The Links Course at Wild Dunes

The clubhouse was also very nice and well equipped.  It was built fairly recently and you can tell when you walk the grounds, but the golf course didn’t look too immature either.  The staff was also helpful and friendly.  Thankfully, there wasn’t much of a crowd when we were there, and it was during the busy summer.

They had very reasonable rates at Wild Dunes and be sure to ask for military rates if you qualify.  Overall, had a great experience!  Wear sunscreen!

The Las Vegas Callaway Facility

Vegas is always fun, but it’s even more fun with the abundance of golf.  There is so much golf in Vegas.  It’s got a lot of options for adding golf to your vacation in lots of ways.  It gets a little chilly in the winter and very warm in the summer, but the weather is great most of the year (that has become a criterion for where I want to spend my time).  I’ve even played when it was 105 degrees in the summer, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  It’s a dry heat..

But the two biggest problems with golf in Las Vegas are the cost and the fact that when you’re on vacation there are so many other things to do!  This past trip to Las Vegas, I found the solution to both of those problems:  The Callaway facility just south of the airport on Las Vegas Boulevard.

I played the nine hole par 3 course at the Callaway facility and it was speedy and cheap.  We teed off at 11 am.  That was perfect because it was close to the strip so we didn’t have to get up super early and there were a bunch of open tee times to choose from when I called earlier that same week.  Most holes fall between 110 and 135 yards, so it’s really a short game course, except for the one 185 yard hole at the end.  But the course was in pretty good shape and picturesque enough to enjoy.  There was water scattered throughout and a few bunkers to make it interesting.

The first thing I liked about the Callaway facility is the convenience and short time commitment.  It only took about an hour and a half to play, and we were taking our time.  Even if there’s a slow group, it wasn’t a huge deal because the holes are short and there are only nine of them.  I was in Vegas with a bunch of people that didn’t play golf, so it was a perfect little golf outing without excluding people from a whole day.

The second thing I liked about this option was that it was cheap.  It only cost $30 to play compared with $100-500 to play a full round of golf at most of the other courses.  Of course, if you go to Vegas in the dead of summer or winter you can get great deals on most championship golf courses anyway, but 30 bucks is tough to beat.  It’s especially good if you’re going with people that don’t play a lot and aren’t willing to pay the big bucks for a nicer course.

Granted, the Callaway facility was only a par 3, so if you wanna play a full round of golf this isn’t the place.  However, if you’re hung over and you just wanna hit some balls, this may be the place to go.  It was the right choice for me this trip and I’d play it again!

Avoid Heat Injury!!

In the military, heat injury is a big deal.  If your body gets too hot and can’t cool itself down, you could die.  Seriously.  The Marines will go out on humps and very warm weather, but they place an emphasis on education and watch their members carefully.  This Navy Seals train in all different environments, but they have a physician close by in case of emergency.  And if anyone does fall out, depending on the severity of his condition, they may be booted out of the military.  Heat injury is that important.  What about on the golf course?

The golf course is an easy place to fall victim to heat injury, especially if you are out drinking the night before.  Summer, especially in the South, can bring very warm weather.  It’s very important to be careful and to prepare adequately.  Here are some guidelines:

  • Be careful how much alcohol or soda you drink.
  • Drink water before you get thirsty
  • Drink water before you go to the course
  • Stay in the shade of possible — carry an umbrella, or use a cart
  • Dress appropriately
  • Take a break at the turn
  • Play early in the morning or late in the afternoon
  • Consider sitting this weekend out if you’re sick

Next time you play in crazy heat, like here in North Carolina, think about these guidelines and be safe!

Andrews Air Force Base

The weather report scared me with thunderstorm warning all week. I had driven all the way up to Washington DC and I might not get to play! So I went out to Andrews early and luckily beat the rain. I played the East course which didn’t have much water and wasn’t all that long. It’s really not that challenging a course, but very lush and mature. It’s nice scenery, but not the best I’ve ever played. The guys I played with told me they liked the South course. It’s the newest and more of a links style course.

That being said, I decided to play mostly from the trees just to make it more interesting..not! I couldn’t hit the ball straight today. I was left or right all day, and I never knew which way it was going to be. I started out fading, or uh, slicing the ball, but just got more inconsistent throughout the day. In any case, the trees were very big and there were lots of them.

The East course is the longest of the courses, but it’s still not that long measuring only a little more than 6800 yards from the blues. There’s one long par 5 that’s about 560yards, but many of the other par 5’s are reachable.

The course is well maintained and the greens were well taken care of. They were fairly quick and you need some spin to hold the ball. There’s also definitely some grain that’ll play a part in your reading of putts.

It does get crowded, but the three courses on Andrews AFB help keep the wait down. I was able to walk on as a single within 30-40 minutes on a holiday.

Maybe one of the best things about Andrews is the water machines that they have around the course. There were 3-4 points through the round where you could get a cup and fill it at an ice machine and a refrigerated water dispenser. That was great! I stuck it in my push cart and just kept walking.

Well, I heard the thunder a bit after my round, but made it through 18. Sweet!

Local Kauai Golf at Kukuiolono Golf Course

Kauai is probably best known in the golf world for hosting the Grand Slam of Golf at the Poipu Bay Golf Course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. But recently I discovered a fantastic little nine hole course that made my day. It’s called the Kukuiolono Golf Course in Kalaheo.

For a green fee of $9, you get to play the 3000 yard par 36 course located on the top of a hill with views stretching all the way to the ocean. Although the greens aren’t the most consistent or true, the fairways are well taken care of. In between fairways, you can tour an old garden and some artifact looking fountains and rock wall. It’s really a beautiful setting. The course is mature and has a few challenges, but it’s pretty wide open and not the most difficult course I’ve ever played.

The wealthy landowner Walter McBryde built the course in the Kukuiolono Park for the public to enjoy. Even municipal courses are more expensive than this course. They are around $32 for 18 holes on weekdays and $44 on weekends. You can play Kukuiolono twice if you really want to finish 18 holes and the price is still a dollar a hole.

Maybe the best part of this course is the chickens running around the grounds. They are all over and you can even buy chicken feed. They’re very friendly. Bring a camera!

A rooster on Kukuiolono Golf Course
A rooster on Kukuiolono Golf Course