hawaii golf

Golf in the Garden Isle - Hawaii golf resources

The most untrammeled of Hawaii's large islands, Kauai offers peace, serenity and great places to play

Kauai, the outermost of the major Hawaiian Islands, is one of those faraway, exotic places you can't imagine actually visiting yourself.

You see it only on television ("So, Tiger Woods finishes birdie, eagle to defeat Vijay Singh, 2 up, and win the Grand Slam of Golf at Poipu Bay"), or hear about it in a song (" . . . frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honahlee" -- or "Hanalei" as the Hawaiians prefer), or discover it in a history book ("Captain James Cook went ashore at Waimea, spending two weeks provisioning his ships").

To make the trip to Kauai, you too might feel like you need a trunkload of provisions. It's a daunting prospect -- just too darn time-consuming to get there. I live in Connecticut, and I could never face the prospect of 15 hours in 737s and airports.

I'm not sure what made me do it. Maybe it was anticipating another harsh New England winter -- scraping ice is not my forte. Or perhaps I realized it was simply one of those trips everyone should make before age 50.

Whatever. I'm here to tell you it's worth the time, effort and expense to get there. Fortunately, I booked my first night at the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club, which is exactly a three-minute drive from Lihue Airport. The Marriott is a posh, full-scale resort with two restaurants, a canoe club and a fitness club, so it's easy to recover from the trip. The setting is right on Kalapaki Beach at Nawiliwili Bay, with the largest pool in the state of Hawaii (surrounded by five - - count 'em -- hot and bubbling Jacuzzis) and two excellent golf courses.

Oh yes, the golf. I almost forgot. That's what this island will do to your psyche. There are so many other distractions to keep you in the aloha (friendly) spirit. But golf is becoming one of the primary reasons tourists are visiting Kauai in greater numbers each year.

At the nearby Kauai Lagoons Resort, you can play both the Lagoons Course and the Kiele Course, two fine layouts designed by Jack Nicklaus. The Kiele is more scenic, with several holes playing along the coastal cliffs. Although it features a number of strong holes, I was disappointed in Kiele's signature hole, the 16th, a short par 4 that looks fabulous in the postcard aerial photographs. In reality, it's a blind tee shot with a 4-iron that must be aimed at the right edge of a fairway severely canted from right to left. Then, if your ball somehow stays in the left side of the short grass, it's a downhill wedge to a thimble-size green. I flipped my ball over the flag and over the green, surely into the watery abyss of Nawiliwili Bay below. But it was saved by a deep, red-sand bunker behind the green, mercifully intended for that purpose. I soon learned that most of the bunkers on Kauai's courses use the natural red dirt for their sand, which allows you to spin the ball well, but turns everything -- shoes, balls, towel, sand wedge -- crimson.

After your round, you might swing by JJ's Broiler, just down the road, for some local -- and first-rate -- fish and chips and a tossed salad more than big enough for a twosome.

If it's true that good things often come in twos, the other major golf spots on Kauai are no exception. One is an hour's drive north, at the Princeville Resort, the other 30 minutes southwest, at Poipu. Both are on the water.

The Princeville Resort hotel is perched in a magnificent setting, dangling along a cliff with views of Hanalei Bay and Mount Makana, made famous as "Bali Hai" in the movie version of "South Pacific." Makana means "the gift," and the surfers seem to know this better than anyone. From your hotel window, you can watch them far below, clad in flower-pattern bathing suits, riding their boards from sunup to sundown, all searching for the Perfect Wave. At least when it's not raining.

This is called the wetter side of the island, and fittingly, I played the resort's extremely difficult Prince Course in a steady drizzle, which caused two of the fairways to ooze a gooey form of that red dirt the island is known for. (Don't return home without the obligatory Red- Dirt T-shirt, by the way.) This Robert Trent Jones Jr. design, one of only 10 facilities in North America to be awarded five stars in Golf Digest's most recent Places to Play ratings, is a fabulous routing, with the ocean in view from many holes and others descending and ascending in and out of valleys. Each hole is isolated, with the flow of the course building to a crescendo of difficulty on the back nine. A word of warning: Unless you are a scratch player, do yourself a favor and avoid the back tees.

I toured the other 27 holes at Prince-ville, the Makai Course, in sunnier weather. The Ocean and Lakes nines have breathtaking views of the Pacific.

Another positive feature of Prince-ville: It is seeking to be more environmentally minded, under a program called "Malama Kaiulu," which has created environmental grants for local schools and businesses. Princeville says its golf courses have reduced pesticide spraying by 70 percent over the past 10 years, and it will deliver a complete spraying schedule to your door upon request.

Princeville is a large real-estate development, owned by three Japanese corporations. You can rent a condo or stay in the hotel, which features two top-class restaurants (don't miss the full-scale buffet breakfast every morning, where the view from the terrace will enthrall you, and the Brazilian cardinals with their white bodies and red crowns will amuse you by cleaning up the crumbs you dropped).

