‘Garden Isle’ Scores High in Biennial Poll of Discerning Golfers
(Kaua’i, Hawaii) – ZAGAT America’s Top Golf Courses 2009-10 (Sixth Edition) published its biennial results this month and Kaua’i courses and resorts scored among the best in the United States in many categories.
The ZAGAT survey covers 1,149 of the top courses in the U.S, including the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Results are based on input from 6,054 reviewers, collectively bringing in more than 640,000 annual rounds.
According to ZAGAT, courses that score between 26-30 points on a 30-point scale rate as “extraordinary to perfection.” Three Kaua’i courses scored in this highest category – Princeville Prince Course, Poipu Bay Golf Course, and Kaua’i Lagoons Golf Club’s Kiele/Maile Course. A fourth – Puakea Golf Course – scored in the second-highest level, which ZAGAT terms “Very good to excellent.”
One ZAGAT survey respondent called the Prince Course, which is near the The St. Regis Princeville Resort, “golf at its finest.” PoipuBay was labeled a “stunning beauty” and is adjacent to the Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa. Kaua’i Lagoons Golf Club, which is located next to the Kaua’i Marriott Resort & Beach Club, was lauded as “a Kaua’i must-play.” And Puakea was recognized for its “beautiful design and top-notch maintenance.”
“Having four of Kaua’i’s five courses in the destination consortium ‘Kaua’i: Discover Golf’s Ultimate Island Green’ earn this distinction is rewarding,” said Kaua’i Visitors Bureau Executive Director Sue Kanoho. “But what’s even more exciting to contemplate is where Princeville’s 27-hole Makai Course will rate in the next ZAGAT edition. It is scheduled to unveil its renovation on November 1 this year and it is expected to better than ever.”
Here are the other ZAGAT categories in which Kaua’i courses and resorts earned top scores:
40 Most Popular in the U.S.
Princeville Prince
Poipu Bay
Scenic
Kauai Lagoons Kiele/Maile
Puakea
Poipu Bay
Princeville Prince Course
Outstanding Lodgings
The St. Regis Princeville Resort
Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa
Top-Rated Facilities
Princeville
Poipu Bay
Top-Rated Service
Poipu Bay
Junior Friendly
Poipu Bay
Storied
Poipu Bay
Fine Food Too
Poipu Bay
Princeville
Par-3 Holes
Princeville Prince
Practice Facilities
Princeville Prince
Private Functions
Princeville Prince
Pro Shops
Princeville Prince
Princeville Prince and Poipu Bay were two of the five top-rated courses in Hawaii by ZAGAT Survey respondents.
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 juxtapose brilliantly with the turquoise Pacific Ocean, white clouds and blue skies. Buffeted by entrancing 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 including:
1. Poipu Bay Golf Course (www.poipubaygolf.com, 800.858.6300)
* Along with Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa rated No. 16 in GolfWorld’s “America’s Top 50 Resort Courses, 2009”
* 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
2. Princeville Golf Courses (www.princeville.com, 800.826.1105)
* The Prince Course was rated No. 67 in Golf Digest’s “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses 2009-10” and rated the No. 1 course in the state
* 45 holes of golf – the 27-hole Makai course (currently closed for renovation, scheduled to open Nov. 1, 2009) and the 18-hole Prince – all designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
* The St. Regis Princeville Resort is scheduled to open Oct. 1, 2009
3. Puakea Golf Club (www.puakeagolf.com, 866.773.5554)
* Rated the 7th best course in Hawaii – Golfweek Magazine
* 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
4. Kaua’i Lagoons Golf Club (www.kauailagoonsgolf.com, 800.634.6400)
* Voted one of the “Top 50 Resort Courses” worldwide by GolfWorld magazine in its “2009 Readers’ Choice Awards”
* Currently 18 of 36 holes designed by Jack Nicklaus are in play consisting of the Maile nine and the Kiele 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 Kiele Course front nine holes feature the par-3 fifth green encircled by a tropical Mango and Guava tree forest
Contact:
Dan Shepherd, Buffalo Communications
703-891-3320, dshepherd@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
