800 Kapalua Drive, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, USA.
+1 800 527 2582 (Toll-free, USA only).
Situated on Maui’s only working pineapple plantation, on the north-west coast, Kapalua Resort is a 9300ha master-planned community, embellished with white sandy beaches, a lava peninsula coastline and century-old Cook and Norfolk pines.
Kapalua has two 18-hole layouts – The Bay and The Plantation. Every January for the past 10 years, The Plantation Course has hosted the US PGA Tour’s season opener, the Mercedes-Benz Championship, which is limited to PGA tournament winners from the previous year. Australian pro Stuart Appleby was dubbed the King of Kapalua after he won an unprecedented hat-trick of titles at the course between 2004 and 2006.
Designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, The Plantation’s par-73, 6776m layout plays shorter than the distance would suggest because of many elevated tees, with ocean views. On the greens, the intended line of putt is often the wrong line, depending on whether you’re putting towards the ocean or the volcanoes. The adjacent Bay Course is an impressive Arnold Palmer/Francis Duane design.
Accommodation ranges from villas and luxury homes to The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, a 463-room hotel featuring a 929sq m, tri-level pool. The Banyan Tree serves contemporary cuisine in the signature restaurant overlooking the island of Molokai.
Green fees $US218/$US298 ($273/$374) at The Plantation Course and $US183/$US220 ($230/$276) at The Bay Course for hotel guests and visitors, respectively.
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View imageRohan Clarke is a senior writer for Australian Golf Digest
Source:
Qantas The Australian Way September 2009