There is entertainment nightly at Princeville, including luaus on Mondays and Thursdays. One of Kauai's little-known secrets is the 30- minute hula exhibition, open to the public, three evenings a week near the hotel's main lobby. Dancer/singer/storyteller Mauoli Cook and her husband, John Akana, perform ancient hula rituals, explaining authentic Hawaiian culture and dramatizing such Hawaiian mythology as the stories of Pele, the goddess of fire. This is the traditional hula (called "kahiko"), the dance that was banned by Christian missionaries until the reign of King Kalakaua in the 1880s. For some 50 years, hula was kept alive only by underground teachings. Instruction in Hawaiian culture is now mandatory in the public schools, many children learning the only dances in the world that tell stories through hand, arm and hip movements.

Back to modern culture, however. Take a 10-minute drive north of Prince-ville along the beach, across a single-lane bridge built in 1912, through lush hills and valleys to the funky town of Hanalei. Here you'll find many places to shop and eat. (Try the guava, lime and watermelon shaved ice, which is coarser but more flavorful than the better-known Italian ice.) Keep going till the road ends, past the town of Haena, and you'll come to the Na Pali Coast State Park, which begins arguably the most spectacular shoreline in the world. There is an 11- mile hiking path along the coast, but it can be dangerous. Try it only if you are strong and the weather is very good.

From Princeville, clockwise around the island, the way the helicopter flies (see "The view from on high"), you'll pass through the coastal towns of Kapaa (a good area for shopping), Wailua (hang-out for surfers), the county capital of Lihue, the quaint and picturesque village of Koloa and finally the southern coastal town of Poipu, home of several top seafood restaurants. On this side of the island it rains much less frequently, though the winds can kick up. You'll find the recently reopened Sheraton Kauai Resort and the exquisite and pricey Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort with its dramatic Poipu Bay Resort Golf Course, site of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf since 1994.

This side of the island was ravaged in September 1992 by Hurricane Iniki, forcing the Hyatt to close for six months (it reopened with a $38 million facelift). "We're spread across 50 acres," the bellman boasted as I gave him his tip. That was no hyperbole. The walk from my room to the lobby, at a brisk pace, took close to 10 minutes.

The grounds are awe-inspiring. One can hop into any number of small pools, soak in any number of bubbling hot tubs, swim or snorkel or kayak in the chlorinated salt-water lagoons, or venture onto the beach and into the ocean. Everything is interconnected with gardens, paths and tropical koi fishponds. Swim down a winding stream and under a hidden waterfall. Turn down a path and find a secluded swinging bench. Paddle across a lagoon to a small island with a private hammock.

The Poipu Bay golf course, another Robert Trent Jones Jr. design, is not quite as impressive as the hotel -- until you reach the elevated 15th tee with its panoramic view of the ocean. Whales and dolphin are often sighted here. The final holes are reminiscent of Waterville's majestic finishing holes on Ireland's west coast, except at Poipu the ocean is on the golfer's left, not right.

At the 16th, a brutal par 4 playing 501 yards from the back tees, you must keep your approach shot to the right to avoid the ancient sacred lava mounds that separate fairway from ocean. If your ball decides to commune with the gods, you must let it rest there -- a sternly worded sign forbids you to venture into the rocks only steps from the fairway.

A less foreboding terrain characterizes the newest course on Kauai, Grove Farm Golf Course, a 10-holer in a real-estate development near Lihue. It took me a while to find it (it's hidden behind Lihue's Kukui Grove Shopping Center), but it was worth the search. At first glance, you think it's just a driving range, but upon inquiry, you learn that you can drive your cart under a bypass to a beautifully landscaped Robin Nelson design that offers views of the Pacific from the first tee and requires precise iron play on nearly every hole.

Another excellent public course that shouldn't be missed -- that is, if you're into a couple of opening holes along the beach, unrestricted walking and reasonable prices (it received a Golf Digest Places to Play "Great Value" sticker) -- is the Wailua Golf Course, three miles north of Lihue on Highway 56.

Just west of Poipu Bay is an early Robert Trent Jones Jr. design, the

Kiahuna Golf Club. Pro Ron Kaiaina, formerly at Poipu Bay, took over the teaching operation recently and is pushing hard to improve Kiahuna's condition and service. It's a tidy and tight layout that has a few blind shots and a couple of backbreaking par 4s. The fairways need some tender-loving care, but the greens were fast and true, the best I played on the island. And the price is right.

After sampling the golf on Kauai's south shore, drive farther west to Wai-mea, up route 55, to Kalalau Lookout above Waimea Canyon. You might see Mount Waialeale in the distance, probably shrouded in dark clouds. At an altitude of 5,148 feet, it's the wettest spot on earth, receiving an average annual rainfall of 460 inches and sourcing the seven rivers that flow through Kauai, accounting for the island's numerous waterfalls, green foliage and its name, "The Garden Isle." The island has more colors than a rainbow, and those abound as well.

