The Prince’s Triumphant Return
The Prince’s Triumphant Return
Colorado’s East West Partners Making Waves on Kauai, Hawai’i
By Chris Duthie
Echoing America’s increasingly robust economy, avid golfers are continuing to witness the openings of new and refurbished courses. In Hawai’i, all eyes are on the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed Prince Course, which has been closed to public play since December 2014 but is now scheduled to reopen in 2018.
Sited on Kauai’s spectacular North Shore and regarded a world-class amenity of the 9,000-acre Princeville at Hanalei resort community, the Prince has been ranked among the Aloha State’s top layouts since Golf Digest voted it America’s Best New Resort Course in 1990. Currently, GD ranks it America’s 20th best public course and Hawai’i’s second-best 18 — behind only Nanea, the Big Island’s peerless, ultra-private David McLay Kidd creation.
Four years between tee times is a taxing hibernation for any course, especially one that butts up to an aggressively feral and nearly impenetrable tropical jungle. However, Colorado-based co-owners East West Partners have kept the Prince’s 7,378-yard routing in good condition, preserving the rolling terrain, foliage-filled ravines, dazzling waterfalls and stunning shotlines that underscore one of the stronger, more challenging courses on the planet.
While it will remain open to the public, the Prince also will anchor a new high-end residential community with 75 five-acre home sites. There are also plans for a spa, retail and culinary center, lush gardens and other accents that will mimic the appeal of another East West Partners development, the superlative Kukui’ula Club Villas (below) on Kauai’s south side.
For an intimate getaway and preview, find your way to one of resort’s sumptuous hotel properties like the ultra opulent St. Regis Princeville. From there, it’s quick access to the Prince as well as the Jones-designed Makai, which offers 27 holes of Troon-managed golf including an 18-hole routing ranked 74th on Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest Public Courses list.
Kauai offers more than 50 miles of white sand beaches — more beach per mile than any other Hawaiian island — with approximately five percent of the island developed for commercial and residential use. No building can be higher than the tallest coconut tree, and much of the island is accessible only by air or sea.
Ready for more golf? There are several other public courses on the island, including two that are among the best values in the state. For a premier golf orgy, find your game at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Ocean Course at Hokuala (formerly Kauai Lagoons), Poipu Bay (Jones) and Puakea (Robin Nelson). For a fun and affordable respite, look no further than Wailua or historic 9-hole Kukuiolono, both designed by Hawai’i Golf Hall of Famer Toyo Shirai.
Find out more about Hawai’i’s oldest and northernmost island at kauai.com or gogolfkauai.com.
What are your favorite memories of Kauai? Share your comments below.
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Chris Duthie is a Durango-based contributor to Colorado AvidGolfer.
Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.
