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VO LUM E 35

Open Your Door to the L andsc ape of L e gends

Kiawah Island Club & Real Estate is a trade name and not a legal entity. Kiawah Island Club, Inc. and Kiawah Island Real Estate, LLC are entirely separate entities involved in different businesses on and around Kiawah Island.

Kiawah Island Club, Inc. operates a private membership clubwith dining, golf, and other recreational amenities. Kiawah Island Real Estate, LLC is a real estate brokerage firm featuring properties on Kiawah Island and within the neighboring Cassique community. Obtain the Property Report required by Federal Law and read it before signing anything. No Federal or State agency has endorsed or judged the merits of value, if any, of this property.

KIAWAH’S MAIN GATE

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FRESHFIELDS VILLAGE

1 Kiawah Island Parkway

near Jasmine Porch

390 Freshfi elds Drive

Associations with a De Minimis Cooperative Interest (CPS-7). The CPS-7 application (File No. HO16-0007) and related documents may be obtained from the sponsor. This project is registered with the State of New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Real Estate Commission. Obtain and read the NJ Public Offering Statement before signing anything (NJ Reg#16-15-0011 and 0012). An affi liate of Kiawah Partners.

1/13/21 11:32 AM

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K i a wa h G e t s You

k i a w a h i s l a n d . c o m / l e g e n d s

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8 6 6 . 5 5 4 . 2 9 2 4

This is not intended to be an offer to sell nor a solicitation of offer to buy real estate in any jurisdiction where prohibited by law. This offer is made pursuant to the New York State Department of Law’s Simplified Procedure for Homeowners Associations with a De Minimis Cooperative Interest (CPS-7). The CPS-7 application (File No. HO16-0007) and related documents may be obtained from the sponsor. This project is registered with the State of New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Real Estate Commission. Obtain and read the NJ Public Offering Statement before signing anything (NJ Reg#16-15-0011 and 0012). An affiliate of Kiawah Partners.

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32

WILD ISL A NDS

Explore the magic of this barrier island, one of the most unique and abundant ecosystems in the world.

44

BR E A K ING BR E A D

Chef Mike Lata cooks for the B-Liner’s most trusted local purveyors.

54

44 54

D O G DAYS OF S U M M E R

Club member Charlotte Zacharkiw captures the magic of summer on Kiawah Island.

70

T EM PE ST BOR N The extraordinary story of Pete Dye and the creation of Kiawah’s famed golf course.

78

T H E L A N DSCA PE OF L EGEN DS

Beginning with the 1991 Ryder Cup, look back at the defining moments that made The Ocean Course what it is today.

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C H A R LOT T E C H A R L E S TO N World Class Living

The Mark of Distinction in World Class Home Building™ Charleston (843) 801.1600 Charlotte (704) 889.1600 www.kingswoodhomes.com

86

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J I M M I E JA M E S A N D T H E TOP 10 0

Read about one man’s quest to play GOLF Magazine’s top one hundred courses in one year.

94

CH A M PIONSH I P COCK TA I L S Try four summer cocktail recipes from the Island’s beloved Clubhouses, perfect for celebrating the 2021 PGA Championship.

108

K I AWA H M O D E R N

As our Island community evolves, so too do our expressions of design and architecture.

114

A N U PL A N D H U N T

On a sunny day in early fall, father and daughter hunt bobwhite quail at the Kiawah Island Sporting Club.

122

CH A R L E STON A N D T H E S E C O N D W O R L D WA R

U-boats and the USO: Learn how World War II forever altered the future of Charleston and the Lowcountry.

94 A L O C A L’ S G U I D E T O T H E HOLY C I T Y | 1 3 0 BE I NG T H E C H A NGE | 14 0 G O OD WOR K : H A BI TAT F OR H U M A N I T Y | 14 4 K A Y A K K I AWA H | 1 5 2 I N CON V ER SAT ION W I T H DA N W H A L E N | 15 8 GL OW G OL F | 16 4 EN D NOTE | 179 ON THE COVER: Photo by Patrick O’Brien

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BORN IN LONDON ENJOYED AROUND THE WORLD EST. 1992

Mount Pleasant, SC 640 Coleman Boulevard @stevenshellliving 843.216.3900 Raleigh, NC 2030 Clark Avenue @stevenshelllivingraleigh 919.803.0826

“so much more than just a great furniture store” CASE GOODS, UPHOLSTERY, LIGHTING, RUGS, ACCESSORIES AND OBJETS DE VERTU

LEGENDS . 

E X E C U T I V E E D I TO R & D E S I G N

C O N T R I B U TO R S

Hailey Wist

Christina Rae Butler Joel Caldwell Tom Coyne Bryan Hunter Olivia Rae James Gordon Keiter Johnathan McGinty Patrick O’Brien Lindsey Shorter Sully Sullivan Melissa Toms Gately Williams Charlotte Zacharkiw

C O P Y E D I TO R

Sunny Gray P H OTO E D I TO R

Nathan Durfee

SPECIAL THANKS

Amy Anderson Dave Barrington Nikki Blackford Sheilagh Carlisle Will Culp Geoffroy Deconinck Lucinda Detrich John Durante Pete Gallagher

Greer Gilchrist Aileen Hugli Kimi Hugli Robert Hugli Jimmie James Thaddeus Jones Tiffani Jones Maria Lehman Celeste Marceca

Kerry Marhefka Mark Marhefka Keith McCullough Patrick Melton Amanda Mole Cameron Neal Dixie Norris Femi Oyediran Amy Pastre

Mark Permar Jordan Phillips Chris Randolph John Rhoden Courtney Rowson Joey Ryan Rodney Scott Chris Shope Alison Storey

Jeremy Storey Blake Suarez Suzanne Sullivan Cindy Tarvin Taylor Tarvin Duolan Walker Josh Walker Miles White Stephen Youngner

Kiawah Island Legends is a publication of Kiawah Island Publishing, Inc., an affiliate of Kiawah Island Real Estate. Copyright 2021.

All rights reserved in all countries. Contents may not be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of Kiawah Island Publishing, Inc. Kiawah Island Publishing, Inc. does not necessarily agree with the viewpoints expressed by authors of articles or advertising copy.

Kiawah Island Club & Real Estate is a trade name and not a legal entity. Kiawah Island Club, Inc. and Kiawah Island Real Estate, LLC are entirely separate entities involved in different businesses on and around Kiawah Island. Kiawah Island Club, Inc. operates a private membership club with dining, golf, and other recreational amenities. Kiawah Island Real Estate, LLC is a real estate brokerage firm featuring properties on Kiawah Island and within the neighboring Cassique community. Obtain the Property Report required by Federal Law and read it before signing anything. No Federal or State agency has endorsed or judged the merits of value, if any, of this property. This is not an offer to sell or solicitation to buy real estate in any jurisdiction where prohibited by law. This project is registered with the States of New York and New Jersey.

Any offer in New York is made pursuant to CPS-7 application No. HO16-0007, which application and related documents may be obtained from the sponsor. Obtain and read the NJ Public Offering Statement before signing anything (NJ Reg#16-15-0012). Prices, plans, products and availability are subject to change without notice. Improvements, facilities and programs may be in formative stages and cannot be guaranteed. Use of recreational facilities and amenities may require club membership. Some illustrations are artist renderings only and may differ from completed products.

 

. , 

   





  

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Contributors Golden-hour glow, quiet creeks, fish jumping, birds singing, and gators watching—what a way to experience Kiawah.

M E L T OM S |

P H OTO G R A P H E R

Photographer Mel Toms calls Charleston, SC, home but can often be found traveling around the country fly fishing or hiking in the mountains. Using natural light and candid moments, Mel strives for her photography to be timeless, capturing the beauty around her in unique ways.

OLI V I A R A E JA MES |

P H OTO G R A P H E R

Olivia Rae James is a photographer best known for her warm and timeless wedding photos. She has been recognized by Harper’s BAZAAR and Brides magazine as one of the top wedding photographers in the world for three consecutive years, and her work has been published in Vogue and Travel + Leisure, among others. She lives in Charleston, SC, with her husband and daughter.

The Beach Club is always a dreamy location to photograph, but a sunset dinner party brought the location to life in a completely new way!

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T OM C OY N E |

WRITER

Tom Coyne is the author of The New York Times bestsellers A Course Called Ireland and A Course Called Scotland; Paper Tiger; and the novel A Gentleman’s Game. He is senior writer and podcast host for The Golfer’s Journal, and he lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two daughters, where he is an associate professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University.

Speaking with the people who were around Pete Dye as he constructed The Ocean Course gave me a new appreciation for his uncompromising genius and the power of his personality.

L I N D SE Y SHORT E R |

PH OTOG R APH ER

Lindsey Harris Shorter is a travel and editorial photographer living in Charleston, SC, with work featured in publications like Departures, Garden & Gun, and Lodestars Anthology. She is currently working on a series of still life photographs centered around ingredients to keep her busy until the next travel adventure.

Creating still life photographs centered around food and beverage is one of my favorite things to do. I loved riffing on ideas and playing with colors that would complement each beverage!

Contributors

GOR DON K EITER |

P H OTO G R A P H E R

Gordon Keiter is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer based in Charleston, SC. His love for the ocean tends to be a central theme in his work, ranging from fine art ocean imagery to surfing and wedding films. Gordon received Filmmaker of the Year from Carolina Surf Film Fest in 2018.

Having the opportunity to photograph the lush island of Kiawah from the sky gave me a new appreciation for the Lowcountry and a desire to explore more of this stunning island.

CHRISTINA R. BUTLER |

WRITER

Christina R. Butler is a professor at the American College of the Building Arts and an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston and owns Butler Preservation L.C., which specializes in historic property research. She is the author of Ansonborough: From Birth to Rebirth and Lowcountry at High Tide: A History of Flooding, Drainage, and Land Reclamation in Charleston.

It was fascinating to delve into Charleston’s midtwentieth-century history. I enjoyed thinking about the city on this global scale and exploring its vital role in the war effort.

JOHNATHAN MCGINTY |

WRITER

Johnathan McGinty is a writer and strategist who lives outside of Athens, Georgia, but works just about all over. Though he’s written about The Masters Tournament and run press rooms for the PGA TOUR, he’s still struggling to break 100 on the golf course.

There are only a handful of places that one might consider being a “cathedral” of golf, and the Ocean Course is one of them. It was such a joy to explore the history of The Ocean Course.

This will forever be the summer I got to slow down and take it all in. I noticed the sea oats change color, enjoyed long, lazy days at the pool, and watched my children play with their friends on the beach in the glow of pink sunsets.

CH A R L OT T E Z ACH A R K I W |

P H OTO G R A P H E R

Charlotte Zacharkiw is a photographer and selfproclaimed Adventure Mom based out of Charleston, SC. Her latest project, WEREAWAY, is a website about traveling the world with young children. When she is not working for clients, she is out capturing precious moments with her own family.

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14.01.20 10:41

EDITOR’S LETTER

The coming year promises to be one of great hope and exciting change. In May, we welcome the PGA Championship to the Island for a second time. We are also proud to introduce Advance Kiawah, a new initiative to address racial injustice and bring diversity and inclusion to the Island. Thank you for your readership and we look forward to seeing you soon!

PATRICK, WILL, JORDA N, A ND CHRIS SOUTH STREET PARTNERS

MY HUMANITY IS BOUND UP IN YOURS, FOR WE CAN ONLY BE HUMAN TOGETHER. — DESMOND TUTU

The past year has been extraordinary. As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, life as we knew it ground to a halt. People stayed home, spent time with their families, and considered their priorities.

Kiawah Island has always been a haven, a respite from a busy world. But in 2020, life on the Island took on a new significance. Members who previously spent occasional weekends here came to stay, drawn to the sea breezes and wide-open spaces. They settled in, spending their days biking and reading in the sunshine. They swam in the ocean, took long walks on the beach, and learned the names of songbirds. But more importantly, they connected with one another—navigating challenging conversations and offering support in the face of difficult circumstances. This was the silver lining of a difficult year.

The Kiawah community continues to evolve in meaningful ways—toward inclusivity, toward authentic expressions of solidarity and understanding. I am so grateful to help document this moment in time. Enjoy.

HAILEY WIST

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Club Members

SUZANNE SULLIVAN & DAVE B ARRINGTON

Q

Where do you live?

A

Dave: I’m from Wakefield, Rhode Island. I’m more of a northeasterner than she is! (laughs) Suzanne: Not true! I grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey. We live in Rowayton, Connecticut.

From

R OWAYTON , CT

Dave: It’s good to be home! We can’t spend enough time here. This work thing is really getting in the way.

Q

How often do you come to the Island?

A

Suzanne: Normally, we come every August for two weeks and Thanksgiving week. And three or four other times we try to sneak down for a weekend.

Dave: I guess if there’s any upside to 2020 it would be how much time we’ve been able to spend here. And, it’s only validated our decision that Kiawah is perfect for us.

Q

Do you have kids?

A

Suzanne: We have a blended family. I have two kids who are twenty-four and twenty-six.

Dave: And my two are twenty-nine and thirty-three.

Q

How did you find Kiawah?

Q

What are some of your favorite things to do?

A

Dave: I used to take my brother on a golf trip every year.

We went to Hilton Head once and had a great time. When Suzanne and I started discussing a vacation house, I mentioned Hilton Head—a lot of golf, right on the beach— and she pretty much told me that she’d never move to Hilton Head. It was a bit more colorful, but we’ll leave it at that. We have friends at the Country Club of Darien who own property on Kiawah. We were having dinner with them and they told us to come check out the Island.

A

Q

What were your first impressions?

A

Suzanne: The first time we visited, we spent a couple of days in Charleston and then drove out to Kiawah. I think after spending three, maybe four days here, we put in an offer on a house. We didn’t end up buying the first house we found, but we immediately knew.

Suzanne: I like the Beach Club. (laughs) Dave: Sunsets at the River Course. And, yeah, kayaking.

There’s nothing better than watching the dolphins strand feed. That’s just incredible. We were kayaking with our daughter, Kerry, and it happened right in front of us! It was our first time on the river.

Suzanne: We love walking on the beach, right Dave?

Dave: Yeah. Love walking on the beach.

Suzanne: That’s our favorite way to start or end a day.

Dave: And you don’t run into a bad meal down here, that’s for sure. My waistline can attest to that.

Q

What do you think the future looks like on Kiawah?

A

Suzanne: When we were renovating the house, we did so with our family and retirement in mind. We talked about when our kids would come with grandkids and where they would sleep. And we’re excited to explore the area more too! We love Charleston and want to branch out a bit more.

Q

Tell me about the community here.

A

Dave: One of the great things about Kiawah is that no one is from here, and everyone is looking to connect. So it’s easy to make friends. And I play a lot of golf! If we’re down here for fourteen days, I’ll play twelve times. So I’ve played with a lot of great people.

Suzanne: It’s an upscale, exclusive place, but the people are so friendly and everyone wants to make new friends. It feels really welcoming.

Q

Was there an aha moment?

A

Suzanne: Yes. The moment we walked into the Beach Club and saw the view of the beach, I looked at Dave and said, OK. I’m good. This is perfect.

Dave: Our real estate agent, Danielle Whitson, was dynamite. She knew exactly where to take us based on what we told her. And to Suzanne’s point—I saw the seven golf courses and said, Yep. Done! We don’t have to look anywhere else. And we didn’t!

Q

You could really see yourself here.

A

Suzanne: Immediately. And every time we come back, when we drive over the causeway, Dave says, I’m home!

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29

Club Members

R OBERT & AILEEN HU GLI

Q

Where are you from?

A

Aileen: I was born in the Philippines, but my mom was recruited by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and Bethesda, Maryland, became our first home in the United States.

Bob: I’m from Pittsburgh originally, but we’ve been based in Washington, D.C., for the last fifty years.

From

WASHINGTON , D.C.

signage. It’s very soothing to be here.

Aileen: Nature, but also I don’t think I could live here full time if I didn’t belong to the Club. The minute we walked up the steps of The Beach Club, I said, This is it.

Bob: We’re very happy to have the Club. It makes it so easy. There’s so much variety.

Q

What do you think makes The Club so special?

A

Bob: It’s the people. It’s nice to see the same staff and to feel so at home.

Aileen: Where else can you walk in, sit down— Kimi: And you’re family.

Aileen: Jeff, the bartender, comes with our drinks right away, and we’ve barely sat down! Do you know how special that is? Plus we see our neighbors, so it’s the community. It’s the people like Jacob, Jan, John, Lorraine, Sam, Corina, Kendall, and Steve, just to name a few, that make you feel so welcome and at home.

