Cougar Point is where golf on Kiawah Island started — and it's the first thing you see after clearing the security gate. The course is the island's original layout, the clubhouse anchors West Beach Village, and The Players' Pub has become one of the more relaxed places to eat on Kiawah.
Here's what to know before you play, eat, or start looking at property nearby. Last verified: August 2026.
Afterward, find more thoughtful travel tips for your golf getaway in our free Sea Island Vacation Guide. Inside, you’ll find our handpicked recommendations on the island’s best activities. Tennis, outdoor recreation, dining, and more are all listed in our guide so that you can spend less time planning and more time having fun.
The Course
Cougar Point is Kiawah's original golf course, and it carries a Gary Player pedigree. The course was rebuilt in 2017 under Gary Player Design — a full reconstruction rather than a touch-up, with rerouted holes, rebuilt greens, and expanded marsh views along the Kiawah River.
The result is the most playable of Kiawah's courses, and regulars will tell you that's a compliment rather than a hedge. It isn't long, so plenty of holes ask for something other than driver. What it asks for instead is placement — fairways are tight in spots, and the stretch along the marsh is the prettiest golf on the island that isn't the Ocean Course. If you want a round you'll enjoy rather than survive, this is the one.
Open daily, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Green fees are resort-rate and vary considerably by season — check current pricing when you book. Cougar Point is open to resort guests, Kiawah property owners, and club members.
The Cougar Point Clubhouse
The clubhouse opened in 2019, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects as part of the West Beach Village rebuild and constructed by Choate Construction. It replaced the original facility entirely, and it's the building that greets you as you enter the island.
Inside you'll find:
- A full-service pro shop of roughly 1,750 square feet — bags, balls, shoes, apparel and accessories, with a genuinely good selection rather than the usual token rack
- Locker rooms for pre- and post-round
- The Players' Pub, the clubhouse restaurant and bar
- A 4,354-square-foot covered deck looking out over the lagoon and the 18th green
That deck is the reason to linger. It runs the length of the building, it's shaded, and it catches the breeze coming off the water. Rocking chairs, a cold drink, and somebody else's approach shot into 18 is a decent way to spend an hour whether or not you played.
The Players' Pub
The clubhouse restaurant is open to the public — not just golfers, not just resort guests. That's worth knowing, because it makes it one of the easier places on Kiawah to get a table.
Open daily, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. — lunch and dinner. Reservations can be made through the Kiawah Island Golf Resort dining page, and they're worth making in season.
The dining room seats around 125, with another 31 at the pub and bar, plus the covered deck outside. The menu is elevated pub food — sandwiches, salads, larger plates — and it's priced like a resort restaurant, so set expectations accordingly. The deck and the setting are the draw.
The Pro Shop and Locker Room
The Cougar Point Pro Shop is a golfer's dream. The shop is over 1,750 square feet and filled with an impressive selection of equipment and accessories. You’ll find golf bags, balls, shoes, hats, and more. A 526-square-foot locker room is another luxurious addition!
What Happened to Kiawah 2.0?
The clubhouse was the first major piece of Kiawah 2.0, a resort-wide redevelopment announced in 2018 and timed to land before the 2021 PGA Championship. Since people still ask what became of it, here's an honest accounting:
Built: the Cougar Point Clubhouse (2019), the West Beach Conference Center with roughly 24,000 square feet of meeting space, a new Villa Check-In building, and the expanded Roy Barth Tennis Center.
Not built: the 150-room West Beach Village Hotel. It was announced for the former Kiawah Island Inn site and designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, but it hasn't been constructed. Infrastructure for it — including a central energy plant sized to serve it — was put in place, so the site remains ready. Treat it as a possibility rather than a plan.
What's actually happening in West Beach now is residential. The Cape is Kiawah's newest oceanfront development, on one of the best stretches of West Beach.
Living in West Beach Village
West Beach is Kiawah's original neighborhood, developed starting in 1976, and the rebuild of the last decade has given the oldest part of the island its newest infrastructure.
For owners, the practical case is proximity. You're first inside the gate, closest to the Freshfields Village shops and restaurants, closest to the bridge off-island, and a short ride from the clubhouse, the conference center, and the beach. Villas and cottages here tend to be more attainable than East Beach and oceanfront Kiawah, which makes West Beach a common entry point for buyers.
Look no further than Pam Harrington Exclusives when searching for your home away from home in West Beach on Kiawah Island. With nearly 50 years of service on Kiawah Island, we set the standard for luxury real estate on Charleston’s sea islands.