LIHU’E — Kaua’i’s collection of golf courses have once again been recognized by Golfweek magazine in the publication’s 2022 rankings of the “Best Courses You Can Play In Hawai’i,” “Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play” and the ” Top 200 Modern Courses.”
Golfweek’s panel of course-raters named four Kaua’i courses among the 15 best courses in the state, with Princeville Makai Golf Club ranked at No. 4, Po’ipu Bay Golf Course No. 7, Wailua Municipal Golf Course No. 11 and The Ocean Course at Hokuala No. 12.
The Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed Princeville Makai Golf Club also placed on Golfweek’s prestigious “Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play” ranking (No. 75), and on its “Top 200 Modern Courses” list (No. 199).
Golfweek’s elite team of more than 850 course evaluators determine the annual selection of the country’s best public and private layouts.
Each year, the raters survey over 3,600 facilities, grading each following Golfweek’s 10 evaluation standards.
Magazine editors then rank the best classic, modern, resort and residential courses nationally, as well as the best private and public courses in each state.
Nicknamed the Garden Island for its lush tropical foliage, waterfalls and ever-present Pacific Ocean scenery, Kaua’i boasts numerous daily-fee and resort golf courses. The destination is perennially recognized for its beaches, award-winning golf courses, ideal playing weather and stunning natural beauty. For more information on Kaua’i golf, visit gogolfKauai.com.
About The Go Golf Kaua’i courses
• The Ocean Course at Hokuala is a Jack Nicklaus signature course that boasts the longest stretch of oceanfront holes in Hawai’i. The picture-perfect course winds its way through papaya and guava groves to dramatic seaside cliffs. A 2016 renovation added sparkling white sand to all the bunkers, framing holes to be even more spectacular than before. The Ocean Course at Hokuala has been rated as Hawai’i’s Best Golf Course by the World Golf Awards 2018 – 2020;
• The Po’ipu Bay Golf Course was designed by renowned golf course architect and Princeville resident Robert Trent Jones Jr., and is set between lush mountains and rugged ocean bluffs. The course incorporates more than 30 acres of colorfully landscaped tropical plants and flowers, making it one of Hawai’i’s most beautiful courses. Po’ipu Bay hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 1994 to 2006;
• The Princeville Makai Golf Club opened in 1971 as the first solo effort of Jones, who owns a home on the course. The course was completely renovated in 2009, introducing spectacular new seashore paspalum turf grass on all fairways and greens. Princeville Makai features surreal vistas of Mt. Makana (aka Bali Hai) and Hanalei Bay, including the signature par-3 seventh hole that offers a 213-yard shot over scenic cliffs;
• Wailua Golf Course offers classic, golden-era seaside golf holes just a few steps from the Pacific Ocean. First built as a nine-hole course in the 1930s and expanded to 18 holes in 1961, Wailua has hosted three US Golf Association Amateur and three US Public Links Championships. The layout was designed by Toyo Shirai and features stunning mountain views along the Royal Coconut Coast.