Q

How did you two meet?

A

Bob: My office is on Pennsylvania Avenue. I was one block over, looking in the window of a shoe store. And, you know, we’re a block from the IMF. Aileen: I was having lunch with my mom and was walking up G Street. Bob said hello and asked for my number. He caught my eye with his three-piece suit and his piercing blue eyes. He has always been my GQ man!

Our first actual date was at Columbia Country Club. It was such a lovely evening of dinner and dancing.

Bob: They played the Bee Gees and Peg o’ My Heart, and we danced all night. She is a whirlwind dancer!

Q

Kimi, tell me about your first memories here.

Q

What is your work, Bob?

A

A

Bob: I’m an investment advisor. I started out about fifty years ago with Legg Mason, out of Baltimore and Washington.

Q

How did Kiawah come on your radar?

A

Kimi: They brought me here at such a young age that I only have pictures to jog my memory.

Aileen: Remember the Jeep tours to Vanderhorst? With the safari hats? That’s all you did.

Kimi: Then we came a lot my last couple years of college.

And college is loud—everything’s busy and fast. I came here and could hear myself think. It’s so peaceful.

Bob: We came down forty-some years ago for a Legg Mason event.

Aileen: I think that was in 1980. We stayed at The Inn. When Kimi went to college, we rented a home during the winters to see if we could make a life here. The house we were renting was being sold, so we were walking in Freshfields Village and decided to pop into the Real Estate office, where we met Rocky Stelling, who showed us around Kiawah. Within a week, we bought our home.

Q

What does your social scene look like?

A

Aileen: I spend a lot of time playing tennis. Craig and Marquel introduced me to the game six years ago. I love it so much that in 2020 we purchased a condo overlooking the Roy Barth tennis courts. Tennis was where I met my core group of friends; I even play USTA and CALTA with these wonderful ladies. I also do a little volunteer work. I’ve been involved with the Haygood Grady Fund that raises money for Roper St. Francis [Cancer Care]. I volunteered for Arts, etc. for three years, and we are also involved with the Kiawah Island Conservancy. It’s such a wonderful community. There are people from all over the world, and it’s the nature, family, and lifestyle of Kiawah that brings us all here.

Q

What do you think really sold you on Kiawah?

A

Aileen: The quiet. When you cross that bridge, you’re in another place. There’s nothing like it. Having our morning coffee while watching the wildlife over the marsh makes our home so special.

Bob: I like single-lane traffic. I like the fact that there is no

Pictured here with their daughter Kimi

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WILD ISLANDS ST O RY by J O E L CAL DWE L L PH O T O GRA PH Y by G O R D O N KE I T E R AN D ME L T O MS

T HE B AR R I ER I SL AND SYSTEM IS M A D E U P O F GEO LO GICA L STR I ATI ONS OF S AN D, FOR EST, A ND M A RS H .

The barrier islands of the Carolina Lowcountry are like no

The barrier island system is made up of geological striations

other ecosystem in the world. These unique land formations

of sand, forest, and marsh. From ocean to inlet, the first layer

boast an outsized number of contrasting ecosystems and are

is a wide, sun-bleached beach. Much of the beach is entirely

home to countless rare and endangered species of both plants

covered with saltwater twice daily, and sand is deposited

and animals.

day after day by the Atlantic’s gentle waves. Known more

Barrier islands exist in chains, separated from the

specifically as the intertidal zone, burrowing animals that

mainland by a shallow sound or narrow tidal inlet. The

live here—like mole crabs and clams—have adapted to daily

formation of these islands is complicated and not completely

exposure to saltwater and filter feed during high tides. A

understood. Most geomorphologists believe that at the end

wide variety of shorebirds are on display, from sandpipers

of the last ice age, as glaciers melted and receded, sea levels

scavenging crustaceans to terns, and brown pelicans plunging

rose and flooded existing beach ridges, pushing sediment

into the water in pursuit of offshore fish.

out and depositing it along shallow areas just off the new

Moving into the interior of the island, you make your way

coastline. Additionally, freshwater, carrying sediment from

over a series of ever-changing dunes, formed by windblown

distant mountains, continues to empty into the low-lying

sand. The dunes are stabilized by sea oats, bitter panicum, and

coastal plain, where it is met by opposing tidal forces pushing

other plants—their shoots slowing the wind and allowing sand

saltwater shoreward. Over time, waves and currents build up

to be deposited. This is crab country, particularly ghost crabs

sediment while weather events periodically reshape barrier

that live here within range of the salt spray, accompanied by

islands more drastically.

the gulls that feed on them and other invertebrates.

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MOST GEOMOR PHOLOGI ST S BELIEVE T H AT AT T H E END O F T H E L A ST IC E A GE , AS G L AC I E R S ME LT E D AN D R ECEDED, SEA LEV EL S R O S E A ND F LO O D ED E X IST ING BEA C H RID GES, PUS H I N G S E D I ME N T OU T AN D DEP OSI TI NG I T ALON G S H A LLOW A REA S JUST O F F T H E NEW C OA ST LINE .

PR O T ECT ED BY T H E DU NES, T H E S U N FI LT E R S T H R OU G H A CAN O PY O F S L A S H PINE, S A ND LIVE OA K , A N D FL OWE R I N G MAG N O L I A.

You next enter the shade of maritime forest. Protected by the

The low elevation allows the existence of vast estuaries, home

dunes, the sun filters through a canopy of slash pine, sand live

to only one kind of grass but a rich diversity of wildlife. The

oak, and flowering magnolia, as well as large shrubs and small

magic ingredient—Sporobolus alterniflorus—is a perennial,

herbaceous plants. The tracks of racoons, opossums, bobcats,

deciduous grass that grows and dies off annually, forming the

and foxes cover the soft earth. A bright warbling echoes

building blocks of life in the wetland ecosystem.

through the canopy, and you see the unmistakable blue head,

Just as your eyes adjust, so now do your other senses.

red throat and chest, and green back of the brilliantly plumed

First there is the distinct smell accompanying your journey

male painted bunting.

through the marsh. Pluff mud—a viscous, dark-brown miasma

Emerging from this dense copse, it takes a moment for

of decomposing grasses. But though these tidal flats may

your eyes to adjust. Looking west, the salt marsh glimmers

not appear “clean,” they perform an important function of

in the sun, a kaleidoscope of green cordgrass, shimmering

purifying runoff from mainland rivers and streams.

mudflats, and meandering creeks reflecting the brilliant

The audio component of your experience is no less unique.

blue of the sky. Settling into a waiting kayak, you shove off,

A gentle breeze sighs through the cordgrass, interrupted by

paddling along the calm water of a tidal creek, navigating

the distinct kekk-ing calls of clapper rails, known colloquially

oyster bars as an ebb tide propels you out toward the River.

as marsh hens. The distant but ubiquitous pop of snapping

The salt marsh is one of the most productive ecosystems in

shrimp claws reaches you through the water. Paddling around

the world, supporting an astonishing multitude of vegetation

a bend you startle a great blue heron. The massive, blue-gray

per acre and requiring a rare confluence of forces to exist.

bird omits an indignant Jurassic croak as it takes flight.

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THE S ALT MA RS H IS O NE O F T H E M O ST PR O DU CT IVE EC O SYST E MS I N T H E WO R L D, SUPP O RT ING A N A ST O NIS H ING M U LT IT U D E O F VEGETAT I O N P E R AC R E AN D REQ U IRING A RA RE C O NF LU ENC E OF FO R C E S T O E X I ST.

THESE B AR R I ER I SL AN DS ARE S IT UAT ED A LO NG T H E AT L A NT IC F LYWAY—A MAJOR MI GR ATORY R OU T E FO R BIRD S T RAVELING F R O M A S FAR OFF AS GR EENL AND AND S OU T H A M ERICA

It’s almost as if this fickle marine environment is teasing the

and South America—and play an important role as a stopover

abundance of extraordinary life all around, without revealing

between breeding and wintering grounds.

The breeze has picked up as you head upstream, sending

too many secrets.

Where the beach and interior of the island are beautiful—

a spray of water from the end of your paddle. Your destination,

the marsh astounds. The huge source of nutrients produced

the Cassique boat dock, is in the distance. Just then you see

from the decomposing cordgrass supports an abundant

them, a pod of dolphins. You pull your paddle out of the water

diversity of species specially adapted to the region. From

as they approach, until they surround you on all sides. A

phytoplankton in the water to diamondback terrapins (the

mother and her calf surface ten yards away, rolling up out of

only turtle living in the saltmarsh, having developed glands to

the water, eyeing you calmly before submerging again. Magic.

process the salt) to an abundance of birdlife.

The barrier island ecosystem is unforgettable. Her

Elegant snowy egrets, white with bright yellow feet, stalk

wild marshes and estuaries are a potpourri for the senses—

the shoreline as you enter the main channel of the Kiawah

an enchanting place that lodges deep down in the brain,

River. You pass a shell rake hosting five willets and a ruddy

immediately recognizable and remembered. She’s capricious,

turnstone. Bald eagles and ospreys wheel high above, and

perhaps an acquired taste, but one that rewards the patient,

a belted kingfisher perched on a high snag lets out its wild

appreciative observer through a slow revelation of her

rattling call before diving headlong into the water. These

wondrous charisma and nuance.

barrier islands are situated along the Atlantic Flyway—a major

Spoonbills, alligators, dolphins, redfish—who knows what

migratory route for birds traveling from as far off as Greenland

you’ll encounter? Take the trip and see if it changes you. — J.C.

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BREAKING BREAD C H E F M I K E L ATA T H A N K S T H E C L U B ’ S L O W C O U N T R Y FA R M E R S A N D F I S H E R M E N

ST ORY by HA I L E Y W I ST P HOT OGR A P HY by OL I V I A R A E JA ME S

I T I S A B R E E Z Y A F T E R N O O N I N E A R LY D E C E M B E R . T H E L AT E FA L L S U N L I G H T C A S T S A S O F T C O P P E R Y G L O W O N T H E B A C K L AW N O F T H E B E A C H C L U B .

The guests arrive in twos, striding down the grassy slope for

Partners really wanted to do something different with The

a welcome cocktail. Jeremy and Alison Storey of Storey Farms

Beach Club restaurant, to make a statement about food that is

on Johns Island arrive first. Then Cindy and Taylor Tarvin of

deeply connected to the Lowcountry. Lata came to the project

Tarvin Seafood and Mark and Kerry Marhefka of Abundant

with a bit of trepidation. “I thought, How difficult is this going

Seafood. Kiawah Island Real Estate agent Kelly Henry and

to be? Will compromise water down the concept?” Because it

her husband, Joe, join the group, and they all chat amiably in

was a bold choice. Traditional club offerings are staid, solid.

the afternoon sun.

The emphasis might be on quality, but consistency is often

This night has been a long time coming. It is a celebration

prioritized above all. Lata’s concept for the B-Liner was high

of a vision realized, a thank you from the B-Liner’s Chef

maintenance and full of variables, a menu that changes daily.

Mike Lata to the farmers and purveyors that underpin his

The whole endeavor felt like a risk. Yet the partners gave Lata

storied Lowcountry restaurants. And it is a chance for these

full reign.

hardworking fishermen, shrimpers, and farmers to enjoy the

“Flash-forward two years and we’ve done it,” says Lata.

fruits of their labor and to connect with their contemporaries.

“There it is, without compromise. There’s a tremendous amount of pride in that achievement. Then to invite [the purveyors] for the first time to get the experience, to cook for

The B-Liner opened its doors in March of 2018 after a complete

them with the team—putting this exclamation point on the

reimagining and extensive two-year renovation. But it was

project is really fun for me.”

several years before that in the making. Lata and the Kiawah

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THE MAIN EVENT IS THE GRILLED B -LINER WITH CHERMOULA. THE NAMESAKE F I S H I S S T R A I G H T F R O M M A R H E F K A’ S D O C K A N D T H E G U E S T S O O H A N D A A H A S L ATA S E T S I T O N T H E TA B L E .

Before dinner, the guests sit in the sunshine or play bocce ball.

the tone for quality, local seafood and you see it on the plate.”

Several couples are meeting for the first time, yet there is an

Deconinck is playing to a sophisticated audience. The

easy amity among the group. “I think farmers and fishermen

diners at the B-Liner are lockstep with the concept, he

always have a lot in common as far as the craziness of our

says. “These are international travelers. They have dined

lives and the risky entrepreneurial endeavors that we’ve all

in excellent restaurants.” And it’s true. Club members are

taken on,” says Kerry Marhefka of Abundant Seafood. “We

perhaps Lata and Deconinck’s most discerning audience.

always feel this sort of kindred spirit when we’re amongst

The B-Liner has been met with rave reviews. “I think there

other purveyors.” Someone suggests a beach walk and the

is a growing conscience with savvy food folks,” says Lata.

group strolls down the boardwalk to the sand. There is a stiff

“[The B-Liner] is very in step with what is important to a lot

breeze and whitecaps tuft the shallow waters of the Atlantic,

of people now. And Jacob Henley, the general manager, has

and everyone turns west, into the sun.

set the tone for people to receive the food. That makes a big difference. He and Geoffroy together are the best one-two punch you could ask for.”

Lata gives a lot of credit to B-Liner executive chef Geoffroy Deconinck. He has worked in some of the best restaurants in the country and, from the start, shared Lata’s vision for the

The sun is sinking toward the horizon as the guests make

restaurant, his commitment to quality, to local ingredients.

their way back to the grass. Lata, Deconinck, and their team

“This relationship that we have with the purveyors is really

cross the lawn to the table. They’ve brought roasted potatoes

energizing and interesting,” says Deconinck. “We have to

with Fushimi peppers, fall ratatouille, and spaghetti squash

adapt because we never know what fish is coming tomorrow.”

casserole. There is a salad of mizuna and mustard greens and

Deconinck commutes from Daniel Island and often goes to

a seafood tower to end all seafood towers. But the main event

the Marhefka’s and the Tarvin’s dock himself to choose fish

is the grilled B-Liner with chermoula. The namesake fish is

and pick up shrimp. His dishes lean toward simplicity, letting

straight from Marhefka’s dock, and the guests ooh and aah as

the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves. “We take

Lata sets it on the table.

extreme care in the produce we purchase,” he says. “We set

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Ma r k a n d Ke r r y Ma r h e f k a

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T OP R IG H T: G e o f f r o y D e c o n i n c k a n d Mi k e L a t a | B O T T OM L E F T: Ke l l y a n d Jo e He n r y

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T OP L E F T: C i n d y Ta r v i n | B O T T OM R IG H T: Ma r i a Jo s e L e h m a n w i t h B r e a k t h r u B e v e r a g e G r o u p

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I T A L L S TA R T S W I T H A K I T C H E N T H AT P R I O R I T I Z E S L O C A L PRODUCTS AND A SENSE OF PL ACE.

Over dinner, the host and his guests talk shop—from

and beverage community around these purveyors. “When

Charleston’s current culinary climate to local policy on

we print Abundant Seafood and Tarvin Shrimp on the menu,

Lowcountry fisheries. This is a continuation of a longstanding

we’re educating people,” says Lata. “Diners connect the dots

discussion. How to mobilize meaningful support for the

and actually go to the dock. It can resonate with them.”

Lowcountry’s farmers, shrimpers, and fishermen? Lata’s

For the Marhefkas, Lata has been absolutely instrumental

restaurants and his considerable influence is incredibly

in their success. “It’s not just talk. He truly supports our

important to people like the Marhefkas, Storeys, and Tarvins.

business in every way, shape, and form,” says Kerry Marhefka.

“True leaders in the industry, like Mike and plenty of others,

Though the Marhefkas are very active in federal fishery

are using real ingredients in the state that they’re meant to be

management, Lata’s star power affords them access they

in,” says Cindy Tarvin. “And I hope that is lasting. It’s a really

wouldn’t get on their own. As a team, they have even gone

important piece of the puzzle for the survival of local farmers

to Washington, D.C., appealing to congressional leaders on

and fisheries.”

issues like fishery regulation and catch shares. The survival of

Benign neglect of the local government is often a disappointment to local purveyors. “They look at the number

the Lowcountry’s fisheries and farms depends on the passion and dedication of people like this.

of fishermen, which is not very many,” says Tarvin. “But

But it all starts with a kitchen that prioritizes local

what they don’t look at is the ripple effect that the fisheries

products and a sense of place. Tonight, the whole fish

have on the local community, the restaurants, and tourism.”

presentation of the B-Liner steals the show. “We get super

Without reasonable support, local fisheries struggle to

jazzed at any whole fish presentation,” says Marhefka.

develop, to draw a younger workforce. For the Tarvins, Lata

“Different cuts of fish have different flavor and texture, so

is not just a steady customer, but a consistent source of a more

you get the whole experience.” The guests toast to Lata and to

fundamental support, a mouthpiece that can rally the food

each other, and laughter punctuates the evening air. — H.W.

