Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Fall 2012 - (Page 84)

Golf W r ite r t h o ma s D u nne te e s hig h on maui g o l f ’s g ra n Dest P l a ntation Cou rs e Island Greens W From pineapples to par putts, the Plantation Course is famed for its tropical beauty and unique design. Here, the 18th hole. 84 w w w. r i t z c a r lt o n . c o m AidAn BrAdley home stretch Watching the 2012 Masters, it was easy to be impressed by Bubba Watson’s miraculous, tournament-winning wedge from the trees, but fans of golf in Maui were probably among the least surprised. After all, the shot-making genius from Florida’s Panhandle turned in one of last year’s top highlights at Kapalua’s Plantation Course. On the 663-yard finisher, a marvelous ski slope of a hole, Watson carved a driver off the deck, playing a 40-yard slice and using the natural ground contours short of the green to funnel the ball close to the hole for an easy eagle putt. For golfers on the mainland, the PGA Tour’s season opener at Kapalua is one of the most powerful fantasies that HD television has to offer. The course seems like a dream world, with its emerald fairways, towering Cook pines and — set against the glittering waters of the Pacific — views of the neighboring island of Molokai. And yet, TV doesn’t do it justice. Visitors’ first impressions of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s design often involve shock, because of the absolute beauty of the place, and awe, over its size. On this course, carved from the mountainous slopes of a former pineapple plantation, we feel dwarfed by our surroundings, and sometimes humbled by the elements. Hawaiian golf is often stereotyped as a manicured lark, lush and easy, but Kapalua is ruled by the http://WWW.RITZCARLTON.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Fall 2012

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Fall 2012
Contents
Contributors
Editor’s Letter
President’s Letter
Falling in Love With ... San Francisco
Design
Technology
On the Boulevards
Shopping
Jewelry
Watches
Art
Gourmet Travel
Wellness
Golf
Okinawa
Culinary
Let Us Stay With You
Heritage

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Fall 2012