Kiawah Island Club

The River Course (Tom Fazio, 1995, par 72, roughly 7,119 yards) was the Club's first course, with six holes running along the Kiawah River's edge and the rest threading savannas, ponds, and maritime forest. Cassique (Tom Watson, 2000, par 72, roughly 6,960-7,050 yards depending on source) evokes classic British links golf, running through maritime forest and marsh where the Kiawah River meets the Atlantic. Both are consistently described by real-estate and golf-travel sources as among the most exclusive courses on the island, distinct in character and design pedigree from the resort's public courses.

Golf Membership (reported 2026 initiation fee: $185,000) grants the member and immediate family use of both Cassique and the River Course plus all other Club amenities (Sports Pavilion, Sasanqua Spa, Marsh House, The Cape Club, The Beach Club) with no greens or court fees, though a cart/caddie fee applies. Sports Membership (reported $160,000) includes everything except Cassique and River Course golf access. Social Membership (reported $120,000) covers The Beach Club and clubhouse/spa access only, with no golf. Annual dues apply on top of initiation fees at every tier; a specific current dues figure was not found this session. Membership is not open to the general public -- it is available only via a new homesite purchase from Kiawah Island Real Estate or a resale where the seller conveys their existing membership, and mandatory for all Cassique and Settlement property owners specifically.

Kiawah Island Club anchors two of Kiawah's most exclusive gated neighborhoods -- Cassique and The Settlement -- where club membership is a mandatory condition of ownership, not an optional add-on. This distinguishes it sharply from the rest of the island, where Club membership (when available at all) is optional and tied to a specific homesite's own membership conveyance rather than automatic with any Kiawah purchase.

Club amenities beyond golf include the Sports Pavilion (roughly 9,000 sq ft, with fitness, Har-Tru tennis, pickleball, squash, basketball, and a saltwater pool), the Sasanqua Spa, the oceanfront Beach Club, and multiple dining venues (Marsh House, The Cape Club, and clubhouse dining at both courses).

Kiawah Island Club's facilities sit inland from the ocean, centered on the Cassique neighborhood and reachable via Kiawah Island's second, more private security gate; The Settlement neighborhood sits nearby within the broader Vanderhorst Plantation area.