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D O G DAYS O F

SUMMER

PHOTOGR A PHY by CHA R LOTTE Z ACHA R K I W

CLUB MEMBER AND MOM OF THREE, CHARLOTTE ZACHARKIW CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF A K I AWA H S U M M E R T H R O U G H T H E LENS OF HER LEICA M TYP 262 A N D O LY M P U S T O U G H T G - 6 .

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TEMPEST BORN STORY by TOM COY NE

P r e v i o u s S p r e a d : DY E AT T H E C OU R S E I N 1 9 9 3 | A b o v e : DY E AT T H E O C E A N C OU R S E I N 1 9 8 9 | PIC T U R E D L E F T W I T H M A R K PE R M A R . PIC T U R E D R IG H T W I T H PAT M c K I N N E Y, F OR M E R PA R T N E R W I T H K I AWA H A S S O C I AT E S , A N D JOE WA L S E R , J R . , F OR M E R S E N IOR V IC E PR E S I DE N T OF L A N DM A R K L A N D C OM PA N Y | PHO T O S C OU R T E S Y OF M A R K PE R M A R

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PE T E DY E H A D A R R I V E D F OR H I S F I R ST L O OK AT T H E M I L E S OF M A R S H , BE AC H , A N D BR A M BL E T H AT W E R E G OI NG T O HO ST T H E RY DE R C U P I N J UST T WO Y E A R S ’ T I M E .

There was no stopping to ask for directions. Pete Dye had

way, each setback was lined with glimmers of hope and

arrived for his first look at the miles of marsh, beach, and

strange providence.

bramble that were going to host the Ryder Cup in just two

Mark and Pete would become dear friends over the course

years’ time, and Mark Permar had been asked to serve as his

of Dye’s time at Kiawah, but Mark admitted, “Getting lost with

backwoods chauffeur. As the longtime land planner at Kiawah

Pete Dye in the truck felt like one of the great embarrassments

Island Real Estate, Mark knew the island’s acres better than

of my life. I don’t know him from Adam at this point, and he’s

anyone, but the undeveloped eastern edge was tricky.

grumbling in the back about where we are. But every once in

“Normally, you can tell where you are at Kiawah by

a while, I’d make another wrong turn and we would bump

listening for the ocean,” Mark explained, “but we were out by

into one of these giant sand dunes. We would stop and Pete

the inlet, so the water was on either side of us. This is Pete

would get out, and he would wander off. He’d walk the dunes,

Dye, so I really wanted to be on top of my game, but within

and you could just see him getting a sense for the size and

thirty minutes, I got us completely lost in the middle of the

the space of the property. I could tell he was just gathering

thickest stuff on the island.”

and absorbing everything. He started to ask me questions

In hindsight, it was a fitting start for The Ocean Course,

about prevailing breezes, and I remember him saying, ‘I think

where the property seemed to test Dye and his crew at every

we can lay this out such that you can see the ocean from

turn, as if to ensure they were worthy of such a rare canvas.

every hole.’”

From the site’s inaccessibility (a forty-minute daily commute

The Ocean Course may have been born that afternoon in

through unpaved overgrowth) to the unreasonable timeline

1989 with Mark lost at the wheel, but the forces behind its

(from swamps to fairways in less than twenty-four months)

creation had been simmering for decades. They finally came

to the intervention of a record-setting hurricane—The Ocean

together not in the barrier islands of South Carolina, but in a

Course wanted its crew to earn it. They did, and along the

clubhouse on the west coast of England.

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The result of the 1977 Ryder Cup at Royal Lytham & St. Annes

a Category 5 hurricane had hit the site. They were basically

Golf Club was decided before its opening ceremony began; the

making every suggestion that this wasn’t going to possibly

American side had lost the Cup to Great Britain and Ireland

happen at Kiawah.”

just once since 1935, and the biennial exhibition was slipping

For Mark and his team, the flight home to the States was

into competitive irrelevancy. After another breezy American

quiet. After learning that their homes and families were safe,

victory, Jack Nicklaus lobbied the event’s hosts to rejuggle

their attention turned to Kiawah, where Hugo had made the

the format, and he succeeded: In the 1979 Ryder Cup, the

island entirely inaccessible.

Americans faced off against a team drawn from all of Europe,

“The downed trees and the debris, it was just awful,” he recounted. “I got a helicopter pilot to pick us up so we could

not just the British Isles.

The matches grew tighter, the rivalries more intense.

survey the damage on the island, and it was extensive. We just

Out came the flags and the chants and a new golf jingoism.

kept going down further to the east end, where the new course

A formerly polite affair of unevenly matched sides was now

was supposed to be, and we looked down—and we could not

a gut-wrenching donnybrook. Team Europe had retained

believe what we saw. There was Pete, down there on a piece of

the Cup through three consecutive contests as the matches

machinery, out there building the golf course.”

approached Kiawah, an event its promoters presciently labeled

As if the hurricane never happened, Dye piloted a

“The War by the Shore.” Had the European team not been

bulldozer along the beach and found himself back on the site,

reconstituted, however, it might have been called “Handshakes

sculpting holes. “He was out there on a mission,” Mark said,

in the Desert”—the ’91 Ryder Cup had been scheduled to take

“and it got us all pumped up. We thought, ‘Hey, if he can do

place at PGA West in Palm Springs. But as the Europeans built

that, we can clean this place up, we can make this happen.’”

their winning streak, international interest and viewership

Pete Dye’s top man on The Ocean Course build was project

were spiking and a late decision moved the event to the East

manager Jason McCoy. Together, he and Pete had followed the

Coast to better accommodate European television audiences.

National Guard back on to the island the morning after the

PGA West’s parent company, Landmark Land, fortunately

storm, where they found that the dunes at the centerpiece of

had an eastern site in mind for the ’91 Cup; they just had to

their course had been destroyed. But what had been left was a

build it first. Two years to construct a Ryder Cup venue on

clear slate of ocean vistas packed with possibilities.

Kiawah wasn’t an entirely unreasonable timeline, if Mother

“There were two stages to building The Ocean Course,”

Nature cooperated. And in the most bizarre and destructive

Jason explained. “The first stage, we were going to build it

fashion, she did.

low. With the main dune in front of us, and all the regulations

“A group of us who were involved in the ’91 Ryder Cup

for a sensitive coastal property like that, it was all we could

went over to England to see the ’89 event,” Mark explained.

do—build some lakes for recirculating the water, build it

“While we were over there, that’s when Hurricane Hugo hit

low and get the place going. But the hurricane hit, and life

Charleston and Kiawah. There was a press conference with the

changed. The storm just changed it.”

European writers about the next Cup, and they were asking if

Jason recalled placing Pete and his wife and design

we really thought we could have the event, why the course

partner Alice into the bucket on his loader and lifting them

wasn’t built yet, asking what we were going to do now that

above all the hurricane wreckage. “Alice was just struck by

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L e f t : DY E AT T H E O C E A N C OU R S E I N 1 9 9 3 | PHO T O C OU R T E S Y OF M A R K PE R M A R | To p R i g h t : DY E V I S I T I N G T H E C OU R S E I N 2 010 I N T H E L E A D - U P T O T H E 2 01 2 P G A C H A M PION S H I P. PHO T O B Y G AT E LY W I L L I A M S B o t t o m R i g h t : PE T E A N D A L IC E DY E . C OU R T E S Y OF K I AWA H I S L A N D G O L F R E S OR T

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AT K I AWA H , S OM ET H I NG L A RGE R R E S ON AT E S — S OM ET H I NG B OR N OF T H E U N E X PE C T E D, T H E AUS PIC IOUS , T H E C E L E ST I A L , E V E N .

the beauty of everything we could see, now that the dune was

along, away from, and toward the ocean, tying the beach to

blown out. And that changed how we were going to build The

the rest of the island’s topography and flora. But even more

Ocean Course.”

essential than its look and its routing, the genius of Pete and

Instead of building low holes along the dunes, Jason was

Alice Dye’s Kiawah routing resides in the fact that, on any

charged with lifting the golf course and bringing the waves

given morning, it could host either the PGA Championship

into view, giving The Ocean Course a character distinct from

or an outing for resort guests, and either crowd would leave

other Lowcountry layouts. Since Hugo had demolished the

feeling well served.

setting’s fragile natural features, the team’s work was now

“That was Alice’s influence,” Jason said. “She knew golf.

viewed as environmentally restorative instead of ecologically

She understood the game from a variety of perspectives, and

threatening. Not only could they now build boldly, but they

she didn’t forget about the shorter hitters. She wanted wider

could build quickly, too. From Mark getting lost in the woods

fairways where amateur players needed them. She was really

to Jason growing grass in the fairways, the project was

smart about tee placement—they would go back and forth on

completed in less than eighteen months.

ideas, Pete and Alice, because she had the same passion he

Pete Dye plus the ocean is a golf recipe hard to spoil; perhaps Kiawah’s major championship venue was bound for

did. And then they would settle on a happy medium. Or Alice would get her way.”

greatness no matter the whims of fortune or weather. But two

And the course was better for it. Whether it be the

less-often noted ingredients at The Ocean Course deserve fair

placement of the fifth hole (Alice’s idea) or the ideal balance

credit: the marsh and Alice. And not in that order.

of greens that ran right-to-left and left-to-right (Pete’s

P HO T O B Y PAT R IC K O ’ B R I E N

“The hidden jewel of Kiawah is the marshland,” Mark

trademark), Pete and Alice were a mighty collaborative force

explained. “The contrast of the island’s beach with its

at The Ocean Course. The fruits of their teamwork can be

marshes—it’s a really strong, if less obvious element, and I

found at Crooked Stick or Harbour Town or Sawgrass as well,

was immediately encouraged that Pete was intrigued by the

but at Kiawah, something larger resonates—something born of

marshland and was considering more than one way to look

the unexpected, the auspicious, the celestial, even. Playing a

at the golf.” Along with the elevated fairways and greens,

course crafted by hand can be a powerful experience, but it’s

a winning feature of The Ocean Course is the way it moves

really no match for a hurricane. — T.C.

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THE L ANDSCAPE OF

LEGENDS ST O RY by JO H NAT H A N M C GINT Y

It is a young course, barely thirty years old, but one with a beguiling past. In the Spring of 2021, a new chapter will be written as the PGA Championship returns to Kiawah Island.

P h o t o b y Pa t r i c k O ’ B r i e n

1991

T H E RY DE R CU P It wasn’t even supposed to happen here. The 1991 Ryder Cup was slated to be played at the PGA WEST Stadium Course in La Quinta, California. But since the player format had been changed to accommodate players from all of Europe, there was a surge of interest overseas. In order to capitalize on this international attention, the Ryder Cup needed to be in a more Europeanfriendly time zone. Thus the game’s premier international event was moved from California to Kiawah Island. And yet. There was no golf course—just an untamed stretch of dunes and marsh Pa u l A z i n g e r | 19 91 R y d e r C u p Im a g e s p r o v i d e d b y P G A o f A m e r i c a / G e t t y Im a g e s

lining the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Legendary designer Pete Dye was enlisted to create a championship-level venue by September 1991.

The Ryder Cup as we know it today, with its raucous crowds and top-to-bottom television coverage, exists because of those three days in September at Kiawah Island. The Europeans had won three consecutive Cups, the most recent coming after a contentious tie at The Belfry in England. The stage was set. After a dramatic three days of play, victory hung in the balance as Hale Irwin from the U.S. and Europe’s Bernhard Langer approached the 18th green. “The course had the strongest wind left to right, into our faces the last five holes. I’ll never forget [U.S. team captain] Dave Stockton telling Hale Irwin, ‘We want you to bring the championship home,’” U.S. player Chip Beck remembers. Irwin kept his composure and watched as Langer slid a six-foot putt for par past the hole, sealing the win for the U.S. The celebration that followed was nothing short of legendary, with champagne baths and swims in the surf.

1999

THE L EGEN D OF BAG GER VA NCE The world got another glimpse of the majesty of The Ocean Course when The Legend of Bagger Vance hit movie theaters in 2000. Though set in Savannah, Georgia, the movie features the marshes and dunes of the South Carolina Lowcountry. While many scenes were filmed at Colleton River Plantation in Beaufort, South Carolina, the crux of the story centered around a golf duel Un i t e d A r c h i v e s / A l a m y

that reached its crescendo at a fictional 18th hole filmed at The Ocean Course. For nearly a month, the film crew worked to craft a makeshift hole at the back of the current driving range. Then Kiawah Island welcomed Matt Damon, Will Smith, and Charlize Theron to its star course. But don’t go looking for that hole—it doesn’t exist anymore.

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2000

T H E CA DDY PRO GR A M Eschewing the status quo, the Kiawah Island Golf Resort decided against an established caddy service. Instead, they built their own team from the ground up. This better equipped their caddies for high expectations of quality and service. In April 2000, The Ocean Course sent out its first caddies. The program pairs players with a trusted caddy to help navigate the technical elements of play, but it also shapes the experience of the course, its rich history and extraordinary setting.

Its ranks have swelled since 2000, becoming one of the premier caddy programs in the country and offering an unrivaled experience for the golfers who come to tangle with the windswept conditions at the course.

2003

I NSTA L L AT ION OF PA SPA LU M Initially, Dye seeded the course with Bermuda grasses traditional to regional courses. Conditions along the Atlantic Coast pose challenges for the care of any golf course as wind, salt, and sun hammer away at the vitality of turfgrass. But Kiawah Island’s well water is also high in salinity, making it exceptionally difficult to keep the Bermuda grass green and healthy. The particular salttolerant species that would come to populate Kiawah Island’s famed courses was found growing wild on nearby Sullivan’s Island. The turfgrass research team at the University of Georgia used this wild specimen to craft a new type of paspalum that could withstand the harshest of elements the Lowcountry could offer.

In 2003, Dye replaced the Bermuda grass on the course’s greens with salt-tolerant paspalum.

At the time, The Ocean Course was the northernmost course to use the new species. Transitioning it to the fairways and tee boxes came just a few years later, and by 2017, paspalum was the grass of choice for every course on the Island. “The ultra-dwarves and bentgrasses, they have a much finer texture leaf blade than paspalum,” said Jeff Stone, the superintendent at The Ocean Course.

“One of the benefits playability-wise is there is very little grain.” Less grain means a ball that sits up better in the fairway and rough, enhancing the experience for the golfer. There’s nothing worse than a beautiful shot ruined by a poor lie.

PGA of A merica

1 9 9 7– 2 0 0 7

T H E OCE A N COU R SE PROV E S I TSE L F The Ryder Cup may have introduced The Ocean Course to the

The golf course was brand-new when it hosted the Ryder

world but that didn’t necessarily mean it had earned a place

Cup, meaning its newly installed fairways and greens were

among the game’s elite venues. For those three days in 1991,

firmer than older, more established courses. The grasses from

the course and its challenging conditions—exacerbated by

the fairway to the green hadn’t matured yet, and the strong

the ocean winds that whipped across the fairways—battered

breezes coming off the ocean took advantage of shots that

players. That worked fine in a match-play format, where the

bounded a tad too far in one direction or another. Still, the team

focus is to simply better the other team.

at Kiawah Island set out to slowly earn the trust of governing

In a stroke-play tournament, where individual players are

organizations like the PGA of America, hosting a steady stream

trying to take their scores as low as possible, it wasn’t ideal.

of tournaments that would display both the challenge the

Professional golfers love a test, but they don’t love a course

course could offer, as well as its overall playability.

that makes it impossible to perform to the best of their abilities.

From 1997 through 2007, the course hosted two World

That put The Ocean Course on a perilous path, contesting

Cup events, the PGA Club Professional Championship, and

accusations it wasn’t suitable for a traditional stroke-play

the Senior PGA Championship. Each time, the course held

tournament. “They were worried the pros wouldn’t be able to

up, offering a fearsome, yet enjoyable, test for the golfers and

play it, that it would be too hard,” recalled Stephen Youngner,

garnering rave reviews from the players.

the head professional at The Ocean Course.

