Spirit of Aloha | Features | March/April 2005

Fairways To Heaven: Hawai‘i’s 18 greatest Golf Holes
By: Grady Timmons

A great hole gets inside your head. It inspires passion, occasional fear and, best of all, a golfer’s most enlightened fantasies

3rd Hole, Mauna Kea Beach Resort 16th Hole, Kiele Course, Kaua‘i Lagoons 12th Hole, Challenge at Mānele 17th Hole, Experience at Kō‘ele 16th Hole, Pō‘ipu Bay 15th Hole, Mauna Lani South 18th Hole, Ko‘olau Golf Club 13th Hole Kaneohe Clipper, Golf Club 18th Hole, Plantation Course 17th Hole, Wailua Golf Course 2nd Hole, Club at Hōkūli‘a

Years ago, in the pages of a popular national golf magazine, I came across a series on fantasy golf holes that opened my mind to the possibilities of golf-course design. The holes featured in the series were not real ones. They were illustrations, completely imaginary and mythic in pro- portion, depicting golf as it might be played across mountaintops, over spectacular, mile- high canyon gorges and through towering, 1,000-foot-high redwood forests.

I mention these images because, in the process of writing this story, it occurred to me that modern golf-course architecture more and more resembles those fantasies. The same design elements that made those holes so compelling—the incredible natural surroundings, the dramatic elevation changes, the long crossings over perilous hazards—have all become part of the golfing landscape, albeit on a smaller scale.

Nowhere is that truer than in Hawai‘i. The past few decades have seen a gold rush in golf-course development, with world-class layouts built on all the major islands and in almost every conceivable climate and landscape.

Consider Kaua‘i, the Garden Isle, where golf is now played to the same backdrop that Hollywood used to film South Pacific. Or Maui, the Valley Isle, where superlative mountain and ocean vistas greet the golfer at almost every tee. Or consider Hawai‘i, the title island, where fairways follow the contours of ancient lava flows while, on high, snowcapped volcanic peaks crest at heights approaching 14,000 feet. The teasings of paradise are many, and as any architect will tell you, they make for great golf holes.

But aesthetics are only part of the equation. A variety of elements combine to make a great hole. Beyond the beauty of the hole itself, there is the ingenuity of its design and the strategy required to play it. While a great hole is almost always the result of a spectacular piece of land, the architect imposes order on that land, shaping the natural elements to create a sense of adventure. Hazards add to the adventure and, along with changes in terrain and elevation, heighten the drama.

A great hole, like a great course, challenges all levels of golfers, not just Arnold Palmer in his prime. It weeds out the lesser players, yet also yields to excellent play. A great hole inspires passion and, quite often, fear. It focuses your mind and makes you think about the best way to play it..

Finally, a great hole, as it reveals its subtleties, gets inside your head. It exhibits as many personalities as there are changes in the weather. It seems different, by God, every time you play it.

The best that Hawai‘i has to offer in the way of great golf holes is considerable. Presented here are 18 of the Islands’ best. Making the selection proved surprisingly difficult. There were simply too many choices.

The selections are, of course, subjective. They reflect my personal biases and preferences, created over years of Hawai‘i golf adventures. They may also be a projection of my own personal fantasies.

3rd Hole Mauna Kea Beach Resort, Big Island
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Sr.

Forty years after it was built, the 3rd at Mauna Kea remains the signature hole of Hawaiian golf. This postcard one-shotter across a surging Pacific inlet measures a whopping 240 yards from the back tees—all of it carry. Seven bunkers surround the green, which is 180 feet long, two-tiered and angled toward the water.

16th Hole Kiele Course, Kaua‘i Lagoons, Kaua‘i
Designer: Jack Nicklaus

Situated atop a bluff overlooking Kaua‘i’s Nāwiliwili Bay, this treacherous, short par-4 invites birdies as easily as it does disaster. A descending cliff line borders the entire left side of the hole, with the green situated on a rocky promontory above the surf. It’s tempting to try and drive the green here—the hole measures just 330 yards and plays downhill with the wind. It’s a blind tee shot, however, and the fairway, which tilts toward the water, is choke tight in hitting area.

