Golf Blog

Best of the Big Island

After two weeks in Hawaii, my guide to golf on the big island is ready for consumption.

Hawaiian Drone Patrol

I am often called upon to be the eye in the sky for important golf happenings. In this instance, I was in charge of patrolling the skies over the island of Kauai. I have compiled my 7 favorite drone images from the visit.

Replanting the Plantation Course

Of all the places in the world of golf that could use a good polishing, I wouldn’t exactly put Hawaii on the top of that list. However, it had been 30 years since original course architects, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, had gotten their hands in the dirt at Kapalua’s Plantation Course. It was time for a Troon refinement project.

Personally, it had been 12 years since I first set my eyes on the Plantation Course and I remembered only bits and pieces of the golf course. What I do remember is that I brought my little point and shoot camera with me. So I decided to dig up some of my old images and compare. I immediately cringed. Was I blind back then? Why did I have some sort of fired up saturation filter on those images? That comic sans watermark also makes me want to barf. However, it is excellent to see how far my craft has progressed over the years. The rainbow helps.

2007

2019

After a 9 month refinement, the Plantation course re-opened for daily play on Nov 23rd of 2019. 107 acres of fairways, tee boxes and rough were all re grassed with Celebration Bermuda. All 18 greens were grassed with TifEagle Bermuda. According to several local agronomy teams, these grasses are the hottest grasses right now.

New drainage was established throughout the entire course and all of the bunkers were reshaped, re-sanded and updated with capillary concrete. Somehow the project finished up in time for the 2020 PGA Tour’s Sentry Tournament of Champions in January.

As a special treat, we got the chance to chat with Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw as they offered us insight into the project. The Plantation course was the first design where these two great golf minds came together.

They talked about what it was like to come back to the place that sparked a career trajectory that would go on to build some of the world’s greatest golf courses. They shared their design philosophies on how they consistently embrace the land provided instead of fighting against it. They shared stories about drinking Coronas in pineapple fields. That pineapple field is now the Plantation Course clubhouse. It was a true pleasure to get the details straight from these two legendary golf course architects.

“One of our goals was to recapture the original playing characteristics of the course”

— Bill Coore

Bill is talking about the prominence of the ground game. Coore and Crenshaw re-established land forms and slightly altered the landscape to provide options for playing the ball along the ground. By utilizing the natural contours of the land, resort players can funnel balls toward the hole and for the best players in the world, it adds an additional element of decision making to the golf course.

Several of the greens were softened with the goal of maintaining interest and opening up new pin locations. The purpose was to increase playability for all skill levels. The grain will still play a major role in reading the greens and according to Bill and Ben they shouldn’t play that much differently. In some cases that was just a matter of recapturing the original size of the green. Greens tend to shrink over time due to maintenance practices. The result is a fun, interesting, and challenging golf course.

“It was a chance to calm them down, but still have a lot of life in them.”

— Ben Crenshaw on the greens at the Planation course

Joining me on this trip to paradise was Brodie and Kelsey Smith. “Yo Smith’s!” is how I like to call em out. Brodie and Kelsey bring the fun with them where they go, so we filmed a YouTube videos to share the good times. You can watch Brodie and I tackle the Plantation course and enjoy a perfect 10 out of 10 rainbow. Kelsey jumps in on the 1’s and 2’s, calling the action like an experienced Gary McCord.

Our accommodations for the trip were some of the very best that Hawaii has to offer. Between the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua and the Montage Kapalua Bay, we were stunned, dazzled, and spoiled rotten with high quality lodging. The only real issue was that we eventually had to check out.

There was a record setting rainbow today at @GolfatKapalua and we freaked out. @Brodiesmith21 @KelseyLowrance pic.twitter.com/IuI4BvmwRM
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) December 4, 2019

A JB Holmes sighting on the golf course yesterday. pic.twitter.com/FjE6D894Yx
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) December 6, 2019

Now usually at this point during the proceedings, I like to take some time away from golf to do some male modeling. However, I had my Medterra CBD travel buddies with me and they stole the modeling show. CBD has made a big difference in the way that I feel everyday. From my lower back to the way I sleep, Medterra has made a serious change in my life. If you are interested in trying some out for yourself, you can take 15% off of your order with code pkoenig15. But since this male model was born to model, I snuck in a couple of boat poses on the back end.

The thing about Hawaii is that there are golf courses all over the place and we had no plans to just hit the beach and chill out. We were going to help ourselves to several more servings of Hawaiian golf.

Designed by Arnold Palmer and Francis Duane, the Bay course at Kapalua has hosted over 20 professional tournaments. With winners like Fred Couples, Greg Norman, and Davis Love III, we eagerly jumped right in.

Two golf holes immediately emerged as clear favorites. The 16th hole is a short dogleg left par 4 that brings the golfer out to the water’s edge for the first time. An iron off of the tee will suffice, but a big hitter might opt to draw one around the trees and onto the green. I wimped out with an iron just so I could sit there and smile in the fairway for 2 minutes. The 16th is fun, beautiful, and full of decisions.

