Rees Jones' Kohanaiki course: An exclusive golf club on Hawaii's Big Island
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii -- With six holes near the ocean, Kohanaiki was certainly worth the wait.
Rees Jones completed construction on the ultra-exclusive course while renovating the celebrated Mauna Kea Golf Course on the Big Island in 2008. An ailing economy kept his 7,329-yard layout from opening until May 2013, when ownership moved forward with its plans to develop a luxurious private community set along 1.5 miles of majestic shoreline between the Kona International Airport and Kailua-Kona.
Kohanaiki will be the private playground of property owners, although there is limited public access on Mondays, when Hawaii residents with a valid driver's license can play for $275. Kohanaiki's commitment to five-star service can be found inside its two comfort stations, where players can munch on a wide assortment of gourmet salads, sandwiches and snacks, including homemade ice-cream sandwiches, frozen margaritas and frozen yogurt.
Kohanaiki shares a sensitive environment near the shore. There are 13 Ahu (rock shrines) running parallel to 200 anchialine ponds. These ponds were historically used by Hawaiians to raise fish and shrimp.
After the par-5 12th hole turns toward the ocean, the four most dramatic holes -- two par 3s and two par 4s -- play along the beach, requiring shots over these hazardous pond pits of black volcanic rock. The tee shot of the par-5 17th hole plays over the rocky ruins of an old donkey corral.
Construction on a new 62,000-square-foot clubhouse -- home to a bowling alley, movie theater, restaurant, spa, recreation/game room, fitness area and men's and women's lockers -- will begin in spring of 2014.