Hundreds of Panelists Rated Thousands of Courses in Order to Identify Excellence
(KAUA’I, Hawaii) – The Kaua’i Visitors Bureau today announces that four of the courses in its golf-and-resort lifestyle destination co-operative – Kaua’i: Discover Golf’s Ultimate Island Green – have been ranked on the “2010 Golfweek America’s Best Courses You Can Play” by state list.
The honored courses are:
• Princeville (Prince Course, Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course architect)
• Poipu Bay (Robert Trent Jones Jr.)
• Kaua’i Lagoons (Jack Nicklaus)
• Puakea (Robin Nelson)
Fifteen Hawai’ian courses were cited for best-of distinction; Prince Course ranked No. 2 in the state, Poipu Bay No. 5, Kiele Course No. 7, and Puakea No. 15. There are roughly 90 courses in Hawaii, which is widely regarded as home to many of the nation’s finest golf courses.
Golfweek raters travel the country examining courses for overall strength of routing, feature shaping, natural setting, greens, variety and memorability of holes, conditioning and maintenance, landscape management and other criteria.
“Having four of our island’s courses honored by Golfweek is indicative of the high-quality golf found on Kaua’i,” said Sue Kanoho, Executive Director of the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau. “Princeville’s Makai Golf Club is also a wonderful course which consistently satisfies players, so we’re excited for guests to play it now that the renovation is done.”
The Makai Golf Club at The St. Regis Princeville Resort completed an extensive renovation to 18 holes (Makai course) by RTJ Jr. It also has another nine (Woods course).
For more information about golf on the Garden Isle visit www.discovery.com/activities/golfing/, www.twitter.com/KauaiGolf, 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. 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 Golf Club at The St. Regis Princeville Resort and the 18-hole Prince Golf Course – all designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
• The St. Regis Princeville Resort just completed a multi-milllion-dollar renovation and opened the first week of October 2009
2. 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 six holes from the Mokihana Course and 12 holes from the Kiele Course. Included are the original Kiele 16th, 17th and 18th holes. The signature 16th hole – a short par 4 lined on the entire left side by a dramatic ocean bluff requires a precise drive and approach and the 18th that Jack Nicklaus aptly named the “Bear” is a demanding par 4 playing to an island green. The rest of the back nine at Kiele will continue receiving extensive upgrades, including the addition of one new ocean hole which will create a one-half-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
3. 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
4. Puakea Golf Club (www.puakeagolf.com, 866.773.5554)
• Consistently rated a favorite among Kaua’i golfers in local media outlets
• 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.
Contact:
Dan Shepherd, Buffalo Communications, 703-891-3320
dshepherd@buffalocommunications.com
www.twitter.com/KauaiGolf