The 16th hole on The Bay Course at Kapalua

The 10th hole on the Bay course also caught my eye immediately. With a creek running right down the middle, the golfer gets to make another decision off of the tee. Consistently presenting golfers with these types of options keeps them challenged and engaged. A decision to use a slope to bounce a ball towards it’s intended target is wildly fun to execute. A plan devising an attack from a different angle makes you feel like a 5 star Lieutenant Commander. These features and decision making opportunities raise the element of fun. To me, this is the #1 hallmark of a high quality golf course.

Like a seasoned strategist, I chose to blast my tee ball as far right as humanly possible. After sailing one over the green in two, I casually chipped one in for birdie. Man!! Golf is grand.

With a flight out of Hawaii looming, we had one final round of golf remaining. It was time to go to town on Royal Kaanapali Golf Course. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. in 1962, Royal Ka’anapali played home to the Ka‘anapali Champions Skins Game from 2008 to 2011.

Brodie decided that he was going to play his own type of “skins” game for our round. The rules were simple, make a birdie, lose a button. As you can tell from the image below, Brodie made it down to the very last button. Would he go fully shirtless?? The YouTube video is coming soon.

Skins game Brodie is a true force to reckon with.

The problem with all Hawaii visits is that you always have to go home and leave the palm trees behind.

Hawaii 5.0.

Unlike the 1968 TV series, no criminals would be apprehended on this trip to Hawaii. The state would be the same, but our crew was looking to play 5.0 of the best public golf courses that the island of Kauai has to offer. Known as the garden island, Kauai has a much different vibe than the other Hawaiian islands. Friendly, chill, or laid back would be words that could describe the next 5 days. We would golf those 5.0 courses and enjoy every single one of them.

We kicked the journey of with a bang at the renowned Makai Course at Princeville. Rated as one of the country’s best public golf courses, the views and serenity of the golf course are some of the best that I have encountered. With 4 greens on the ocean, the course ebbs and flows nicely between seaside and inland holes.

The Makai course is so stunning that it even has an appeal to non-golfers as well. Every evening the staff leads a Sunset Cart Tour for those looking to explore the golf course. You will be treated to beverages, tales of Puff The Magic Dragon, and views for days. As one might expect, the sunset cart tour also features a stunning sunset.

Opening for play in 1971, the Makai Course at Princeville was Robert Trent Jones Jr’s’ first ever solo design and has since undergone an extensive renovation that was completed in 2010. The design successfully launched a storied career for Mr Trent Jones Jr.. I did some research and the odds of a first time architect being handed such an amazing oceanfront property for their first solo effort in 2019 is 5 billion to 1.

Our group had the pleasure of playing with the Sales Manager at Princeville Makai, Lindsay Waller. Lindsay is new to the game of golf and is on a personal mission to break 100. We figured that our visit was just the catalyst that she needed to reach her goal. We went live on Instagram to document the progress. Unfortunately, Lindsay’s A game would not show up and she shot a 108. Probably just the pressure of playing with an A list celebrity. If you are looking to book a group be sure to get in touch with Waller, she can tell you all about the 10 she made on hole #2 as she sets you up with first class accommodations.

For someone who has not broken 100, Waller excels out of the sand.

The 6th hole is your first view of the ocean at the Makai course.

The Resort at Princeville is also an amazing place to stay. Well, only if you like waking up and looking out your window to rainbow views. I seriously woke up, saw this, and took a picture as I stretched my arms to prepare for another busy day of golfing hard.

Even though there are several albatross nests on the golf course, our group found zero albatrosses.

Early bird gets the worm, and I get the picture of the bird getting the worm.

The next day our group headed just down the street to the local municipal golf course for course 2.0. Now, not many muni courses in the United States can pack the ocean front views quite like Wailua. The course starts out right along the ocean on holes #1 and #2 and returns to the sea for the finish on hole #17. Although the course is worth playing just for the 17th hole alone, you will find challenging green sites and a lot of fun inland golf holes.

Wailua also loads up heavily on the municipal charm and I loved every bit of it. An old shop dog greeted us as we checked in and we warmed up by hitting balls off of mats in range stalls. The Par Aide ball washers oozed with an extra dose of muni goodness and the 160 yard tree signs had me squealing with golf joy. But the sign in the window of the pro shop had me super excited… BUSTED!

Wailua golf course is easily one of the best value courses that I have seen in a while. If you are a non resident, you can play Wailua for only $48 and the residents play for just $15! On the .gov website for Wailua you can find the course’s mission statement. That mission statement… “To provide a great golf experience.” Mission achieved.

Spotted in the window of Wailua Municipal Golf Course. This guy is super BUSTED. #GolfThief @GoGolfKauai pic.twitter.com/a8CPS44ZIf
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) June 13, 2019

I have always wondered… Par Aide? What if I want to make some birdies?

Tha range at Wailua Municipal Golf Course

Wailua features a heavy dose of roosters.

Captain Rob gets up and down from the sand on 16.

Hot restaurant tip: The Bistro in Kilauea. Our group was slated for a special seven course meal. Due to the deliciousness of the cuisine, we were unable to control ourselves and only made it through 4/7 courses.

