Plantation Course at Kapalua. Maui. Hawaii. USA.

The Plantation Course at Kapalua opened in 1991. Designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, the course plays from 6,547 Yards from the Regular Tees, to 7,411 Yards from the Tournament Tees and what an excellent test of golf this course is. So much so that the PGA Tour season opener is held here in January each year.

Rated as one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world, the Plantation course is phenomenal. The views from the top of this course are spectacular and it’s not uncommon to be putting on the green and be disturbed by a splash in the sea out the corner of our eye. The whales are breaching just off the coast.

The natural land setting that the course is situated on takes you up and down the course with varying elevations. You play this course and quickly realize that the skill level of the PGA Pros is a mile away from the rest of us “golfers”.

The course is fair enough to play from tee to green and you can actually make some of the Par 5’s in two. However, get to the green and the games begin! Again, as with other Maui courses, everything goes to the sea. This is not the only thing to consider though as you try to put the ball in the hole. These greens are super fast, with breaks that only the seasoned members or Pros can see.

The course itself winds through 240 acres of green hills, deep gorges and pineapple fields. Here you will find some of the best golf on the planet. The shapes of some of the holes are extraordinary and the elevation changes are staggering.

Didn’t think you can drive the ball over 300 yards? You can and will here! Especially if the wind is behind you on the tee box. Oh yes, the wind… It plays a major factor here on approach shots. Ever struggled to hit an 8 iron 103Yards? I did and still came up 20 Yards short! However, you have to turn around at some point on the course and then the wind is behind you. Tee it high and crank it down the fairway.

You really need to play the Plantation course a few times to really get the feel for it and to card a good score. However, the course is one of the best that we have ever played and boy what an exciting day it was!

The famous 18^th hole held the distinction of being the longest Par 5 on the PGA tour but, get the wind behind you and play it sensible, you can score well here to make you want to go and rebook your tee time for the next day.

If you don’t play any other course on the Island of Maui, play this one. It is awesome!