There is no question Kauai is a golfer's paradise. The Garden Island is home to five of Hawaii's top golf courses (Golf Digest, 2004) and boast some of the most scenic and challenging layouts in Hawaii.
Kauai Lagoons Golf Club
3351 Ho'olaulea WayLihue
808-241-6000
www.kauailagoonsgolf.com
Kauai Lagoons Golf Club offers two 18-hole courses designed by legendary golfer and architect Jack Nicklaus. The Kiele Course has a sense of style all its own. Fairways weave along imposing ocean cliffs, over promontories high and above the harbor and among some 40 acres of freshwater lagoons.
Vast groves of exotic foliage thrive throughout the more difficult front side while the magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean and Kalapaki Bay highlight the inward nine. The Mokihana Course is considered a Scottish style links course with rolling fairways that are more open and void of forced carries.
The real challenge of the Mokihana lies in its undulating greens making it a great test for skilled putters. See for yourself why Kauai Lagoons was once again distinguished by Golf Magazine as a coveted Golf Medal resort in 2004.
Kiahuna Golf Club
2545 Kiahuna Plantation DriveKoloa
808-742-9595
www.kiahunagolf.com
A Po‘ipu original, Kiahuna Golf Club offers golfers a beautiful newly renovated 18-hole course nestled in the heart of Po‘ipu, combining the spectacular beauty of the islands with a sense of the enduring history of the region.
Renowned architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. included many ancient remnants of a Hawaiian village into the design of the course. Kiahuna Golf Club is home to Joe’s on the Green, a local and visitor favorite for its bar and restaurant that overlooks the course.
Poipu Bay Golf Course
2250 Ainako StreetKoloa
808-332-9151
www.poipubaygolf.com
Poipu Bay Golf Course is an 18-hole championship course situated on 210 oceanfront acres adjacent to the Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Poipu Bay is an ocean links style course featuring spectacular vistas and challenging play.
Over the years, Poipu Bay has won numerous awards and has been consistently rated among the top golf courses in Hawaii and the U.S. Since 1994, Poipu Bay has played host to the annual PGA Grand Slam of Golf, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the golf world.
Princeville Golf Club
5520 Ka Haku RoadPrinceville
808-826-5000
www.princeville.com
Home to the award-winning Prince and Makai golf courses with a total of 45 holes. The 18-hole Prince Course is one of only 10 facilities in the country to be awarded Five Stars by the readers of Golf Digest. The magazine also rates it as #1 in the state of Hawaii.
The Makai Course has been included in Golf Digest’s America’s Greatest Golf Courses for 17 consecutive years. Both golf courses feature dramatic ocean and mountain views, each carefully integrated within their natural surroundings.
Puakea Golf Course
4315 Kalepa RoadLihue
808-245-8756
www.puakeagolf.com
Imagine yourself walking up to the first tee with a Pacific Ocean view in front of you and Mount Haupu towering over you. This isn't a dream, this is Puakea Golf Course. Robin Nelson, Hawaii’s most prolific golf course architect, designed the course to play around deep ravines and streams fed by fresh mountain rain water.
With the inspirational terrain and calming mountain range backdrop, you’ll find Puakea Golf Course to play differently under a variety of weather conditions of wind and water. Nelson’s masterful architecture clearly conveys the routes one should take to achieve textbook pars, but he hints enticingly at ways to achieve gambling birdies that can quickly turn into bogies or worse.