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Photo by Pat rick O’Brien

2012

T H E PG A CH A M PIONSH I P By the time Rory McIlroy made his way down the 18th fairway,

thunderstorm rolled through in the afternoon, suspending

showered by the adulations of a jubilant crowd, it had already

play, while a lovely mixture of sun and clouds graced players

been decided. As he ambled his way up to the green, his name

for their Sunday rounds.

was already being etched on the Wanamaker Trophy, and

Through it all, McIlroy remained focused. The Irishman

eager fans were ready to celebrate his initiation as the game’s

dominated play throughout the weekend, firing rounds of 67

new star player.

and 66 to close out play and cruising to a surprisingly easy

But it was a long, harrowing road to victory. That warm summer weekend in 2012, players got a taste of everything

eight-stroke victory for his second major championship. It was a picture-perfect end to a historic week at Kiawah Island.

the venerable venue could offer. Calm conditions fostered

The tournament marked the first time a major professional

lower scores to open play, but then thirty-mile-per-hour winds

championship had been held in the state of South Carolina,

wreaked havoc with tee shots and approaches to the green

and there was no grander venue than The Ocean Course with

in the second round, sending scores soaring. A third-round

its windswept dunes and sparkling coastline.

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P h o t o b y Me l To m s

84

2021

T H E PG A CH A M PIONSH I P This year’s PGA Championship will be confronted with one of the shortest turnaround times in the history of golf’s four majors. Just nine months will pass from the moment that Collin Morikawa hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy to the first tee shot of his title defense.

In 2019, the PGA TOUR shifted the 2021 PGA Championship to May. This transition promises to deliver different playing conditions for the field, with the potential for swirling winds, temperature fluctuations, and a level of unpredictability that makes the challenging Ocean Course that much more perilous. Morikawa figures to be one of the favorites, leading a crowded and talented field of players that includes 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson, the game’s buff bomber in Bryson DeChambeau, and Rory McIlroy, who won the 2012 PGA Championship during its last visit to The Ocean Course.

JIMMIE JA M E S AND THE TOP 100

STORY by H A ILE Y W IST PH OTOGRA PH Y by LINDS E Y S H ORTE R

JIMMIE

JA M E S

WA S

FIVE

YEARS

O L D W H E N H E S ET H I S F I R ST G OA L .

At that tender age, he did not know one person who had

are so private that an unnamed pro joked, “The members here

graduated from high school, and he promised himself he

don’t even play with each other.” Playing Augusta National,

would. One of eight children, Jimmie grew up well below

for example? Virtually impossible. Shinnecock? Merion?

the poverty line in a sawmill town in southeastern Texas.

These are some of the most exclusive courses in the world. If

“To call the house a shack is actually overstating. There was

you know, you know.

no plumbing or electricity,” he remembers. “Dust from the

It is important to note that of the top one hundred courses

mill came in through the cracks between the boards.” In the

of 2017, there were twelve resort courses and one public

winter, the kids mixed flour and water to paste on the crude

course. To play those, Jimmie simply needed to show up and

walls to keep out the wind. Jimmie learned to read at an early

shell out some dough. The rest, however, were private. That’s

age by the light of a kerosene lamp (another early goal).

eighty-seven private courses to finagle an invitation to. At the

I met Jimmie on Kiawah in early summer. He and

outset, Jimmie thought he had twelve private courses pretty

his wife, Erika, have a second home on the Island and are

well buttoned up. Twelve private courses plus the thirteen

in town to golf (Jimmie) and go to the spa (Erika). It’s not

public courses meant he had twenty-five courses confirmed.

hyperbole to say that Jimmie has an actual twinkle in his eye.

That sounds like a lot, Jimmie explains, until you realize that

He is engaging, magnetic, quick to smile. He is what I would

there are another seventy-five to coordinate.

describe as exceptionally self-actualized. You get the sense

And let’s be clear, Jimmie isn’t a member at any of these

that he doesn’t believe in obstacles, or doesn’t believe in them

private courses. In order to play a round, a member had to

the way you and I do. He loves a challenge, loves to set the bar

invite him, and more often than not, actually play with him.

laughably high and shatter reasonable expectations.

The logistics of this thing were nothing short of impossible.

But that’s not even the full picture. These courses are spread out across the country. We’re talking weather restrictions,

At fifty-eight, Jimmie retired from a wildly successful career

travel hiccups, closures for tournaments and renovations.

with ExxonMobil. One month later he set out on an impossible

Think of the travel days and long drives, the rental cars, the

mission—to play GOLF Magazine’s top one hundred golf

hotel rooms. And it’s not like he could knock out the golf

courses in America in one year.

courses in a region in a single go; he had to plan around

He didn’t just set out to play the top one hundred courses—

member schedules. The logistics alone were a full-time job.

he gave himself the outrageously ambitious time limit of a

But perhaps the most daunting aspect of this preposterous

single year. That equals a round of golf every three days or so.

undertaking was finding members to host him at each golf

That is a lot of golf. What’s more, these aren’t just ordinary

club. Jimmie had an impressive network to start. But to drum

courses. Eighty-seven out of one hundred are private. Some

up seventy-five invitations from willing strangers? “Some of

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T H E S TAT S : 73,284 MILES FLOWN 1 7, 4 7 2 M I L E S D R I V E N 82 HOTEL NIGHTS 8,796 GOLF SHOTS

the clubs have just one hundred members or less,” Jimmie

common. How do you find those links?” Again and again,

tells me. “In a country of 338 million people, you’re trying

Jimmie accomplished the impossible.

to find a needle in a haystack.” But his plan was simple: meet

There were plenty of mishaps, however. He flew to Los

the next member, make the next connection, get on the next

Angeles to play The Valley Club of Montecito three separate

course, and then the next course after that.

times. The first two attempts coincided with record rainfall

The uncertainty, the frailty of the whole endeavor would

and mudslides in Santa Barbara. Hurricane Harvey waylaid

have driven anyone else to throw in the towel. But not Jimmie.

his plans to golf with a friend at Castle Pines in Colorado. One

This is where magic happened. Jimmie kept meeting

course was almost destroyed during the California wildfires.

the right people. People would know people and make a

Members cancelled, got sick, changed plans. He had twenty-

call on Jimmie’s behalf, and just like that he’d have another

nine courses left to play with just thirty-five days remaining.

course ticked off the list. He has countless stories of chance

These final courses were spread across six states, from Idaho

encounters, serendipitous circumstances, fluke connections.

to New Jersey to South Carolina. There was no room for error.

He met the head pro at Quaker Ridge, for example, in a

At around five o’clock on June 11, 2018, Jimmie finished

dustup over a cracked windshield. He played the course the

his one hundredth round of golf at Wade Hampton Golf Club

following weekend.

in Cashiers, North Carolina.

Jimmie believes in the power of what he calls the fourth

None of it, he tells me, would have been possible without

question, the art of being able to hold a conversation long

his wife, Erika. “People ask me what the critical factors are to

enough to find a link. “Once you get past your name, where

have played the top one hundred courses in a year. I always

you’re from, and what do you do—what comes next?” he

say that first, I married the right woman. It all started there.”

asks. “So often we have people, places, and experiences in

At sixty-one, Jimmie is relatively new to the game of golf.

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T H E U N C E R TA I N T Y, T H E F R A I LT Y O F T H E W H O L E E N D E AV O R W O U L D H AV E D R I V E N A N Y O N E E L S E T O THR OW IN THE TOWEL. BUT NOT JIMMIE.

He started playing fifteen years ago when Exxon moved him

something magical happened,” he remembers. “It was like

to Beaumont, Texas. “The vice president of my division said,

every care and worry just floated away. We were sold.” They

Jimmie, you’re going back to Texas, and you need to start

bought a home in 2011 and make the easy drive from Atlanta

shooting something.” He laughs, remembering. “He said, You

on weekends and holidays. “It really is a special place. We’ve

can shoot animals, or you can shoot par!” Erika went out and

traveled all over the world, but there is something different

bought him a set of golf clubs. It was also Erika who got him

here,” he says. “The people, the environment, the beach, the

on Augusta National and Erika who bought him a book about

lifestyle—the combination has a magic to it.”

a guy who played the top one hundred courses in the world

And, of course, there’s the golf. The Ocean Course has

(though it took him a protracted twenty years to do it). “She’s

always captivated Jimmie and, in part, inspired his quixotic

my partner in crime,” Jimmie says with a smile.

mission. “I have always been amazed that you can actually

When Jimmie retired in May of 2017, he knew he wanted

play on the exact same courses that the professional golfers

to travel the US. “I really wanted to reconnect with America,”

play on,” he says. “And what Pete Dye did with the land—

he remembers. “To prove to myself that it was still the country

especially those last five holes directly along the ocean—it’s

that I remember, the country that gave me the opportunity to

really challenging.”

rise from poverty and live the American dream.” He started

Golf is the perfect existential mechanism, the perfect

scheming. Golf had become a real passion, and initially he

impossible challenge for a rare bird like Jimmie James.

thought he’d travel to all fifty states and play a few courses

Thinking about his childhood, his spectacular rise from

along the way. Obviously, the final iteration of that scheme

poverty, his incredible career and subsequent life experience,

was much, much more complicated.

it’s no surprise the guy loves a challenge. “You strike the ball

Jimmie and Erika started coming to Kiawah with their two kids in 2006. He sheepishly admits that he didn’t think he’d like it. “But as soon as we drove through the gates,

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just once, purely,” he says, beaming. “And you spend the rest of your life in pursuit of that.” — H.W.

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GRE AT E ST M AJOR TO K I AWAH I SL AN D

P HOTOG RAP HY by LI N DSE Y SHORTE R

RY DER DY E T H E R I V E R C OU R SE C LU BHOUSE Pete Dye, designer of The Ocean Course, worked through the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo to finish in time for the course to host the 1991 Ryder Cup.

1.75 OZ W H I S T L E P IG P IG G Y B AC K 6 Y E A R RY E W H I S K E Y .75 OZ L U X A R D O M A R A S C H I N O L IQ U E U R .75 OZ B ROA D B E N T R E S E RV E 5 Y E A R M A D E I R A B I T T E R M E N S XO C O L AT L M O L E B I T T E R S

P O U R A L L I N G R E D I E N T S I N T O M I X I N G G L A S S OV E R IC E STIR 20 SECONDS W ITH BA R SPOON S T R A I N I N T O RO C K S G L A S S OV E R O N E L A RG E IC E C U B E A D D 3 D RO P S B I T T E R M E N S XO C O L AT L M O L E B I T T E R S

CHAMPIONSHIP

COCKTAI L S TO CE L E BRAT E T HE RET U RN OF GO L F’ S

C O C KTA I L S

OU R M AST E R M I XOL OGI ST CU RAT E S A SE RI E S O F SU MMER

CATORCE T H E BE AC H C LU B The Beach Club lies a sand wedge from the 14th tee box of The Ocean Course.

1. 5 OZ C I M A R RÓ N B L A N C O T E Q U I L A .75 OZ A P E RO L . 5 OZ L I M E J U IC E

B U I L D I N H IG H B A L L G L A S S OV E R IC E T O P W I T H T O P O C H IC O GA R NISH W ITH LEMON A ND LIME W HEELS

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WA NA M A K ER T H E C A SSIQU E C LU BHOUSE Rodman Wanamaker, namesake of the trophy awarded to the winner of the PGA Championship, is widely considered to be the founding father of the PGA.

1.75 OZ B O U L A R D V. S .O. P. C A LVA D O S .75 OZ B ATAV I A A R R AC K VA N O O S T E N . 5 OZ S O L E R N O B L O O D O R A N G E L I Q U E U R . 2 5 OZ V E LV E T FA L E R N U M

P O U R I N G R E D I E N T S I N T O C O C K TA I L S H A K E R OV E R IC E SH A K E A ND POU R CON T EN TS IN TO CHIL L ED COU PE GL A SS GA R NISH W IT H OR A NGE T W IST

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GR I P IT A N D SI P IT T H E O C E A N C OU R SE C LU BHOUSE This famed golf course will host the 2021 PGA Championship.

1. 5 OZ M I L AG RO S I LV E R T E Q U I L A . 5 OZ A P E RO L 2 OZ G R A P E F RU I T J U IC E . 5 OZ L I M E J U IC E S P L A S H O F C L U B S O DA

B U I L D D R I N K I N A D O U B L E O L D FA S H IO N E D G L A S S W I T H IC E T O P W I T H C L U B S O DA GA R NISH W ITH A LIME W EDGE

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C O R T N E Y B I S H O P. C O M 8 4 3 . 2 7 7. 2 7 7 5

K I AWA H MODERN STO RY by HAI LEY W I ST P HO T O GR APHY by PATR I CK O’BR I EN

M A S T E R P L A N N I N G I S A N A R T. Cultivating a genuine community requires oversight that

says Permar. “And they dance well with each other because

is strict enough to maintain a long-term vision but relaxed

they honor massing, form, and scale. They honor materials.

enough to allow authentic expressions of design and the

They honor color.” Each house is obviously part of a larger

balance of form against function. Control the aesthetic too

community with shared aesthetic values. But the homes

tightly and you end up stuck in a formula, forever playing a

reflect their owners in a way that feels authentic.

single note. Too laissez-faire and aesthetic cohesion falls apart into a mishmash of singularity.

Recent developer-led projects like Front Nine Lane and the Cottages at Marsh Walk in Ocean Park are a response to a

Real, living communities are ultimately a reflection

growing curiosity in progressive architecture. Permar and the

of their people. Kiawah’s master planners know this better

partners tested the waters with Ocean Park’s Marsh House in

than most. The Island’s architectural vernacular unfolds in

2016. The amenity, with its angular rooflines and wide open

real time, a careful dance along this fine line of thoughtful

fenestration, was met with resounding approval.

oversight and impartial latitude. And so it is no wonder that

For Kiawah’s Architectural Review Board (ARB), the lead

the Kiawah oeuvre is beginning to include more modern

story has always been “designing with nature,” fitting homes

expressions of architecture.

within the existing environment. “One of the advantages of

Modern architecture as we know it today is polarizing,

a more contemporary aesthetic is that you’re not so hemmed

to be sure. But if you look at the concept in a larger sense,

in with traditional floor plans,” says Amanda Mole, director

all design is modern at one time. “All great communities have

of architecture for the Kiawah Partners and ARB chair. “This

layers and layers of history,” says Mark Permar, Kiawah’s

allows you to work around trees, topographical features, and

longtime land planner. “The older buildings that we think of

take better advantage of views. It allows for a much more

as grounded in tradition were actually pretty progressive at

creative approach.” What’s more, the inherent simplicity

one time. Real communities have a diversity of elements.”

of modern architecture allows the charisma of the natural

And aside from a small set of more tightly designed

setting to really shine.

neighborhoods (Cassique, The Settlement), this is true on

In prevailing interpretations, modern architecture is

Kiawah. Its neighborhoods are an authentic expression of the

defined by efficiency, clean lines, function over form. “It’s

last forty years. And even newer neighborhoods like Ocean

about simplicity and directness,” says Permar. “It’s design that

Park are unfolding as a pleasing mix of design sensibilities.

serves a purpose, as opposed to decoration.” And natural light.

“[At Ocean Park] there’s traditional next to progressive,”

So often, modern architecture relies on glass and light

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I N A W A Y, T H I S M O D E R N K I A W A H A E ST H ET I C I S J U ST A N E W TA K E O N TRADITIONAL IDEALS.

as fundamental components. But things can go quickly awry

oceanfront or the golf course or the marsh. But Front Nine

without a baseline respect to site elements, to environment

Lane interacts like a sine curve against the course—coming

and vernacular origins. “You can get sideways out here with a

and going in proximity. The homes are clustered in groups of

modern house that is crisp white, almost cold,” says Permar.

three, with a sort of shared inner courtyard. This configuration

The ARB is careful not to dictate style, aside from a few

lends itself to interesting views—direct views of the course and

distinct neighborhoods on the Island. But they do control for

ocean, but also diagonal views through the trees and into the

authenticity, weighing in on proportion, materials, and color.

courtyards. That sets up a varied floor plan for each of the

In Mole’s words, the ARB is the keeper of the aesthetic vision

homes, a different response to each site and vista. Because, as

for Kiawah Island, a responsive counsel that maintains the

Permar says, “There’s nothing more creative than seeing the

fabric of the community and a respect for the natural setting.

same thing differently.”

