Ah, Kapalua

The PGA Tour has canceled the first round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions today after the British Open broke out this morning with wind gusts in excess of 40 miles an hour and rain coming down sideways.  (I'm sure the members at St Andrews and Royal Troon are laughing that the Tour decided the conditions were "grossly unfair".)  The lack of TV coverage tonight gives me a chance to think back to my own round at Kapalua Plantation.

I played Kapalua on my honeymoon back in February of 2005.  I started the day with the caramel-iest caramel roll I have ever had in my life at a cafe in Lahaina.  After I was done, my hands were so sticky that I could have played without any grips--I would have been able to grab just a steel or graphite shaft and hang onto it no problem.  Then I made the breathtaking trip up the coast to Kapalua Resort--winding my way along black rock cliffs and homes that probably cost ten-figures to the course.  Since we had rented this junky Jeep Wrangler (because the rental place would let you take their vehicles on the "back road to Hana" and I wanted to experience that without worrying about getting stuck and having no one come out to save us) I parked as far away from the clubhouse as possible--hoping people would think it belonged to one of the grounds crew.  Then I headed in and changed in the Players Locker Room.

Thanks to a friend, I got the resort guest rate--instead of general public--saving me a few bucks.  I didn't bring along my clubs (and this was before the bag fees charged by the airlines) because we we already hauling nine pieces of luggage halfway around the world--and there was no way to handle another bag.  So I ended up renting a set of Ping G5 woods and irons.  Very nice clubs--unfortunately, they were not fit for a guy 6'3" tall and who is used to extended length shafts.  They did not have any longer clubs available--so I would have to learn to adjust.  Another thing that disappointed me, the trademark "Pineapple Butterfly" bag tag had "Rental" stamped on it--not my last name.  (Fortunately, we found a lost tag from a Japanese guy after the round and I could bring that home as a momento.  "I see you played Kapalua Mr Suzuki.")

After getting my gear, I headed out to the driving range.  Let's just say, it wasn't quite what I expected from a PGA Tour site.  The range has been cut into a grove of tall pines and it seemed rather small and short.  Perhaps that is why the TOC is such a limited field--there would be nowhere for a full field to warm up.  After getting loose, it was off to the first tee to meet my partners for the day: two guys from Chicago and a doctor from Toronto.  They were staying at the resort, had their own clubs, and the FIBS had played Plantation twice before that week, so they would "help us get around".

Conditions that day were pretty average for that part of Maui: Mostly cloudy, windy with spotty rain showers.  "The Trades" were blowing about 20 sustained with gusts around 30 for our round.  The starter told us we would "have fun" with that wind.  We all decided we would play the Blues because "you only live once--may as well see all of it today".

Hole 1--Par 4, 473yds.  The starter suggested we play for a 210 yard shot off the tee as the combination of the wind and the slope would send anything longer into the deep valley in front of the green.  Normally, 210 would be a 4-Hybrid.  Unfortunately, my set didn't have a 4H so I had to hit a 4 iron instead.  After a few nervous practice swings and waggles, I let her rip--catching the middle of the ball and shooting a low laser beam that just cleared the other sets of tees and rolled about 150 yards down the fairway.  I reassured the other guys in the group, the clubs were too short for me--and that I would learn to adjust.  Second shot, I'm caught in no man's land--as I've got 300 to the front edge--and about 140 yards to the start of the steep slope leading into the valley, with a two club wind behind me. So I try an 8 iron to hopefully layup and roll out to the end of the fairway before the valley.  Unfortunately, I hit another low laser beam that flies about 120 and disappears into the swale.  So now I'm looking at 114 to the pin out of the rough to a green that is about 20-feet above me.  A full wedge gets me on the green about 40-feet away.  I've heard all about how "grainy" Hawaiian greens are.  So I'm behind my first putt looking for all this grain--and I don't see it.  In fact, I realize I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking for.  So I play my first putt for about a two foot right to left break and watch it miss about three feet under the hole.  "You gotta play for the grain" says one of the Chicago Guys.  "I guess" was my reply.  Anyway, short on the comebacker so it's a three-putt double on the first.

Hole 2--Par 3, 218 yds.  I'm last off the tee and hit a 3 iron off the toe into the second greenside bunker.  Something else about Kapalua, they apparently brought the sand for the bunkes up the mountain from the beach at Ka'anapali--because they are super soft and the sand is super heavy.  I leave my first shot in the bunker, then blast out to about 15 feet.  A two putt double and I am quickly four over after two.

