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Robin Nelson Redesign of Kaanapali’s Resort South Course to Reopen in November 2005(October 24th 2005) Enhanced Layout Part of Multi-Year Renovation to Entire Resort
(MAUI, Hawaii) – Kaanapali Golf Courses – a Billy Casper Golf-managed property – today announces the facility’s Resort South Course will re-open on November 19 after undergoing an extensive renovation by golf course architect Robin Nelson who re-designed many of the holes and utilized new turf grasses for enhanced conditions from tee to green.
Widely known as “Mr. Hawaii” for his more than 30 layouts and re-designs on the islands, Nelson retained many elements of the South’s original, player-friendly routing, while presenting a much stiffer challenge to more accomplished players with an array of strategically-placed bunkers, contoured fairways and re-shaped greens.
Nelson also added new tees and the course now offers four sets with yardages to suit players of all abilities. However, even from the tips which measure 6,400 yards, a premium is placed on strategy off the tee and finding the proper quadrant of the fairway from which to attack the pin. Approach from the wrong angle or miss a putting surface and one of Nelson’s many uniquely-shaped greenside traps will either catch the errant shot or pose a serious obstacle for players to negotiate.
“Robin’s renovation to Kaanapali’s Resort South Course is phenomenal in that he provides one demanding shot after another for accomplished players, while maintaining scoring opportunities and a fun test for higher handicappers and players who are not long hitters,” says the facility’s PGA General Manager Ed Kageyama. “By bringing more of the short game and shot selection into play, Robin has leveled the playing field, so to speak, for a wide spectrum of players, which bodes well for many an enjoyable round on the South Course.”
In addition to Nelson’s re-worked layout that incorporates stunning ocean views and vistas of the islands of Lanai and Molokai, Kaanapali’s tees, fairways and greens boast new turf grass and irrigation that will enhance course maintenance and allow the resort to continue offering the immaculate playing conditions for which the property is recognized.
On the tees, Kaanapali will use 419 Hybrid Bermuda, a denser Bermuda variety with finer blades which allow for lower mowing heights and faster grow-in for divots. Many fairways have also received enhanced irrigation – a great benefit to a greens crew that tirelessly manicures the course’s well-defined fairways and tough-but-fair rough.
“Kaanapali is a world-renowned resort and, as such, is known for immaculate course conditions,” says Kageyama. “With these new varieties of Bermuda grass, our guests will enjoy playing conditions comparable to any professional tour or prestigious amateur championship.”
Kaanapali South’s greens have been re-grassed with Tifeagle Hybrid Bermuda. Tifeagle is a premier Bermuda grass used for putting surfaces on many world-class layouts. The turf grows in very tight making almost non-existent the heavy grain one typically associates with Bermuda. Tifeagle can also be mowed very closely allowing for faster, smoother and truer greens.
“The Tifeagle greens are a revelation to putt. Not only do the surfaces roll quick and true, this premier turf grass really brings out all the subtleties of Robin Nelson’s brilliant greens,” says Kageyama.
Begun in April 2005, the re-design of the Resort South Course is the first phase of a multi-year renovation project for the entire Kaanapali facility that will include the re-tooling of the Tournament North Course’s layout in 2006 and the re-modeling of the pro-shop and clubhouse.
Emphasizing the property’s royal Hawaiian roots – Kaanapali was once playground to families of Polynesian kings and queens – the resort is remodeling the pro-shop using ample woods in an array of shades and styles. The new space also features natural-style furniture and fixtures. The welcoming ambience of the pro-shop will please players prior to an enjoyable round on Kaanapali’s ocean-front links.
“We want to establish a special ambience the moment our guests step into the pro-shop to check in for their tee times,” says Kageyama. “No detail is too small and no effort too great for us at Kaanapali to ensure a once-in-a-lifetime golf experience that golfers will experience throughout their round and long after they have played their final shots on our course.”
About Kaanapali Golf Courses
Located at the heart of the Kaanapali Beach Resort along one of the most breathtaking coastlines in the world, Kaanapali Golf Courses are easily accessible for guests staying at any of the 11 luxury hotels and condominium resorts nearby. In addition to the newly renovated Resort South Course, Kaanapali also boasts the prestigious Tournament North Course.
At nearly 6,700 yards, Kaanapali’s par 71 Tournament North Course is one of only two layouts in Hawaii designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Sr. Opened in 1962, the course works along the Maui coastline before winding its way to the West Maui Mountain foothills.
From 1987 to 2000, the North course was traversed by professional golf legends Hale Irwin, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Lee Trevino and Tom Weiskopf while serving as the host site of the Senior PGA Tour’s Kaanapali Classic. The layout has also hosted qualifying tournaments for the U.S. Open in back-to-back years – 2004 and 2005.
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