Dye's Ocean Course on Kiawah Island can one of the best golf days in your life if you humble down and play the right tee.

I just finished playing Pete Dye’s remarkable Ocean Course at Kiawah Island near Charleston, SC. If someone told me I could play but one course in the country for the rest of my life, this would be it. (Providing I had bags of money).

I would not choose it because it has been the site for so many high-profile tournaments and will be the venue for the 2012 PGA Championship. Rather because it’s the closest thing I’ve seen to a true Scottish links and makes you think. Its beauty grabs you as tenaciously as its bunkers.

Moody, often gusty, every-changing, the course winds through dunes, reeds and marshes with strong winds often blowing off the sea. Play late when the sun is sliding and low African-like wind-swept trees are silhouetted against the endless bronze sky, and it can touch your soul.

The Dyes, Pete and Alice, created a course that is deceptively difficult and definitely playable over and over again. And no doubt about it, it can be difficult indeed for those who choose to play from the wrong tees.

A pal who played it a year or so ago, wasn’t so happy about his round. “It was just too tough. I couldn’t even break 100.”

“Why didn’t you smarten up and move up,” I suggested. “What infinite wisdom made you play from the tips?” (close to 7,873 yards). No answer.

I on the other hand, took Alice Dye’s advice. Alice had a lot on input into the placement of Ocean’s tee boxes. In fact Alice as Pete’s partner in business and life, has had a lot to say about tee placements on all their courses.

“Normally 4,800 yards is about right for women playing watered fairways,” she said. “We don’t do that because women look at the card and think that’s too short. It’s not. It’s a mental block. They’ll play 5,000 yards, but scoff at playing 4,800.

Alice explained in a recent interview before fairways were irrigated, the ground was hard, grass low so the ball ran forever. The fuss about tee boxes only started when fairways were watered, slowing them down as grass grew thick and lush, bolstered by fertilizers. “I’d like to see less water, firmer fairways,” she said.

“It’s the same for men,” added Alice. “While 5,800 yards is good for the gentleman player (i.e. whites), they want to play 6,000 or more yards. It’s all about the zeros. If I had my way, I would never total the yardage on the card.”

I listened. Even though The Ocean Course has six tees, the forward tee, Carolina, is still no slouch at 5,327 yards and that’s where I teed up. I had enough good shots to be able to enjoy the scenery.

My golfing buddy on the other hand insisted on driving from the Tournament tee at 7,356 yards. He struggled. Huffed and puffed. Grumbled immensely, head down as he blasted out of one bunker then another. “I guess I should have moved up to the Kiawahs,” he said.

From now on I am heeding Alice Dye’s wisdom who by the way, has won nine Indiana Women’s Golf Amateur Championships, the 1968 North and South Women’s Amateur Golf Championship and the 1978 and ‘79 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Golf Championship.

She was the first woman president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and the first woman to serve as an independent director of the PGA. She was also a member of the 1970 U.S. Curtis Cup Team. And more.

Alice knows. The forward tees for women make total sense.

Men can move up too. When you’re paying more than $300 a round, part of the Dye Experience is the pure enjoyment of what he and Alice along with nature have created. Why not hole out happy.

Note: Recently Golf Digest changed its rating criteria for conditioning to how “firm, fast and rolling” for fairways and how “firm but still receptive” for greens.