KAUA‘i, HAWAII - I finally lost my tolerance for cold and snow this past winter, during which I seemingly spent more hours shovelling than sleeping. Once spring sprung, I broke out my golf clubs from their long winter’s nap and booked a golf vacation to Hawaii — specifically Kaua‘i, the northernmost of the state’s six main islands.
My main getaway-destination requirement is simple — great golf courses must be offered, and Kaua‘i delivers brilliantly on that front. But wait, there’s more. Kaua‘i’s low-key vibe is irresistible. Only 5 per cent of the island is developed for commercial and residential use, while two-thirds of Kaua‘i is uninhabitable. Meanwhile, the island’s 80 kilometres of white-sand beaches offer more beach per kilometre than any other Hawaiian island.
Kaua‘i’s lush, tropical terrain makes it one of Hollywood’s favourite movie/television show locations — the countless major productions shot on Kaua‘i include South Pacific, the four-film Jurassic Park series, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Descendents, Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Tropic Thunder, Blue Hawaii and King Kong.
Indeed, the stunning scenery, not to mention warm, mostly sunny weather, bolsters Kaua‘i’s reputation as a golfer’s paradise and a golf destination (www.golfkauaihawaii.com) featuring a cooperative of five world-class courses (Princeville Makai Golf Club, Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club, Poipu Bay Golf Course, Puakea Golf Course, Wailua Golf Course) and three award-winning resorts (The St. Regis Princeville Resort, Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa, Kaua‘i Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach).
My five-night, six-day Kaua‘i trip commenced with two nights at The St. Regis Princeville Resort, whose guest rooms overlook Hanalei Bay, the Pacific Ocean and mountains. The hotel is also home to the fabulous Halele‘a Spa and The Kaua‘i Grill by Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Left: The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort is in a class by itself. Right: The Puakea Golf Course is surrounded by scenes that will test your power of concentration.
The Princeville Makai Golf Club, which I played in 2001, re-opened in 2010 after an extensive, superb renovation by original designer Robert Trent Jones Jr. that improved the layout so much I didn’t even recognize it. It has climbed 15 places to No. 65 on Golf Digest’s “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses 2015-2016” ranking. The course’s serene lakes and spectacular ocean coastline are utilized brilliantly for aesthetic and strategic effect. Makai’s nine-hole sister, the Woods Course, winds through native woodlands.
The next morning I drove an hour southeast from the north shore to Puakea Golf Course, owned by AOL co-founder Steve Case. During my previous Kaua‘i visit Puakea only featured 10 holes designed by course architect Robin Nelson, but within the next several years Nelson’s remaining eight holes were completed, and the result is amazing, if not stunning. Puakea is now a polished gem that, like Makai, was unrecognizable, except for the signature, downhill sixth hole — a 176-yarder with a 15-metre drop to a green fronted by a pond. Golfers are treated to gorgeous views of Mt. Ha‘upu and, on several holes, deep, lush ravines used as the backdrop to the original Jurassic Park movie.
The Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa — it completed a renovation in 2012 — served as my base for the next two nights. The sprawling hotel feels as though it’s set in its own jungle paradise, thanks to a water playground with a river pool, waterfalls, a saltwater lagoon and the celebrated Anara Spa, where I enjoyed a lomi lomi massage that loosened up my ailing lower back tremendously.
The next morning I walked five minutes to the Poipu Bay Golf Course, which, along with the adjacent Grand Hyatt, has been honoured by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the top U.S. golf resorts. Poipu Bay, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., was named to Golf Digest’s “America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses 2013-2014. The course — it also hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 1994 through 2006 — underwent a renovation and has featured eco-friendly Seashore Paspalum turf on all its greens since 2011. The layout’s final four holes play atop a jaw-dropping 50-metre sea cliff.
Not every great Kaua‘i golf course is affiliated with a five-star resort. Like Puakea, Wailua Golf Course is a value priced public course (non-residents $48 U.S. weekdays, $60 weekends) but, unlike the privately owned Puakea, Wailua is one of the nation’s most beautiful, not to mention challenging, municipal layouts.
Above: There is not a bad view at Princeville Makai Golf Club.
The original holes date to the 1920s. Wailua expanded to 18 holes in 1962 under the direction of Hawaii golf Hall of Famer Toyo Shirai. The layout — a favourite of both locals and tourists — is just a 10-minute drive from Lihue Airport (LIH).
My last evening on Kaua‘i was spent at the massive Kaua‘i Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach, a short shuttle ride to the Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club, which has an 18-hole course instead of the three nines it had during my previous trip.
The Kiele Course — which consists of the Kiele Mauka and Kiele Moana nines — is a blast to play. Golfweek named the layout No. 10 in Hawaii in its 2015 “Best Courses You Can Play” by state ranking, and MSN Travel tabbed Kiele one of the “World’s Most Beautiful Golf Courses.”
Indeed, the course — Jack Nickluas’ lone Signature Golf experience on Kaua‘i — features the state’s longest continuous stretch of ocean holes, with more than two kilometres of oceanfront golf. The front nine is highlighted by the 219-yard par-3 fifth hole’s green, encircled by a tropical mango and guava tree forest. I also enjoyed the 506-yard, par-5 fourth hole, which I eagled in front of a cheering maintenance crew by the green. One of them said my approach bounced just in front of the putting surface and rolled over half of the hole and somehow didn’t drop for a double-eagle.
Oh well, I guess Kaua‘i isn’t perfect after all — but it’s pretty darned close.
About the Author
Steve Donahue has been an award-winning golf-industry writer and editor for nearly 25 years following more than 14 years as an assistant sports editor at a major daily newspaper in his native Connecticut. Steve — now a freelance contributor for numerous publications and websites — began his golf-industry career at Golf Digest Publications. Steve counts himself extremely fortunate to have so far played nearly 1,000 different courses in all 50 U.S. states, two Canadian provinces (Alberta and Prince Edward Island) and 10 countries.