Hole 3--Par 4, 380 yds.  For the first time in the round we are playing into the wind now.  Playing last, I hit a low straight drive right down the middle and get a pretty decent roll to about 140 out.  Now I'm looking at a two-club headwind, so I'm playing a full 6 in and for the first time all day I catch it flush and end up about 25-feet past the hole.  My first putt cozies up and I tap in for my first par.  Four over after three.

Hole 4--Par 4, 382 yds.  This is just a killer hole.  Uphill all the way and into the trade wind all the way.  Playing first I hit a push made worse by the wind right of the fairway bunker and close to the "native grass" (which in an effort to speed up play, is all marked as a red hazard so you can drop if you go in--rather than going back to the tee to play another shot.)  Fortunately, I'm still in play, about 135 out.  I hit a thin 6 iron this time coming up short of the green.  An average chip and two putts and I'm home with a bogey.  Five over after four.

Hole 5--Par 5, 532 yds.  This hole plays side hill, cross wind and my drive catches the wind and goes about 50 yards into the native grass 50 yards right of the fairway.  After a drop, a thin 4 iron and another thin 4 iron I'm deep and left of the green.  A perfect high pitch (without my beloved 60-degree wedge) and I sink a five footer to salvage bogey.  Six over after five.

Hole 6--Par 4 398 yds.  After what seemed like a mile long cart ride (Kapalua is impossible to walk.  Even the pros and their caddies take carts between a number of the holes) we arrive at the down wind down hill hole.  I play third and hit this beautiful high fade that I thought was going to be perfect.  But both of the Chicago Guys insist that there is no way I hit it far enough to carry the native grass--and that I should hit another ball from the tee.  Now according to my yardage book, it would have been about 265 to carry the hazard on the line my ball was taking--and with a two club wind behind, I could easily hit that yardage.  But they insisted and I teed up another--carrrying the big bunker that splits the fairway about 280 out.  The Canadian Doctor was on the left side of the fairway as well, so we went to his ball first.  We didn't see another ball in the fairway, so I thought maybe the Chicago Guys were right and that I was in the crap.  So I played my second ball--missing the green with a flat out shank right.  On the way to my "third shot" I come across my first tee ball just right of the fairway about 30 yards from the green.  Because I'm already steaming after the poor approach shot, I make a big deal about finding the ball far beyond where the Chicago Guys thought that I could hit it.  "I can't believe you can hit it that far!" one of them shouts back.  A sloppy pitch to the elevated green left me about 20 feet away.  The still cleverly-disguised grain kills my putt and I come up about three feet short.  I knock in the knee knocker and get out with a "cheaters par".  Six over after six and feeling pretty good about myself now.  (Totally forgot about the "provisional" ball and drove off without picking it up.)

Hole 7--Par 4 484 yds.  We pull up to this tee box and for the first time I remember that I have the camera along today and I should probably be taking some pictures.  The view of Molokai is unbelievable on this hole--and I must have been too distracted.  Going first, I hit my first moster pull of the day and yank my tee shot into the jungle grass left of the fairway.  After a drop, I chunk a 5 iron out of the rough, skull a 9 iron to the back edge and three putt from about 70 feet and walk off with a triple bogey 7.  Nine over after seven.

Hole 8--Par 3, 203 yds.  Another unbelievably beautiful hole where you carry this lush ravine all the way from the tee to the green.  I hit my best 4 iron of the day and reach the front edge.  Two putts from 30 feet and I'm back on the good track.  Nine over after eight.

Hole 9--Par 5, 521 yds.  The name of the hole is "Long".  It should be changed to "Nutbuster" as it is all uphill, into the wind with another deep valley crossing the fairway about 300-yards out.  Playing first, I pop up a drive that gets up into the headwind and dies about 150-yards out.  We joked that it looked like it was actually coming back at us on the way down.  Then I catch the 3 wood on the screws and watch as that shot swoops up and straight down--still short of the valley.  Another 3 wood gets me across but right, near the fairway bunkers.  I mash an 6 iron from 120 and still come up short of the green!!  I manage to chip it on--but miss a makeable four footer to three jack it and take an 8.  12 over (48) at the turn.

Hole 10--Par 4, 354 yds.  A pretty non-descript hole heading back up the mountain.  I hit the fairway off the tee, just miss the green right but hit a nice chip to about six feet and make the putt for par.  12-over after ten.

