Kapalua Plantation Course
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Courses Hawaii - Maui
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Written by bspitzer
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Thursday, 31 May 2007 |
Description
Course Information Course Designer(s): Ben Crenshaw/Bill CoorePrivate/Public:
Public
The par 73, 7,411-yard Plantation Course, is the course of the champions, site of the PGA TOUR Mercedes-Benz Championship each January featuring an elite field of previous year's PGA TOUR winners. The field has included golf greats such as Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Justin Leonard, Ernie Els, Davis Love III and many more. The grand scale of the course designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore unfurls across natural geographic formations and pineapple plantation fields that take your breath away.
Ok, I must start off by telling you I got married last weekend, hence the trip to Hawaii, and I also must say I have an amazing wife..for my wedding present she took me to play golf on our honeymoon, now you see the significance. For each of you golf nutz making the venture to Hawaii and more specifically Maui if you only play one course make it to Kapalua and play the Plantation Course, an annual PGA tour stop and home to the season kickoff, Mercedes Championship. The course gets it namesake from being built among pineapple plantations on the North West shore of the West Maui Mountains. The track is positioned along the hillside totally exposed to the trade winds which play a major role on every hole of the course. The Plantation course with twilight rates at $125 range balls included and beginning at 2PM is by far the best value I have seen anywhere, however that value comes with a bonus, the wind. The “trades” as they are known in Maui severely pick up in the afternoon and the course bears down and really begins to grit its teeth. The first four holes are a great opening and a prime chance to score if you got the wind and greens figured out or at least think you do. The fifth hole also called “cape” is where the real fun begins, the first four holes are somewhat protected by trees, tall brush and the rugged terrain but cape is exposed from tee to green with what can only be described best as a “bloody cross wind” occasionally helping. The entire right side and front of the green is protected by a valley filled with rough native grass and bushes mixed with small trees. From the tee shot on five to the last putt on sixteen there is no holding back and NO room for error, you must play smart but you must also be aggressive with both your line and distance as many of the greens collection areas are no where near the pin. The 17th is a primer for the eighteenth and while the fairway is wide and dramatically downhill do not let that fool you into thinking “sunset” is eager to let you fire at its stick. The entire green slopes back toward the west Maui mountains and away from the ocean, but remember “the putt ALWAYS breaks toward the water and even more so with the grain,” how much is the only question. Then the 18th “home” grab your driver and pound one toward the club house, the trades will blow you back into the fairway and all the way down the hill. Now that you know the lay of the land… here are my suggestions.My five tips when challenging this monster of pure enjoyment. 1) Get to the practice tee early, the range is positioned so you feel the effects of both the crosswind and “trades” blowing into your face, learn your distances for the day and what clubs will carry what distances this will immensely improve your chances of hitting the green. (Practice knockdowns to get accurate reads of your distance). 2) Putting… this course is infamous for putting and there many, many stories told and “tips” given, learn the greens, slope grain and speed all three are very important. If the putt heads toward the water, away from the mountain, it will pick up speed as it rolls even when the putt looks uphill, so take a bit off accordingly, toward the mountain hit it harder even if presumably downhill. When marking your ball on the green or when chipping look at the grain and the sun, the grass follows the sun, thus changing the grain, with the grain equals more break, and against the grain equals less break. 3) Use the wind to your advantage, don’t fight it, its BIGGER than you and always wins, whether you play a cut or draw get set on the right line and the trades will blow you in the right direction. 4) Go big when you can, several holes REALLY reward the driver, if accurate and online. I hit a 330 yard drive on 17 and a 405 yard drive on the par five 18th and wound up with birdie due to the fact I had a 7 iron in. 5) Enjoy your surroundings. Every hole has great views of the islands/Mountains, the water is the bluest I have ever seen and the weather is perfect. Have fun, get caught up in the moment and embrace the trades, Hawaii and the entire shoreline. The Kapalua Plantation Course is the best bargain on the PGA Tour circuit and you can play it. I also highly suggest eating at the plantation grill while you’re there, one of the best restaurants on the island.
User reviews
Average user rating from: 1 user(s)
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| Overall rating (weighted) |
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9.3 |
| Setting
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9.0 |
| Design
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9.0 |
| Course Condition
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10.0 |
| Shot Making
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10.0 |
| Course Amenities
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9.0 |
| Value |
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8.0 |
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Thursday, 31 May 2007 Written by bspitzer - View all my reviews - Top 10 Reviewer
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| Overall rating (weighted) |
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9.3 |
| Setting
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9.0 |
| Design
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9.0 |
| Course Condition
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10.0 |
| Shot Making
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10.0 |
| Course Amenities
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9.0 |
| Value |
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8.0 |
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Round Information Tee: ChampionshipRating: 74Weather:
Windy
Round Cost: 125.00 General Review Pros: condition, setting, experience
very fun driving the ball in the wind, hit my first 400 yard drive on the home hole.Cons: Windy, windy, windy, 30+ mph gustsOverall Thoughts: Best Value on the PGA tour, The course was in ideal conditionWhat do you usually shoot for 18 holes?:
Under 80
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Last updated: Tuesday, 01 April 2008
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Last Updated ( Friday, 06 July 2007 )
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