Volume 7, Issue 1 - Kiawah Island Club

Volume 7, Issue 1
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Kiawah Island Club Boating Program
Traveling the Lowcountry Waterways
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photo gallery
Fourth of July
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Bringing the best of Charleston
To Voysey’s The Kitchen Takeover Series
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FInding Kiawah Island How the O’Donnell Family Discovered Home
Away From Home
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Members and Families Enjoying the New Kiawah Island Sporting Club
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photo gallery
Farm-to-Table
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Capturing Kiawah’s Beauty
A Lesson in Photography from Patrick O’Brien
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Behind the Scenes Movers and Shakers
Meet the Purchasing and Receiving Team at
The Club
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From the Pro Shop to the Driving Range The Journey Towards Becoming a Golf Teaching
Professional
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photo galleries
Spring Golf Tournaments
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Cheers!
Stepping Behind the Bar
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Battling Hunger in the Lowcountry Backpack Buddies
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island news Ben Martin and Charles Frost on the 2015 PGA Tour;
Introducing Cassique Clubhouse Village
Published exclusively for Members of The Kiawah Island Club
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Kiawah Island Club Boating ProgramTraveling the Lowcountry Waterways
The Lowcountry waterways provide a completely new and
rejuvenating perspective of Kiawah and its surrounding
areas. So many adventures await you—cruising, dolphin
watching, and angling, to name just a few. You can see it all
thanks to the The Kiawah Island Club’s Boating Program.
“Traveling the waterways around Kiawah Island is almost
like jumping backwards a hundred years,” says Kiawah
Island Club Boating Program Captain Elliot Hillock (Captain Elliot), who describes the waters as untouched.
Whether you want to take a boat cruise or enjoy a fishing
expedition, Kiawah Island Club’s Boating Program can help
Members arrange for a wonderful day.
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Cruising the Waterways
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Tailored is the best word to describe the Boating Program’s
excursion options. You can cruise to the creeks, rivers, and
ocean in a 28-foot Scout boat or set out to fish on a 23-foot
BlackJack bay boat.
“Some choose to see unexplored nooks and crannies
around Kiawah Island,” says Captain Elliot. There is also a
popular boat cruise to Charleston that can include a scenic
tour of Lowcountry waterways or a stunning beachfront
run all the way to Charleston Harbor.
“Each itinerary is unique,” says Elliot. “Depending upon
your desired experience, weather conditions, wildlife, and
the season, each trip is one of a kind.”
“If everyone wants to cool off, we’ll drop anchor and let
everyone out for a swim,” Elliot smiles. “When we see
a pod of dolphins, we’ll stick with them, then stop the
engine, and watch them play around the boat. I have never
had a boat trip without a visit from an aquatic mammal.”
Accommodating particular interests is possible with a
little planning. Two military veteran Members loved
seeing the USS Yorktown and Fort Sumter from a different
perspective. Those who love architecture thrill at seeing
the Charleston Battery from the water. You can also take a
sunset cruise to Charleston and get dropped off for dinner.
The Club can arrange for your car ride back to Kiawah later
in the evening.
One of Elliot’s favorite routes is the along the scenic Stono
River, where it is common to see wild hogs and unique
birdlife along its banks.
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Fishing the Lowcountry
When you take a fishing trip with the Kiawah Island Club
Boating Program, all you need to do is show up and focus on
catching a fish.
All of those in the boat are covered by Captain Elliot’s fishing
license and the boat comes prepared with gear and tackle.
Even better? Members get to tap into Captain Elliot’s secret spots
around the Island within its hummocks and reefs.
“The best thing about fishing Kiawah Island is the seclusion.
Other Lowcountry areas are extremely busy, and what we have
here is relatively untouched,” said Captain Elliot. “You can go up
a creek and not see a soul for the entire day.”
Depending on the tides and season, the fishing in Kiawah’s creeks
can yield an impressive catch.
While some Members enjoy the rich waters immediately around
the Island, others want to venture out for a different fishing
challenge­—the reefs. More than 40 offshore artificial reefs have
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been created along the coast of South Carolina, and some
of the best are directly off Kiawah Island. Old scrap metal,
New York City subway cars, US Army tanks, and steel-hulled
barges form these reefs, which are home to an impressive
variety of fish.
Contingent on the season, anglers can expect to catch black
sea bass, black drum, red fish, trout, flounder, cobia, and
spade fish among others.
