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::TRAVEL NEWS::
LE Newsletter - February 2, 2012
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Tee It Up On Magical Island Of Maui
Source:
www.thestar.com - Ian Cruickshank
(Jan 26, 2012) MAUI, HAWAII—It is a no-brainer really. Each
January,
the
PGA Tour kicks off its season with a tournament in
Maui.
And why wouldn’t it. Maui looks and feels like the land of
lottery winners. Golden Pacific Ocean beaches are edged by dark
green mountains. Chocolate-coloured lava fields are interspersed
with scarlet wildflowers that tumble through the rain forest.
Laid back is a second language here.
Maui is also home to some of the golfing kingdom’s most
spectacular courses — fourteen in all. Most of the golf is
centred around the western and southern sections of the island.
The Kapalua Resort on the
northwest edge of Maui boasts both the Bay and Plantation
courses. The Bay is an Arnold Palmer design that rolls past the
palm trees and down to the ocean. It’s mostly user friendly
although on the 5th hole — a 205-yard par three — you have to
clear 100 yards of angry Pacific to reach the green.
The Plantation course is the Maui monster and from the tips is a
gulping 7,411 yards. Home of the Hyundai Tournament of
Champions, which earlier this month was won by Steve Stricker,
the course is capped by a 663-yard 18th hole.
In the south, the top golf facility is
Wailea, home to the Gold,
Emerald and Blue courses. All three layouts peak over the
Pacific and to
Mount Haleakala, the
highest point on the island. The toughest of the trio, though,
is the Gold Course, a 7,000-yard stretch that was designed by
Robert Trent Jones Jr. Hardcore golf fans will recognize the
Gold Course as the one-time home to the Wendy’s Champions Skins
Game, where the Hall of Fame lineups included Palmer, Jack
Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Player. Wailea has strong Canadian
connections. The courses are owned by
BCGolf, a British
Columbia-based company that operates courses throughout the
province, including
Nicklaus North in Whistler.
Also nearby are Fairmont and Four Seasons resorts, both of which
have head offices in Toronto.
While the game in Maui is stunning, don’t load up too much on
the golf. There is so much else to do. Rent a car and navigate
the legendary, 80 kilometre stretch of the Hana Highway. The
road bends past beaches and lava shores, forests and through
sleepy plantation towns. Waterfalls plunge along the edge of the
highway and the air is filled with the scent of wild ginger and
mango trees. Don’t get too distracted though. The road is
intersected with 600 curves and 54 one-lane bridges.
Besides, you never know who you might run into. Hana residents
include music legends Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson as
well as Oprah Winfrey and Luke Wilson. Famed aviator Charles
Lindbergh also lived in the area and is buried in the small
country churchyard near Kipahulu.
Another must is a pilgrimage to
Lahaina on the west coast.
Once the royal capital of Hawaii, Lahaina is now dotted with
museums, historic homes, restaurants and art galleries that hold
works by Dali, Chagall and Miro. Friday night is ‘Art Night’ in
Lahaina and visitors are encouraged to stroll from gallery to
gallery, meeting artists and watching them at work.
The town is also the jumping off spot for Hawaii’s top whale
watching tours. Thirty years ago, the number of humpbacks in the
North Pacific was down to 1,000. Today, at least 10,000
humpbacks live in these waters. The 45-tonne behemoths mate and
give birth in the warm waters off Maui’s coastline and their
deep throated underwater calls can travel up to 15 km. On still
days, it is possible for swimmers and divers to hear the whales’
plaintive songs.
Finally, zone-out on one of Maui’s exotic beaches. The sand
colour can be black, garnet — even green. There are more than 80
beaches open to the public but my favourites are the three
stretches of sugar-white sand tucked into the dark lava
peninsula in Kapalua.
Ian Cruickshank is a Toronto-based freelance
writer. His column usually appears on the fourth Saturday of
each month.
JUST THE FACTS
PLAYING Besides the big name resort courses, Maui has a
number of best bang for the buck layouts. Try Waiehu Golf, a
very pretty municipal track where the front nine runs along the
beach. $55, 808-243-7400. Another option is
Pukalani Golf Club which
curls around the slopes of Mount Haleakala and offers fine views
of West Maui. $61-$88,
www.pukalanigolf.com,
808-572-1314.
PAYING Kapalua Resort: Bay Course, $138 - $268,
Plantation Course, $168 - $268,
www.kapalua.com,
808-669-8044.
Wailea Resort: Gold and Emerald Courses, $190-$225, Blue Course,
$90 -$190,
www.waileagolf.com,
808-875-7450.
WEB SURFING The best site for everything Maui is
www.gohawaii.com/mauiwww.gohawaii.com/mauiEND. |
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::ENTERTAINMENT NEWS WITH A CANADAN TWIST::
