Hawaii: Golfing 3 '08

BJ on the Kona Coast Ocean Course

Bruce enjoyed a lot of golf during this visit to Hawaii.  and tested his skill at four different courses on the Big Island

Kona Coast Resort Ocean Course

Of the 36 holes offered by the Kona Country Club:  The Ocean course offered a no brainer starting point for the games. Amongst other things the fairways run  right between our condo

and the ocean, making it not only convenient, but beautiful.

BJ on the Ocean Course

The Kona Coast  Resort Alii Mountain Course is more challenging, demands more concentration, and is a little cooler in temperature than its sibling, the Ocean Course.

Kona Coast Resort Alii Mountain Course

Perched above beautiful Keauhou Bay and the Kona coastline, The Mountain Course offers golfers gentle trade winds and sensational vistas. It also delivers what may arguably be the best five consecutive holes in Hawaii golf It typically plays into the wind, with water hazards on both the golfer's tee shot and approach. But water isn't the real problem. The challenge is to thread the drive between two lava-rock formations.

BJ playing with pals on  the Big Island Country Club Course

The Big Island Country Club situated at an elevation of over 2,000 feet, offering both a cooler climate and panoramic views of the nearly 14,000-foot Mauna Kea volcano above and the sweeping coastline below

There are some very long fairways on the Big Island Country Club Course

Hawaiian Nene

and a lot of wildlife including the endangered Hawaiian goose known as the 'Nene"  At least on this golf course the Nene doesn't seem at all endangered by anything but flying white objects.  They were everywhere and judging by the number of chicks we saw were breeding successfully.

 

Malakei Golf Club wanders through a colorful landscape of indigenous flora and fauna, providing a home to a variety of wildlife including peacocks, pheasants, and wild turkey. Situated in the Kona region of Hawaii, which is widely renowned for its coffee farms, the course offers dramatic elevation changes that range from 1,800 to 2,850 feet

One of many peacock parading around the Malakei Golf Club.

  It is definitely the steepest and most challenging course that Bruce played on and one of the most interesting. The golf course plays through lush forests accented with lava tubes, cinder cones, and an ancient stone wall that dates back over a century. The fast bentgrass greens, rolling fairways, and cooler climate are reminiscent of a course in northern California but the stunning panoramic views will definitely remind you that you are in Hawaii. Malakei Golf Club's 15h hole is a signature hole thanks to its memorable scenery. It not only offers an incredible view of Maui's 10,000-foot Mount Haleakala, it is also your best chance for a hole in one.