and probably some of the best golf Junior ever built. Unfortunately, the Wailea area’s best golf resort — Makena Beach — turned private in July of this year. Then again, spending all your time


MAUI’S FAB FOUR


1 KAPALUA GOLF RESORT www.golfatkapalua.com


2 KAANAPALI GOLF www.kaanapaligolfcourses.com


3 WAILEA GOLF CLUB www.waileagolf.com


4 THE KING KAMEHAMEHA www.kamehamehagolf.com


Trent Jones built the first course there, the Royal Kaanapali, which in 1964 hosted the first tournament on Maui, the International Canada Cup, later known as the World Cup. The winners of that initial event were, believe it or not, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. After hosting two PGA Tour events during the 1970s and ‘80s thanks to native son Mark Rolfing, Kaanapali became an official stop on the Champions Tour, with Hale Iwrin winning the Kaanapali Classic a record six times. Besides golf, the Kaanapali region


is highly regarded for its beach, being recognized among the best in the world by TripAdvisor.com. The golf, however, is strictly old school Hawaiian — flat and loaded with palm trees. The best of the bunch is still the Royal Kaanapali, a course that resembles Scottsdale’s McCormick Ranch (the Palm) and costs about $159 to play. Lodging also is more down to earth in Kaanapali, with its hotel row sporting a half-dozen major players. At $400 to $500 a night, you’ve got to


42 | AZ GOLF Insider | FALL 2016 3 2 4 1 r Maui


like the Royal Lahaina, which features Maui’s second-best luau on-site as well as a major tennis facility that hosts the Islands’ only professional tennis tournament. (And if for some reason you want to attend yet another pig roast/ native dance at Maui’s No. 1 luau, then just a few minutes down the road is the Old Lahaina Luau, which costs $120 for an adult and $75 for a child and is so well done it’s worth every cent.) About 45 minutes south of Kaanapali


is Wailea (Highway 30 to 31), another knockout beach loaded with fantastic retreats like the Fairmont Kea Lani, the Four Seasons Maui and the Grand Wailea. Price-wise, it’s right in between Kapalua and Kaanapali, and also has some gorgeous golf courses in the Gold, Emerald and Old Blue layouts. Jones’ kid, RTJ Jr., built these beauties, which boast rolling terrains loaded with ocean views. It’s all wonderful, especially the Emerald and the Gold, which once upon a time hosted the Senior Skins Game. At $160 to $240 a tee time, it’s hard to beat


The Montage at Kapalua Bay sets the highest standard in Maui.


on the links in Wailea would be foolish, as it is a snorkel and culinary hotspot, too. According to Charles Head, general manager at the Fairmont Kea Lani, “The food is fresh and local because it’s grown in rich, volcanic soil, plus Hawaiian fare is a blend of so many cultures that it’s something you can’t get anywhere else in the world.” Head would know, as his Fairmont Ko restaurant does it all, from oishi sushi to Zarzuela (seafood pot), and there are a handful of restaurants like Mama’s Fish House and Nick’s Market Maui that also offer delicious dishes that are about double what you would pay in Arizona. Of course, you’ve got to get to Maui


via one of the airlines that travel there, most likely American, which offers a round-trip, nonstop ticket from Phoenix in the $600 range. That means you will be flying in and out of Kahului Airport, which brings us to our last stop — or maybe it’s the first stop? That would be nearby Wailuku, where the legendary King Kamehameha Golf Club was built back in the 1980s by Jones Sr. Even though it’s highly private and managed by Troon Golf’s Privé brand, members from other clubs can play it as well as prospective members for a fee of $205. What’s cool about this golf course, besides the fact that every hole seems like a signature offering overlooking the Pacific, is its history. The surreal, space saucer-shaped clubhouse was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright originally for Marilyn Monroe and her husband at the time, playwright Arthur Miller. But when Monroe and Miller divorced in 1961, the plans sat in a vault for 20 years until the club purchased them and blew up the original to 75,000 square feet. And, hey, if you can’t get on The King, which is named after Kamehameha — Hawaii’s first ruler dating back to the early 1800s — there is a fantastic public offering right next door for just $75 called Kahili Golf Course. So there you have it: a foursome


of awesome golf regions in Maui that can be had for a fortune. Or if you look around and go “local,” a once-in- a-lifetime trip for half the price. n


www.azgolf.org


COURTESTY MONTAGE AT KAPALUA BAY


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