“May was cobia season and they are great eating fish. Next,
we will have the redfish, which is always a major event. This
past October was a huge hit for reds in the inlet which come
to spawn in the shallower waters,” explained Captain Elliot.
Don’t miss out on the adventure awaiting you on our
beautiful, coastal waterways. Take advantage of one of
the best Member’s amenities, the Kiawah Island Club
Boating Program.
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Photo Gallery: Fourth of July
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Bringing the
Best
of Charleston to
Voysey’s
Professional chefs expand their knowledge and repertoire
through “stages” (in this context, pronounced “stodges”)—
short-term, unpaid internships in another chef’s kitchen. They
provide unique insight into new techniques, recipes, and
culinary trends.
Doug Blair, Kiawah Island Club Executive Chef, has been the
beneficiary of multiple stages, including valuable time spent with
the Club’s world-renowned Consulting Chef, Tom Colicchio.
Knowing firsthand the difficulty of sending Club chefs to other
kitchens for stages during busy seasons, Doug decided to bring
chefs to Kiawah Island instead, and with that, the Kitchen
Takeover Series was born.
The first installment of the Kitchen Takeover Series featured
James Beard Award-winning chef Mike Lata, the owner of two
of Charleston’s most popular downtown restaurants, FIG and
The Ordinary.
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“We completely changed our Voysey’s menu and incorporated
an entirely new one for the evening, which Mike and I
collaborated on together,” said Doug. “For one night, we
became a completely new restaurant.”
Kiawah Island Club chefs worked in tandem with chefs from
FIG and The Ordinary, creating new dishes, learning new
techniques and providing an incredible dining experience for
the sold-out event.
The Kiawah Island Club hopes to grow the series, bringing
more renowned chefs to the Island this fall.
“The benefits are twofold,” said Doug. “Members are able to
enjoy an unforgettable dining experience on the Island, but
perhaps more importantly, our chefs learn new techniques,
stimulate their culinary minds, and become inspired by the
high-level of trained professionals visiting our kitchen—which
provides long term benefits for the Members.”
Photo Gallery: Honig Wine Dinner at Cassique
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Finding Kiawah Island
How the O'Donnell family discovered home away from home
No place can be “all things to all people,” but for Kevin and
Shannon O’Donnell and their active family, Kiawah Island
comes pretty close.
The O’Donnell family embodies how today’s families enjoy
the Island and the Kiawah Island Club. Every member of the
family loves something different about Kiawah, and whether
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you find them on the golf course, at the beach, or having
dinner at Voysey’s, they are always surrounded by friends.
We were fortunate to get a few minutes with Kevin and
Shannon during their action-packed Memorial Day weekend
on Kiawah Island.
What brought the O’Donnell family to Kiawah?
We began looking at beach properties about 10 years ago
that were within a relatively short driving distance from
Atlanta, Georgia. We looked from the North Florida coast to
North Carolina, and spent a year or so researching various
locations. Kiawah Island was one of the last destinations we
looked at since there were so many options. None of the other
communities held a candle to Kiawah. Once my wife and I
stepped foot in The Beach Club, we were hooked! We looked
at each other and said, “This is it.” It was exactly the place we
had been looking for to raise our kids during the summers.
Having Cassique and River Course were icing on the cake and
provided something that would keep everyone in the family
entertained. We joined the Club a month later and have
absolutely loved it for the past nine years.
How have you seen the Club develop over the nine years
that you have been here on Kiawah?
It’s so hard to pinpoint all the wonderful changes to the Club
over the past decade. However, one that has really impacted
our family is the expansion of GoKiawah. It has been a dream
come true! All my kids love the program and its counselors. It
allows my wife and I to drop the kids off and go have a quiet
dinner by ourselves or with friends. I think it is my wife’s
favorite thing about the Club next to Sasanqua. We love the
fact the Club purchased a boat with Captain Elliott for fishing
or a sunset cruise. The River Course renovation made it better
than ever before and the changes to both golf courses were a
bonus! I love the reactions I get when I bring guests to play for
the first time—priceless.
along the years and the friendships we have built. I know this
is true for so many. The ultra-friendly staff that always greets
us with a smile and “welcome to the Club” makes arriving at
Kiawah feel like coming home.
Is there a favorite dining venue among the family?
If we had to choose a favorite of the restaurants it would probably
be The Beach Club. We generally spend a lot of time there, and it
is hard to leave. I would say the next is Voysey’s if we are without
our kids, although the boys love that hanger steak!
