The younger and less famous of the two Mauna Kea Resort layouts is the Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay designed Hapuna Golf Course. Almost as soon as it opened in 1992 it became a favorite of both Big Island locals and visitors. Its distinctive design elements combine to create a stunning natural tapestry on which the grand game thrives.
Featuring a links-style course routing, Palmer and Seay manage to reveal each hole incrementally, as if it were a sumptuous 18-course meal. Perhaps the most filling of these offerings is the 14th hole, a par-5 'two-holes-for-the-price-of-one' experience. The first two shots on this dogleg-right are ideally played to set up an uphill approach over a ravine to a wide but shallow green usually with a left to right wind. Long hitters play this like one shot, then a par-3. Shorter hitters prefer two shots and a par-3.
Throughout the course, the rolling bluff-like terrain is highlighted and defined by silky fescue grasses thriving beyond the roughs. Hapuna has also received many well-deserved accolades for its enlightened and environmentally sensitive design.
