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Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Golfing in Paradise | July/August 2001

Golfing in Paradise
By Marcus Ocean

Pukalani Country Club

Located in gorgeous Upcountry Maui, Pukalani is not as well-known as her sister courses on the resorts, but it's a beautiful treasure of a course

Veteran golfer Marcus Ocean has played just about every golf course in Hawai'i.

There are so many challenging, exciting and downright beautiful golf courses on Maui, that choosing where to play is almost as difficult as playing some of them. There are the renowned world-class resorts at Kapalua, Ka'anapali, Makena and Wailea, and Central Maui boasts several outstanding public tracts as well.

But hidden away in what is affectionately known as Upcountry Maui is a golf course that will completely surprise you. Talk about expectations exceeded-Pukalani Country Club will reward you with a day's worth of exciting golf, incredible scenery, cool breezes and true Hawaiian hospitality.

Laid out over 160 acres, Pukalani's 18 holes (actually 19 greens for 18 holes, but more on that later) spread up and down the slopes of Haleakala. It is the highest golf course on Maui, at over 1,100-feet elevation.

Admittedly I am one of those persons who haven't heard much about Pukalani, other than the fact that there is a course in Upcountry that the local players really like. Pukalani isn't even listed in some of the golf course guidebooks. Well, it should be listed and you should make an effort to play this hidden treasure.

Pukalani is a relatively short drive up from the airport at Kahului on Old Haleakala Highway. While driving up, you'll be able to catch a glimpse of the fairway ribbons tracking up and down the hillside. Designed by Robert Baldock Sr., the front nine opened in 1980 and four years later the back nine opened to the general public.

Joining me for the round was Ron Kiaaina, of Pukalani owner Sports Shinko, an international management company that also owns the Mililani Golf Club on O'ahu and the Kiahuna Golf Club on Kaua'i. Ron is the golf director for the company and flew over from his home on Kaua'i to show me the course and to inspect the grounds as we played. Just what I needed, I thought, a single-digit-handicap director of golf who knows the course, and me playing it for the first time. But Ron was a gracious host whose aloha was as good as his game.

"There is no other course like it on the Valley Isle," Ron states, before we head out. "This par-72 course stretches out to almost 7,000 yards and every hole is either uphill or downhill." To prove his point, he motions toward the first hole, a 454-yard, downhill par 4.

Although the fairways go up and down, the greens on the front side, with one exception, tend to be flat and easy to read. The exception is the par-3 third hole. "Pukalani is the only course in Hawai'i that features 19 greens for 18 holes," Ron explained. "And the reason is here at the third hole. The course offers the player a choice of playing either of two different shots, to two separate greens."

We chose to hit our first shots to the green that awaited us 145 yards away, over a large gully. It's an uphill layout, but son-of-a-gun if I didn't stick the pin. I was so proud, until Ron's went inside mine. We then hit shots into the short downhill, but well protected, green. It was a little too easy, so I suggest that you gut it out and go for the longer version of this hole.

The next series of holes demand your attention, as you're either into the wind going uphill on the fourth and fifth holes, or with the wind going downhill on the sixth and seventh. And you know you're Upcountry here, with all the trees that line each of the fairways.

The par-3 eighth hole is again over a gulch, but plays much shorter than the 160-yard layout looks. It's really an optical illusion, but I can't explain why. You'll have to trust your feelings, not your eyes.

The presentation of the back-side starting hole is as striking a golf hole as any on the island. From an elevated position in front of the clubhouse, you look out on a vista that includes a beautifully landscaped pond directly in front of you, and a narrow, tree-lined fairway that slopes toward a lake fronting the heavily pitched green. As you address your drive at this 431-yard par 4, you may want to ask for divine intervention, or at least a long, straight drive.

The 14th hole is a reward for the previous two holes, as the 12th is totally uphill and the 13th is a 500-yard par 4-yes, a par 4. The short par-3 14th is a visual delight, boasting a tremendous valley scene. This hole deserves a few minutes of your attention.
Be ready for a shock two holes later. This hole has got to be the longest par 3 on Maui-a 254-yard, all-carry shot. The best I can say is, good luck.

Pukalani's finishing hole is parallel to the 10th, only this time it is running back uphill to the clubhouse. As a final test for you, the hole bends slightly to the right, is narrow, heavily tree-lined and has a tiny green. But other than that-. Seriously, the final hole is difficult but fair, as a good drive is rewarded with a chance to be on in regulation. As Mother Nature goes, this is one of the visually great finishing holes on Maui.

Granted, Pukalani is not a resort course, but if you don't enjoy your round of golf here, you don't understand golf. This is a worthwhile destination and I'm sure you'll relive your round of meandering, tree-lined fairways and beautiful vistas over and over again.

The Dunes at Maui Lani
Kahului 873-0422

Elleair Golf Club
Kihei 874-0777

Ka'anapali-North Course
Lahaina 661-3691

Ka'anapali-South Course
Lahaina 661-3691

Kapalua-The Bay Course
Kapalua 669-8044

Kapalua-The Plantation Course
Kapalua 669-8044

Kapalua-The Village Course
Kapalua 669-8044

Makena Golf Course-North
Kihei 879-3344

Makena Golf Course-South
Kihei 879-3344

Maui Country Club
(Open to public Mondays only)
Pa'ia 877-7893

Pukalani Country Club
Pukalani 572-1314

Sandalwood Golf Course
Wailuku 242-4653