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Say Aloha to Great GolfBy Walter GlaserAncient lava flows, stately mountains, rolling ocean and sunshine. Is this your idea of paradise? Just add a world-class golf course you're in heaven, right? Actually you don't need to go that far, book a ticket to Hawaii instead. These beautiful islands have long been a tropical holiday utopia, but in the last few decades Hawaii has become even more alluring. Pros like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer have been designing state-of-the-art golf clubs next to premier resorts. With combinations like this, the choice of activities seems endless. Walter Glaser takes a look at four such play-and-stay nirvanas. PLAY AT WAILEA GOLF CLUB AND STAY AT RENAISSANCE WAILEA BEACH RESORT, MAUI
After a day on these three courses, the golfer could be a trifle weary. Not a problem. The luxury and privacy of the accommodation at Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort will be just what you're after. Set among lush lawns and tropical gardens, all rooms have private lanais from which you can relax and enjoy the views of Mt Haleakala and the ocean. Need to wind down further? Pamper yourself at the fitness center with a massage or facial. Recuperated? Perhaps snorkeling, scuba diving or deep sea fishing will tempt you, or maybe even a game of tennis. Or possibly you would prefer to soak up some sun on the beach or dine at any of the 3 fine restaurants to restore your energy? There’s another day of golf tomorrow! PLAY AND STAY AT JW MARRIOTT IHILANI RESORT & SPA, OAHU
Adjacent to the golf course is the magnificent JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa. Overlooking one of the finest white-sand beaches in Hawaii, it features two pools and five excellent restaurants offering a variety of flavors from around the world, including Japan, the Mediterranean and Pacific Rim cuisine. The Ihilani Spa is a great place to relax. Guests can choose from an array of therapies including Hawaiian and Polynesian body treatments, herbal wraps and massage. With its lap and water exercise pools and comprehensive fitness center the spa is also a great place to be energized. If you are looking for more strenuous activity, however, a game of tennis, or perhaps snorkeling or sailing may just tickle your fancy. Maybe you want to explore. The JW Marriott Ihilani offers submarine excursions and helicopter tours. You can visit Pearl Harbor, Waikiki or Paradise Cove. And at just 25 minutes drive from Honolulu airport, this outstanding resort is convenient for the international traveler who enjoys a game of golf, but only has time for a shorter break. PLAY AND STAY AT MAUNA LANI RESORT, THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII
The North course is built on a much older lava flow and herds of wild goat move from green to green, keeping the grass short and providing a unique hazard for the golfer. The signature hole is the par-3 17th and its green lies at the bottom of a deep lava bowl. Also set amidst lava flow, the moon-like landscape of the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows is enough to impress even the toughest critic. On 29 ocean-front acres and dotted with ancient spring-fed fishponds and shelter caves, the natural beauty of this resort alone is worth a visit. But couple it with luxury accommodation, a myriad of activities and fine dining, and you'll find that staying here is an experience not to be missed. The new spa with its thatched hales (huts) and set in lush gardens, resembles a Hawaiian village. Visit the sauna or pamper yourself with a manicure or pedicure. Do a few laps or take an aerobics class and then reward yourself with complimentary fresh fruit. Or perhaps you have worked up more of an appetite? Then dine at one of the five first-class restaurants at Mauna Lani. The CanoeHouse named 'best restaurant on the Big Island' by Honolulu magazine is set on the oceanfront and features excellent Pacific Asian cuisine. PLAY AND STAY AT KAPALUA RESORT, MAUI Situated on Honolua bay, Kapalua is an exquisitely planned golf resort consisting of three championship golf courses, nine residential communities and two hotels, and offers an amazing range of activities, shopping and dining. Kapalua's three 18-hole courses are The Plantation, The Bay and The Village and together they have won Golf Magazine's Gold Medal Award seven times. The Plantation Course is the most famous and, at 7,263-yards and par-73, its oceanfront plateaus, native vegetation and island canyons present a challenge for amateurs and professionals alike. Golfers beware on approaching the 18th hole! This par-5 663-yard hole is the longest on the PGA Tour. The Bay Course, designed by Arnold Palmer and Francis Duane was the first-built and features hilly terrain, 8 water hazards and 68 bunkers. The signature hole on this course is the 5th, a par 3 in which the tee shot needs to carry 100 yards over the Pacific. Climbing 800 feet above sea level to the pineapple fields in the West Maui Mountains, the Village Course is the most panoramic. But don't get distracted by the views, the winds are what you need to look out for on this course. Don't spend all your time on the golf course, as the number of other opportunities to enjoy yourself on offer at Kapalua Resort is astounding. Shop till you drop, tour a pineapple plantation, scuba dive, kayak or try your hand at Hawaiian quilting. If you visit between November and April keep your eyes peeled and your ears tuned. Humpback whales breach and play in the Molokai Channel and just after dawn you may be lucky enough to hear them sing. Sound like paradise? It is. But it's also just another day in beautiful Hawaii! RESOURCESWailea Golf Resort Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and
Spa Mauna Lani Resort Kapalua Resort |
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Set on the low slopes of Mt
Haleakala and meandering down to the Pacific Ocean, Wailea Golf Club is one
of the largest and most renowned golf clubs in Hawaii. With three courses,
the Gold, Blue and Emerald, Wailea offers such a variety of choices that
many visitors, including Jack Nicklaus and Hale Irwin, become regulars,
returning time and again. The Blue Course, designed by Arthur Jack Snyder is
a par-72 measuring 6,758 yards that features wide fairways and wanders
through much of Wailea, providing the golfer with views of volcanoes and the
ocean. During winter golfers may even catch glimpses of the magnificent
humpback whales that frequent Maui waters each year to mate and bear young.
The Gold and Emerald Courses were
designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and are both par-72 courses. The Gold
Course, named one of the ten best new resort courses by Golf Magazine and
Golf Digest, with strategically placed bunkers and hazards, changes in
elevation and doglegs, rewards finesse and strategy. It has become known as
a "thinking player's" course. The Wailea Emerald was named the third-most
woman-friendly golf course in North America by Golf for Women magazine and
has four to six tee boxes on every hole, offering players the opportunity to
tailor the course to their ability.
Ko Olina Golf Club at JW Marriott
Ihilani Resort and Spa has been honored with many awards including being
named as one of Golf Digest's top new courses, and has played host to the
LPGA Hawaiian Ladies Open. With graceful black swans at home on the course's
lakes, manicured emerald greens and tropical vegetation, the golfer will
enjoy a serendipitous round. The 18-hole course has moderate-length holes
for resort play but can be also played as a championship course from the
back tees. Watch out for the 8th hole. This 195-yard, par-3 hole is set
alongside a waterfall and lake, and the steep two-tiered green is made more
challenging by a long bunker on the right side. Golfers will be impressed by
hole 12, where their cart will travel under a waterfall on the way to this
difficult par 3. Watch out for the bunkers on this one!
Since opening in 1981 the Francis H.
Brown Golf Course at Mauna Lani Resort has been enjoyed by the likes of
Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Both of these famous golfers have been
champion of the Senior Skins Game held here between 1988-1999. The club
offers the choice of two courses, the North and South, which challenge both
novice and professional golfers. The South Course, built on the 16th century
Kaniku lava flow, is a picturesque combination of emerald grass, black lava
and blue sea. The par 3, 15th hole is one of the most photographed in the
world. Tee shots must carry over roaring surf and the large two-tiered green
is surrounded by sand. Crosswinds can also add to the challenge of this
hole, so watch out!