Four Voted to the Nation’s Top 50 in their Category
(KAUA’I, Hawaii) – Readers of GolfWorld magazine have placed their votes and the results are in – multiple golf courses on Kaua’i have been elected as best in the country in the publication’s inaugural “2009 Readers’ Choice Awards.”
To generate these lists GolfWorld processed more than 21,000 individual golf course ratings and 252,000 criteria evaluations.
In the “Top 50 Resort Courses” category Poipu Bay Golf Course, adjacent to the Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa, was voted No. 16. While ranked 16thnationwide, Poipu Bay was No. 2 in the state of Hawaii, and is the former longtime home to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf (1994-2006).
Kaua’i Lagoons Golf Club was rated No. 19. It is affiliated with the Kaua’i Marriott Resort & Beach Club. The back nine of the Jack Nicklaus-designed Kiele Course at Kaua’i Lagoons is receiving extensive upgrades, including the addition of one new ocean hole which will, in addition to existing holes, create a mile-long stretch of oceanfront golf. The planned ocean nine reopening is mid-2009.
Princeville Resort, with 45 holes of golf on Kaua’i’s north shore, was rated No. 22 nationally by GolfWorld’s discerning readers. The 27-hole Makai course (18 holes of which are currently being renovated) and the 18-hole Prince – all designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. – comprise Princeville’s renowned golf amenities.
Located in Lihue, Puakea Golf Course garnered the distinction of being voted No. 34 among the “Top 50 Public Courses” by GolfWorld readers. Designed by Robin Nelson, the course is adjacent to the lush site where Steven Spielberg filmed “Jurassic Park.” Puakea was voted the seventh best course in Hawaii byGolfweek magazine earlier this year.
Along with Kiahuna Golf Club, an outstanding Robert Trent Jones Jr. course design with Seashore Paspalum greens that many consider the best in Hawaii, Princeville (Prince and Makai courses), Poipu Bay, Kauai Lagoons and Puakea comprise the Garden Isle’s golf destination cooperative “Kaua’i: Discover Golf’s Ultimate Island Green.”
“We hope people will be inspired by this honor from GolfWorld readers to visit Kaua’i and enjoy our golf courses, resorts, beaches, scenery, weather and other attractions,” says Sue Kanoho, Executive Director of the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau.
For more information about the Garden Isle, visit www.kauaidiscovery.com/activities/golfing/ or call 800-262-1400.
About “Kaua’i: Discover Golf’s Ultimate Island Green”
Kaua’i is colored by lush, numerous shades of green – flora and fauna blanket the mountains and serve as a painter’s palette and “carpet” of nature’s unspoiled wonder. Surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean and buffeted by soothing trade winds, Kaua’i offers more than 50 miles of white sand beaches – more beach per mile than any other island in Hawai’i. Only four percent of the island is developed for commercial and residential use.
The unique attributes of the golf destination cooperative “Kaua’i: Discover Golf’s Ultimate Island Green” include a plethora of scintillating holes and the following.
1. Kiahuna Golf Club (www.kiahunagolf.com, 808.742.9595)
* Outstanding greens feature Seashore Paspalum, Kauai’s only course to offer them
* Designed by world-famous golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., the course weaves around many ancient remnants of authentic Hawaiian culture
* Voted “Kaua’i’s Best” by the readers of The Garden Isle newspaper, Kiahuna is a 6,925-yard, par 70 with a rating of 73.5 and slope of 134
2. Puakea Golf Club (www.puakeagolf.com, 866.773.5554)
* Rated the 7th best course in Hawaii – Golfweek Magazine
* Adjacent to the lush site where Steven Spielberg filmed “Jurassic Park”
* Owned by AOL co-Founder Steve Case
3. Kaua’i Lagoons Golf Club (www.kauailagoonsgolf.com, 800.634.6400)
* Rated by Travel + Leisure Golf Magazine as Hawaii’s most underrated golf resort/2008
* Currently 18 of 36 holes designed by Jack Nicklaus are in play consisting of the Maile nine (former Mokihana holes) and the Kiele nine (former Kiele front nine). The back nine ocean holes of the Kiele Course are currently closed and in the process of receiving extensive upgrades, including the addition of one new ocean hole which will create a mile-long stretch of oceanfront golf. The planned ocean nine reopening is mid-2009.
* The Kiele Course front nine holes feature the par-3 fifth green encircled by a tropical Mango and Guava tree forest
4. Poipu Bay Golf Course (www.poipubaygolf.com, 800.858.6300)
* Along with Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa rated No. 32 in Golf Digest’s “Sublime 75: America’s Greatest Golf Resorts”
* 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
5. Princeville Golf Courses (www.princeville.com, 800.826.1105)
* Home to Golf Digest’s No. 39 rated course in “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses” (Prince Course) and the No. 1 rated course in the state
* 45 holes of golf – the 27-hole Makai course (18 holes of which are currently being renovated) and the 18-hole Prince – all designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
* Overlooks exquisite Hanalei Bay
Contact:
Dan Shepherd, Buffalo Communications
703-891-3320, dshepherd@billycaspergolf.com
