By Kent Gilchrist
For Postmedia News
The thing about going to Kauai to play a few rounds of golf is the pressure disappears as if by Hawaiian magic. There are so many other things to see and do, keeping an accurate count on the scorecard seems, well, almost like a trivial pursuit.
You're on Hawaii time. Not only that, you are on the Garden Isle and with the orchids and other sweet-smelling flora all about you, it matters not a whit when roosters - a derisive-sounding gallery on every course - crow in your backswing or just as you're about hit a big breaking, downhill 15-footer to save par. You're on Kauai, not back home grinding your buddies. It's golf, all right, but it's different.
Of course, that doesn't mean the golf isn't a key component of the getaway. It simply means the score you make on the seventh hole of the Kiele Moana nine - a shortish par four hole that hugs the aqua-coloured Pacific Ocean like a brand new cabrerra leather golf glove adheres to your fingers -makes the double you're apt to make because you're mesmerized by the crashing ocean waves, almost unimportant.
Perhaps it's the scents riding the trade winds that make for a more relaxed pace of the entire island. Actually it's pointless to speculate; there are too many options that make the whole package. It's nice to get out and play first thing in the morning or any time during the day because the trades make sure it never gets too hot.
So predictable are the trade winds, that course architects such as Robert Trent Jones Jr., who has designed four of the best courses on Kauai and became an interesting side story to a recent visit, said he tried to construct half his holes (the shorter ones) into the trade winds and half of them (the longer ones) downwind.
Even though Kauai's Visitors Bureau executive director Sue Kanoro brought regional mayor Bernhard Carvalho to Vancouver in 2009 on a marketing and sales trip and had to keep reminding folks here they were NOT from Maui, there's lots of B.C. connections with Kauai besides RTJ, who designed Chateau Whistler and helped his father Robert Trent Jones Sr. construct Rivershore in Kamloops.
Burrard International/Golf B.C.'s Caleb Chan owned Kauai Lagoons before selling to Marriott Hotels, whose beautiful Kauai Resort is easy walking distance to the course. The 27-hole Makai (designed by RTJ Jr. in 1971 and refurbished in 2008) is managed by Troon Golf, which employs Jim McLaughlin, who learned the ins and outs from his famous father Jack was the longtime pro at Shaughnessy, then managed University and Westwood Plateau among others.
There's good reason why B.C. golfers and tourists should have an affinity to Kauai, besides its many obvious natural beauty marks. While several degrees warmer, the temperate climate, ocean and mountain vistas are all similar. Only the shirts and foliage are different.
But how about waking up at the St. Regis to a double rainbow over Hanalei Bay the first morning? You wonder why the hotel chain felt the need for a $34-million renovation with distractions like that.
The bay fronts lushly covered mountains that come right down to the edge of the far shore. Then someone tells you that Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea in a place called Hanalei. It is indeed a magical place.
No wonder it was chosen as the site for South Pacific in 1958 with Mitzi Gaynor. Jurassic Park was filmed here, too.
It's why RTJ bought a second home right on the bay and where he brings his kids and grandkids for Christmas every year and it's why actors Craig T. Nelson and Pierce Brosnan spend their down time here.
Nearly all the courses on the island have undergone major reconstructions and they seem infatuated with a grass called "Paspalum Supreme" for their greens. It tolerates salt water better, apparently. To most of us, however, as long as they putt well, that's all that matters. And they do.
The Prince Course, ranked as high as No. 32 in the world by most respected raters, is due to reopen in October. Jones Jr. and actor Craig T. Nelson, who has the designer's ear, can hardly wait. The Prince will be remarkable when it reopens, but the four we got to play were certainly fun.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed 27-hole Kauai Lagoons featured Kiele Moana nine with four straight ocean-hugging holes was closed for four years finally reopened in May. Poipu Bay, connected to the amazing Grand Hyatt, played host to the PGA Grand Slam from 1994-2006 so you know it's good. The Makai course was closed for 18 months and reopened 15 months ago (it played host to the World Cup in 1978) and the local Puakea has some great holes if conditioning wasn't quite up to the other three.
For anyone planning a trip to Hawaii, there are deals to be had if you decide to try Kauai. Kauai offers more than 50 miles of white sand beaches. Only four per cent of the island is developed for commercial and residential use.
For more information about golf on the Garden Isle visit www.Kauaidiscovery.com/activities/golfing/, www.twitter.com/KauaiGolf, or call 800-262-1400.
Ultimate island green
A golf destination cooperative Discover Golf's Ultimate Island Green include:
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 (closed until October) - all designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
The Makai Golf Club (www.makaigolf.com, 808-826-1912 reopened in 2010 after an extensive 15-month renovation and now features the 18-hole Makai Course and the 9-hole Woods Course. The St. Regis Princeville Resort recently completed a $34-million renovation.
2. Kauai Lagoons Golf Club (www.kauailagoonsgolf.com, 800-634-6400).
The Kiele Moana (Ocean) Course - which features the longest stretch of ocean holes in Hawaii - reopened in May as part of a major refurbishment project that will eventually entail 27 Jack Nicklaus signature holes.
3. Poipu Bay Golf Course (www.poipubaygolf.com, 800-858-6300).
Along with Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa the four closing holes play atop a 150-foot sea cliff. Course reopened in December.
4. Puakea Golf Course (www.puakeagolf.com, 866-773-5544. Consistently rated a favourite among local players.
Accommodation
St. Regis Princeville: wwwSt.Regis.com (808-826-2288)
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa: www.grandhyattkauai.com (808-742-1234)
Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club: www.Kauaimarriott.com (808-245-5050)