So in a way, this modern Kiawah aesthetic is just a new

The four-story homes (three habitable floors) are dramatic

take on traditional ideals. Marsh Walk, Front Nine Lane, The

in proportion but modest in scale, maxing out at 4,028 square

Marsh House—these are all projects using the same time-

feet. The vertically oriented floor plans are expansive, open

honored materials and the traditional Kiawah shingle style.

configurations of indoor and outdoor space. But the design

But it’s reconfigured, made new with innovative form.

ethos remains the same. “It’s very connected to the natural

The new Cottages at Marsh Walk borrow heavily from the

systems,” says Permar. “How does it accept the sun and

beloved Marsh House amenity. The cottages are defined by big

breezes during different times of the year? How is it connected

windows and interior living spaces that connect meaningfully

to natural grade?”

to the out-of-doors. Half of the house is devoted to an open

Permar and the partners really wanted to make a statement

floor plan kitchen and living room. But for Mole and the

with Front Nine Lane. They wanted to push the envelope.

ARB team, the trees surrounding the cottages are the main

Texas-based architectural firm Lake|Flato had caught the

event. “There are a lot of live oaks with beautiful branching. It

team’s attention several years prior. Their residential portfolio

allowed us to site the cottages in a way that minimized impact

is rooted in the Southwest—big horizons, desert scapes, Texan

to trees,” she says. “In the end, the homes look like they have

flora. But Permar saw the intelligence of the buildings. “You

always been there.”

can tell they are really sensitive to the environment. A lot of

But Front Nine Lane is perhaps the boldest interpretation

their homes literally grow out of slopes. They discover ways to

of this emerging modern aesthetic. Set along the first hole

have multiple levels, but it doesn’t feel like a big building. They

of the Island’s famed Ocean Course, the limited release

find a way to integrate modest scale.”

neighborhood is sited in a way that completely rethinks the status quo. Most homes on Kiawah line up like soldiers on the

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For Lake|Flato’s Graham Beach, the Front Nine Lane concept started with the views. “Tucked into the dense, old-

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THE VERTICAL BLUEPRINT IS ALS O A NOD TO THE ICONIC C H A R L E S T O N S I N G L E H O U S E , W H I C H E V O LV E D , I N P A R T , A S A R E S P O N S E T O T H E N A T U R A L E N V I R O N M E N T, T O O C E A N BREEZES AND AFTERNOON SHADE.

growth oak trees, you’re overlooking the golf course and the

the heart of the space, and that’s where the planting design

ocean beyond. I just loved the layering of those views. From

may become a little bit more structured, a bit more refined.”

the beginning, we knew there was an opportunity to make these homes more vertical and get you up into the treetops.”

The landscaping is a thoughtful response to the buildings.

“It’s not like the architects do one thing and the landscape

For Beach, architecture is about honesty. “We start

architects do something else,” says Permar. “It’s all the same

our process with a bunch of site analysis. Looking at the

thing, woven tightly together.” And just like the architectural

climate, wind and sun patterns, humidity levels, building an

aesthetic, Cline’s plans display a fundamental simplicity. She

architecture that’s responsive to the place. It’s not so much

plays with texture and layering but keeps the palette simple.

about trying to be modern, but an honesty in the approach.”

“We use masses of just two or three things,” says Cline. “There’s

The vertical blueprint is also a nod to the iconic Charleston

more power and drama in that.” The courtyards are all slightly

single house, which evolved, in part, as a response to the

different, each defined by a significant characteristic—a grand

natural environment, to ocean breezes and afternoon shade.

live oak or a grove of sabal palms.

“Probably every architect that goes to Charleston is enamored

“It’s important to the ARB that we not create barriers,”

by the single house,” says Beach. “The narrow footprint

says Cline. “Fences and walls are impediments to nature.

brings in a ton of light and cross ventilation. We tried to take

They prefer vegetative buffers that ground the buildings to

some of these historically relevant and materially contextual

the landscape and allow native wildlife to roam. Spotting a

precedents and present them in a slightly unexpected and

flock of egrets or the occasional alligator is the essence of the

more modern way.”

Kiawah experience—naturally and aesthetically.” This lack of

This philosophy doesn’t end with the hard materials.

Charleston-based

landscape

architect

Cindy

Cline

of

Wertimer + Cline was brought in early in the concepting

barriers, the indistinct line between intentional landscaping and the natural environment, is a direct reflection of Kiawah’s architectural ethos.

process, and her design is in perfect concert with Lake|Flato’s modern sensibility—clean lines, function over form, and an

Progressive architecture is not for everyone. But Permar likens

emphasis on the natural environment. The goal is to heal the

it to the Lowcountry marsh. “The marsh is an acquired taste.

homesites back into nature. “We use mostly native plants on

Its beauty is not initially obvious to people,” he says. “But over

the periphery so that the home feels as though it has been part

time, they start to get it, they start to see it differently. I think

of the surrounding landscape for quite some time,” explains

modern architecture can be like that.” — H.W.

Cline. “Then as we move closer to the buildings, you move to

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AN UPLAND HUNT STORY and PHOTOGRAPHY

by JOEL CALDWELL

I A R R I V E AT T H E K I AWA H I S L A N D SP ORTING CLUB ON A CLOUDLESS S AT U R D AY M O R N I N G I N L AT E FA L L .

Turning off of Bohicket Road, I wind through a beautiful

backing instinct, Gibbs works with a new dog, often twice

mixed forest. The spectacularly colored autumnal leaves of

daily, every day, starting at six weeks of age, on his farm

the American sweetgum—red, yellow, and even purple—pop

in Dorchester County. The training begins with yard work,

and swirl against the more subdued greens of loblolly pine

just walking around the farm, and eventually evolves into

and live oak. Designed by Marty Fischer, “the most famous

working with pawns and planted pigeons, reinforcing the

left-handed wing shooter in the world,” and one of the most

canine predator instinct. Typically at around nine months to

sought-after gun club designers in America, the four-year-

a year, the dogs are ready to go afield.

old, 960-acre sporting club offers a variety of shooting—clay

The partnership between upland hunters and their

pigeon, skeet, trap, and five stand—across fifteen stations, as

canine hunting companions is the stuff of legend. “They

well as archery.

get into their prime around four to five years, but I’ll hunt

Robert Gibbs and his two German shorthaired pointers,

them sometimes until they’re eleven or twelve—out of respect

Ridge and Smoke, greet me as I step from my car. Gibbs looks

for the dog—because that’s what they’re born to do,” Gibbs

like the quintessential hunting guide—dressed in khaki-

tells me. Bird dogs, also called gundogs or pointing dogs,

colored pants and an upland hunting vest with shooting

are typically divided into three classes: retrievers, flushing

patches and blaze orange paneling and a large game pocket

dogs, and pointers. The name pointer comes from the dog’s

at the back. We talk amiably while waiting for the others.

instinct to pause, aiming its muzzle toward game perfectly

Though he has hunted all his life, Gibbs didn’t start guiding

camouflaged in the underbrush.

until he retired from a career as a mechanic. Initially he

Gibbs’s dogs are trained to detect game, point, and then

borrowed an older guide’s dog and recalls, “When I saw

flush the bird upon command. Once the birds are forced to

that dog rock up on a point, I said to myself, This is what I’m

flee, the hunter attempts to shoot down the bird, known as

supposed to be doing.”

wing shooting. Once downed, the dog is tasked with retrieving

Since that day, guiding upland hunts and training bird dogs—both German and English pointers—has been his life.

Selectively bred from dogs that had abundant pointing and

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and bringing the game to the guide.

A truck pulls up with our hunters, Randall Glover and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Reese. Born in Charleston,

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B O B W H I T E Q UA I L — A R E D D I S H - B R OW N G R O U N D - DW E L L I N G B I R D W I T H A S H O R T TA I L — A R E N AT I V E T O N O R T H A M E R I C A A N D N A M E D FO R T H E I R W H I ST L I N G b o b -W H I T E ! CA L L .

Randall started hunting at the age of five and has hunted

of commotion—beating wings and blowing grass—followed

pretty much everything locally available—deer, turkey, ducks,

by the quick one-two reports of Randall and then Reese’s

and doves, as well as today’s quarry, quail. Climbing into golf

shotguns and the bird goes down forty yards away. Ridge

carts, we drive under live oaks draped with Spanish moss,

charges through the underbrush, grabbing the inert bird in

past trapshooting stations, and into the large open fields

his jaws, obediently retrieving it to his master.

beyond. Leaving the carts, we continue on foot.

Randall playfully chides Reese about being ahead in

“The best part of hunting is sharing it with someone

the bird count as we continue our way down field, both

you like—like your daughter or a good friend,” Randall tells

dogs running through the undergrowth, searching for their

me, smiling at his daughter walking alongside Gibbs. “That

next chase. These fields we are walking through are now

and watching the dogs work. That’s what quail hunting is

maintained as quail habitat, something that is increasingly

really all about.” When I ask Randall about hunting with his

hard to find Gibbs tells me. Bobwhite quail—a reddish-brown

daughter, he smiles and says, “I have pictures of her at a really

ground-dwelling bird with a short tail—are native to North

young age sitting in the deer stand with me. She’s just always

America and named for their whistling bob-WHITE! call. More

wanted to go.”

often heard than seen, these elusive birds keep within dense

We make our way around a big oak, through broom sage and bunchgrass, high-stepping over blackberry vines

low cover, crouching and freezing in place when threatened, relying on camouflage to stay undetected.

and dewberry. Gibbs is in the middle, whistling after his

According to Gibbs, that habitat went away with modern

two dogs; both hunters are fanned out to either side. Almost

farming and forestry practices—clear-cutting and burning

immediately Ridge comes up on point, stubby tail erect, head

slash removes all protective ground cover that quail depend

tilted slightly downward, frozen in place. Gibbs motions the

upon, while modern intensive farming leaves no edge for

hunters forward before kicking at the underbrush. A flurry

wildlife, and chemicals such as Roundup™ remove beneficial

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T W O H U N D R E D A N D F I F T Y A C R E S O F T H E P R O P E R T Y WA S S E T A S I D E I N A W E T L A N D S C O N S E R VAT I O N E A S E M E N T A N D C O N T R O L L E D B U R N S A R E D O N E R E G U L A R LY T O S T I M U L AT E N E W G R O W T H O F N AT I V E S P E C I E S .

grass species. Bobwhite quail require broom sage and

We set out to improve the land, and the quail hunting concept

bunchgrass to breed and lay their eggs in. “Farmers used to

came into being on its own.”

have a small field, and it was a two-row operation. Now they

I catch up with Reese after a few more rounds of point,

have like sixteen rows, and they took all the habitat out,” Gibbs

flush, and shoot. Randall is still ahead in the count, but after

says as we walk the fields. By some estimates bobwhites have

a slow start his daughter is gaining on him. This is Reese’s

declined in population by 85 percent since the 1960s. For that

first quail hunt, though by now she’s a veteran deer, turkey,

reason, essentially all quail hunts in the Eastern United States

and duck hunter, having started at the tender age of five, like

utilize farmed birds.

her father (this past deer season, she started hunting in the

Matt Stanis, Kiawah Island landscape superintendent,

stand by herself). When I ask her about first impressions of

tells me they have implemented a multi-year plan to improve

quail hunting, she replies, “I like it, it’s really fun...” before

overall habitat on the property. “We did some forestry

breaking off mid-sentence—all business—telling me the dog is

operations to thin the timber. Once you let sunlight into the

once again on point.

understory floor, you quickly get regenerative growth.” That

At the Kiawah Island Sporting Club quail hunting is

new growth is important nourishment for many wildlife

available to any member. Two hunters get thirty birds,

species, and turkey and deer populations, in particular, have

which are cleaned, vacuum-sealed, and returned post-hunt.

responded positively.

“I think the hunting is really taking off,” Randall tells me as

“This is best management practice,” Stanis tells me. “We now have partridge pea naturally regenerating as well as a

we head back to the carts. “Gibbs did five hunts the week of Thanksgiving. I think people are really taking to it.”

lot of native grasses—staple food sources for quail.” Stanis

When I speak to Stanis, he’s enthusiastic about the

has gone a step further, planting millet, corn, sunflower, and

prospect for the Sporting Club. “During the pandemic, people

sorghum as supplementary food for wildlife. Additionally

are getting back into outdoor activities and this is filling a

two hundred and fifty acres of the property was set aside in

niche,” he tells me. “We’ve seen a lot of kids showing interest,

a wetlands conservation easement, and controlled burns are

and it’s providing one more way to utilize the outdoors. The

done regularly to stimulate new growth of native species. “It’s

timing couldn’t have been more perfect.” — J.C.

been rewarding to see how quickly the land has responded.

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CH A R LESTON

SECOND WOR LD WA R A N D THE

W R I T T E N b y C H R I ST I N A R A E BU T L E R

E M ER G I N G F R O M TH E G R EAT DEPR ESSI ON , CH A R L ESTO N R OA R ED I N TO THE WOR LD WA R I I E R A , E X PER I EN C I N G I TS L A R GEST P OPUL ATI ON B O O M I N D ECA D ES. S OU T HER N ER S FLOCK ED TO C H A R L ESTO N ’ S N AV Y YA R D I N A SUR GE OF PAT R I OTI C SU PP O RT FO R THE WA R EFFORT.

The war boosted a stagnant local economy, with 80 percent

Burnet Maybank) visited the facilities in 1936, where he

of federal defense funding for the entire South coming to

gave a speech emphasizing Charleston’s strategic location

the Charleston area. Over 900,000 men trained for service

before traveling downtown to address a crowd of over

on South Carolina military bases, and 180,000 South

twenty-five thousand at The Citadel campus. During the

Carolinians (2,500 of whom were women) served in the

course of the war, the Navy Yard produced more than three

war, in addition to thousands more residents who helped

hundred new vessels, built with materials from South

the war effort. Ship builders stationed in North Charleston

Carolina-based steelworks in Sumter and Columbia.

fabricated state-of-the-art cruisers and destroyers, while satellite industries cropped up to meet munitions and

HOUS I N G SHORTAGES

supply demands. Downtown Charleston’s venerable homes

Just as the War Production Board halted all nonessential

were hastily converted into duplexes, Navy headquarters,

construction projects, Charleston’s population nearly

and even USO facilities where dances took place in formal

doubled. Historic houses were quickly carved into

dining rooms painted battleship gray. As a coastal city, the

apartments, and garages and former stables were

war came close to home on more than one occasion.

converted into additional residences. Stately mansions like the Vanderhorst House (28 Chapel Street, 1832) and

T HE N AV Y YA R D

the Toomer House (34 Chapel Street, 1840) were divided

Charleston’s Navy Yard, located ten miles north of the

into rooms for rent. The News and Courier reported in

harbor, was busy well before the war, manufacturing and

March 1942: “Charleston, traditionally one of the most

repairing ships at its expansive dry docks on the Cooper

densely populated cities in the United States, now has not

River. Its workforce swelled from six thousand in 1941 to

a single vacant house. Houses built for one family are now

nearly twenty-six thousand in 1943. President Franklin

occupied by two to twenty families.” Later that year, the

Delano Roosevelt (a close friend of Charleston mayor

paper reflected that “since the fateful December

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P r e v i o u s S p r e a d : U S O DI N N E R ON T H E P OR C H OF T H E JO S E P H M A N IG AU LT HOU S E | I M AG E C OU R T E S Y OF T H E C H A R L E S T ON M U S E U M | To p L e f t : S A I L OR S A T I N S HOR E PA T R OL B A S E , W E S T P OI N T R IC E M I L L | C H A R L E S T ON Y E A R B O OK, 1 9 4 2 | To p R i g h t : P R I S ON E R S F R OM T H E G E R M A N U - B OA T U - 3 5 2 A R R I V E I N C H A R L E S T ON | N A T ION A L A R C H I V E S | B o t t o m : L AU N C H I N G T H E U S S HOB S ON A T T H E N AV Y B A S E | C H A R L E S T ON Y E A R B O OK, 1 9 4 1 | C I T Y OF C H A R L E S T ON R E C OR D S M A N AG E M E N T

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To p L e f t : A G R OU P OF M E N A N D WOM E N P E R F OR M I N G A T A U S O E V E N T I N C H A R L E S T ON | To p R i g h t : U N I DE N T I F I E D S OL DI E R S T A N DI N G I N F R ON T OF T H E U S O B A N N E R ON T H E G A T E HOU S E A T T H E JO S E P H M A N IG AU LT HOU S E | B o t t o m : S I X S OL DI E R S A P P E A R T O B E E A T I N G D OU G H N U T S A N D DR I N K I N G C OF F E E W I T H ON LY ON E H A N D A T A U S O E V E N T I N C H A R L E S T ON | I M AG E S C OU R T E S Y OF T H E C H A R L E S T ON M U S E U M

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7th of a year ago, Charleston, like other major wartime

Red Cross training facility. Young soldiers attended dinner

cities, has assumed a different attitude, cast off its cloak

parties there. They played games like horseshoes and

of complacency and donned the spirit of turning out war

badminton on the lawn and were provided with stationery

machines that stand for ultimate victory. From the time

to write home to their families.

that newspapers and radios cried out Japan’s treachery, persons interested in contributing their share to national

J FK AT THE N AVY HEADQUART ER S

defense, whether in actual service to their country or

Future president John F. Kennedy was by far the most

through industries engaged in defense work, or in civilian

famous young serviceman to be stationed in Charleston.

defense, have flocked to the city, swelling the population.

