By Rick Young
MAUI, HAWAIIAN ARCHIPELAGO
To imply a siren as beautiful as Kapalua’s Plantation Course needed a facelift after 28 years might seem premature, until you consider the high standards required for perfection.
The home of the PGA Tour’s annual Sentry Tournament of Champions on the West Maui Mountains has been closed to the public since February 2019.
Plantation’s original designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the Golf Channel’s Mark Rolfing and Troon Golf’s agronomy staff were brought in to conduct an extensive makeover of the former pineapple plantation. The aim was twofold: To bolster the course’s challenge for the game’s most talented touring professionals; and, more importantly, to improve and enhance the bucket-list experience for Kapalua’s discerning clientele.
A thorough overhaul
A standard golf course nip and tuck this was not. Every inch of the 107-acre property was accounted for during Plantation’s $10 million-plus refresh.
The fairways, tees and rough were all re-grassed; new forward tees and tour tees were added; greens were resurfaced; 93 on-course bunkers had a capillary concrete liner system installed (to counteract heavy rain); new cart paths were constructed; improvements were made to the drainage system; the practice facility was revitalized; and the interior and exterior of the Plantation Course clubhouse—including the club’s award-winning pro shop—were enhanced to complement the on-course upgrades.
Nine months after its last tee time, in late November 2019, the Hawaiian Islands No. 1-rated facility officially re-opened for play. The response and reviews have been off the chart.
“It’s like when you have a special piece of art, or something really special to you, and you get the chance to dust it off and make it new again,” said Coore of the course that first propelled him and Crenshaw to prominence as architects in 1991. “This was a very thoughtful restoration and refining process, but it wasn’t a re-design. We’re very happy with the way the course looks and the way it has gone through the past nearly three decades.”
Coore is equally pleased with how the 7,411-yard, par-73 course now plays. Defined by wide, generous fairways and extreme elevation changes (Plantation is built on the side of a volcano), even high-handicap golfers with marginal clubhead speed will strike some of the longest drives of their lives—in the same round—following this renovation. Re-grassing has firmed up Plantation’s fairways.
Nowhere is that more true than on the renowned downhill 663-yard, par-five 18th hole. Sounds long, right? Actually, it’s not. One of golf’s best thrill rides is easily reachable in two with a pair of solid shots that seem to run for a fortnight.
Only the smile on your face will last longer.
Premium approach
What hasn’t changed is the premium placed on approach shots. Plantation’s large, undulating greens and accompanying surrounds will continue to challenge the iron games of the best players in the world, especially when Maui’s trade winds are blowing. For resort guests, hitting the greens and short-game execution remain a fascinating examination of skill, especially for those who love to compare themselves with the tour’s biggest stars.
Another thing that hasn’t changed at the Plantation Course is the views. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the nearby islands of Moloka‘i and Lana‘i, the facility—which is yearly ranked as one of the top 100 in the world—still offers guests Hawaii’s most jaw-dropping backdrops and some of the prettiest scenery on the planet.
“It can be very distracting out there,” says Riley Johns, a Canadian member of the team entrusted with the renovation work. “Deep-blue ocean, cloud-capped volcanoes, whales breaching constantly—it’s a surreal place.”
For years, the Plantation Course has been a gold standard for destinations to aspire to. But it may be time to reassess that designation. After this stem-to-stern renovation, Kapalua’s flagship property has moved to an even higher level.
Award-winning golf writer/author Rick Young is one of Canada’s most trusted voices on
golf and matters related to the golf industry. A founding member of the Golf Journalists
Association of Canada, Young’s articles have appeared in a variety of publications throughout North America.