12th Hole Challenge at Mānele, Lanai
Designer: Jack Nicklaus

Gofers who enjoy high drama take a quick liking tp this perilous par 3. From a small bluff high above the ocean, a player shoots 200 yards across the Pacific to a green perched at the edge of a vertical cliff. In between it's a drop of 150 feet tos the sea. In 1994, Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates said his wedding vows on the 12th tee. Most golfers say a little prayer.

17th Hole Experience at Kō‘ele, Lana‘i
Designers: Greg Norman and Ted Robinson

Set against a vivid backdrop of forest-green hills and steep valley gorges, this 444-yard par 4 is a golfing fantasy. From the top of a ridgeline, the player shoots down 250 feet to a tight landing area. A stream that feeds into a series of connecting lakes borders the right side of the fairway, along with a trap, while, to the left, a steep hillside of dense vegetation swallows up any shot hit in that direction. Up ahead, a tall, lone eucalyptus tree stands sentry to the right side of a smallish green, which is cut into a hillside and bunkered on two sides.

7th Hole Mauna Lani South, Big Island
Designer: Robin Nelson

Black lava, blue ocean and an emerald fairway combine to make this an unforgettable par 3. The 220-yard hole plays from higher ground to a large, rolling green framed by bunkers and kiawe trees. The ocean extends along the entire left side of the hole, as does a field of treacherous black a‘a lava, which a golfer has to cross if he expects to reach the green.

7th Hole Ocean Nine, Princeville Makai, Kaua‘i
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr.

This scary par 3 sits on a bluff overlooking the north shore of Kaua‘i. The golfer hits from a small promontory above the Pacific to a larger promontory 200 yards away. In between is a chasm, a drop of 160 feet to the sea. First thing at the 7th, most golfers peer over the chasm’s edge, knowing that if they don’t make it across, not only the ball, but a small part of themselves will be left dashed on the rocks below.

11th Hole Arnold Palmer Course, Turtle Bay Resort, O‘ahu
Designers: Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay

Water is the defining feature on this 457-yard par 4, which plays along the edge of an ironwood forest and around a wetland bird sanctuary known as Punaho‘olapa Marsh. The marsh follows the hole as it bends to the right and then crosses the fairway in front of the green. To have a reasonable approach, a golfer has to shape his drive to fit the dogleg. Hit it too far right and the marsh comes into play. Hit it too far left and it’s a long carry home.

16th Hole Pō‘ipu Bay, Kaua‘i
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Dramatic ocean cliffs parallel the spectacular 16th at Pō‘ipu Bay, with the tees arranged like descending steps along the cliff line. At 501 yards, this is one of the longest par 4s in the Islands. What’s more, it’s bordered by all kinds of trouble—a lake and bunker on the right, ocean cliffs and a massive Hawaiian heiau (ancient place of worship) on your approach. Stray to the left, however, and you’re faced with a daunting shot across it.

12th Hole Prince Course, Kaua‘i
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Aptly named the Eagle’s Nest, this 390-yard par 4 plays from a high tee to a distant, narrow fairway 150 feet below. Dense jungle borders both sides of the hole, with the green set in a natural amphitheater of ferns and tropical foliage. There are no bunkers here—only a stream that wraps around the left, back and right sides of a small, mounded green. Par is earned the old-fashioned way, with good shot placement and a deft touch.

18th Hole Ko‘olau Golf Club, O‘ahu
Designer: Dick Nugent

If “Jaws” were a golf hole, it would be the 18th at Ko‘olau. Measuring 476 yards from the back tees, this monster par 4 demands forced carries of more than 200 yards over and back across the same ravine. A serpentine waste bunker runs the length of the fairway and the summit of the Nu‘uanu Pali looms above the green, which is elevated and heavily fortressed by sand. Par is an extraordinary score, requiring two heroic shots.

