Garden Isle Courses Garner Four of the Top Eight Spots in Hawaii; Prince Course at Princeville Golf Club Ranked No. 1
(KAUA‘I, Hawaii) – The Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau announces today that all five courses in its golf-and-resort lifestyle destination co-operative – Kaua’i: Discover Golf’s Ultimate Island Green – are ranked on GOLF Magazine’s biennial “2012 Best Courses You Can Play” by state list.
Kaua‘i courses hold four of the top eight spots in the “Best-Of” state rankings. The newly renovated Prince Course at Princeville Golf Club is the No. 1-ranked course in Hawaii and also landed at No. 16 on the magazine’s “Top-100 Courses You Can Play” list. Following the Prince Course in the state rankings are Makai Golf Club at Princeville at No. 5, Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club at No. 7, Poipu Bay Golf Club at No. 8 and Puakea Golf Course at No. 17.
There are more than 90 golf courses in Hawaii and only 20 were cited for “Best-Of” distinction. The complete rankings are available online and will be published in the September 2012 edition of GOLF Magazine.
“We are thrilled to once again have our golf courses included in these prestigious rankings,” said Sue Kanoho, Executive Director of the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau. “Kaua’i provides an amazing collection of unforgettable courses and resorts and honors such as these further solidify the island as one of the best golf destinations not only in the state of Hawaii, but in the world.”
Nearly all of the courses and resorts in the co-operative have recently undergone major enhancement projects, helping improve their standing in the GOLF Magazine rankings.
The Prince Course at Princeville rose from No. 22 in 2010 to its current No. 16 ranking in the Top-100 after completing a 15-month renovation program in March. The refurbishment was overseen by Robert Trent Jones II – the original designer – and included the reconstruction and reconfiguring of green contours as well as the widening of fairways to promote a more enjoyable experience for players of all levels.
In addition, Kauai Lagoons Golf Club soared from No. 18 in the 2010 “Best-Of” state rankings to No. 7 this year, while Makai Golf Club at Princeville improved three spots.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club opened the new Kiele Moana (Ocean) Course in May of 2011 and now features the longest stretch of ocean holes in Hawaii. Makai Golf Club at Princeville, also a Robert Trent Jones II design, underwent an extensive multi-million dollar renovation to redesign greens, fairways, tee boxes and bunkers in 2010.
Poipu Bay Golf Club, which along with the adjacent Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa has been named one of the top golf resorts in the world, re-opened in December 2010 to rave reviews after installing the eco-friendly Seashore Paspalum turf on all greens.
Puakea Golf Course is annually included among Hawaii’s best courses in national rankings and is situated at the base of towering Mount Haupu. The Robin Nelson-design plays through deep ravines, crosses mountain-fed streams and reveals sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.
For more information about golf on the Garden Isle visit www.kauaidiscovery.com/activities/golfing/, or call 800-262-1400.
You can also follow Kaua‘i Golf on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kauaiGolf, or “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Kauai-Golf/204271937068.
About “Kaua’i: Discover Golf’s Ultimate Island Green”
Kaua’i offers more than 50 miles of white sand beaches — more beach per mile than any other island in Hawaii. Only five percent of the island is developed for commercial and residential use.
1. Princeville Golf Courses (www.princeville.com)
45 holes of golf — the 27-hole Makai Golf Club at The St. Regis Princeville Resort and the 18-hole Prince Golf Course — all designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Ranked as the No. 1 course in Hawaii by GOLF Magazine (2012), Prince Course at Princeville Golf Club (800.826.1105) re-opened March 1, 2012, following an extensive 13-month refurbishment project. The 66,000-square-foot clubhouse features The Tavern Restaurant, by celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi, and the beautifully appointed 5,500-square-foot Prince Golf Shop.
Makai Golf Club at Princeville (www.makaigolf.com) reopened in 2010 after an extensive 15-month renovation and has since been ranked as one of Hawaii’s top courses by both Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine.
The St. Regis Princeville Resort completed a multi-million-dollar renovation and opened the first week of October 2009.
2. Kaua’i Lagoons Golf Club (www.kauailagoonsgolf.com, 800.634.6400)
Voted, along with Kaua’i Marriott Resort, one of the “Top 50 Resort Courses” worldwide by GolfWorld magazine in its “2009 Readers’ Choice Awards”
The Kiele Moana (Ocean) Course – which features the longest continuous stretch of ocean holes in Hawaii – made its debut in May, bringing back the famous 18-hole Kiele Championship layout
Kaua’i Lagoons Golf Club features the only Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf experience on Kaua’i
The front nine holes feature the par-3 fifth green encircled by a tropical Mango and Guava tree forest
Recently voted 6th best course in Hawaii in Golfweek magazine’s 2012 Best Courses: State by State and No. 7 on GOLF Magazine’s 2012 “Best-Of” state rankings.
3. Poipu Bay Golf Course (www.poipubaygolf.com, 800.858.6300)
Along with Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa, Poipu Bay has been honored by Conde Nast Traveler as of the top resorts for golf in the U.S. from 2000 through 2012
Named to Golf Digest’s Best-in-State rankings for Hawaii 2011-12 and Golfweek’s Top 100 Resort Courses in America 2011
Four closing holes play atop a 150-foot sea cliff
Home to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 1994 through 2006, it has frequently hosted players like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and other major champions
Course completed a renovation project in 2011, highlighted by the installation of the eco-friendly Seashore Paspalum turf on all greens
4. Puakea Golf Course (www.puakeagolf.com, 866.773.5554)
Consistently rated a favorite among Kaua’i golfers in local media outlets and ranked as the No. 15 course in Hawaii by Golfweek.
Golf Course Architect Robin Nelson used the natural layout of the land when he planned this layout, testing golfers of all levels and treating them to beautiful views of Mt. Ha’upu and deep lush ravines on several holes.
Owned by AOL co-Founder Steve Case
About the KVB and HVCB
The Kaua’i Visitors Bureau is a division of the Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau, which is contracted by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority (HTA), the state of Hawai’i’s tourism agency, for marketing management services in North America. The HTA was established in 1998 to ensure a successful visitor industry well into the future. Its mission is to strategically manage Hawai’i tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with the state of Hawai’i’s economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, community desires, and visitor industry needs.
