Golf Hawaii 2008

A R i c h h i s t o R y Beach, where in 1927 he carded a 32-32-64; and he amassed an amazing 18 holes-in-one. A Ha Hawaiian ali‘i by birth, Francis Brown inherited his wealth from his family’s great real estate hold holdings, on O‘ahu, where the extremely well-liked and gifted athlete owned a large pie-shaped tract of land (known as an ahupua’a) called: Waipi‘o Waipi‘o—a gift from Kamehameha I. It was in 1930 that Francis Brown purchased Kal¯ huipua‘a ahuipua‘a—a glorious, 3,200 tract of land on Hawai‘i’s Kohala Coast, for just over a dollar an acre. It was here, amidst ancient fishing ponds and rugged dark lava fields, that the famed Mauna Lani Resort would eventually be formed after Francis Brown met and became fast friends with Tokyo tycoon Noboru Gotoh during the 1964 Olympic Games. The relationship sparked the genesis for what would become the concept for the fabled Mauna Lani Resort. That same year, Laurance Rockefeller—the visionary developer of RockResorts— flew Robert Trent Jones, Sr., the preeminent American golf course architect of the day, out to take a look at the exquisite but lava-strewn land where he was planning to build Mauna Kea Resort at the northernmost end of the Kohala Coast. It was at Mauna Kea that one of the seminal moments in Hawai‘i golf course architecture occurred: Jones ground two lava rocks together and discovered that it could be crushed into an excellent base for growing grass. This breakthrough opened the doors for courses to be built on land that had hitherto been considered inhospitable, and nowadays several of the best golf courses in the United States are located along this elegant coast: Mauna Kea, H¯ puna, Mauna Lani North and South, Waikoloa a Beach and Kings’, Hualalai, and several other prialai, ¯ vate clubs. Hawai‘i’s Big Island has had a rich golf history. It has hosted virtually every professional tour, and has had its own share of luminaries too. Jackie Pung was Hawai‘i’s first woman U.S. Amateur Champion (1952). She played on the LPGA Tour for 12 years during the ’50s and ’60s, and placed second in the 1953 Women’s U.S. Open. So many others have given Hawai‘i’s Big Island reasons to be proud of its rich golfing history. The amateurs and professionals who hail from this golf haven love the game, its history, and its heritage. They embrace all other golfers who visit their beloved island with a unique brand of aloha all their own. Perhaps this is why it has become one of the premiere golf destinations of the world. Above: Goats and golfers alike share the fairways back in the old days. Photo courtesy of Mauna Lani Resort. Right: Dennis Rose takes a swing at Big Island Country Club’s 1965 Championship. Photo courtesy of D.W. “Whitey” Rose. The Official Golf Guide to Hawai‘i’s Big Island 9

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Golf Hawaii 2008

Golf Hawaii 2008 Contents Welcome Message Big Island Golf Map Golf Hawai‘i—Rich in History Mauna Kea Resort Mauna Lani Resort Waikaloa Beach Resort Hualalai Resort Kona Country Club Hawai‘i’s Hidden Greens A World of Adventure The Parting Shot

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