Many of the places he lived and worked are still extant; his

The once famous tourists’ resorts are now catering to army

office for the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence was located

and navy personnel and the Fort Sumter hotel, guarded by

in the stately Porcher-Simonds house at 29 East Battery

marines, is army and navy headquarters.”

(the side piazzas were enclosed by the Navy during the office conversion). He spent time in the Fort Sumter Hotel

US O A N D M I L I TA RY I NSTA L L ATI ONS

at 1 King Street and lived in a garage apartment at the G.

The U.S. military swept through the city purchasing

Abbott Middleton House at 48 Murray Boulevard. Mrs.

properties. Weyman’s Folly at 340 Meeting Street became a

Middleton told reporters years later that she remembered

Navy Shore Patrol office. The stately Villa Margherita at 4

Kennedy as “a nice-looking boy who didn’t spend much

South Battery was leased by the United Seamen’s Service,

time around the place.”

and the Calhoun Mansion on Meeting Street became a

The twenty-four-year-old lieutenant likened being

boarding house for Army and Navy personnel. Even the

stationed in Charleston to “being in Siberia,” so remote

Carolina Yacht Club at 50 East Bay Street at the foot of the

was the Southern town from his usual social circles. That is

Battery was converted into a naval officers’ club.

until a young Danish journalist named Inga Arvad arrived

The U.S. Coast Guard leased the Old Exchange

in the city to visit. The two had a serious affair. Historian

building for its offices and bought the old Chisholm Rice

Harlan Greene states that “at night, the eligible young

Mill building on the west end of Tradd Street to convert to

bachelor was often seen with a former Miss Denmark and

a Coast Guard Station (still an active facility today). West

married woman, Inga Arvad—Mrs. Paul Fejos—although

Point Rice Mill at 17 Lockwood Drive became a U.S. Navy

she was ‘Inga-Binga’ to him and he was ‘Honeysuckle’ to

station. The Navy also constructed a U.S. Fleet Landing

her. Kennedy’s father [then ambassador to Great Britain]

station on Concord Street as an embarking/debarking

nearly had an apoplexy when gossip hit the press.”

facility (including seamen who were on their way to the

J. Edgar Hoover, whose strong dislike of the Kennedy

brig for mischievous behavior). The building is one of the

family was widely known, suspected Inga as a Nazi spy

most intact vestiges of the World War II era in Charleston

(she had interviewed Hitler for a paper and he was smitten,

and is now a popular waterfront seafood restaurant.

dubbing her the “perfect Nordic beauty”). He instructed

The Joseph Manigault House, a fine Adam style

the FBI to bug the room in the Fort Sumter Hotel where

residence built in 1801, became a USO headquarters and

Inga met for her trysts with Kennedy. Inga and JFK seem to

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have loved one another, and he confided in her about his

Moultrie alone had three thousand personnel stationed for

personal insecurities. Arvad biographer Scott Farris notes,

coastal defense. Charleston Harbor was even strung with

“She spent her time with Jack not just making love and

nets to prevent U-boats from creeping up to the city.

laughing at his jokes but listening to his ambitions in life

In September 1942, Charleston had its closest brush

and assuring him they were within his reach.” Joseph P.

with the German enemy. Captain Hans-Heinrich Giessler

Kennedy effectively ended the relationship by reassigning

wrote in his ship diary that the coastline was well lit and

“Jack” to a Pacific ship. JFK later recounted, “They shipped

easy to find: “Charleston is recognized as a bright glow on

my ass out of town to break us up.”

the horizon at a range of 30 nautical miles . . . Charleston light house [Morris Island] burns in peace time.” His

DA N G ER C L O S E TO H O M E

submarine U-455 lay in wait for two days hoping to target

During World War II, South Carolina had a small Prisoner

and sink a merchant ship passing by. U-455 made it within

of War facility in West Ashley that began as an Italian

half a mile of the harbor jetties and was never detected,

encampment and later became a German internment

but it planted several mines before retreating back out to

site. Nearby residents were at first apprehensive about

the ocean. Four other U-boats were detected in the harbor

the camps, where prisoners were put to work harvesting

during the war, and two came close enough that the harbor

crops or cutting pulpwood, but Fritz Hamer explained, “It

was closed due to mine threats.

became clear that the vast majority of these prisoners were glad to be out of the war. They were getting three meals a

THE WAR EN D S

day, and many like having a different routine [working]

South Carolinians gave much for the war effort—over five

out of the camps.” Quarters were rudimentary, and many

thousand died and thousands more were wounded or

prisoners lived in tents. A young Coast Guard seaman

suffered the loss of a loved one. Lucky veterans returned

named Tony Agresta was able to speak some Italian and

home to Charleston to start families, and thousands of new

was assigned to escort the prisoners to Charleston in his

residents who had relocated for war work decided to stay.

jeep. “Agresta and his charges made quite an impression

There are still visible reminders of the World War

in downtown Charleston, drawing odd looks from other

II era throughout the city today. The U.S. Coast Guard

servicemen and girls promenading in sundresses. He took

retains its base at the Chisholm Rice Mill, and although the

them to a Betty Grable movie at one of the theaters on King

Navy Base closed in 1996 many of the factory buildings,

Street. Feeling exuberant afterwards, he took them to one

workshops, and residences constructed for the war effort

of his favorite restaurants and bought them dinner. When

survive and are currently being renovated as the former

they finally got back to the base, he shook their hands and

base experiences a renaissance. Visible from downtown

wished them well.”

Charleston and docked at the mouth of the Cooper River

As a coastal city, the threat of enemy forces patrolling nearby was real and constant.

sits the World War II-era aircraft carrier the Yorktown,

Charleston’s coastal

crown jewel of a military museum where locals and visitors

defenses, some constructed as early as the War of 1812,

learn about the heroes and sacrifices of the war, which was

were reactivated. Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, and James

felt not only in the bust-to-boom coastal town of Charleston

Island’s Fort Johnson were modernized with new bunkers,

but also across the globe. — C.B.

weapons emplacements, and observation stations. Fort

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JOH N F. K E N N E DY P O S E S W I T H FA M I LY F R I E N D S I N C H A R L E S T ON , S OU T H C A R OL I N A . L E F T T O R IG H T: E L I Z A B E T H WA Y N E “ B E T T Y ” C OX E ; JOH N “ Z E K E ” C OL E M A N , J R . ; G E OR G E HOU K M E A D, J R . | PHO T O GR A PH E R U N K N OW N . C OPY R IGH T © JOH N F. K E N N E DY L I B R A RY F OU N D A T ION . K E N N E DY FA M I LY C OL L E CT ION

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A L OCA L’S GU I DE TO T H E HOLY CIT Y CH A R LESTON IS A C U L I N A RY M E C C A .

HER E A R E SOME OF OU R R ECEN T FAVO R I T E S! PHOTOS BY S U L LY S U L L I VA N

GR A F T W I N E SHOP 70 0 K I NG S T R E E T | T H E V I N T N E R A DV E N T U R E The brainchild of longtime friends Femi Oyediran and Miles White, Graft is Charleston’s latest sensation. The uptown wine bar opened in 2018 and has been a runaway success.

Both Oyediran and White have impressive résumés. Oyediran is one of seven advanced sommeliers in the state (just one highlight in a long list of accolades), and Miles has traveled around the globe to make wine and to train in hospitality. Both have been selected as “Sommelier of the Year” by Food & Wine magazine.

Graft is all about the experience. These guys know wine and they’re bold in their offerings. When you sidle up to the nine-seat bar, you’re going on a journey of discovery. The menu leans into the classics but with a focus on sustainable and biodynamic wineries. Of course, they have some interesting natural wines, outsidethe-box bubbles, and boutique picks from limited-production wineries. You get the sense that Oyediran and White have a relationship with the wine they serve.

Oyediran’s other great passion is music, and the playlists at Graft are nothing short of legendary. The scene is hip and local, the interior sleek and masculine. And if you get a bit peckish? Try the tuna pâté or a can of mackerel with what they’ve aptly named “the best potato chips ever, dude.”

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BA BA S ON CA N NON 11 C A N NON S T R E E T | T H E O L D -WO R L D C A F E Opened in 2018, Babas is Charleston’s very own Paris cafe, serving espresso and apéro in a setting that is at once minimal but cozy, classic yet contemporary. Babas is beloved by locals. It’s an all-day café that encourages regulars—why stay home when you can cozy in at Babas?

Proprietors Edward Crouse and Marie Stitt are the masterminds behind the distinct food and wine menus (respectively), and barman Lane Becker curates a cocktail menu that has reached mythical proportions around town. The concept is inspired by the old-world cafés of Italy and France, where you belly up to the bar at all hours of the day—for an Americano, an aperitif, a late-night snack. The ingredients are local and the pastries are made in-house. The afternoon small plates are simple but elevated—pickled shrimp, black truffle butter and baguette, a grilled cheese with king trumpet mushrooms.

Simultaneous to a sophisticated menu and elegant interior, Babas keeps it contemporary with a funky hip-hop playlist. Sometimes homemade chocolate chip cookies with milk make the menu. Sometimes Becker sits down at your table for a chat on a slow night. The experience at Babas feels authentic. The whole thing just works.

CH EZ NOUS 6 PAY N E C OU RT | T H E RO M A N T IC Tucked away on a narrow alley in an historic Charleston single house, Chez Nous feels like a well-kept secret. (It’s not. Chez Nous has been written up in Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, and Travel + Leisure, to name a few.) Its dining spaces are intimate and simple, with exposed rafters and rustic walnut tables. Sip old-world wine at a petite eight-seat bar or brunch on the enclosed cobblestone patio.

The format is deceptively simple: two appetizers, two entrées, and two desserts each day. But you’ll never have the same meal at Chez Nous. The menu is inspired by local ingredients and changes daily. Chef and co-owner Jill Mathias writes out a menu by hand each morning in her elegant, and sometimes indecipherable, script. The food is simple yet elegant, inspired by the cuisine of Southern France, Northern Italy, and Northern Spain. Mathias takes cues from the season and corresponding ingredients, and her dishes reflect this kind of thoughtful spontaneity.

Co-owners Fanny and Patrick Panella are the same husband-and-wife team behind Charleston’s Bin 152 and Malagón. And like their other establishments, the setting at Chez Nous is intimate and romantic. Go ahead, get a little lost in the ambiance.

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X I AO BAO BISCU IT 2 2 4 RU T L E D G E AV E N U E | T H E F L AVO R PA RT Y At first, you don’t know what to make of Xiao Bao Biscuit (XBB). Originally an old gas station, the interior is a mash-up of industrial simplicity and festive funk, concrete and brick punctuated by party decorations, hothouse greenery, and teal school chairs. The menu is similarly hard to nail down. It’s billed as pan-Asian, Asian comfort food, a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Malay. There are some long standing staples, but the menu is constantly shape-shifting, from dumplings to curries to kra pow. And that’s what makes it so damn good.

Founded in 2011 by Josh and Duolan Walker and Joey Ryan, XBB’s concept has always been defined by a kind of playful innovation. The food always respectfully nods to a venerated classic while simultaneously throwing out the rule book and remaking a dish outside the box. And it’s not just about the food. Ryan is a veritable virtuoso behind the bar with inventive cocktails, housemade tinctures, and exotic beers. Since opening, XBB has been featured in The New York Times, Eater, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Afar, and Garden & Gun, to name a few.

The okonomiyaki—a racy rendition of the traditional Japanese cabbage pancake— is an absolute must. If you’re up for spice, the mapo dou fu has a sichuan magic that completely captures the palate. When you’re feeling grateful at the end of a long culinary journey? Tip the kitchen a beer.

RODN E Y SCOT T ’S BBQ 1011 K I NG S T R E E T | W HO L E HO G H E AV E N It’s safe to say that Rodney Scott is one of the most revered pitmasters in the world.

And his joint on upper King Street has quickly established itself as a BBQ mecca. For Scott, BBQ has lofty implications. Whole hog BBQ is an art, a cultural and historical zeitgeist. And you can taste it in his food, see it in the faces of diners queuing up for a pork sandwich.

The restaurant itself is clean and simple. There’s a drive-through and picnic tables outside. The experience is all about the food. Rod’s Original Whole Hog Pork Sandwich is the “King of the Menu,” but the menu is underpinned by time-honored Southern classics like hush puppies and honey butter, a catfish sandwich with baked beans and collard greens. The flavors are rich and vivid, bona fide Southern dishes done right.

The woodsmoke alone sends devout BBQ lovers into a tizzy, and it is not uncommon to see a line out the door.

In 2018, Scott won a James Beard Award. He was featured in the Charleston episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Food & Wine has listed Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ as one of the “40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years.” In 2020, Scott’s episode on Netflix’s Chef’s Table: BBQ was released. Needless to say, this is not an experience to miss.

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OF F T R ACK ICE CR E A M 6 BE AU FA I N S T R E E T | T H E U N C O M M O N C O N E Located in the heart of Charleston’s bustling shopping district, Off Track is known around town for its vegan offerings, commitment to local ingredients, and shockingly good ice cream. What started as a hobby for husband-and-wife team Marc and Alissa Zera took on a life of its own, and Off Track was born in 2019. The interior is light and airy, with high ceilings and polished concrete floors. Wide windows look back onto the stainless steel kitchen where the Zera’s team is mixing up the latest flavors.

Off Track serves ice cream in its purest form. The Zeras have a running list of nearly twenty local partners—creameries, farmers, distilleries, coffee roasters, you name it. Everything from the milk to the sea salt is local. But the real brilliance is in the simplicity. Every batch starts the same—cream, milk, eggs, sugar (or if it’s vegan— cashews, coconut cream, sunflower oil, and sugar). There are no additives, nothing but the cleanest ingredients. You’ll find all the traditional favorites—strawberry, cookies and cream, mint chip—but because the ingredients are so pure, this feels like a whole new rendering of the classics. Can ice cream be healthy? Maybe not. But with clean and local ingredients, a cone from Off Track feels rather wholesome.

H A R K EN 62 QU E E N S T R E E T | T H E DAY T I M E DE L IG H T Harken is the new darling of Charleston. And it is—darling. Harken is the second venture of Greer Gilchrist and Cameron Neal, a petite, downtown version of The Harbinger, their sister café in Charleston’s North Central neighborhood.

Harken is an absolute delight of the senses. The interior is a blend of sweet antiques and rustic finishes, penny tile and exposed brick. The setting reads café, but don’t let that fool you. Harken’s menu is one of the most satisfying in the city—and that’s saying a lot. The baked goods are surprising and sophisticated, a crunchy brownie filled with cashews, a coffee cake with avocado filling, a ricotta pound cake with pumpkin seeds and apricot! The breakfast sandwich is to die for. This is no humble grab-and-go. It’s egg soufflé! On brioche! The salads, slab pies, and baguette sandies all punch above their weight. For Gilchrist and Neal, mise en place and the experience of the food is just as important as flavor. The earthenware coffee mugs are from East Fork Pottery, and the flatware is solid bronze.

The café has a warm, inviting, stay-all-day vibe. Neal and Gilchrist have thought of every little thing, creating a space and a menu that is at once playful but refined, cozy but cultivated. Go to Harken and get the full experience.

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BEING THE CHANGE Advance Kiawah Initiative Reimagines Our Island Community

The year 2020 brought racial injustice front and center to the

The questions were simple. How to heal and evolve together

American consciousness. In the wake of George Floyd’s death

as a community? How to remove implicit biases within the

and the mass protests that followed, a long-overdue cultural

culture? What are the responsibilities to neighbors on Johns

shift began to take place in our country. As a response,

and Wadmalaw Islands? How to attract a more diverse

Kiawah Partners created “Advance Kiawah”, a multifaceted

ownership group to Kiawah? How to include, recruit, and add

initiative charged with charting a more diverse, equitable,

more diversity to the Kiawah Island workforce?

and inclusive future for Kiawah Island.

