Golfing in Hawaii

May 17, 2010

Hawaii always conjures up multiple images in my imaginative mind and I’m sure it’s the same for other folks too. Whether it’s Jack Lord saying “Book him Danno!”, buxom beauties hip swaying in hula skirts, Elvis Presley or romantic holiday locations. But have you ever thought about golfing in Hawaii? Often when we think about such exotic locations we contemplate the price and settle for a plainer, and in our opinion, more fiscally realistic destination. However, despite these oddly implanted biases, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that a Hawaiian golf trip is actually within most folk’s vacation budgets.

In Hawaii golf courses are plentiful and as challengingly varied as any lover of the game could dream to find. Hawaii has a typically tropical climate but is a little less extreme due to the trade winds from the East which make it a very enjoyable experience. Although the temperatures fluctuate slightly in winter they are fairly constant with summer highs usually in the upper 80s °F, (around 31°C) during the day and mid 70s, (around 24 °C) at night. Each of the islands has its own distinctive geological and vegetative profiles. The combination of Hawaii’s volcanic proximity and lush weather conditions make for some unusual and distinctive course features.

Obviously trying to describe each course would be impossible in such an article due to the massive selection available but I would like to introduce you to a few of what I believe to be the more well known clubs. Firstly, I would like to introduce the Fazio Course at Turtle Bay Resort which is the proud host of the LPGA Tour’s Hawaiian Open. This golf course is famous for its lengthy fairways, complex bunkers and craftily designed greens. In fact, this course has the privilege of having been trod by gurus like Arnold Palmer, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gary Player and Sam Sneed in the very first Senior Skins Game.

Being Irish, the Dunes At Maui Lani Golf Course also appealed to my instinct because of its similarities to Irish type golf courses. The rugged landscape has been responsible for folks drawing this comparison, and rightly so! The course boasts 18 of the most challenging links style holes in the world and has been chosen as on of the “Best Kept Secret Golf Courses in America” by Golf Digest. Being aptly named due to the abundance of dunes dimpling the terrain it is somewhat of an eco design in the way that the fairways have a mainly symbiotic relationship with the earth by going over dunes rather than through them. It has been likened to the world renowned “Ballybunion Golf Course” in county Kerry, Ireland.

For a totally exotic experience you might like to indulge in Ko’olau Golf Club which has been artistically sculpted out of a tropical rain forest by legendary golf course designer Dick Nugent. This “Garden of Eden” environment cannot be missed as it is a true treasure not only to behold but also to play. Ever changing levels of elevation, majestic waterfalls and winding pathways make this a place which captivates the soul. The 2,000-foot Ko’olau Ridge mountain range overlooking the scenery with godlike presence and the fact that the course actually offers “three” climates in one round has to be enough of a temptation to lure the doubter to this magnificent heavenly location.

For more information about Hawaii tee times just come by and say Aloha!

• No Related Post