Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Golfing in Paradise | January/February 2003

Golfing in Paradise
By Marcus Ocean

Kapalua Resort's The Bay and The Village Courses

No matter what your skill level is, you'll find friendly conditions at the Kapalua Resort's world-class golf courses, The Bay and The Village, in West Maui

Kapalua Resort is 1,650 acres of vast lands that stretch from the top of the West Maui Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Much of the land is used for its three world-class golf courses, The Bay, The Village and The Plantation.

Golf at Kapalua is a naturally spectacular experience. And it is made even better because two of the three courses were designed to be friendly to golfers at any skill level, offering as many as five tee box areas.

Says Marty Keiter, director of golf and tennis at the Kapalua Resort, "The Bay offers gently rolling fairways and generous greens. You should be able to play to your handicap on The Bay. The Village offers dramatic changes in elevation as you move through towering Cook pines and eucalyptus trees."

The Bay Course is a par-72, 6,600-yard layout that was designed by Arnold Palmer and Francis Duane and opened in 1975. Of the three Kapalua courses, The Bay could be called the one with the beauty without the bite.

The Bay is the resort's ocean course, but you start off at the highest elevation and travel up hills and down ravines as you wind your way down to the ocean side.

You'll encounter one of the highlights of the course after you leave the green at No. 2. Honolua Store, a landmark "company store" dating back to 1929, was the gathering place for the residents of the old pineapple village.

It is likely that on the par-3 third hole you'll visit one of The Bay's 68 bunkers. The three bunkers here, all on the left side, grab a lot of attention, partly because on the right side of the green, not too far away, is the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Hotel. As no one wants to go too far right, you gravitate toward the traps.

From the tee on the fourth hole, you see the blue Pacific straight ahead. You must force yourself to aim right for it, as the hole doglegs hard left and is not approachable from the left side because of a very tall stand of trees blocking the entrance.

The Bay's signature hole is the par-3 fifth, a 162-yard carry over sparkling Oneloa Bay to a small green protected by sand traps. The fifth is the only golf hole on Maui that plays clear over the ocean.

The next four holes, a par 5, a par 3 and two par 4's, all give you opportunities for par or better. The ninth, a 453-yard par 4, is my favorite, as a straight drive (avoid the right side) will roll a long way downhill, rewarding you with a short iron to a large green.

The back nine plays at various elevations and features lots of hills and gullies. When was the last time you were able to hit a driver and 8-iron to a 539-yard par 5? At the 15th hole, such a situation arises. The hole is downwind and downhill and a decent drive to the top of the hill will get rolling and-well, I did have an eagle putt, but missed it.

Then you have No. 16. This 371-yard, uphill par 4 demands that your tee shot carry a water hazard to a fairway divided in two by a winding creek.

The last hole gives you a birdie possibility-if you hit a drive to the top of the hill and it gets rolling.

On your way to the Kapalua's Village Course, you'll notice a spectacular new pro shop and a golf academy. Because of the changes, the course, originally designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay, had to be reshaped by resort touring professional Hale Irwin into a par-70, 6,378-yard layout. As the resort's mountain course, The Village climbs to 750 feet above sea level through groves of eucalyptus trees and Cook pines.

The former first hole, now the second hole, introduces you to the course's trademarks. Only 278 yards long, it is uphill, with a narrow fairway, wind that blows into your face and greens that are firm, close-cut and fast. And each of the next four holes is exactly the same.

Two of the most dramatic holes play back to back. When you reach the tee at No. 6, you can see another large pond. Look up to the tee box of No. 7, which plays back toward where you're standing. These holes challenge you to keep the ball in the center of the fairway or you'll have absolutely no chance for par.

At No. 8, you have a 150-foot drop in elevation from the tee to the green. From the tee box, you get a panoramic view of the mountains and the nearby islands of Moloka'i and Lana'i.

The back nine offers one par 5 and three very "hold-your-breath" par 3's. The winds can change direction and speed, and at their peak, can challenge club and shot selection. The key to enjoying the back is to visually feel your way around each shot before you actually swing the club. Your attention to detail will reward you with a good score to go along with the sweeping landscapes you'll take in during the round.

That pretty much goes for both rounds. It's certain that after playing The Bay and The Village courses, you'll understand why Kapalua is everything you'd expect from a world-class golf resort.

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