Kiawah Island Golf Resort Receives Audubon Sanctuary Status

Kiawah Island Golf Resort has announced that each of its five golf courses as well as the grounds of The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the oceanfront hotel and spa, have been certified by Audubon International as cooperative sanctuaries.

According to resort officials, the original land plan was designed to blend into the setting rather than to dominate it. This close tie to nature has made Kiawah Island and its golf courses stand out in the top resorts. "Ever since Kiawah Island Golf Resort was founded in 1976, it has embraced its natural Lowcountry environment," said Brian Gerard, Kiawah Island Golf Resort Director of Golf.

The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary (www.auduboninternational.org) is an education and certification program that helps golf courses and other facilities protect the environment. To achieve the Audubon Sanctuary certification, a golf course or a business facility must demonstrate it maintains a high degree of environmental quality in a variety of categories, including Environmental Planning, Wildlife Habitat Management, Resource Conservation, Waste Management, and Outreach and Education. The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program provides information and guidance to help golf courses, businesses and organizations preserve and enhance wildlife habitat, and protect natural resources.    

"I am extremely proud of our golf course superintendents and our professional golf staff for dedication and commitment in achieving Audubon certification for each of the five course at the resort," said Gerard. "Having The Sanctuary and all five of our golf courses receive certification distinguishes us as a unique property and something of which we are all extremely proud."

Located a 35-minute drive from Charleston, S.C., Kiawah Island Golf Resort stretches along 10 miles of uninterrupted Atlantic Ocean beach, rated as one of America¹s top 10 beaches by The Travel Channel. Guests can choose from close to 600 villas and luxury homes and the AAA Five Diamond-rated 255-room Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, which boasts a spa, fine dining and meeting space. The resort features two award-winning tennis complexes, a variety of restaurants and lounges, and five golf courses, including the world-famous Pete Dye-designed Ocean Course.

For more information about Kiawah Island Golf Resort, call 888/854-2924 or visit www.kiawahresort.com.