Is there a heaven on earth for avid golfers? I heard rumors that one of the most northerly islands of the Hawaiian chain might be the place. I slipped my golf clubs in a TaylorMade travel bag and my cameras and lenses in a Gura Gear backpack and headed to the Garden Isle of Kauai to find out for myself.
Within fifteen minutes of arriving at the airport in Lihue, I was on the first tee at the Kauai Lagoons Golf Club, but not before rubbing the belly of the reclining Buddha guarding the first tee. Golfers are a superstitious lot and Hawaii is truly where East meets West.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed course was named one of the “World’s Most Beautiful Golf Courses” by MSN Travel, in part because it features the longest continuous stretch – half a mile – of oceanfront holes in Hawaii. One of my favorite holes, however is the waterless par-3, 5th hole with the island green encircled by mango and guava trees with a deep ravine guarding its approach.
Prince Course (left), Puakea Golf Club (center), Kauai Lagoons Golf Club (right) © Mark Edward Harris
Golf at its best can be found throughout Kauai including at the Prince Course at Princeville Golf Club (left), the Puakea Golf Club (center), and the Kauai Lagoons Golf Club (right).
A 3-minute après-golf drive to the Kauai Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach gets me to the property in time to make my much needed deep tissue lomilomi massage appointment at the Alexander Spa in a cabana on the beach at sunset. Dinner at the resort’s Kukui’s on Kalapaki Beach restaurant caps my first day in paradise.
Another day, another round, this time, at the Puakea Golf Course. Three miles from the Kauai Marriott, the course is nestled in a housing community popular with mainland transplants. Its signature 6th hole descends from a plateau over a small lake with Mt. Ha’upu serving as a dramatic backdrop.
A half hour further west along the southern coast of Kauai is the 210-acre links-style Poipu Bay Golf Course, designed by the renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Ranked as one of the top courses in the U.S., Poipu Bay played host to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 1994-2006. Paired with its neighbor the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, the twosome has been rated as one of the top golf resorts in the U.S. for more than a decade by Conde Nast Traveler.
Robert Trent Jones Jr., Princeville Makai Golf Club © Mark Edward Harris
Famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. stands on the tee of the signature 7th hole on the Makai Golf Club at Princeville.
The 602-room Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa overlooks Keoneloa Bay and features a river pool, waterfalls, a saltwater lagoon, tennis courts and the award-winning Anara Spa. The resorts four-story low-rise design conforms to the island’s building code: “No buildings can be higher than the tallest coconut tree.” Dinner at Tidepools featuring contemporary Hawaiian cuisine makes for a great end to another perfect day.
An hour and a half drive to the north side of the island brings me to two more Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed courses, the Princeville Makai Golf Course and the Prince Course at Princeville Golf Club.
The Princeville Makai Golf Club’s spectacular coastal scenery makes it one of golf’s “Top 5 Most Scenic Settings” according to National Geographic Traveler. The Prince Course at Princeville Golf Club, ranked as Golf Digest’s #1 Golf Course in Hawaii has a 66,000-square-foot clubhouse which includes celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi’s Tavern Restaurant.
Poipu Bay Golf Course © Mark Edward Harris
Chipping out of the bunker at the dramatic par 5 16th hole at the Poipu Bay Golf Course.
Robert Trent Jones, Jr., who has chosen Kauai as a second home, took me on a tour of the two courses, explaining how he applied the “Principle of Harmony” approach to landscape architecture that he learned in Japan. Bunkers forming wave patterns seen off the nearby coast or emulating mountain outcroppings in the distance are par for the course, so to speak.
After a spectacular sunset from the terrace of the St. Regis Princeville Resort, which included a champagne saber opening, followed by a French and Asian influenced dinner prepared by chef extraordinaire Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at the hotel’s Kauai Grill, it was time to reflect and prepare for life back on the mainland.
I had indeed spent a week in golf heaven.
Photo Credits
All Photographs Are © Mark Edward Harris
Mark Edward Harris Photographer Bio
Mark Edward Harris’ editorial work has appeared in publications such as Vanity Fair, Life, GEO, Conde Nast Traveler, The Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine, The London Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Playboy as well as all the major photography and in-flight magazines. His commercial clients range from The Gap to Coca-Cola to Mexicana Airlines. He is the recipient of numerous awards including a CLIO, ACE, Aurora Gold, and Photographer of the Year at the Black & White Spider Awards. His books include Faces of the Twentieth Century: Master Photographers and Their Work, The Way of the Japanese Bath, Wanderlust, North Korea, South Korea, and Inside Iran. North Korea was named Photography Book of the Year at the 2013 International Photography Awards. Mark will be teaching travel photography workshops in Santa Fe this fall and in Japan this winter.
Blog / Website: Mark Edward Harris
The Prince Course at Princeville Golf Club
GoHawaii.com/Kauai/Experiences/Golf
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