“Kiawah was exactly the place we had
been looking for to raise our kids
during the summers.”
How does your family stay active while on Kiawah?
For those that know us, we are a very active family. We are
able to do things in Kiawah that we cannot do in Atlanta,
like surfing, paddle boarding, fishing (lots of it), bike riding,
kayaking, and then of course playing golf. My daughter logs
a lot of pool time and loves the diving board. Cissy is always
doing whatever the counselors are doing whether it’s arts
and crafts or a diving board competition. Sometimes our day
depends on the tides or wave conditions, but we are ultimately
happy with whatever we do. Then we are off to dinner to one
of our fabulous Club restaurants with friends. My wife says
Voysey’s is the best restaurant in the southeast. Our friends ask
us if we ever go into Charleston and we say “there’s really no
reason to­—we have everything we need and more on Kiawah.”
Aside from all the wonderful changes and additions, what
really makes the Club special is all the families we have met
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Members and Families Enjoying the New
Kiawah Island
Sporting Club
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Cathy Williams and her family are Club Members who have
been enjoying the sport of shooting for more than 15 years.
However, after making the move to Kiawah Island, their time
on the range became a rare occurrence.
“We’d been living on Kiawah full-time for almost five years,
and it had been over a year since we went sporting clay
shooting,” said Cathy. With the debut of the Kiawah Island
Club’s new Sporting Club, the Williams’ absence from the
range is over.
The Kiawah Island Sporting Club is a new Club facility a
short drive down Bohicket Road, on a 722 acre site of the
former Orange Hill Plantation. The Club’s Tony Starling, an
experienced shooting teacher and manager, has welcomed the
Williams and many other Members in the months since
the opening.
“This morning, we were at the Sporting Club for an hour and a
half and had a great time,” stated Cathy. “It’s only five minutes
away from the Island!”
Cathy’s daughter Kelsey Williams began shooting when she
was 13-years-old, but hasn’t had much practice since college.
“Out at the Sporting Club, you have people like Tony to give
great advice, lessons and directions, especially if you’re
shooting for the first time,” said Kelsey. Tony has made tweaks
and changes to Kelsey’s technique making her a better shooter.
Dwight Williams, Cathy’s husband, was a member of a
competitive shooting league before moving to Kiawah.
“A great thing about this sport is that it isn’t really weather
dependent,” said Dwight. “We would go out shooting in
December and continue through the winter in the league. You
can shoot in the rain, sun—really any weather.”
But even an experienced shooter like Dwight Williams enjoys
the fun of shooting with family and friends, regardless of the
experience level of the shooter.
“You can come out to the Club and Tony can get someone
busting clays in their first hour of their first day shooting,”
Dwight adds. “There is instant gratification with shooting.”
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Photo Gallery: Farm to Table Dinner
Capturing Kiawah’s Beauty
If, as the adage goes, “a picture is
worth a thousand words,” what is
the value of the world-class Kiawah
imagery that in-house professional
photographer Patrick O’Brien has
created for Kiawah Partners?
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“Patrick’s images set the tone for all of our communications
and marketing efforts, and really capture how beautiful
this island is,” states Bill Houghton, Kiawah Partners’ SVP
of Marketing. “The many, many long hours he has put in to
capture just the right Kiawah setting and image has paid huge
dividends for The Club and for Kiawah Island Real Estate.”
Patrick’s photography career began 15 years ago in
Washington, DC, as assistant to National Geographic
photographer Steve Uzzell. Over the years, Patrick
established himself as leading photographer for developers,
landscape architects, and golf course designers. Five years
ago Patrick joined Kiawah Partners full time to help the
Marketing department further establish Kiawah’s brand.
“With the rivers, marshes, creeks, and ocean, Kiawah is
a landscape photographer’s dream,” says Patrick. “It’s no
wonder the Kiawah Camera Club boasts over 120 active
members.”
While the scenery on the island does make for a great
“model,” capturing the most memorable images takes time,
dedication, a trained eye and—crucially—preparation. Here
are a few tips from Patrick O’Brien to help you capture your
own moments.
1. Invest in a good tripod and tripod head. Lightweight but
sturdy enough to hold the camera still on a windy day. I keep
one in my car so I always have access to it. I also keep a cheap
tripod in the car for shooting with the legs in deeper water or
thick mud.
2. Composition. Now that you have a good tripod you can
focus on your composition. Is the horizon straight? What is
in the foreground and at the edges of the frame? Anyone can
shoot a great sunset sky. It will be the foreground that can
make a good image great.