Hole 11--Par 3, 164 yds.  This is the hole they show on TV all the time with the surfers in the bay behind the green.  After a number of pictures--and a group shot with the ocean behind--I thin my 6 iron short of the front bunkers.  A pulled pitch shot followed by three putts and I've killed my momentum again with a double.  14 over after 11.

Hole 12--Par 4, 373 yds.  Another picture hole as you tee over the lush ravine--with the island of Lanai in the distance.  I'm getting the feel for the G5 driver now and stripe one down the middle about 285.  A perfect 8 iron in and two putts and I'm 14-over after twelve.

Hole 13--Par 4, 407 yds.  I hit what should have been a push slice off the tee--but the wind holds it fairly straight and I miss the fairway just a little bit right about 130 out.  I cut a nice little 7-iron against the wind and have just 15 feet left.  I hit my first lip out of the day and have to settle for a par.  14 over thirteen.

Hole 14--Par 4, 305 yds.  All uphill and all into the wind.  I don't have a hybrid, so I try to "smooth' a 3 iron out there.  Instead, I catch it thin again and roll one out just past the ladies tees.  I hack one out of the rough, then pull a 6 iron into the left front bunker.  I barely get out, putt from just off the green and putt twice more to take a triple.  17 over after fourteen.

Hole 15--Par 5, 555 yds.  This is back uphill--but the wind doesn't seem that strong where we are.  This time I push it right into the native grass.   I now realize that I am not likely to break 90 today (which was my goal, given the difficulty of the course, the weather, strange clubs and not having played for about five months) and make my new goal just to break a hundred.  My third shot goes off the toe of the 4 iron and into the native grass again.  Another drop followed by a pretty good six iron and I'm on the fringe on the right side of the green.  My first putt is going way too fast--but catches the middle back of the cup and stops within two feet and I "save" a 7.  19 over after fifteen.

Hole 16--Par 4, 365 yds.  One more hike up the mountain (or in this case, cart ride).  I find one of the mulitiple fairway bunkers off the tee.  All I can do is blast out back onto the fairway and then stroke a fairly decent 6 iron into the middle of the green.  Another boring two putt for bogey and I'm 20 over after sixteen.

Hole 17--Par 4, 486 yds.  While 18 at Kapalua gets all off the attention, 17 is just a "miniature" version of the finishing hole.  You're actually at the highest point on the course on the tee box--and the wind is just howling behind you.  I catch my drive a little high on the face and don't get the rollout I hoped for on the severe slope.  That being said, it was still just over 300-yards--leaving me about 183 out.  I choose 6-iron (which I have now used for every yardage between 185 and 120 today) and catch it a little thin--but the ball catches the slope in front and rolls to about 12 feet.  Another heartbreaking lip out and I get a two putt par.  20 over after seventeen.

Hole 18--Par 5, 666 yds.  There are a handful of tee shots that excite golfers more than any other: 17 at TPC Sawgrass, 18 at Carnoustie, 18 at Pebble, 17 at St Andrews and half the holes at Augusta National.  18 at Kapalua is one of those as well.  Not because of danger--but rather because of the potential for hitting a once in a lifetime shot.  And on this day, I hit that shot.  After the required photos, I teed her high and swung with nearly all of my might.  Somehow, I hit a high slight draw that caught the slope on the right side of the fairway and rolled and rolled and rolled and rolled and rolled--finally coming to a stop 410 yards from the tee!!  I was a full 100 yards ahead of both of the Chicago Guys (who begrudgingly congratulated on my shot) and about 50 yards ahead of Canadian Doctor.  The crazy thing is, I still had 253 to get home in two.  I chose 3 wood hoping to catch the slope right of the green and roll it down to the hole like the pros do every year on Sunday.  Unfortunately, I was a little too pumped up and hit a pull.  It looked like I was headed into the ravine--but I cleared by a few feet and bounced into the left front bunker.  My best sand shot of the day left me with an 8 footer for birdie......and it caught the left edge and went down!  A bird to finish an all-around great day.  Final Score: 92, 19 over par.

We are heading back to Hawaii again in a couple of years--and I plan to play Kapalua Plantation again.  But this time I'm going to have my clubs shipped ahead so that I can be a bit more comfortable out there.  I should probably take a more than four or five pictures as well.  I'll look for those on our flash drives this weekend and post some in the near future.