Kauai Golf and Poipu Bay Golf Course
The Poipu Bay Golf Course is sprawled between lush mountains and rugged ocean cliffs on the sunny South Shore of Kauai. This Robert Trent Jones Jr. design boasts 18 championship holes that are as visually stunning as they are challenging. Poipu Bay is one of the most highly acclaimed resort courses in the Pacific. From 1994 to 2006, the course played host to the annual PGA Grand Slam of Golf, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the golf world.
The course encompasses 210 acres meandering along the rugged coastline, with over 30 acres of tropical plants and flowers, and backed by lush emerald mountains. Even the most focused golfer will be challenged by the natural surroundings and breathtaking views. The golf course is also home to a number of significant historical sites – several ancient Hawaiian heiau (places of worship) and handmade stone walls, estimated to date back over 500 years. In ancient times, heiau were built specifically on sites deemed to have the most mana, a spiritual power that emanates from sacred places.
This is an unforgettable golf experience that will bring every aspect of your game into play. Poipu Bay’s gracious 21,000-square-foot clubhouse offers an award-winning Golf Shop, comfortable locker room facilities, restaurant, lounge, and club storage. All together, it makes Poipu Bay one of the nation’s top golf destinations.
Course: 18 Holes Par 72
Gold Tees: 7123 yards – 73.4 Rating – 132 Slope
Blue Tees: 6499 yards – 71.3 Rating – 129 Slope
White Tees: 6023 yards – 69.0 Rating – 125 Slope
Red Tees: 5241 yards – 70.9 Rating – 125 Slope
Kauai Golf and Makai Golf Club
The Makai Golf Club at The St. Regis Princeville Resort is located on Kauai’s north shore, and winds its way around lakes, native woodlands, and spectacular coastline with views of Bali Hai and Hanalei Bay. The course plays to a par 72 with four different sets of tees, and is considered one of Hawaii’s premier golf destinations.
It was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. in 1971, and underwent extensive renovations in 2009. The recent renovations feature the introduction of Seashore Paspalum grass on all tees, fairways, and greens, providing spectacular playing surfaces for golfers of all skill levels. Additional improvements include the reconfiguring greens complexes and green surrounds, as well as reshaping of all bunkers.
The signature 7th hole consists of a challenging tee shot over scenic ocean cliffs, onto to a green which is surrounded by brilliant white bunkers and surreal views of the mountains and Pacific Ocean. The practice facility has also been improved to include two large new practice tees, a practice fairway bunker, seven target greens with bunkers, a teaching tee, and short game practice complex.
Course: 18 Holes Par 72
Black Tees: 7,223 yards – 75.4 Rating – 134 Slope
Blue Tees: 6476 yards – 71.4 Rating – 127 Slope
White Tees: 6134 yards – 69.6 Rating – 125 Slope
Red Tees: 5,358 yards – 66.5 Rating – 118 Slope
Kauai Golf and Prince Golf Course
The Prince Golf Course on Kauai is one of the most spectacular golf courses in all the world. Located in Princeville, it enjoys magnificent views looking up at the surrounding mountains, as well as down at the Pacific Ocean. But you will need to concentrate on keeping your head down, because the incredible design Robert Trent Jones, Jr. which turned rolling terrain into a links-style golf course will challenge you like no other.
The Prince Golf Course is unquestionably one of the most magnificent and challenging golf courses a golfer will ever play. This 18-hole, par-72 golf course climbs up slopes, crosses over ravines, and careens down hills demanding your best planned shots. There are five different tees at each hole allowing you to decide whether you are in challenge-mode or vacation-mode.
Golf’s top publications have recognized the Prince Golf Course for its spectacular views, world-class design, and challenging play. There are approximately four hundred acres of rolling terrain, tropical jungles, ravines, streams, and waterfalls. The 13-acre practice facility features separate teeing locations to allow for different shots and wind conditions. There is a 1,200-square-foot putting green and another 1,200-square-foot chipping green. The 60,000-square-foot clubhouse is situated on a rise with sweeping panoramic views from mountain to ocean.
