The layout will become the third 18-hole course for members of Kiawah Island Club
By Toby Ingleton |
A new golf course by Beau Welling Design will be built at Orange Hill, a residential community from development group Kiawah Partners, in southern Johns Island near Charleston, South Carolina.
Kiawah Partners is a subsidiary of private equity group South Street Partners and operates the Kiawah Island Club. The new layout at Orange Hill will join the River course by Tom Fazio and the Cassique course by Tom Watson’s firm as the club’s third 18-hole golf course.
Welling, whose recent projects include Fields Ranch West at PGA Frisco in Texas and Travis Club in Austin, Texas, has created a plan for the course that aligns with the developer’s ‘designing with nature’ principle – the concept of shaping the built environment in perfect harmony with the natural one.
The golf facilities occupy 300 acres of the Orange Hill development (Image: Kiawah Island Club)
The golf course architect has routed the course to limit environmental impacts and has sought to minimise tree removal. Over 3,100 protected or grand trees were identified, of which 88 per cent of the highest-graded trees will remain. Increased buffers along the entrance road have been incorporated to help preserve the landscape.
Over 3,100 protected or grand trees were identified on the site for the Orange Hill course (Photo: Kiawah Island Club)
About 300 acres of the Orange Hill development will be dedicated to golf, including the 18-hole course and an accompanying short course. Welling has taken inspiration from Golden Age design, particularly for slopes and contours around the greens.
The course will occupy gently rolling terrain alongside wetlands and is being designed as a walkable and enjoyable experience, that requires strategy and creativity.
“To us, the most compelling and interesting version of golf is a strategic one that challenges players to think their way around the course,” said Welling. “That philosophy begins with how we design the greens, and then we work back to fairway and teeing areas.”
‘The most compelling and interesting version of golf is a strategic one that challenges players to think their way around the course,’ says golf course architect Beau Welling (Photo: Beau Welling Design)
Welling continued: “We favour interesting and varied contours on and around the greens, relying more on landforms and contouring than bunkering to create strategy and define preferred approach angles. Closely mown areas around the greens allow those contours to function almost like hazards for highly skilled players seeking to score, while remaining more forgiving for golfers who may struggle to reach greens in regulation. I have no doubt members will enjoy discovering the variety of ways to play Orange Hill and the strategic decisions the course presents.”
“We’ve worked closely with Beau Welling Design to deliver an exceptional golf experience for Kiawah Island Club members of all skill levels at Orange Hill,” said Jordan Phillips of South Street Partners.