A Look at One of the Best
Kauai : Golf’s Ultimate “Island” Green”

Written by Joel Zuckerman

ther than what’s known as the “Forbidden Island” of Niiahu, 17 miles to the west, privately held, populated only by Hawaiian natives and virtually bereft of visitors, Kauai is the westernmost outpost in the United States. And some might argue the most beautiful. Only three percent of this Hawaiian gem is developed for commercial and residential use. The remainder of these 552 square miles of tropical paradise is comprised mainly of lush vegetation, brilliant foliage, towering cliffs, seemingly bottomless canyons and 90 miles of coastline. No wonder Kauai’s nickname is the Garden Isle.

One might also consider it the Golf Isle. Magnificent championship venues like Princeville, Poipu Bay, Kauai Lagoons and Puakea dot the landscape, dazzling golfers with their seaside beauty and inherent challenge. Most visitors travel to Hawaii with honeymoon dreams: Beachside hammocks and humpback whales, hulas and helicopter tours. They anticipate surfing and snorkeling, marine life and mai-tais in the sand. It’s all better-than-good, but here are some sage words of advice: Better bring the sticks.

Princeville is the northernmost resort complex on this circular island. Literally and by reputation, it’s at the top. The Hawaiian word “holoholo” means “to get going, to do things,” and visitors can holoholo nonstop at this 9,000-acre, 252-room Shangri-La from first light until luau time. Aside from typical resort-style recreation, Princeville visitors can ride zip-lines, travel in outrigger canoes, ride on horseback to secluded waterfalls. It’s all very adventurous, not unlike a round at the marquee Prince Course, an otherworldly golf phenomenon just a few minutes drive from the hotel entrance.

One of only two Hawaiian venues to be included in Golfweek magazine’s Top 100 Modern Courses, (the Plantation Course at Kapalua, on the island of Maui, is the other) the Prince goes eons beyond jungle golf. Call it Jurassic Park golf, instead.

Not for the faint of heart, the Prince sprawls over nearly 400 acres of ocean bluff plateau, encompassing tropical jungles, deep gullies, pristine streams and waterfalls. It chugs uphill, careens downhill and leapfrogs dark, foreboding ravines. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., most players will feel more like Indiana Jones, negotiating all manner of exhilarating, sometimes terrifying terrain. The ocean views are long range, but the encroaching hazards, sometimes on the periphery, more often bisecting the fairway, demand one’s immediate attention. It’s an exceptionally memorable test of the game, the finest on Kauai.

Less stringent in its demands but nearly as entertaining is the Makai Course. Closer to the resort proper, the 27-hole facility is comprised of three separate 9-hole tracks whose names are self-explanatory: The Lakes, Woods and Ocean. The Ocean, no surprise, is the dazzler. The seventh in particular, a long par-3 over a gaping chasm, the turquoise Pacific waters churning below, is the most memorable and thrilling of all 45 holes at the unforgettable Princeville complex.

Poipu Bay has long been the host of the most exclusive professional golf tournament in existence, so restrictive in its requirements it makes the Masters look like an open audition. This 18 hole seaside beauty sits on 210 manicured acres adjacent to the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa, with its dramatic open-air lobby looking out to the Pacific. Laid out by Robert Trent Jones Jr. between lush mountains and rugged ocean bluffs, with 30 acres of vibrantly landscaped tropical plants and flowers abounding, it’s one of Hawaii’s most colorful, not to mention enduring, golf venues.

So is its roster of champions. Once-and-future Hall-of-Famers named Norman, Crenshaw, Els, Lehman, Mickleson and Furyk have all tasted victory at Poipu Bay, as from 1994 through 2006, the course played host to the annual PGA Grand Slam of Golf, open only to the winners of that season’s four Major championships. But, as are so many championship golf venues on both the islands and the mainland, Poipu Bay has become Tiger’s Lair. Seven times in his ten years as a pro, he’s emerged victorious on this most delightful battleground. Unlike Mr. Woods, we mortal golfers don’t get the trophy, the accolades or the cash. But playing the cliff-side crescendo next to the sea near round’s end, and walking off the 18th at Poipu Bay is a gladdening experience regardless.

Tiger is only looking up at one golfer at this stage of his already-legendary career. While Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major championships is within hailing distance, it’ll take Woods many decades to build the architectural legacy that Nicklaus has forged. His work at Kauai Lagoons is testament to this expertise. The Bear struck Gold on this 750-acre parcel on the island’s southeast corner. The attention-getter is the Kiele Course, teetering above Nawiliwili Harbor, dotted with 40-acres of freshwater lagoons. There are a dozen scintillating holes, at the very least. But the one-shot gauntlets at the fifth and 13th, where the ball must soar over mango forests and roiling ocean, respectively, walk an indelible line between exhilarating and unnerving. The understudy, for lack of a better term, is the Mokihana Course, something of a tropical links, with open fairways and few forced carries. Individually they are delightful, but in tandem make up one of the finest multi-course complexes in the Pacific.

Architect Robin Nelson designed Puakea, and it’s a true strategic challenge. It was initially a 10-hole truncation thanks to Hurricane Iniki, which halted course development in mid-stream and wreaked havoc on the local economy, forcing the golf course to change hands before completion. But the completed layout debuted in 2003 and it is better for the delay. This is because Nelson used the knowledge he gained from playing the existing 10 holes -- more than 20 times before the final eight holes were completed -- about the prevailing winds and other course idiosyncrasies to tweak his original design and integrate this information for a more strategic set-up.

Puakea isn’t blessed with the same scenery as the other Kauai courses, particularly on the opening nine, which have a few holes near roadways and retail establishments. But this course, adjacent to the actual Jurassic Park movie set at the foot of Mount Ha’upu, has many natural streams and ravines which are lovely and prove challenging design features. The inward nine is more remote, with a series of tough par 4s, varying length par 3s and some slam-bang par 5s, the split-fairway 11th, in particular. Nelson’s a Californian by birth, but has worked on some three dozen separate Hawaiian golf courses over time, as he’s spent nearly 20 years on the islands. We should all be so lucky.

Area Golf Courses: