Hawaiian golf courses join America’s elite

ZAGAT America’s Top Golf Courses 2009-10 (Sixth Edition) published its biennial results this month and Kaua’i courses and resorts scored among the best in the United States in many categories.

The ZAGAT survey covers 1,149 of the top courses in the U.S, including the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Results are based on input from 6,054 reviewers, collectively bringing in more than 640,000 annual rounds.

According to ZAGAT, courses that score between 26-30 points on a 30-point scale rate as “extraordinary to perfection.” Three Kaua’i courses scored in this highest category – Princeville Prince Course, Poipu Bay Golf Course, and Kaua’i Lagoons Golf Club’s Kiele/Maile Course. A fourth – Puakea Golf Course – scored in the second-highest level, which ZAGAT terms “Very good to excellent.”

One ZAGAT survey respondent called the Prince Course, which is near the The St. Regis Princeville Resort, “golf at its finest.” Poipu Bay was labelled a “stunning beauty” and is adjacent to the Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Resort & Spa. Kaua’i Lagoons Golf Club, which is located next to the Kaua’i Marriott Resort & Beach Club, was lauded as “a Kaua’i must-play.” And Puakea was recognized for its “beautiful design and top-notch maintenance.”

“Having four of Kaua’i’s five courses in the destination consortium ‘Kaua’i: Discover Golf’s Ultimate Island Green’ earn this distinction is rewarding,” said Kaua’i Visitors Bureau Executive Director Sue Kanoho.

“But what’s even more exciting to contemplate is where Princeville’s 27-hole Makai Course will rate in the next ZAGAT edition. It is scheduled to unveil its renovation on November 1 this year and it is expected to better than ever.”

Princeville Prince and Poipu Bay were two of the five top-rated courses in Hawaii by ZAGAT Survey respondents.

For more information about the Garden Isle, visit kauaidiscovery.com/activities/golfing.

Kaua’i is coloured by lush, numerous shades of green – flora and fauna blanket the mountains and juxtapose brilliantly with the turquoise Pacific Ocean, white clouds and blue skies. Buffeted by entrancing trade winds, Kaua’i offers more than 50 miles of white sand beaches – more beach per mile than any other island in Hawaii. Only four percent of the island is developed for commercial and residential use.