Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Golfing in Paradise | July 2000

Golfing in Paradise
By Marcus Ocean

Mokihana Course, Kaua'i Lagoons Golf Club

This Scottish links-style course is for golfers just developing their games or wanting the challenge of target golf

The par-3 15th hole requires good club selection because of the water factor.

The Kaua'i Lagoons Golf Club on the island of Kaua'i is home to two highly rated golf courses, both designed by Jack Nicklaus and sitting on an 800-acre layout near Kalapaki Beach on Nawiliwili Bay. The Kiele Course features fairways that weave along imposing ocean cliffs, over promontories high above the harbor, while the Mokihana is a Scottish-style links course with rolling fairways, stretching over 6,578 yards from the blue tees. Named one of Golf Magazine's 10 most playable resort courses in America, Mokihana is worth experiencing, especially if you are just developing your game or you want the challenge of target golf.

The course makes you think right from the outset, as the No. 1 handicap hole is your starting point. This hole plays directly into the prevailing trade winds, but you can be aggressive on your drive and approach because there are few hazards. The same goes for the next hole, except you don't want to be off the fairway to the left, as it is very thick and will not allow a full shot to the narrow green.

The two par-3 holes on the front side present difficult tee shots. And then it gets tougher. No. 3 is only 130 yards, but the green has two distinct levels, making a two-putt no gimmie. No. 8 is 170 yards long and requires a well-struck long iron to clear the lone menacing bunker to an uphill green.

The two front-side par 5s give even the average golfer an opportunity to hit the dance floor in regulation or better. The entire left side of No. 4 is waste area and local rules allow for grounding your club, so you could go the shorter route into the waste area, as I did, and still make an easy par. On the downwind 542-yard ninth hole, you can tee it high and let it fly. Placement is important from the tee or you'll reach the left-side bunkers. But after that, just go down the left side, then use a short iron for either a loft shot or a run up the accessible front of the green.

The 10th is listed as the most difficult hole on the back side. Although the hole is not long, finding one of the fairway bunkers, both left and right of the landing area, will definitely lead to a bogey. And if you manage to miss those, there's the greenside bunker, and it does get raked often.

My favorite hole is the par-5, 509-yard 12th. Strategy is the key to birdie this hole. If you can favor the right side from the tee, you can carry the waste area on the second shot. Most of the fairway is situated below and left of the green. Going down the left side will leave you with a blind shot to the elevated green. If, however, you can clear the waste bunker, the green is at your mercy.

The most picturesque hole on the course is the par-3 15th, which requires good club selection, as the tee shot is over water. Don't wimp out to the right, just take plenty of club and you'll take the water out of the equation.

On the long, demanding finishing hole, the wind should help you work the ball around the corner. But don't cut it too tight or the fairway contour will take your ball out of play. Concentrate on the approach and get it up to the green, as the surrounding area slopes severely to awaiting bunkers.

After your round, I'm sure you'll agree that Mokihana makes the perfect companion to the Kiele Course, as part of this Gold Medal resort.

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