Prince Golf Course at Princeville at Hanalei in KauaiZeke McCabe ZEKESTUDIOS
In a tough economy - even tougher for golf - many resorts have pulled back, cut expenses, battened down the financial hatches. Especially golf destinations that require a minimum six-hour flight to reach them. But not the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It would be easy to rest on the golfing beauties of the oldest of the Hawaiian islands and aptly called the "Garden Spot of Hawaii".
Whether it's Princeville's breathtaking oceanside holes above the crashing Pacific surf or the windswept beauties of Poipu perched on the craggy red south shore, there's a catalogue of unforgettable golf vistas to last a lifetime. And if the views look familiar - Kauai's mountainous ranges have served as the sets for Jurassic Park, its beaches for South Pacific and its surf for Elvis' Blue Hawaii.
But Kauai's best golf attractions ( www.kauaidiscovery.com/activities/golfing/) have spent much of the recession improving their courses with better greens, upgraded facilities and hotel impovements. And the results are ready for snowbirds looking for a special golf holiday on a Pacific island.
Perhaps the best-known Kauai course is Poipu Bay Golf Course in the beach community of Poipu - home until 2006 of the PGA Tour's Grand Slam of Golf (Phil Mickelson holds the course record with a sizzling 59.) Its 210 acres run along the craggy red cliffs beside Shipwreck Bay, with the final five holes skirting a breathtaking trail along the dunes and rocks. But even that beauty can be upgraded. Poipu reopened December 16 after closing to replace all its greens with salt-resistant Seashore paspalum turf grass.
Any of the shoreline holes makes a Kodak moment on this Robert Trent Jones' Jr. beauty, but No. 16 - a downwind par four stretching 500 yards from the back - is stunningly curved along the cliffs with views of whales and boats to draw the eye from the sneaky kidney-shaped green guarded by three bunkers. Drink deeply here; golf scenery doesn't get any better. Poipu's green fees can range from $85 to $240, but guests staying at its Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa can enjoy excellent golf-and-stay packages that typically offer better value.
As beautiful as Poipu is, the Prince course (rated No. 1 course overall in Hawaii) on the north shore is the one to play if you're playing just one Kauai course. A course guide book or member are almost mandatory, especially on the Prince course's back nine, to navigate Trent Jones Jr.'s challenges. This is definitely a course for serious players.
The thrills start early on the downhill No. 1 that requires a crisp 230-yard drive to a fairway that kicks balls off into the brush if they're even a tad offline. The second shot is over the river to a crested green that can also deliver shots to the rough or worse. The course guide says play for bogey and be happy. There's no let-up after No. 1 either, as the Prince emerges onto the ocean cliffs and then descends into heavily treed forests, always freshened by the prevailing trades that can turn the par-three No. 7 into a driver hole across a 205-yard chasm of sea, scrub and volcanic rock.
Its neighbouring course, the Makai Golf Club at The St. Regis Princeville Resort, reopened after an extensive RTJ II renovation to 18 of its 27 holes in March 2010. The signature seventh hole plays to 213 yards from the tips over scenic cliffs, onto to a green which is surrounded by bunkers. Try to keep your eye on the ball and off the mountains and Pacific Ocean framing the hole. If you can.
The best way to play Makai (or the Prince) is by incorporating it into a stay at the recently renovated St. Regis Princeville Hotel nearby, splendidly perched on the crests above famed Hanalei Bay (Honalee in the famous folk song Puff The magic Dragon). A post-round beverage on the patio with the settings from the movie South Pacific below is the best 19th hole in golf.
Kauai's golf upgrades continue near Lihue at Kauai Lagoons - the course affiliated with the Kauai Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach. The Kiele 18 is set to open in May 2011 with a new ocean hole and multiple changes authored and approved by Jack Nicklaus. There's nothing like riding a warm trade wind down the fairway on this former plantation.
If you are interested in a value-priced challenge, head to Puakea, located just five minutes from Lihue airport. A unprepossessing course prized by the locals, Puakea starts in conventional fashion, running alongside Lihue's commercial area. But the back nine - the original holes built in the early '90s - is a gem running through the old sugar cane farms with wonderful vistas of the Pacific below.
For a challenge try the tips on Hole No. 12, a 397-yard par four that plays dead into the wind with water down the right side. Or No. 17, a downwind par four that stretches 420 yards along a gentle dogleg left. A rolling draw is the only way to get to the green in two. Puakea is just a few minutes from the Kauai Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach (which completed a $50 million renovation in May). Games can be arranged through the concierge at the hotel, which lies just a few minutes from the Lihue airport.
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Bruce Dowbiggin grew up in Montreal, lived for a good spell of his working life in Toronto, and moved to Calgary near the beginning of this decade to write a general sports column for the Calgary Herald. He is also a successful author, having published five books including the latest, Meaning of Puck: How Hockey Explains Modern Canada and he's won two Gemini Awards as a sportscaster. Bruce's column on sports media appears exclusively on globesports.com