From Kauai Lagoons, to Princeville, to Poipu Bay, a handful of ocean holes highlight golf on Kauai
PRINCEVILLE, Kauai, Hawaii -- Golfers seeking the ocean should head to the oldest and northernmost Hawaiian island.
Kauai Lagoons Golf Club, Makai Golf Club at Princeville, the Prince Golf Course at Princeville and Poipu Bay Golf Course on Kauai all offer those postcard views that mainlanders love.
The gorgeous par-4 fourth hole on the Kiele Moana nine at Kauai Lagoons introduces the longest continuous stretch of ocean holes in Hawaii. The par-3 fifth hole soars magnificently over an ocean inlet. The next two par 4s -- a dogleg left over a jungle-filled ravine at No. 6 and the short seventh hole with a tiny green sunken below the fairway -- play as tough as they are scenic.
Poipu Bay G.C., the home of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 1994-2006, ends the round with several cliffhangers. The par-4 15th hole and the par-5 16th hole skirt 150-foot cliffs above the crashing waves.
Makai Golf Club wins the battle of the two Golf Digest top-100 beauties at Princeville. The Prince Golf Course heads toward the ocean at the sixth green and the spectacular par-3 seventh hole, then turns inland.
Makai returns to the shore twice. A horizon of blue -- the ocean meeting the sky -- frames the par-4 sixth hole. Even better, the mesmerizing seventh hole, an epic par 3, requires carrying a coastal chasm. The shoreline stretch on the back nine might be more strategic, anchored by a demanding par 4 (No. 12), a long par 3 (No. 13) and a risk-reward short par 4 (No. 14).
Wind, water and waves add up to wonderful golf on Kauai.