FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Theresa Martin
Doonbeg Golf Club
PO Box 12001
Charleston, SC 29422
O: 843-768-5220
F: 843-768-5727
theresa_martin@doonbeggolfclub.com

PRESS RELEASE

Doonbeg Receives International Award
for Service Excellence

Doonbeg, County Clare, Ireland - Doonbeg Golf Club, the Greg Norman-designed oceanfront golf course, located along the west coast of County Clare between Lahinch and Ballybunion, announces it has received the prestigious "Golf Course of the Year" award from the Ireland Golf Tour Operators Association (IGTOA). The award, which is presented annually, recognizes golf courses that consistently deliver exemplary service to visitors.

"Our goal has always been to provide members and guests an unparalleled level of service and product excellence," notes Charles P. "Buddy" Darby, III, chairman and CEO of Kiawah Development Partners, parent company of Doonbeg Golf Club. "This award spotlights the hard work the entire Doonbeg team has put forth striving to achieve these ideals and in nurturing a strong working relationship with golf tour operators, which is cornerstone to that success."

Presented to General Manager Joe Russell during the IGTOA's ninth annual awards dinner, the "Golf Course of the Year" designation places Doonbeg Golf Club in elite company. Past winners include Royal Co. Down Golf Club, Ballyliffin Golf Club, and Mount Juliet Golf Club.

Jerry Quinlan, a golf tour operator and IGTOA member who made the official presentation, noted that the level of service provided at Doonbeg has "raised the bar for all golf clubs in Ireland."

Announcement of the "Golf Course of the Year" award comes just days before the planned opening of Doonbeg Golf Club's highly anticipated clubhouse, lodge, and suites. The Lodge at Doonbeg Golf Club, which will be comprised of the Lodge, the Garden House Suites, the Norman Suites, and the Courtyard Suites, is scheduled to open in May 2006.

The Lodge will house the Doonbeg member clubhouse and 15 Lodge Suites, ranging in size from one to four bedrooms. The Clubhouse portion of the lodge building will encompass a formal dining room that faces the ocean and overlooks the No. 18 green; a Members' bar overlooking the Atlantic; a spa with steam rooms, sauna, treatment rooms, and a fitness facility; and men's and women's locker rooms for club Members.

Anchoring the Doonbeg experience is the Greg Norman-designed golf course. Etched along 1.5 miles of crescent-shaped beach encircling Doughmore Bay in southwest Ireland, the links course incorporates ocean vistas from the green, fairway or tee on 16 of the 18 holes. Norman employed a "least disturbance" philosophy in routing the course around the marram-grass dunes, as 14 of Doonbeg's greens and 12 of its fairways were simply mowed.

"If I spent the rest of my life building courses, I don't think I'd find a comparable site anywhere," Norman says. "It's spectacular, land made by God."

Like many traditional Irish links, Doonbeg Golf Club is a private club that allows limited public play. Membership is by invitation only; inquiries are entertained.

The Ireland Golf Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) was established in 1996 to represent Irish-based tour operators selling Ireland as a golf destination to incoming visitors. According to a survey conducted for the IGTOA in 2001 by Ernst & Young, members handled more than 30,000 golfers and placed over IR£15 million worth of high-yield business with accommodation, transportation and golf course partners. The "Golf Course of the Year" award is part of the IGTOA's efforts to recognize and honor key industry suppliers that adhere to a strict code of excellence and help maintain Ireland's position as one of the world's best golfing destinations.

Doonbeg Golf Club is a private club with limited visitor access to golf and accommodation upon availability. Membership is by invitation only; inquiries are entertained. Contact Theresa Martin at 843-768-5220 or email theresa_martin@doonbeggolfclub.com for additional information.

KDP is the master developer of Kiawah Island, a 10,000-acre sea island located 21 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to Doonbeg Golf Club, the company's affiliates include Kiawah Island Real Estate; The Kiawah Island Club, which encompasses the Tom Fazio-designed River Course, the Tom Watson-designed Cassique Golf Course, the Beach Club, and Sasanqua, the Members-only spa; and Freshfields Village.