Cougar Point Golf Kiawah Island | Review And What to Expect
I fell in love with the peacefulness of a well-kept golf course during my internship right out of college. Cougar Point golf Kiawah Island is the #1 most well kept golf course I’ve been to so far, and a round of golf here is a special experience!
I’m still perfecting my swing and like to stick to the driving range for now, but my husband Greg golfs and I find that while on vacation I love to tag along and have a relaxing day hanging out in nature. Thankfully he doesn’t mind the company. 😉 Our day out on the Cougar Point golf course definitely didn’t disappoint.
*I’m not being paid to write this review
Quick Summary • Cougar Point Golf Kiawah Island
Cougar Point golf Kiawah Island is a beautiful course on the island designed by Gary Player, famed for being where The Legend of Bagger Vance was filmed and the second best course to the world-renowned Ocean course, after its renovation in 2017. Being at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort it is an expensive round, but the course is one of the most well-kept courses in the country and is well worth it for the experience, for all levels of golfers. Look out for alligators, lots of cranes and sprawling marsh views, and make sure to check out more of the island before or after your round of golf.
Cougar Point Golf Kiawah Island Full Review
First of all, Cougar Point went through a massive renovation in 2017, and since it has completely up-leveled. Now it’s known for being the second best of the best Kiawah Island golf courses. Designed by Gary Player, you don’t want to miss this one.
Reserving A Tee Time & Pricing
It costs around $300 to play a round of golf at Cougar Point, and it can cost more based on the day and season you go. So, this is definitely a pricy round but it will be worth it if you’re coming for an extremely well-kept course, great game play, nature views, (hopefully) beautiful weather and a relaxing round.
If you’re a fellow non-golfer that wants to ride along like I do, they do have a rider fee at Cougar Point golf course. I’m not sure of the exact cost as we got lucky and the kind front desk person waived the fee for us.
How far in advance should you make your reservation at Cougar Point?
Assuming you aren’t a resort guest at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, you’ll be able to reserve your tee time up to 60 days in advance. For resort guests you have a whole year.
Making reservations at Cougar Point wasn’t too difficult for my husband and I in early Fall, especially compared to some of the others in the Charleston area or the Kiawah Island Ocean Course. If you have a larger group, would like to golf on a Saturday or a holiday weekend, or need a specific time of day, try to reserve your round at least a month in advance for the best shot of getting what you’re looking for.
If you’re flexible on times and dates and have a smaller group, a few weeks in advance ~should be~ perfectly fine. This is what we always do and we have never had an issue here or at any other course booking about two weeks out.
The Game Play And Experience • Cougar Point Golf Kiawah Island
When you arrive at Cougar Point you’ll notice a beautiful brand new clubhouse where you can check in. I was very impressed with the women’s locker room specifically. Really luxurious and I loved that they had sunscreen to use being someone with pale skin haha.
Before we teed off we wanted to stock up to make sure we had everything we needed. We were told the cart girl would get to us around the 10th hole, which ended up being accurate, and there’s also a snack shack at the halfway point.
There’s a Player’s Pub which doesn’t officially open until 11:30am, although I think I may have seen a bartender around before we teed off at 9:15am. If teeing off before lunch time I recommend bringing a few drinks of your own to sneak in your cooler if you know you want to have a few before the cart girl gets to you. This IS vacation after all. 😉
I also like to check the bathroom situation before we tee off. I was very pleased to find out that there are three to four bathrooms spread evenly throughout the course.
I’ll start by saying that Cougar Point golf Kiawah Island is the most well-maintained course Greg and I had ever been to and the views were so pretty! This made for a really cool experience for me as a rider, and for anyone golfing it makes the game play much more enjoyable too.
Greg was paired with one very kind man who was celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary with his wife, after visiting Kiawah 30 years before! It was a funny coincidence because Greg and I got engaged on my 30th birthday a few years ago in the area which is part of the reason why we were visiting the area. I’ve noticed there always seems to be interesting synchronicities on the golf course haha.
The carts oddly didn’t have any sort of screens to show the distance to the pin but that was no problem at all, just something to note.
The golf course is moderately difficult, not too hard and not too easy. You can see the hole by hole info on the Cougar Point website. The course is relatively short compared to others and the round on a slow Sunday took us between 3 to 3 1/2 hours. There was no one at the hole before or after us throughout the entire round which was great.