3. Wait for the moment. The key to so many memorable
pictures is capturing that great moment in time. Whether it’s
the expression on a child’s face or the moment the dolphin
leaps out of the water. You have to be patient and willing to
wait for the action to come naturally.
Want to see more of
Patrick’s photography?
Visit his (Kiawah heavy) blog at blog.pobphoto.com
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(from left: Kacy, Mark, Sharay, Paige, Greg, Dominique)
Behind the Scenes Movers and Shakers
There is an art to making things look easy on Kiawah. Truth be
told, there’s a bit of science involved too. It takes strict daily
schedules, stringent inventory control, ordering, receiving,
distributing, and stocking a plethora of items to meet every
external and internal department’s requirements.
Although we might not see them in action, nor meet them
in person, each of us benefits from the tireless work of the
Purchasing and Receiving team. Everything—from the
shotgun shells at the Sporting Club, to the cooling towels at
the Clubhouse, to the citrusy twist that kisses your evening
cocktail—makes its way to you like magic thanks to this team.
We sat down to learn more about the Purchasing and
Receiving team with Manager Paige Frazier, a fourteen-year
employee on the Island.
Tell us about the Purchasing and Receiving team and what
you do on a day-to-day basis.
In addition to myself, the Purchasing and Receiving
Department has five team members: Receiving Clerks
Greg White, Mark Taylor, Sharay Lowry, Kacy Wright and
Dominique Anderson (our newest hire). We all love coming to
work every day! Each day is new and different from the day
before. It keeps us on our toes and we never get bored. We act
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as the hub for numerous operational needs, including external
and internal ordering and transport. From food and beverage
to housekeeping, our hands touch many items used Club-wide
on a daily basis: mini bottles of liquor on the beverage carts,
Gatorades in the snack bar, M&Ms and toothbrushes in the
locker rooms, towels and laundry for all locations, shotgun
shells at the Sporting Club, cooling towels on the golf courses
coming off 18, candy on the comfort stations, margaritas at the
Summerhouse, and combs at the Spa, just to name a few. We
cross into all departments.
What areas of the Island do you service?
Depending on the season, we have two to four vehicles moving
around the Island. We service all on-Island Club facilities,
Housekeeping, KIRE offices, Club Cottages, West Beach,
GoKiawah, the corporate offices in Freshfields, the Sporting
Club, and the Station.
How much ground do you cover on a typical day?
We drive an average of 54 miles on Island a day in our box
truck. We also drive our van on- and off-Island daily to meet
various operational needs. We spend the early morning taking
care of the back end of the Island and we spend late morning
and early afternoon taking care of the front end. Then repeat
Numbers from 2014 High Season
it all mid-to-late afternoon. Every late afternoon, we work on
special projects.
What are some of the necessary skills required to excel in
your department?
All five Receiving Clerks come from various backgrounds.
Mark and Greg worked in banquets, Ray came to us from a
trucking and moving company, Kacy from a large furniture
warehouse, and Dominique from a stocking position at a large
grocery store chain. These different backgrounds make our
department stronger as a whole. The most important skills are
the ability to pay attention to detail and work as a team. As a
whole, our department has 43 years of Club experience, which
is invaluable.
What do you and your team enjoy most about the job? We are family. We respect each other and enjoy each other’s
company and laugh often. We are an excellent team and tend
to stick together. We love that our jobs allow us to get to know
management and employees company-wide, not just the Club
team. We interact with everybody on the Island on a regular
basis. It’s great to have friends in so many areas!
What is one of the craziest things that has happened while
you’ve been with the department?
The list is long! I would say one of the craziest was of course
when we lost the River Course Clubhouse to a fire in 2010. We
had to rebuild our Purchasing and Receiving operational hub
over night. We worked out of sheds, tents, and storage units
for the first six months. Our office was in the back of a box
truck for weeks with a mobile hotspot for email and Internet
access. Given the loss the Membership experienced at the
River Course, it was very important to us that they did not feel
a loss in any of our other facilities. We worked hard behind the
scenes, next to an amazing group of front line management, to
make sure the Club continued moving forward with as much
ease as possible.
It has been said that the Island would fall apart without
you guys—what would be missed the most over the next
week if none of you came to work tomorrow?
Every department in this company is as important as the next.