Course: 18 Holes Par 72
Black Tees: 7,309 yards – 75.2 Rating – 140 Slope
Blue Tees: 6,960 yards – 73.7 Rating – 142 Slope
White Tees: 6,521 yards – 71.7 Rating – 138 Slope
Gold Tees: 6,029 yards – 69.3 Rating – 133 Slope
Red Tees: 5,346 yards – 72.0 Rating – 127 Slope
Makai Golf Course Renovations
The Makai golf course originally opened in 1971 featuring lakes, woodlands, and great views of the Kauai coastline. Robert Trent Jones Jr., who originally designed Makai, also oversaw the new multi-million dollar renovation. The project included the reconfiguration of greens, reshaping of bunkers, cart-path work, and upgrading the practice facility. More importantly, the course got new Seashore Paspalum on tees, fairways, and greens. The fine-bladed, saltwater-tolerant grass thrives on coastal golf courses, and provides a spectacular playing surfaces for golfers of all skill levels.
The course also received new pure-white silica bunker sand and an additional 300 yards in length, bringing the par 72 to more than 7,200 yards. There are now four sets of tees and new tee boxes, giving players more options. In addition, Jones added new wrinkles near the greens to create more challenges. The practice facility at Makai Golf Club has also been improved to include two large practice tees, a practice fairway bunker, seven target greens with bunkers, a teaching tee, and a short game practice complex.
The signature 7th hole on the Makai Course now plays to 213 yards from the back tees. It consists of a challenging tee shot over scenic cliffs, onto to a green which is surrounded by brilliant white bunkers, and surreal views of the mountains and Pacific Ocean. In addition to the course changes, the old clubhouse was demolished with plans to rebuild within a couple years.
Troon Golf has been selected to manage the renowned Makai Golf Club at The St. Regis Princeville Resort, and to celebrate the reopening, the resort is offering an “Endless Golf Package” for travel between Jan. 30 and July 1 2010. It includes unlimited golf for two at Makai Golf Club with a minimum stay of five nights required at the St. Regis Princeville Resort. It also includes Callaway rental clubs for two. Rates begin at $610 for one room per night.
Poipu Bay Golf Course Renovations
Poipu Bay Golf Course will be undergoing renovations in 2010. Beginning in April, Kauai’s renowned golf course will undergo a greens renovation project. The course, which gained international recognition as home to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 1994 through 2006, will be closed for approximately eight months with a reopening planned for December 2010. The project will include a complete renovation of all greens, replacing the original Tifdwarf Bermuda grass with a Sea Shore Paspalum hybrid (Supreme).
Sea Shore Paspalum grass has proven to be an optimum putting surface in Hawaii, and is also being used in the renovations at the Makai Golf Course in Princeville. It is eco friendly, requiring less fertilizer, less water, and a decreased use of herbicides. The new greens will also provide a faster and more consistent putting surface.
Poipu Bay Golf Course is an 18-hole championship course situated on 210 oceanfront acres on Kauai’s southern coast. It is a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design, and has been consistently ranked among the top golf courses in Hawaii and the U.S.
Robert Trent Jones Jr Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Robert Trent Jones, Jr. was chosen by Golf Inc. to receive its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. Golfers on Kauai are familiar with Kiahuna, Poipu Bay, Prince Course, and Makai Course that were designed by the island’s resident. In announcing the new award, Golf Inc. wrote, “With more than four decades of golf course design excellence, approximately 250 completed courses and countless accolades for the quality of his work, Robert Trent Jones Jr. is eminently qualified to be the recipient of Golf Inc.’s first Lifetime Achievement Award. From his design debut working with his famous father Robert Trent Jones Sr. at Spyglass Hill to such recent designs as Chambers Bay and Lubker Golf Resort, Jones has created golfing canvases throughout the world. One of the first American architects to branch out to Europe and Asia, and a steward of the environment before it was fashionable, Jones is truly a legend in golf course design the world over.”
Among his best-known works are The Prince Course at Princeville Resort on Kauai and two courses at Wailea in Hawaii; Sugarloaf Golf Club, in Maine; The Links at Spanish Bay, in California; Le Meridien Moscow Country Club in Russia; Cabo Real Golf Course in Mexico and Spring City Golf and Lake Resort in China. Just last year, Jones also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Asian Pacific Golf Summit for his contributions to the growth of the game in Asia. You can visit the website at RTJ II and see the commitment to working in harmony with nature to craft the best golf course on each unique site.
