On the grounds of Maui's 1,500-acre Wailea Resort are six world-class hotels, including the 780-room Grand Wailea. In addition to three golf courses (and two more adjacent), the hotel has an amazing pool complex, an extensive spa, and one of the island's best beaches—all of which make it a top choice for families.
The Wailea Golf Club is home to the Blue, Emerald, and Gold courses, all rising as much as 300 feet above sea level in the shadow of the dormant Mount Haleakala
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On the grounds of Maui's 1,500-acre Wailea Resort are six world-class hotels, including the 780-room Grand Wailea. In addition to three golf courses (and two more adjacent), the hotel has an amazing pool complex, an extensive spa, and one of the island's best beaches—all of which make it a top choice for families.
The Wailea Golf Club is home to the Blue, Emerald, and Gold courses, all rising as much as 300 feet above sea level in the shadow of the dormant Mount Haleakala volcano. Everywhere you look there's a fantastic sea or mountain view.
The Gold Course, for seven years the venue of the Wendy's Champions Skins Game, is the longest (7,078 yards) and most difficult of the three. Architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. incorporated 128 bunkers into the rugged topography, resulting in a daunting test of strategy. He preserved the historic papohaku—lava-rock walls erected by early Hawaiians—and employed rock outcroppings, windswept native foliage, and 200-foot elevation changes as natural hazards. The ocean and mountain backdrops are pleasant distractions on every hole.
Jones dialed back the difficulty on the Emerald, but from four to six tee boxes it's certainly possible to get in over your head. Forced carries are few, fairways are wide open, and many holes are short enough to invite birdies if you're playing from tees that fit your handicap. There's window-dressing in the form of colorful plantings and, of course, fantastic views. A dazzling trio of holes, one within earshot of the surf, brings the round to a memorable finish.
The second course built on the island and the first at Wailea was the Old Blue, composed by Arthur Jack Snyder in 1972. Set in the Haleakala foothills, the track is straightforward, with benevolent fairways and forgiving greens. Beautifully landscaped, it's inviting to high-handicappers and is a perfect complement to the more imposing Gold and Emerald.
If your time is limited, your second round after Wailea's Gold should be at the Makena Golf Club, adjacent to the Grand Wailea hotel. The club's pair of Robert Trent Jones, Jr. tracks are highly regarded worldwide and incredibly scenic. The North Course climbs Mount Haleakala to 800 feet above sea level, involving countless elevation changes and captivating views. You can see four islands and whales breaching from the 14th tee. Solidified lava flows and thorny kiawe trees dominate the volcanic topography, providing sanctuary for the island's endangered Nene birds (Hawaiian geese). Golf balls are endangered here, too, prey to narrow fairways and sculpted greens. The club's South Course, another scenic layout with lots of clever challenges, is closed for renovation until 2010.
An extensive golf teaching facility, the David Leadbetter Academy, is located on the hotel grounds for those looking for inspiration and guidance.
For more than 20 years freelancer Dale Leatherman has specialized in golf and adventure travel. Assignments take her all over the world, but she's always happy to be back home playing mountain courses in West Virginia. She is also president-elect of the Society of American Travel Writers.
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