We are a support team and work behind the scenes to support
each department in any way needed. Some areas need our
team multiple times a day while other areas need us only a few
times a month. Our job is to assist in making everyone’s job
easier in some way and we thrive on helping folks out. If we
didn’t come to work, the first thing missed would be clean towels
at all locations, and then maybe Grey Goose behind the bars!
Next time you pick up a fresh towel at the Beach Club or grab a
handful of M&Ms in the locker room, you’ll know one member
of this six person behind-the-scenes team has worked hard
to keep your amenities stocked and ready. Their dedication
keeps the Island facilities running in perfect order so that the
Club can welcome Members day and night.
Laundry
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tons of clean & dirty laundry
from the Beach Club, Sports Pavilion,
Sasanqua, The River Course, and Cassique
during the months of March to August, 2014.
Locker Rooms
2,452
3,653 &
lbs of peanuts
lbs of M&M’s
(a total of over 3 tons!) were consumed in the CSQ
Locker Rooms and River Course Locker Rooms
34,912
13,212
Advil were consumed in
both the TRC and CSQ
Locker Rooms and
Golf Operations
toothbrushes
were used in Spa
and TSP, TRC, and
CSQ Locker Rooms
240
gallons of Sasanqua
Sea Foam Body Wash
were used in the BC and TSP Locker Rooms
Paper Goods and Housekeeping
10,180
rolls of toilet paper
were used Club-wide
412,400
individual Kiawah
guest towels
were used Club-wide
Beverage
2,612
bottles of liquor
were pulled from the River
Course Beverage Storage Room
and moved to the Beach Club
liquor room
2,041
cans and bottles
of Corona Extra
were consumed at the Beach
Club - roughly 85 cases
56,000
Kiawah mints
were consumed at the Beach Club
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the journey
towards becoming
a golf teaching
professional
Whether it is a lesson on the driving range to remedy your slice, or a simple greeting
when walking into the Club, the professional staff at the Kiawah Island Club make
Members feel welcome. The Club is fortunate to have eager, friendly staff who
are ambitious and want to expand their own skills and knowledge to better assist
the Membership.
Meet Danielle Lugo. She is the perfect example of one of our spirited employees. You
have likely interacted with Danielle in the River Course Pro Shop or spoken with her on
the phone to book your tee times. In the future, however, you may likely be calling to
book a lesson with her. Danielle is currently training to develop her skills as a golfer by
going through the PGA PGM Program.
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“I didn’t have a female role model in the
game when I was growing up, so to have
the young girls in the junior camps look
up to me is a great feeling.”
“I started playing golf when I was 11 years old,” said Danielle.
“One of my uncle’s friends was the head pro at our local golf
club, and he took my brother and me under his wing. The
junior program was phenomenal. We would spend our entire
summers on the golf course.”
“More and more women are doing both certifications these
days and the combination of both the LPGA and PGA statuses
will give me so much more knowledge and ability to bring back
to the Club.”
And, Danielle is eager to begin the journey.
The entire process can take anywhere from one to eight
years. As Danielle starts her exciting adventure towards LPGA
and PGA teaching professional certifications, you’ll find her
teaching the junior programs at the Kiawah Island Club—the
same programs that developed her enthusiasm and
appreciation for the game of golf.
Having been introduced to the game of golf through a great
junior program, Danielle is enthusiastic to create the same
experience for junior golfers at the Kiawah Island Club.
Originally from Delaware, Danielle’s passion for the game took
her South after high school, eventually deciding to attend the
College of Charleston.
“I wanted to go somewhere that I could play golf year round.
I fell in love with Charleston and decided that I would try to
walk onto the golf team.”
Danielle played for the College of Charleston’s golf team for
two years. After graduation, she stepped off the golf course
and into an office. After successful jobs in healthcare and
property management, Danielle still longed for the golf course.
She missed waking up and going to the golf course. After
seeking a job opportunity at the Kiawah Island Club, her career
path got back on course—literally.
Once at the Club, Danielle discovered her passion for teaching
the game, particularly to junior golfers.
“I didn’t have a female role model in the game when I was
growing up, so to have the young girls in the junior camps look
up to me is a great feeling,” said Danielle. “They are so excited
to have a woman teaching them and spending time with them
on the golf course. Even if their goal isn’t to play competitively,
I get so much joy out of watching young girls enjoy the game.”
It was in realizing her teaching potential that Danielle made
the decision to begin the process of becoming a certified golf
professional.
