Princeville Makai Golf Club: How many steps?

[muh-kahy] • word origin: adverb, Hawaii • def: towards the ocean

I’ve played golf all over the world, but never in Hawaii. We’ve been to several different islands, but golf has never been top of mind while in The Aloha State. But when we made plans to visit Kauai, I put playing Princeville Makai Golf Club at the top of my list of things to do.

Princeville Makai GC is proudly managed by Troon, and I know several associates. Tom Freestone, PGA, Golf Professional, has been here for years, and Doug Sutter, a good friend of mine, is the General Manager. I first met Doug when Alex Nakajima was the GM. He is now the General Manager of Kapalua Golf & Tennis on Maui. I didn’t get to see Tom on this trip, but did spend some time with Doug on the golf course and then over dinner that evening.

On our way to our accommodations we passed the golf course. By the time we got settled, I realized we were staying in a condo on the golf course. I could literally see the golf course, along with mountains and waterfalls in the distance, out our bedroom window. Doug said it was a great location… He was right! My tee time was on Friday at 10:55 am. When I arrived, I was pleased to learn they allowed walking. They grabbed me a push cart, too, which helped ease the pain.

While I was hitting balls, the starter asked if I wanted to play by myself, or if I could join a threesome going out right ahead of me. I love playing with strangers, and the threesome ended up being a nice family from different parts of the west coast. Glad they let me tag along, because I was all over the place on the front 9.

Hole 2 is a par 5, and while walking to our second shots, the players assistant drove over, asked how we were doing, and offered some fresh pineapple. It was a nice touch considering where we are playing! Perhaps we could offer complimentary glasses of Sonoma County wine at The Fountaingrove Club?

The front 9 has some breathtaking views. You can see mountains on pretty much every hole, but the third is a famous par 3 with water right and bunkers/OB long. I hit 8 iron just right of the pin leaving me an easy birdie putt. I missed it, but with views like this, who cares?

Makai means “towards the ocean,” and when Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed the course, he tried to make every hole feel like you were, in fact, playing toward the ocean. A few holes later, we were doing that.

Then comes hole 7… This is what makes this golf course special. Just look at these views.

I hit 7 iron here. Decided to aim left… Nothing good on the right of this hole. Here’s a short video of my shot:

While standing on this tee box, if you look behind you, you will see Queen’s Bath. You can access Queen’s Bath, which I did, but you don’t want to get in. As of June 2015, twenty-nine people had drowned after being swept off rocks by unexpected waves. It might not look dangerous, but it is! Remember, never turn your back on the ocean.

After I hit, Doug pulled up in a golf cart. He was showing off a Golf Inc. Magazine award they had recently won for the Sunset Golf Cart Tour. Speaking of the Sunset Golf Cart Tour, they have proper signage throughout the golf course. They also do a great job promoting this online to encourage participation. More on that later! He followed us for a few more holes before he had to get back to work.

Since I was able to walk, I figured I would track my steps and miles for a blog post. This blog also gave me a chance to relive the round and share some photos and videos with you for your viewing pleasure. It was hot and humid outside, and I always wear pants when I play golf, meaning the front 9 was a tough walk. It ended up being 8,726 steps/3.91 miles.

The beverage cart came by a few times during our round, and every time it came by, the attendant would get out, walk around, and ask us what we wanted to drink. She was full of energy and made an impression on me. I plan to share that experience with the team back home in an effort to enhance our operation.

We got to the back, and the wind started to pick up. I hit a perfect drive on 10, but missed the green. Glad my short game was dialed in, because I didn’t hit many greens. On the back, we quickly were again playing toward the ocean. I did play better on the back. On 18, I crushed my drive down the left side. Hit a 6 iron right of the green, but could never find my ball… I think it plugged. I dropped and chipped in! Go figure… My only birdie of the day comes on the last hole with a penalty stroke!

The back 9 seemed like an easier walk… It ended up being 7,879 steps/3.61 miles for a grand total of 16,605 steps/7.52 miles. When Doug pulled up, he noticed I was walking and mentioned TroonFIT. TroonFIT is a platform that raises awareness of the healthy benefits related to playing golf. Walking a golf course like this is definitely TroonFIT!

Tip of the cap to Doug and the entire team at Princeville Makai Golf Club for running a truly world class operation. That was a round I won’t soon forget. Aloha!