15th Hole Mauna Lani South, Big Island
Designers: Ray Cain, Homer Flint, Robin Nelson

Stepping onto the tee of this par 3 is like stepping into a painting. Jagged outcroppings of black lava are set against bright-green grass, white sand and the blue of the sea and sky. From the tee—an elevated table of grass set in lava—a golfer shoots across a Pacific cove to a green framed by five sprawling bunkers. On most days, this is a serene and inviting hole. But when the winds whistle through the saddle that joins Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanoes, watch out. These winds, called Mumuku by the Hawaiians, can turn a picturesque par 3 into a portrait of disaster.

13th Hole Kaneohe Clipper, O‘ahu
Designer: Jimmy Ukauka

Set between ancient Hawaiian sand dunes and the blue Pacific, this 465-yard par 4 is rarely forgotten by anyone who plays it. From an elevated, three-tiered tee, the drive must carry 150 yards to reach the fairway. On the left are the dunes; to the right is a popular surfing site known as North Beach. The view from the tee stretches for miles, taking in Käne‘ohe Bay and the majestic sweep of the northern Ko‘olaus.

7th Hole Prince Course, Kaua‘i
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr.

This unforgiving par 3 will test the nerve of even the best golfers. From the back tee, it’s a carry of 205 yards across a deep gorge to reach a small, well-bunkered green. Adding to the difficulty, the hole plays dead into the wind with the only bail-out area well to the right.

17th Hole Hualalāi Golf Club, Big Island
Designer: Jack Nicklaus

The beautifully drawn 17th at Hualalāi takes golfers to the ocean’s edge. From an island tee, a player shoots 164 yards across lava and sand to a green set against a rocky shoreline. This is not a particularly difficult par 3. All the surrounding trouble just makes it look that way.

18th Hole Plantation Course, Kapalua Resort, Maui
Designers: Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore

At 663 yards, this is one of the longest par 5s in golf, with a change in elevation that is as dramatic as the view. Look one way here and pineapple fields disappear into the West Maui Mountains; look the other way and the rugged windward cliffs of Moloka‘i rise abruptly from the sea. For all its length and beauty, however, this is not a difficult hole. It plays downhill to a fairway that is half a football field wide. The one danger is the slope, which funnels the ball toward a deep ravine on the left. Fail to aim far enough right and that’s where you’ll end up.

17th Hole Wailua Golf Course, Kaua‘i
Designer: Toyo Shirai

With its booming offshore surf, stiff ocean breezes and coastal dunes, the 17th at Wailua evokes the rough-hewn splendor of links golf. From the top of a sand dune among ironwood trees, the golfer shoots 175 yards downhill to a small, hourglass green guarded in front and to the right by bunkers and to the left by the Pacific Ocean.

4th Hole Dunes at Maui Lani, Maui
Designer: Robin Nelson

With its sandy dunes and rolling, windswept terrain, the 4th at Maui Lani is a slice of Scotland on Hawaiian soil. This 509-yard par 5 puts the squeeze on every shot. The fairway is a minefield of pot bunkers and kiawe trees. The green is perched and presents a false front. Haleakalā rises benignly in the distance, adding a distinctively Hawaiian volcanic touch.

2nd Hole Club at Hōkūlia, Big Island
Designer: Jack Nicklaus

This classic, 497-yard par 4 will stir the heart of any golfer. From an elevated tee, the hole sweeps downhill and to the left, with staggered bunker placements on both sides of the fairway. The green sits nestled in a grove of trees, protected on the left by a large, severely pitched bunker and on the right by a long, flowing lake.

Grady Timmons has been writing about golf in Hawai‘i for more than 25 years and playing the game even longer. He is a former sports and feature writer for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and his work has appeared in dozens of local, national and international publications. He is the author of the award-winning 1989 book Waikīkī Beachboy.

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