Ultimately, Advance Kiawah put forward a four-part

At the outset, the committee simply listened. The

initiative. The first pillar focuses on Staff and Culture by

partners hoped to create a comprehensive, informed, and

creating greater opportunities for employment for people

lasting strategy—an initiative that could catalyze real change

of color as well as eliminating biases within their service

and eventually take on a life of its own. Fundamental to

culture. Kiawah Partners invested in a professional Diversity,

that goal was to establish a deep and honest understanding

Equity, and Inclusion training program, which all leaders and

of the inherent biases and inequities that exist within the

managers took part in. Future plans include a mentorship

community as a whole. They created an external and internal

program, whereby homeowners would mentor employees

committee made up of property owners, club members, and

and members of the greater Johns Island community, as

staff to take a deeper look, and they interviewed homeowners,

well as a change in the golf internship program to make sure

all in an effort to develop goals and a plan to accomplish them

recruiting includes students at Historically Black Colleges

for Advance Kiawah.

and Universities. The hope is to foster diverse talent within

A simple mission was established: to create a lasting

the organization at every level.

and meaningful initiative that strives to eliminate systemic

The second pillar, Home Ownership, aims to attract a

and institutional racism and promotes diversity, equity, and

more diverse homeowner and club member demographic to

inclusion on Kiawah Island. Our vision is to enable racial,

Kiawah. These efforts address the audience they reach, the

social, and economic progress that outlives this moment in

kind of narratives they present as a community, and their

time and transforms Kiawah Island into a community that

representation in public relations and marketing efforts. “As

leads locally as well as across our state and nation.

more diverse families consider property here, we want them

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Photo by Patrick O’Brien

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Above photos are from the Kiawah in the Community build at Angel Oak Elementary. Photography by Patrick O’Brien

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The new dawn blooms as we free it / for there is always light / if only we’re brave enough to see it / if only we’re brave enough to be it

—Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb

to have an opportunity to see Kiawah for what Kiawah truly

“Kiawah in the Community” in fall 2020 and went door to door

is—a community that’s open and welcoming to all,” says Chris

to simply ask members of the Johns Island community, How

Randolph, partner at Kiawah Partners. “It is important that

can we help? The team found themselves cleaning out sheds,

our community be more representative of our nation, our

planting new gardens, tutoring students, installing heat and

world.”

insulation, delivering meals, and, most notably, building a

The third pillar, Supplier Diversity, focuses on the

new playground and garden for Angel Oak Elementary.

expansion of supplier and vendor relationships to include

Plans are in the works to establish Advance Kiawah

more Black-owned businesses and institutions. How can the

as a 501(c)(3) and to engage other business entities on the

company better equip and educate these vendors on how to

Island to participate. There are also plans for a Celebrity

do business on the Island? The hope is to engage with a more

Golf Tournament, which will become an annual staple at the

diverse vendor base and to create a ripple effect, upliftment

Kiawah Island Club and will support local initiatives.

on a state and regional level. These partnerships will have

“We know authentic change doesn’t happen overnight,”

the potential to grow and create a steady flow of money into

said Jordan Phillips, partner at Kiawah Partners. “But we are

Black communities.

reaching for the stars, for big things that can affect the entire

The fourth pillar, Community Outreach, connects Kiawah Island with the greater Lowcountry community.

community. We encourage everyone to participate and be the cause.”

This facet of the initiative includes outreach, service, and

These efforts are the first step in an ongoing evolution

philanthropy. Kiawah Partners and homeowners on the Island

that is deeper and more essential than just programming

have the capacity to strengthen and support the businesses,

and outreach. It is a reshaping of culture and identity. It

schools, and nonprofit organizations on the surrounding

is an extraordinarily exciting time for the Kiawah Island

Sea Islands. The mandates of this pillar are already well

community. Stay tuned.

underway. A group of Kiawah Island Club employees created Advance Kiawah would like to thank our committee members for their dedication to this initiative: Heather Boneparth, Brenda Lauderback, Cheryl Love, Barbara Patton, Gertie Wooten, Robyn Coles, Christophe Hodge, John Bluford, Thaddeus Jones, Mark Permar, Ed Lehman, Ginny Larence, Margie Morse, Mical Jeanlys-White, Boyd Wright, Diana Permar, Dixie Norris, Amy Anderson, Scott Dawson, Dan Whalen, Amy Everett, Priscilla Duffy, Bob Tremayne, Lucinda Detrich, Brian Turner, Barbara Johnson, Kelly Henry, Nikki Blackford, Taylor Cochrane, Hailey Wist, Alexandra Malloy and Morgan Stewart

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GOOD WORK

SEA ISLAND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

GOOD WORK

The culture is obviously convivial, but also one of integrity, hard work, and dedication to the mission.

It is a warm November day as I pull onto the sandy drive

ReStore. And at the end of construction, the new homeowner

packed with cars. The jobsite buzzes with volunteers in hard

walks away with the keys to a new house and a thirty-year,

hats. Today the trusses are going up and the team is shouting,

0 percent-interest mortgage. At the closings, Rhoden says,

hoisting, hammering—a cacophony of coordination. The

some new homeowners burst into tears.

Latoya Milligan had always dreamed of owning her

mood is nothing short of festive.

Sea Island Habitat for Humanity (HFH) was established

own home by the age of thirty. She was living in a cramped

in 1978, the third oldest chapter of the now global nonprofit

apartment complex with her ten-year-old son and had never

housing organization. Over the last forty-two years, Sea

felt comfortable letting him play outside. She applied to Sea

Island HFH has built over three hundred and fifty houses

Island HFH in 2019 and was accepted. She says the application

in the region, primarily on Johns Island but also on James

process was very encouraging, that working with Sea Island

Island, Wadmalaw Island, and even south to Hollywood and

HFH’s family services director, Maritza Zeisel, gave her a lot

Ravenel. Today the team is working on a four bedroom, two

of confidence. “The budgeting class was a big eye-opener for

bath home off of Highway 162 on Johns Island. In a few short

me,” says Milligan. “Now I’m extra cautious with my spending

months, a family of five will move into their new home.

and credit. I don’t bite off more than I can chew.” She moved

Housing in the greater Charleston area isn’t cheap,

into her new home in March of 2020. Now she has a short

especially of late. According to John Rhoden, Sea Island HFH’s

five-minute drive to her work as a medication technician at a

executive director, you can buy two houses in Sumter, South

senior living facility. “My son is a very energetic little person.

Carolina, for the price of one house on Johns Island. “People

Now we have a yard he can run around in,” says Milligan.

are driving in from Ravenel because there is no significant

“This has changed our lives.”

source of affordable housing on Johns Island or even James

Milligan’s home is part of an HFH subdivision on James

Island. There’s a big disconnect there.” And yet much of the

Island. Unlike many HFH chapters, Sea Island HFH often

local workforce (nearly 70 percent) falls in the low-income

builds entire neighborhoods. They develop the land, bringing

bracket. Many work in school cafeterias, retail stores, and

in utilities and building an average of ten to fifteen homes

restaurants.

(though a 2002–2007 neighborhood build was over one

But Habitat for Humanity doesn’t build free housing;

hundred homes!).

it actually acts as a lender for low-income buyers. The

Sea Island HFH can scale to this degree because their

selection process to be a “partner family” is fairly rigorous.

yearly revenue is uncommonly robust in comparison to other

Applicants need a decent job history and a stable income.

chapters, thanks to an exceptionally generous and consistent

Once selected, future homeowners are required to attend

donor base and an exceedingly well-managed organization.

classes on budgeting, taxes, and home maintenance. They

Rhoden and his team run a tight ship. Another important

are also required to volunteer four hundred hours. Some

factor is the organization’s mortgage portfolio. Sea Island

of this time is spent working on their new home, but some

HFH is working with forty-two years worth of mortgages.

hours are required on another Habitat build, or in Habitat’s

“Because we’ve built so many houses, because we’ve been

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Top Left | Construction Supervisor Doug Mackenzie Bottom Right | Repair Program Manager Gary Kratz

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GOOD WORK

here so long, we have around two hundred and forty

certified green. “These are real, honest-to-gosh, stick-built

mortgages, about eleven and a half million dollars worth of

houses,” says Rhoden. “We’re pulling permits just like every

value right now,” says Rhoden.

other builder in the area.” There is usually a two-year wait

Another important source of revenue comes from the Sea Island HFH ReStore. The donation-based store grosses

time, but once the crew breaks ground, homes are completed in six to seven months.

between one and two million dollars a year. This considerable

To Rhoden, his solid staff is everything. “We don’t have

profit is due, in part, to the organization’s new Deconstruction

a lot of turnover. These guys love what they’re doing. And it’s

program. “Say someone buys a house on Kiawah, and they’re

hard to find a carpenter who can teach an eighteen-year-old

going to renovate,” explains Rhoden. “They call us and we

kid how to read a tape measure every Tuesday.” Sea Island

come pull the materials—doors, appliances, old granite,

HFH is manned by a six-person construction crew and an

window treatments, ceiling fans, you name it.” These

eight-person office staff. The culture is obviously convivial

materials sell at the ReStore and generate a huge profit for

but also one of integrity, hard work, and dedication to the

the organization.

mission. “Mike, our construction superintendent, we call

Rhoden also initiated a new Repair program. A full-time

him our Happy Hippie,” laughs Rhoden. “He’s always got the

contractor fixes roofs, windows, and doors on existing homes

tunes playing in the background. We make sure we have a

in the area. “When we have someone who’s had a leak for two

good time with it.”

years and you stop that leak, they cannot be more thankful,”

Sea Island HFH relies heavily on volunteers, too.

says Rhoden. “It’s a lot of tears, a lot of hugs.” This new

They have weekend regulars and annual work weeks from

program isn’t funded by the mortgage structure and relies

churches, camps, and universities. Local businesses and civic

completely on donor dollars and the ReStore revenue. Again,

groups volunteer. The organization has two dormitory houses

most Habitat organizations don’t have a comparable program

on Johns Island for out-of-town volunteers, and sometimes

simply because they can’t afford it.

big groups will come for a full week at a time. “Our groups

However, like any nonprofit, there is always a need

love it. We do a roundup in the morning and at the end of

for more funding. The Repair program, for example, has a

each day to make sure people see what they’ve accomplished.

yearlong waiting list. Rhoden would love to grow the team

Everyone gets tremendous satisfaction out of it.”

to accommodate this need but constantly contends with

Watching the scene unfold today, I see what he means.

It’s nice to be out in the sunshine, working toward a common

budgetary limitations.

The sun breaks through the clouds as the team hoists

goal. No one is on a cell phone, everyone is chatting and

the final truss into the air. Crew leader Kate Komorous

laughing—not to mention gaining a bit of practical knowledge

balances in the rafters, shifting the bottom chord into place.

and contributing to the community. And that’s the Habitat for

Construction supervisor Doug Mackenzie directs from the

Humanity mission: bringing people together to “build homes,

ground, while Mike Rettaliata, Habitat’s superintendent,

community, and hope.” Ultimately, the fabric of the local

stands in the unfinished doorway, joking with a volunteer.

community is stronger for it. — H.W.

“Truss day is always an exciting day in the span of a build,” Sheilagh Carlisle, Sea Island HFH’s development director,

Sea Island HFH has a substantial volunteer base in the Kiawah

tells me. “This is when it really starts looking like a house.”

community, with a handful of weekly regulars who participate

The organization works with a set of standard plans for

in builds all year long. Donations from Kiawah homeowners are

one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes with minor variations

significant and a large part of why this Habitat for Humanity

in finishes and porches. The homes are well-built and

chapter has been so successful over the past forty-two years.

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Coming soon: senior living Kiawah style.

Overlooking the lake next to Freshfields Village, this resort-style senior living community is designed to fit perfectly with the lifestyle you know and love. So whether you’re a longtime resident of Kiawah or long to be here, senior living on the island will soon be a reality.

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Changing What’s Possible

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K AYA K K I AWA H PHO T O GR A PH Y b y PAT R IC K O ’ BR I E N

SU R ROU N DED BY SA LT M A R SH , T I DA L CR E E K S , A N D T H E AT L A N T IC OCE A N, K I AWA H ST I L L F E E L S A BI T W I L D. A N D T H E BE ST WAY TO E X PL OR E T H E M YST E R I E S OF T H E ISL A N D IS BY K AYA K .

TI DES

WE AT H E R

Kayaking Kiawah is all about timing. Ideally, you’re working

Check the weather forecast before heading out for a paddle.

with the tide to take you on your journey. Ebb tide is when

Pay special attention to how many knots the wind is blowing

the tide is leaving. Flood tide is when it’s coming in. If you’re

and in what direction. Anything above twelve miles per hour

exploring some of the narrower creeks, do it on a flood tide.

is going to make for an unpleasant experience.

That way, if you get stuck, you just wait a bit for more water.

The closer the moon is to the earth, the higher the highs, the

PA DDLING T IP

lower the lows. There can be as much as a three-foot difference

Keep your back straight! A straight back makes for more

between one low tide and another. King tides are the highest

efficient paddle strokes and makes it harder to capsize.

tides and happen up to eight times a year. During a king tide, as much as eight-and-a-half feet of water will move through the system in the six-hour-and-fifteen-minute tidal change.

WATER VOLU M E During high tide and low tide the water is slack. There are approximately six hours and fifteen minutes in between the tides. During the first hour, one-twelfth of the water moves through, two-twelfths during the second hour, three-twelfths during the third hour, and so on. Keep in mind, mid-tide is the strongest current.

There is always less current along the bank than in the middle of a channel. When you narrow the width of the water, the current picks up tremendously. If you find yourself paddling against the current, stay close to the shore.

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B IRDLIFE Look out for black skimmers, gulls, terns, egrets, and herons as well as bald eagles, ospreys, and belted kingfishers. And in the summertime, you might see a pink roseate spoonbill!

T H E FOOD CH A I N The water in the back barrier nears ninety degrees in the summertime and forms algae and plankton. (Note the reddish color? It’s these nutrients!) Baitfish come in to feed off of the plankton. And then everything else comes in to feed off the baitfish, including the top predator—dolphins. Shrimp grow in these protected creeks, too. At extreme low tides shrimp might jump in your kayak! In the fall they move out toward the deeper water.

DOLPHI NS Kiawah Island and the surrounding barrier islands offer an abundant food source for dolphins. The local Kiawah River pod sticks around all year, but in the fall and winter months, migratory pods come from the north.

Please stay fifty to one hundred yards away from dolphins, one hundred and fifty yards if you see a mother and calf. If a dolphin approaches you, take your paddles out of the water.

STRAN D F EEDI N G Jacques Cousteau was the first to document the extraordinary phenomenon in the early seventies on Hilton Head. It happens along Cinder Creek and Bass Creek. The dolphins corral baitfish, and they push a wall of water with the baitfish up on the bank. They always lay on their right side, and they completely strand themselves. This is a learned skill and only happens in a few places in the world!

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E X PL OR I NG T H E E A ST EN D OF K I AWA H Launch from the member boathouse at the Cinder Creek Pavilion. On a high tide, paddle west into the interior of the island. These secluded creeks are the best place to see wildlife.

On a lower tide, head toward Bass Creek and out toward the Stono River.

E X PL OR I NG T H E K I AWA H R I V E R Launch at Rhett’s Bluff. The Kiawah River is a more aggressive paddle on a windy day. Cross to the opposite bank from the boat launch and explore the oyster beds along the shore. If it’s a flood tide, this is a great place to see shorebirds and diving birds feeding off baitfish.

E X PL OR I NG T H E W E ST E N D OF K I AWA H Five routes launch out of the Cassique Boathouse.

THE CASSIQUE ROUTE: High-tide friendly! This route takes you underneath the bridge to Eagle Island and up through the Cassique Golf Course.

THE EAGLE ISLAND ROUTE: High-tide friendly! Paddle

T H E CA S SIQU E BOAT HOUSE The Cassique Boathouse is located on Oyster Creek, a small

around a little dock, underneath the bridge to Eagle Island, and along the edge of Eagle Island all the way out to the river and back up Oyster Creek to the boathouse.

tidal inlet off the Kiawah River and adjacent to the fifteenth green of Cassique Golf Course. Reserve your kayaks through

CAPTAIN SAM’S ROUTE: The most popular route! Paddle out

the Sports Pavilion, and the staff will choose the best route

Oyster Creek to the edge of Kiawah toward Seabrook. This trip

based on time and tides. If you’re not into kayaking, the

gives you the greatest opportunity for dolphin sightings.