After sitting down with the Club’s Director of Golf, Steve
Kelleher, to speak about her goals, Danielle determined she
had two options: a certification through the LPGA’s teaching
program or a PGA certification.
The LPGA’s program focuses on teaching the game, while the
PGA certification includes additional business-focused benefits
of the game.
A decision was made. Do both—simultaneously.
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Photo Gallery: Spring Golf Tournaments
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Cheers!
Stepping Behind the Bar
While enjoying a casual beverage with friends is a part of the
social fabric of Kiawah, the science (or is it art?) of crafting
the perfect cocktail is a serious undertaking. Even esteemed
institutions like the Smithsonian—which hosted a panel
discussion at the National Museum of American History earlier
this year—are taking note of the growing trend of superior
quality craft cocktails.
number of unique cocktails, many of which are found on the
rotating menu at Tom’s.
James Rodewald, author of American Spirit: An Exploration of
the Craft Distilling Revolution, participated in that Smithsonian
event. “This is the best it’s ever been if you like a mixed drink,”
he stated. “The variety, the ingredients, the techniques—all top
notch, at least at the best places.”
Members also had a
chance to work with a
variety of unique cocktail
ingredients and worked
together to create the
perfect, balanced cocktail.
With that trend as a basis, fourteen Kiawah Island Club
Members participated in the inaugural Behind the Bar event
at Tom’s Bar in Cassique in April. Since that first event, the
series has gained traction and has found its way onto the Club
calendar.
“The first in the Behind the Bar series was a ‘Bartending 101’
class,” explained Sean Peters, the Club’s Lead Bartender. The
attendees learned essential bartending skills and created a
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“We made a Member favorite, the Hemingway Daiquiri,” said
Sean. “We also tested various Manhattans, including a very
tasty barrel-aged variety, which taps into the barrel-aged trend
occurring at the moment.”
Each Member from the
first class left the evening
with a bottle of homemade
ginger liqueur and a list of
recipes incorporating the
ingredient.
“It took a week to make the liqueur, using pounds of ginger,
vodka, rum, sugar, vanilla bean, and orange zest,” said Sean.
“We cooked all of it off and then let it steep for a week before
straining the liquid more than 25 times to make a perfectly
clear liqueur.”
The second installment in the series was Tiki themed, and
held at The Sports Pavilion Gazebo bar. This class emphasized
the ease of creating refreshing and delicious tropical drinks
without copious amounts of sugar and a blender full of ice.
Sean explained, “One thing I always shy away from is frozen
drinks. So many of the classic cocktails were never frozen.
In the class we resorted back to the old-school style. In the
Tiki craze of the 1950s and 60s, not much was blended, so we
harkened back to that.”
The Tiki event featured classics including a Zombie and an
old favorite, Mai Tai. Members mastered the theater and
presentation behind tropical drinks, even learning how to
hollow out pineapples and lighting some of the drinks on fire!
“We used ingredients that are readily available and made
sure that Members could build these cocktails at home,” said
Sean. “In fact, Mr. Beadle, a Club Member and owner of Kiawah
Spirits, made sure to stock ingredients from Behind the Bar in
his Freshfields location.”
The Behind the Bar series will continue with interesting themes
and delicious tasting evenings. The goal of the classes is to
emphasize that Members don’t have to become a mixologist to
craft creative cocktails. You may not spend a week preparing
your own ginger liqueur, but Sean will make sure you are well
on your way towards mixing up some Club classics!
The goal of the classes is to emphasize
that Members don’t have to become a
mixologist to craft creative cocktails.
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BattliNg childhood HuNger
iN the LowcouNtry
When traveling from Charleston to Kiawah Island, it is
not immediately obvious that poverty—particularly
childhood poverty—is a major problem in the South
Carolina barrier islands. Seen or unseen, the subject is
well worth discussing.
Within the neighboring islands of Charleston County,
including Wadmalaw, James, and Johns Islands, a large
percentage of children live below the poverty level
and face hunger every single day. The number, which
has grown considerably since 2008, now includes more
than 21,000 local area children.
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That is why members of the Kiawah Women’s Foundation
are eagerly dedicating their time and resources to a program
called Backpack Buddies. Designed to proactively combat
childhood hunger without calling undue attention to
individual children in need, it is a tangible way to make a
positive difference in a child’s life.