After the fourth or so hole you’ll notice the course opens up into a huge marsh with really stunning views on all sides so get your camera out.
As someone who often rides along to watch when we’re traveling, my favorite part is usually the animals we get to see. 🐊 If you’re lucky you’ll probably see a few small to medium sized alligators at this course, which we did! We saw six or so during our round, always near some sort of pond or marsh. They were all just hanging out in the sun and weren’t really moving much (which I was happy about). That led to a discussion if a large alligator could outrun a golf cart…
Much less exciting but you’ll probably also see lots of big birds too, mainly cranes which I love to see! We had a really funny encounter with one at the beginning of our round. There was a big white crane right in the way when Greg was about to take his first hit, and even when Greg and the other player ran at it the crane would barely budge and if he did he would just come right back lol. Eventually they gave up and just hit over him. This crane clearly wanted to hangout with us!
As we were leaving the plants surrounding the area where you pick up and drop off your carts which was butterfly free when we got there was completely filled with butterflies! It was such a cool send off. There were maybe 20-30 of them flying around a really small area.
More Kiawah Island Golf Courses
Now that you’ve learned all about Cougar Point, you may be wondering what the other best Kiawah Island golf courses are. #1 is the famed Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, which is a luxury experience and once-in-a-life-time round of golf. Read about the other must-see courses on the island at my blog here.
Local Guide • Where to Stay, Eat & Play Near Cougar Point Golf Kiawah Island
You should definitely plan to stay at least one night on the island, as there’s sooo much to see and do! Kiawah Island is a beautiful place.
Kiawah Island Map
Use this Kiawah Island map that I created to get a feel for the island before you go!
Where to Stay On Kiawah Island Near Cougar Point Golf Course
When it comes to where to stay on Kiawah Island you have a few great choices: 1.) The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort 2.) A vacation rental / Airbnb 3.) A few minutes away at the Andell Inn Marriott or 4.) The new luxury spa resort the Dunlin by Auberge.
Read my full guide on where to stay on Kiawah Island to find what will work best for you during your visit!
Where to Eat Nearby
The two main options for dining are either at one of the restaurants at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort or at Fresh Fields Village.
Non-resort guests are welcomed at any of the Kiawah Island Golf Resort restaurants. Some favorites are the Ocean Room steakhouse and fine dining, Jasmine’s Porch which is more casual and moderately priced, or the the Ryder Cup Bar with a more budget-friendly menu.
There surprisingly aren’t that many restaurants in Fresh Fields Village. The two best places to eat here would be La Tela Pizzeria for wood-fired pizza or the King Street Grille which is a big restaurant with a more upscale sports bar feel.
Things to Do Near Cougar Point Golf Kiawah Island
The beautiful Beachwalker Park, Kiawah’s public beach access, is only a five minute drive from Cougar Point. Head to the beach for a post-round swim or a bike ride down the upper part of the beach where the sand is hard packed if you’re visiting in the cooler weather season.
Another one of the best things to do on Kiawah Island is to paddle or kayak down the Kiawah river by making a reservation with Water Dog Paddle Co.
You can also shop or grab a drink and some food at Fresh Fields Village. Make sure to check the Fresh Fields event calendar as they hold over 60 events annually including the Dogtoberfest, BBQ, Bluegrass, and Bourbon and their festive Holiday events.
If you’re staying at the Kiawah Island resort or a rental which includes resort access, you’ll have even more things to do like hanging out by the multiple pools, walking the nature trails, exploring the Night Heron park and nature center, biking, attending resort events and more. If you aren’t a resort guest and you’d like to know what you can and can’t access with your golf reservation, I recommend contacting the Kiawah Island Golf Resort at (843)-768-3400 to check.
Lauren Kessel is the owner and author for the Inspired Luxury Traveler blog. Lauren is passionate about travel and finding the absolute best experiences and destinations, from adventure travel to luxury travel and beyond. After earning her degree in Tourism, planning countless vacations for herself and others, and visiting over 12 countries and 30 states, she is sharing her knowledge and love of travel.
Lauren believes travel is an important way to learn about the different cultures, ultimately leading to more understanding and peace throughout the world.
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