Makai Princeville Golf Club
After playing Makai last month, I now fully understand the meaning behind the word it gets its name from:
Makai [muh-kahy] • adverb Def: Towards the Ocean
The beauty of the course starts from the moment you step onto the property. I mean this is Kauai, it’s stunning at every turn, but the course to me was a journey. A journey through the landscape of the Hawaii island that reaches a fantastic apex multiple times as you make your way around the course and head towards the ocean.
From the Makai Website:
Princeville Makai Golf Course, Mr. Robert Trent Jones Jr. first ever solo design, is the course for all St. Regis Princeville guests to enjoy!
Since undergoing an extensive $6 million renovation by Mr. Robert Trent Jones Jr. himself (completed in early 2010) the Makai Course has soared to the top of almost all of golf’s respected rankings imaginable. We now find our self as a Top 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses in America (Golf Digest 2015/2016), the #3 in the state of Hawaii (GolfWeek), and were named to the list of America’s “Top 5 Great Golf Settings” (National Geographic Traveler). With our immaculate course conditions and 5 ocean front holes, and amazing “Aloha Spirit” it is impossible for any other golf course on the Hawaiian islands to rival Princeville Makai’s true Hawaiian Golf Adventure! That being said we have a lot more to offer than simply golf for you and your special guests! We boast Sunset Golf Cart Tours, Sunrise Yoga, and many jaw dropping sites for banquets or cocktail receptions!
A fantastic start to the front nine.
The first section of holes takes you through a stunning inland area of the course. The first real WOW moment comes when you stand on the tee on the third hole. A par three gem that has some of the most amazing views you’ll ever see on a golf course. Be it Hawaii or anywhere else. After a daunting uphill par 4, you get to take on another par five before making your way to the sixth hole and your first glimpse at the fantastic ocean views.
The sixth hole plays directly towards the ocean, and it is breathtaking. From there the drama continues as you next get to play the Signature hole the par three 7th. I could have finished the day after playing the first seven holes and been very content. It’s that gorgeous, the golf is that good, and the joy you feel standing on the 7th tee with the Kauai Mountains to your left and the Pacific ocean to your right is mesmerizing.
As you make the turn
It feels like you’re somewhere else entirely. I was in awe of the changes in scenery. Immense trees you’d find deep in the forest lines the fairways on the first couple of holes on the back. Then, once again you head towards the ocean one final time.
When I wrapped up the round, with a birdie I might add, I kept saying to myself “what a fun round of golf that was.” The views I got to experience had me feeling like I was in a National Geographic documentary. The golf I enjoyed had me feeling like a major champion and the fun I had made me feel like a kid playing golf for the first time on a real course.
Robert Trent Jones Jr. is a master of golf architecture, and it showed in every hole. The course is not a ball breaker by any means, but the tricks he plays on you with the tee box views is remarkable. The fairways are wide and fair, and the green complexes are exquisite. I hope you enjoy the photos. You can see from them how the tee shots can bring on the nerves rather quickly!
I’d also like to say thanks to the staff at Makai.
They were incredibly professional every time I was in contact with them. And they know how to treat a guest while at their facility. I’m not sure if I’ll ever make it back to Kauai but if I do, I know I’ll be teeing it up at Makai for sure!
Be sure to check out their website for more information.
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