“The children started to come to school on Mondays more
focused and ready to start the day. On Fridays, they were not
concerned about where their weekend meals were going to
come from. Students began to show more self-confidence and
less aggression because their bellies were full and their anxiety
was lessened,” Morrow explained
The mission is simple: prepare backpacks filled with healthful,
shelf-stable foods that children can prepare on their own, and
send them home with children in need to sustain them over
the weekend. For many children, school lunch is their one
daily meal.
“These students can dread weekends, as they don’t know
where they will be, who will be taking care of them, or how
they’ll eat, since their parents are often working. Now, they
look forward to the weekends for once.”
“We started in 2013-14 with 25 children at Angel Oak
Elementary School,” said Island resident and Kiawah Island
Club Member Theresa Widuch. “It has increased to more than
75 children at Angel Oak since then.”
Backpack Buddies is a tangible way
to make a positive difference in a
child’s life.
In the coming year, Backpack Buddies will also support 55
of the neediest children at Haut Gap Middle School and will
supply fresh fruit twice weekly to all 125 students at Frierson
Elementary School on Wadmalaw Island.
“Every student at Frierson Elementary takes home a
nutritional snack bag for the weekend,” Widuch explained.
“The more the program has grown, the more obvious the needs
have become.”
While food programs at local pantries and churches do exist,
most are not prepared to address the unique needs of rural
poverty communities.
“What makes this rural area so different is the lack of
transportation,” said Terry Weaver, a founding partner of
Backpack Buddies. “Many families can’t get to a food pantry,
even when is one available. Our 501(c3) program buys, packs,
and delivers food to three local schools, where it is distributed
to students every Friday.”
Backpack Buddies has thrived in large part to the generosity
of Island residents and the Kiawah Partners. “The Kiawah
Partners have been great supporters of the program, offering
several golf packages at the silent auction food-truck rodeo
event and, then, in the fall, they provided a generous matching
grant, ” said Terry.
The Kiawah Island community as a whole has banded together
to support the cause. The Town of Kiawah provided a sizable
grant to the Backpack Buddies while a number of local
area merchants, private organizations, and countless other
individuals have also given to the cause.
“When we first started this program, we weren’t sure how
we were going to fund the meal program at Angel Oak,” said
a founding Backpack Buddies member. “Through generous
donations from so many individuals and groups, we are filling
a great need. We want to ensure that no child experiences
hunger, and we look forward to helping more families.”
One hundred percent of donations to Backpack Buddies
is spent on food for children, and all donations are tax
deductible. To help Backpack Buddies combat child hunger
in the barrier islands, please mail your tax-deductible
check made out to the Kiawah Women’s Foundation to
535 Bufflehead Drive, Kiawah Island, SC 29455.
*Statistics according to KIDS Count, a project of the Annie E. Casey
Foundation
A group of Kiawah Island residents coordinated by Kiawah
Island Club Member Cary McGann purchases and packs food
each Thursday and delivers them to the schools.
Whitney Morrow, a social worker at Angel Oak Elementary
School on John’s Island—a short nine miles from Kiawah—has
seen the benefits of Backpack Buddies first hand.
“Prior to September 2013, the backpack program did not exist
at our school. Within a few weeks of starting one, teachers and
staff noticed some major changes in children who received
backpacks,” said Morrow.
29
Island News
Kiawah Island Club Touring Pro Ben Martin is Joined by his Swing
Coach, River Course’s Charles Frost, in the 2015 PGA Championship
Amateur, which qualified him for the
2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage (Black) and
the 2010 Masters Tournament at Augusta
National Golf Club.
“At Augusta I just soaked it all in—what
it was like to be there,” said Ben. “I was
not scared, but I didn’t really feel like
I belonged.”
After graduating from Clemson later that
year, Martin kicked-off his professional
golf career on the Web.com Tour,
winning a tournament in just his second
start as a professional. A runner-up
finish at PGA Tour Qualifying School
secured his PGA Tour card in 2011, but
Ben found himself back on the Web.com
Tour in 2012.
The PGA Championship was on the minds of Kiawah’s
golf community back in May, when the PGA of America
announced that the Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course
would again host the tournament in 2021. But this year’s PGA
Championship has some Kiawah news, too.
Kiawah Island Club’s Touring Professionals, Russell Henley
and Ben Martin, are both expected to participate in the
2015 PGA Championship, to be played at Whistling Straits
in Kohler, Wisconsin August 13–16. What was not quite as
expected was that Charles Frost, River Course Head PGA
Professional, would qualify for the major championship
by placing in the top 20 in the PGA’s Professional National
Championship. That tournament, with a field of the nation’s
top club professionals, was played at Philadelphia Cricket
Club in late June, and Charles finished tied for 10th.