But Kauai is an island of contrasts. The southwestern side gets only nine inches of rain a year. When you're at the top of Waimea Canyon, you could be looking at the Grand Canyon. Just be sure you make the trip on a clear day. You'll feel like you can see -- and hit the ball - - forever.

Key

. Basic golf.

.. Good, not great.

... Very good. Tell a friend it's worth getting off the Interstate to play.

.... Outstanding. Plan your next vacation around it.

..... Golf at its absolute best. Pay any price to play at least once in your life.

Stars are based upon Golf Digest's exclusive Places to Play guide and reflect ratings of 18,000 subscribers. Some courses are yet to be rated. For information on more than 5,300 courses in North America, obtain your copy of the third edition of Places to Play for $21 plus postage. Call 800-793-2665 or check with your local bookstore.

Golf

Area code: 808

Grove Farm Golf Course

at Puakea (unrated), Lihue.

10-hole course. Green fee $35 (10 holes); $60 (20 holes). Phone: 245- 8756.

Kauai Lagoons Resort, Lihue. ....1/2 Kiele Cse. Fee $93-$145 including mandatory cart. ...1/2 Lagoons Cse. Fee $51-$100 including cart; walking at certain times.

Phone: 241-6000.

..1/2 Kiahuna Golf Club, Poipu. Fee $55-$75 including mandatory cart.

Phone: 742-9595.

.... Poipu Bay Resort Golf Course, Koloa. Fee $95-$145 including mandatory cart. Phone: 742-8711.

Princeville Resort, Princeville. ..... Prince Cse. Fee $99-$155 including cart; unrestricted walking. ...1/2 Makai G. Cse. Fee $70-$115 including cart; unrestricted walking. Phone: 826-2727.

...1/2 Wailua Golf Course, Lihue. Fee $25-$35; unrestricted walking. Phone: 241-6666.

Compiled by Sue Sawyer

Weather

There's really no such thing as a bad time of year for a golf vacation to the Hawaiian Islands. The general weather rules for "The String of Pearls" revolve around two key words: location and elevation.

As a rule, the north and east sides of all the islands face the strongest trade winds; they'll be sure to test your club selection and knockdown-shot abilities. The south and west sides of the islands are more protected.

Elevation leads to precipitation. The higher in elevation, especially on the north and east sides of the islands, the more it rains. Winter is the wettest time of year on Kauai; summer is the driest.

The tropical temperatures embrace you year-round. Mid-60s for the winter lows are about as cold as it gets. Summer highs get into the mid-80s, rarely above 90.

Bruce Edwards

The Weather Channel

Getting there

The area is serviced by Lihue Airport.

For more information

Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, 180 Montgomery St., Suite 2360, San Francisco, CA 94104. Phone: 415-248-3800. Fax: 415-248-3808. Web site: www.visit.hawaii.org

Kauai Visitors Bureau, 4334 Rice St., Suite 101, Lihue, HI 96766. Phone: 808-245-3971. Fax: 808-246-9235.

Web site: www.kauaivisitorsbureau.org

The view from on high

The only way you can see much of Kauai's dramatic beauty is by foot, boat or helicopter. Because you can see everything from the air in less than an hour, I opted to swallow my fear and booked a helicopter flight. How do you know which company to choose? My first day on Kauai, I played golf with a licensed charter fishing boat skipper named Bob. He said Jack Harter Helicopters had a perfect record. "They're all ex-military pilots," he told me. "They'll get you so close to the waterfalls, you can almost touch them."

I grilled the valet at the Marriott as I slipped him $3 for running 50 feet to get my car. "Island Helicopters," he said. "They did the aerial filming for the movie `North.' " I called the concierge. "We use three companies and they all have perfect records," he said. He booked me with Safari Helicopters for $139, asked my height and weight and told me to be there 30 minutes in advance.

At the small office, about a two-minute drive from the helicopter pads near Lihue Airport, they weighed me again and assigned me the number "2." We went over all the safety instructions at the office, and donned life jackets. The No. 2 spot was on the back row on the far left, against the window, for a perfect view. We were issued headsets, which muted the roar of the engine, played background music and, with handheld mikes, allowed us to talk with the pilot.

The pilot taught me more about the island than I had read in all the travel books. As soon as we were off the ground, hovering over the Kauai Lagoons golf courses, the history lesson began. We headed for the Na Pali Coast. It was a clear day for our trip, so we ventured into Waimea Canyon and over Mount Waialeale, then turned north through some narrow canyons and over myriad waterfalls toward Princeville. A final swoop over the falls where the opening scene of the "Fantasy Island" TV show was filmed, then home.

It was only later, playing golf with Carl, a chaplain stationed on Oahu with the Navy, that I learned a copter had gone down last summer, killing all on board. "That company's no longer in business," he said.

COPYRIGHT 1999 New York Times Company Magazine Group, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group