Cassique Boathouse offers stand up paddleboards. Prefer to fish? Check out the specially equipped angler kayaks and

THE SEABROOK ROUTE: Head toward the Kiawah River and

BOTE boards. And don’t forget to fuel up before your paddle

take a little creek off to the right side. It meanders along hole

at the attached comfort station!

fifteen toward Seabrook Island. This is an out and back!

MINGO POINT ROUTE: Go out Oyster Creek and take a left on the Kiawah River. Paddle it as far as you’d like!

In conversation with

Dan Whalen

Kiawah Island Real Estate’s new president remembers his first time on the Island, talks about making a life here with his wife, Kim, and looks to the future of the company.

KL

Where are you from originally?

DW

I tell everybody I’m from Greensboro, North Carolina, but I was actually born in New York and lived on Long Island until I was eleven, when my dad was transferred to Greensboro.

youngest finished college, but then, out of the blue, I got a call from a headhunter in August 2019 about a potential opportunity at Kiawah. And here I am.

KL

Let’s back up. When did you first come to Kiawah?

DW

In 1991, just a few months before we were married, five

KL

Have you been in the Carolinas for most of your career?

DW

I stayed in the South, yes, but I did venture down to Savannah, Georgia, for about five years.

KL

Tell me about your career path.

KL

Tell me your favorite memory from that trip.

DW

After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill in ’86, I went to work for AT&T/Lucent Technologies in sales and eventually sales management. In 1997 I was hired by a former customer, Governors Club Development Corporation, as their vice president of sales and marketing. That’s where I really got my start in golf course real estate development. I absolutely loved it. I was there three years before leaving to start a community called The Preserve at Jordan Lake. We had great success there in the early 2000s; we sold 516 homesites in a little over two years. After that, I moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 2003 to run sales for a Greg Norman development called Savannah Quarters. I eventually went into partnership with two guys from that development team, forming North Point Real Estate, developing properties from Savannah to Beaufort. Things were going great until about 2007 when real estate came to a screeching halt. That’s when we decided to move back to North Carolina.

I was hired as VP of sales and marketing for The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Asheville in 2008 and remained there through early 2011, when I left to join Beverly-Hanks and Associates. I ran two divisions for the company— New Home Sales (CMG - Community Marketing Group) and Commercial Real Estate (NAI Beverly-Hanks).

CMG handled onsite sales for builders and developers; NAI Beverly-Hanks leased and sold industrial, retail, and office real estate.

My only thoughts about coastal South Carolina at that time were to hopefully wind up there once our

DW

I was what, twenty-seven? We didn’t have a clue how

groomsmen and I came to Kiawah for the Ryder Cup. I absolutely fell in love with this place. I always hoped I’d get back down here full time one day.

big of a deal that tournament was at the time. Looking back, it was the event that put the Ryder Cup on the map, and maybe Kiawah, too. The tournament got very contentious, and the crowds were wild. It was really intense. I just remember my buddy Rennie Faulkner standing next to me on the 18th hole on the last day.

Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin were the last group to play, and the Ryder Cup was on the line. When they hit their approach shots to 18, they let the gallery go down the fairway. I just remember sprinting down the fairway, and Rennie grabbing my belt and hanging on.

We were going as fast as we could to get as close to the green as possible. And then they roped off the fairway just before the green, and we were in the second row.

Langer missed the putt and the place just erupted. That was the highlight for sure.

KL

Now you live on the Island! What is your life like here?

DW

Kim loves the beach so she spends a lot of time there; I’m usually out there one day on the weekend. We love to bike to The Ocean Course and then just walk toward the end of the island and hang out by ourselves. When I get off of work, especially in the summer, we ride our bikes or run on the beach. This summer, five out of seven days I jogged, biked, or golfed after work.

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KL

Tell me about your kids.

DW

We have three children. My oldest, Madison, is twenty-

This will be the best year in the history of the company, and we never saw it coming.

seven. She married two summers ago and is in her final year of law school at Duke. Her husband, Clay, is in his third year of medical school at UNC—so those guys are

KL

Why is Kiawah such an attraction for people?

DW

It’s always been about the natural beauty and the open spaces in my opinion, but especially now. Families are starving for space, fresh air, quality time with one another, and peace of mind. I think this past year really just accelerated everybody’s timeframe to get here. People who’ve been considering purchasing on Kiawah for a while just sped up their decision in 2020.

Additionally, owners who would normally come for a week or two at a time have been here for three, four, five months straight.

KL

What are your hopes for Kiawah Island Real Estate?

busy. My son, Logan, is a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, and he’s twenty-two. And then our youngest, Sophie, is nineteen. She plays volleyball for UNC Charlotte.

KL DW

What are your impressions of Kiawah’s master planning?

The natural beauty here is just stunning. The views, the water, the trees, the birds, they all fascinate me.

The wildlife is fantastic. From the very beginning, preservation of this natural beauty has been top priority. The partners are very careful to protect existing vegetation. They make sure a house is built among the trees; homes are built where the land

DW

dictates they should go. And the preservation of the live oaks, the palm trees, the ferns, etc., is as good as I’ve seen.

KL

Let’s talk about the upcoming PGA Championship.

DW

There’s great name recognition already for Kiawah, and this will only enhance it. The Ryder Cup really put Kiawah on the map in ’91. Then Rory’s [McIlroy] win at the 2012 PGA Championship was really magical. I think this year’s PGA will be the icing on the cake. Golf was one of the first sports that came back during the pandemic. People wanted to be outside, to get fresh air, and golf benefited greatly. Ticket sales have been a great indicator of that. We’ve also been blessed with a great number of visitors during 2020. I think the 2021 PGA is going to be phenomenal for Kiawah.

KL

Interesting that the pandemic would cause a sales boom.

DW

True. January and February of 2020 were our best first two months of the year in the last decade. And then I remember that second Monday in March, it was like the spigot turned off. All of March was crickets. The first two weeks of April, too. And then, in May we had thirty-one sales. I thought thirty-one was crazy, but it was just the beginning. From thirty-one to fifty-nine to seventy-eight. Things went exponential very quickly.

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KL DW

I’d be foolish to come in here and just immediately start to change things. I just want us to maintain the level of excellence associated with this Island. We’ve got a great property. We’ve got a great team. We’ve got great owners. I don’t think it gets better than this. The temptation might be to change things for the sake of change, but what I really want to do is to get to know the players. What do we do well as a team? What do we do well individually? How can we improve as a team and individually?

It sounds like you have a really solid team.

Exceptional. But it’s an exceptional place, right? We have some wily veterans who have been here for a long time. I joke with Bob Rummel all the time; he started here in 1978—I was fourteen years old! We have a number of agents who have been here a long time, and you just can’t go find that type of experience and knowledge. These guys know this Island—the property, the land, the people—like the backs of their hands. But we also have that next wave of younger, very talented agents who will lead us going forward. And they all really love the Island. Ellen Walkley says it all the time: “I could’ve quit a long time ago, but I love this job too much. I don’t do it for the income. I do it for the love of the Island, the love of the people.” And I think that’s how so many of our guys feel. It’s just a passion for the Island, and the people of this Island, that makes them want to do this, and they do it well.

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2/5/21 3:05 PM

C H AM P I ON S H I P R E ADY ST O RY by BRYA N H U NT ER

Kerry Haigh folds his lean six-foot-plus frame into an

more properly put, what would become The Ocean Course. In

Adirondack chair, seemingly oblivious to the happy foursome

1989 he waded through a tangled mass of scrub growth that

finishing their round on the famous 18th green of The Ocean

held the dunes together from which Pete Dye would conjure

Course just behind his left shoulder. But in a larger sense, for

a championship-quality golf course. “Pete Dye took me out to

the past several years up through May of 2021, he has remained

an area that was nothing but sand dunes,” Haigh recalls in

acutely aware of everything happening with the course.

a lilting voice that still bears more than a hint of his South

Often described as “the Course Whisperer,” Haigh

Yorkshire upbringing. “As only Pete could do, he said, ‘This

oversees the course setup for all PGA of America spectator

hole is going this way, dogleg left.’” All Haigh could see was

Championships,

Chief

swell after swell of endless dunes, but he marveled at how Dye

Championships Officer. His role, apart from that of the players

could envision it all in his mind’s eye. “A year later, that hole

themselves, arguably makes him the single most important

was built—along with seventeen other beautiful golf holes.”

including

the

Ryder

Cup,

as

piece of the intricate puzzle leading up to—and indeed

But eighteen beautiful golf holes did not guarantee

throughout—the 2021 PGA Championship at The Ocean

success later that year when it was stormed by two teams

Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

comprised of some of the world’s greatest golfers. The mettle

Chances are you’ve never heard of him. And Kerry Haigh is perfectly fine with that. He once (not so famously) quipped

of the course itself was being tried as much as that of the two teams contesting every yard of it.

before the 2018 Championship at Bellerive Country Club,

Anticipation of bringing the Ryder Cup back to US soil

“We are not the show,” referring to himself and the PGA of

was high, particularly since Europe had retained the cup for

America, redirecting (in his perfectly mannered English way)

the prior three competitions. The opportunity to be able to

the focus to the players and the course and away from the

regain the cup on home soil deeply motivated the US team,

organization whose championships he has helped direct for

and in equal measure the largely partisan crowd that followed

more than three decades.

the matches. Tensions had grown so fierce by the Sunday

By the time his sixty-second birthday coincides with

single matches that Haigh compares the atmosphere to that

the 103rd playing of the Championship, it will mark thirty-

of a college football game. “The crowds were so into it. They

two years since Haigh first set foot on The Ocean Course—or,

were singing. They were boisterous.”

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Opposite Page: PGA of America Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh sits near the final hole of The Ocean Course. | Left: The 2012 PGA Championship | Right: Pete Dye during the construction of The Ocean Course

The heroics and angst that characterized the competition

ways to the links courses McIlroy grew up playing in Ireland

cannot be better illustrated than by the multiple back-and-forth

may have been a slight factor. “The Ocean Course doesn’t play

lead changes during the final day’s singles session, making the

exactly like a links course,” Haigh explains, “but it certainly

event live up to its billing as “The War by the Shore.” The course

does give you similar shots around the green of chipping it,

dealt out its own bit of punishment. Perhaps nothing illustrates

running it up, or putting it.” The biggest factor, Haigh says, is

this better than how the par three 17th gained instant notoriety

that McIlroy was simply the best golfer in the world that week.

on the final day when Mark Calcavecchia for the US and Colin

It has been just shy of a decade since McIlroy hoisted the

Montgomerie for Europe both watched their shots splash in

Wanamaker Trophy on the 18th green, but in terms of the

the chasm of water separating tee box from green.

state of professional golf it feels like a century. Not only has

“That hole instills fear in you,” explains Haigh. “The use

equipment technology advanced significantly, the physical

of wooden bulkheads on 17 is so abrupt, it makes the shot

development of pro players has been revolutionary. Haigh

do-or-die. If you don’t make it over the bulkhead, SMACK,

points out that although today’s tour professionals hit the ball

you’re dead in the water. It illustrates why it’s such a great

up to forty yards further, these eye-popping numbers do not

golf course, and a challenging golf course, especially when the

threaten the course with obsolescence. Haigh credits resort

wind blows, which it does on most days.”

leadership for having the foresight to anticipate such evolution

Twenty-one years later, The Ocean Course was set to

in the game by leaving ample space to add yardage. “The

host another major event, the 2012 PGA Championship. A

course can play 7,800 yards from the very back tees, which

testimony to the enduring nature of Dye’s design, the course

is a stout test.” But beyond sheer length, Haigh cites those

saw only minor tweaks installed by Dye himself, with the

intangible attributes that allow the course to resist simply

notable exception of the 18th green being pivoted to the right,

being outmuscled. “The course retains the same challenges

closer to the ocean, creating a more dramatic dogleg and

Pete significantly put in place to test the best players in the

potentially bringing a sea breeze more into play.

world. It’s not easy.” — B.H.

Reflecting on the event, Haigh affirms it was a great Championship that yielded a great champion in the young Rory McIlroy. He speculates that the course’s similarity in some

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GLOW GOLF

THE ANN UA L AFTER-DA RK EVEN T AT CASSIQ UE PH OTO GRA PHED BY GATELY WILLIAMS

To p : C L A R A R ODR IG U E , DA N I E L R O T KO , JA Z M I N E NOBL E , A N D W I L L GR AV E S | B o t t o m L e f t : A M A N DA A N D BE N W R IG L E Y P r e v i o u s S p r e a d : RYA N A N D S H A N E P OW E L S ON , JAY Mc C OW N , A N D JAC K YOU NG

166

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A b ov e : T H E C O C H R A N FA M I LY

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A b ov e : T H E K AVA N AGH FA M I LY

168

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To p R ig h t : T H E BR OW N I N G FA M I LY | B o t t o m L e f t : F I N N A N D PAT R IC K M A HON E Y | B o t t o m R ig h t : C H A S E PE R L M A N

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To p R ig h t : T H E F I L E FA M I LY | Mid d l e L e f t : T H E L I T T L E FA M I LY | Mid d l e R ig h t : DY L A N T H E W | B o t t o m L e f t : C OL E A N D C OR A G ODW I N B o t t o m R ig h t : D J MOLT E N BR E Y, BE N , PE T E R , A N D H A L E Y S L ON E , S A M A N T H A JOH N S ON , A N D W E N DE E WOL F S ON

WELCOMING by nature

WE ARE KIAWAH ISLAND

PROUD HOST

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843.768.6087 • ChooseKiawah.com

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A DV E R T I S E R I N D E X

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Acquisitions................................................151

GDC Home....................................................13

Roper St. Francis..........................................62

Anderson Studio.........................................177

Grossman Building Group..............................4

RTW..............................................................23

Anglin Smith Fine Art..................................67

Henselstone Windows...................................17

Samuel Furr Architects...............................171

Aqua Blue Pools.............................................6

Hood Hargett and Associates......................161

Sandra Ericksen Design...............................65

Architecture Plus LLC.................................103

Hudson Designs............................................24

Seamar Construction Group........................64

Bennett Hofford Construction....................134

K&L Gates...................................................150

Shope Reno Wharton Architecture.................5

Big Rock Partners.......................................149

Kenneth Wiland Architect..........................175

Southeastern Galleries...............................176

Bishop Gadsden..........................................105

Kiawah Island Club & Real Estate......FIC, BIC

Spivey Architects..........................................63

Buffington Homes, L.P. .................................3

Kiawah Island Golf Resort.................172, 174

Steven Shell Living........................................11

Buist, Byars & Taylor....................................65

Kingswood Custom Homes.............................9

The Steadman Agency....................................7

Cortney Bishop Design...............................107

Knight Residential Group...........................102

Thomas & Hutton.......................................105

Crawford Contracting & Consulting..........173

Kristin Peake Interiors...................................2

Three Oaks Contractors...............................60

Croghan’s Jewel Box.....................................26

M. Dumas & Sons.........................................66

Timbers Kiawah.................................138, 139

D. Stanley Dixon Architects..........................15

Mangan Custom Homes...............................61

Tish Mills Interiors.....................................136

Dolphin Architects and Builders..................19

Margaret Donaldson Interiors.....................25

Watts Builders............................................104

East West Partners.................................68, 69

McDonald Architects..................................178

Wells Gallery...............................................106

Elizabeth Stuart Design...............................27

MUSC Health..............................................150

Ferguson.......................................................22

NetJets.........................................................BC

French Limestone Imports, LLC..................173

R.M. Buck Builders................................20, 21

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END NOTE

LOWCOUNTRY WATERWAYS Driving from Charleston to Kiawah Island takes you over inlets and back-island sounds, across a long causeway, and through the shady tunnels of River and Bohicket Roads. It is iconic scenery that has appeared in countless paintings, novels, and movies of note.

But there is another way to travel from the Holy City to the Island. These two communities are connected by a network of rivers and channels, a boat route that takes you from the Kiawah River to the Charleston Harbor in less time than by car. As the crow flies, the Charleston peninsula is just around the bend of Folly and Morris Islands. In fact, from the wild eastern end of Kiawah, Charleston’s Ravenel Bridge is visible on the horizon, shimmering white in the Lowcountry sunshine.

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