But Charles is not just a professional colleague of the Touring
Professionals. He is also Ben Martin’s swing coach.
“This is a rarity,” stated Bob Denney, the Historian for the PGA
of America. “The last PGA Teaching Professional and student
to compete in a PGA Championship that I could find were Stan
Thirsk and student Tom Watson in 1976 and 1978.”
Ben Martin is only a few years removed from his debut on the
national golf scene. In 2009, Ben was the runner-up at the U.S.
30
“I didn’t really have a teacher in 2011,”
Ben notes. “I was living in Greenville,
SC and I wanted to find an instructor I
could see nearby. I started working with
Charles while he was at Quail Hollow in Charlotte.”
Two victories in the 2013 season allowed him to finish second
on the Web.com Tour money list, and earned back his PGA
Tour card for 2014. This time around, he was ready and
steady—as evidenced by his win at the 2014 Shriners Hospitals
for Children Open, where Ben played the last four holes at
4-under-par to secure his first PGA Tour win.
“I think it’s my approach to the game, more of a long-term
view of it,” Ben says. “I’m not going to let a double bogey get
me down, and hopefully not going to get too amped up after
making a couple birdies in a row.”
“He’s the same when he shoots ten over and the same when he
shoots ten under,” agrees Charles.
Kiawah plays a key role in keeping the family life of a Touring
Pro in balance, as Ben and his wife Kelly have enjoyed the
beach and the Club on frequent occasions. “On my off weeks,
I typically don’t want to play golf,” states Ben. “I come down to
Kiawah Island and spend the first part of my break relaxing and
the second half getting my game into shape. I will spend three
to four days without golfing, then hop right over to the River
Course to train with Charles and be ready to go back on Tour.”
(continues next page)
Introducing Cassique Clubhouse Village
In April 2015, Kiawah Partners introduced Cassique Clubhouse
Village with the release of five custom cottage plans. This
unveiling followed on the heels of a two-page write-up in the
Spring 2015 issue of Private Clubs magazine and a party at the
base of the neighborhood’s footbridge after the popular Tour
of Homes on Kiawah Island.
wealth of Kiawah amenities. As the hub for The Kiawah Island
Club’s GoKiawah initiative, Cassique’s mission is to bring
Members together to celebrate events and activities. Adults,
children, and families enjoy kayak tours, Member Mingles, Kids’
Adventure Camps, cocktail cruises, and more—and Clubhouse
Village is about as close to the fun as you can get.
The Cassique Clubhouse Village community features new
construction with generous outdoor living space, marrying
Lowcountry ease with Cassique’s classic architectural style.
Five distinct cottage floor plans are available, ranging in size
from 2,600 to 3,600 square feet. Kiawah Partners’ development
team has worked with the selected architects to streamline the
construction process, so Clubhouse Village’s custom cottages
can be completed in just 12 months.
“Members and guests playing golf or dining at the Cassique
Clubhouse have seen the new bridge and walked to the site.
We’ve also had a lot of traffic to the neighborhood’s website,”
said Chris Drury, President of Kiawah Island Real Estate. “That
has led to a number of great conversations, and sales in the
Clubhouse Village.”
Cassique Clubhouse Village was designed to unite its neighbors.
A shared stroll across a private bridge connects residents to a
Ben’s visit to Kiawah after July’s British Open was a bit
different, though. His practice time was under the tutelage
of a fellow 2015 PGA Championship competitor.
“I don’t think Ben and Russell are overly worried about me
as part of the competition,” laughs Charles. “But it gives me a
lot of street cred with the students that you can also play and
compete at their level.”
Cassique Clubhouse Village is offered exclusively
through Kiawah Island Real Estate. For more details,
stop by one of KIRE’s four offices or visit
KiawahIsland.com/ClubhouseVillage.
Charles will likely feel many of the same emotions Ben
experienced at the 2010 Masters. “This is what I’ve been
dreaming about since I was a little kid: playing in one of these
events.” Frost said. “So you just get kind of more and more
excited, and every night it’s a little more difficult to sleep.”
Watch Charles, Ben, and Russell at the 2015 PGA Championship.
Early round coverage is on the TNT Network, with CBS airing the
final two rounds on the weekend. Go Kiawah!
31
1 Kiawah Island Parkway
Charleston, SC 29455
KiawahIslandClub.com