That evening after golf and dinner we loaded up into the golf bus and headed out to the Kilauea Lighthouse to watch the sunset. As far as sunsets and lighthouses go, Hawaii really shows off. I like to imagine that the little island out there is a tee box and the lighthouse is the flagstick. Probably a pretty good carry on that par 3. You hang glide over to the green after your tee shot.

Course number 3.0 on the Hawaiian agenda was another Robert Trent Jones Jr design called Poipu Bay Golf Course. From 1994-2006, the course hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. The event was a 36 hole stroke play tournament between the winners of the previous year’s 4 majors. Not surprisingly, Tiger Woods won the event 7 times. 1997 was the only year that Woods would fail to win the event after qualifying. Ernie Els beat him by 3 shots.

They had alternates join the competition when Woods won multiple majors in that year. My favorite swap was In 1990 when Mike Ditka replaced Curtis Strange due to an illness. Strange out… Ditka in!

Mike Bailey sends one screaming into the 15th hole at Poipu Bay.

The 2nd hole at Poipu Bay Golf Course is a reachable par 5.

“Man it looks like Jurassic Park out here!” That statement is not only common but it is also surprisingly accurate when visiting the Na Pali Coast. Several of the scenes from the 1993 blockbuster film were shot here. If there is one thing outside of golf that I would recommend to a golfer visiting Kauai, it would be the Na Pali Coast.

Our group took a catamaran tour with Holo-Holo Charters. They offer a sunset tour of the coastline with drinks and a Mexican fare dinner on your way back. We explored sea caves, secluded beaches, and the impressive cliffs. It’s clear why they refer to the Na Pali coast as the jewel of Hawaii and the 8th wonder of the world.

I figured by now the internet would have grown tired of my unnecessary male modeling poses. However, the people of the digital world can’t get enough of it. It’s a constant struggle to weave through the offers from folks like Vogue, Elle, and Time, politely reminding them that I have retired from the world of professional male modeling. “No, Better Homes & Gardens, I won’t do a special spread for your ‘Antique Roses of Fall’ issue.” This male has no interest in giving up his male model amateur status for a second time.

The sunset on the sunset cruise from Holo-Holo Charters.

The Hawaii golf party rolled onto course 4.0 at Puakea Golf Course. An unassuming start eventually whips its way deep into the jungle and we were having a jungle golf party before we knew what was going on. We golfed our balls with joy amongst the large volcanic cliffs, gaping ravines, and lush tropical surroundings.

Designed by Robert Nelson, the course was originally just nine holes built on top of an old sugar plantation. In 2003, the remaining holes were added to provide the golfer with a full 18 hole experience.

Puakea is also another serious island bargain. Ranging from $59-$85 for the visiting golfer, it’s another one of those courses that anyone can, and should, play.

The 5th hole at Puakea is a short par 4.

Puakea really digs into the tropics on the back nine.

The 6th hole at Puakea is when the jungle golf really gets going.

For the final and 5.0 round of golf we were scheduled to take on Hokuala’s Ocean Course. This Jack Nicklaus signature design is nestled right around Timber’s Kaua’i Resort. The good news is that we were scheduled to stay at Timbers for the remainder of our trip. Trust me, you want to stay at Timbers Kaua’i. Although technically it is a resort, it felt more like we were staying at one of our rich friend’s condos on the ocean. The only difference is that I don’t have any rich friends that live on the ocean in Hawaii.

With all of the amenities that you could ever want, the only real struggle was deciding if you were going to swim in the multi level waterfall pool or go for the infinity option. I couldn’t decide so I did both.

The Ocean Course itself was one of my favorites on the trip. They were probably all my favorites, but the Ocean Course boasts some of the most dramatic ocean views. The course starts slowly, but when you reach the 13th hole, it’s all systems go. Ocean carries and straight up fun golf shots await you at every corner.

The 16th hole was probably my favorite of the bunch. It’s only about 300 yards from the back tees and is potentially drivable. The problem with the driver is that it must be struck exactly perfect to fit through that little gap. This predicament is a wildly fun one to consider and even a layup still leaves you with an exciting approach into the course’s most unique green.

The tee on the 16th hole has never looked this good.

The Ocean Course has GolfBoards available for rent. When at Hokuala, be sure to surf The Ocean Course.

The 17th hole is the 5th in a dramatic finishing stretch of 6 holes.

The 16th hole is a potentially drivable par 4.

As with all of my Hawaiian adventures, I like to end the trip with a little male modeling. This time I recruited some of my model friends for a quick little session at the Timber’s infinity pool. These fellas were a little camera shy, but you can tell that there is a great deal of potential lurking below the surface of that water.

I, on the other hand, was not shy at all and hammed it up hard for the camera. I would rank the photos below as some of the finest water action shots in my portfolio. Tom was nervous behind the lens, but captured the final photos from Hawaii with perfection.

Pool models from left to right: Rob Myers, Mike Bailey, and Tom Mackin.

Golf tan feet add some pop to the picture. Photograph: Tom Mackin

Water action sequence modeling. Photograph: Tom Mackin

BONUS FUN FACT: The background in the logo from Adam Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison Productions, is actually the 15th hole at Hokuala’s Ocean Course.