The Renovated Mauna Kea Golf Course Photo Tour

[Bart Bradley]

Just having returned from a week in Hawaii, I thought I'd
share with you my photos of the newly renovated
Mauna Kea golf course. The director of golf tells me that
the course underwent a complete "tee to green restoration".
My personal observation is that all of the bunkering was
completely redone in serpentine style, bunkers were
moved more into the fairways, and that all of the greens
were re-contoured. The new putting surfaces have much more
internal movement, with lots of shelves and tiers. On my
first visit 4 years ago, I left fairly unimpressed. This
time, although I have some reservations about the style of
the bunkering, I left with a fairly high opinion of the
place...especially the first 11 holes.

Ok...here goes.

#1 is a nice dogleg right par 4 opener ....my only beef is
the out of bounds on the right because of the driving range.

The uphill approach:



#2 downhill par 4 ...much better approach angle if you stay
right

The tee shot looking down toward the ocean:





The approach, which must play deceptively shorter than the
yardage...played 3 rounds and I landed on the back of the
green all 3 times..the first two one hopping over the back:




The famous 3rd hole par 3 275 from the tips:

the introduction sign:


the beautiful hole (too many bunkers, I know!):


I thought I’d post this picture from my trip 4 years ago…just so you can compare the bunker styles:



Number 4 is a strong par 4 with a semi-blind approach from the bottom of the hill…by memory I believe the bunkering has certainly been brought into the fairway…listed as the #1 handicap hole.

Tee shot..




Approach after a perfect drive:



Number 5 is a long par 5 swinging to the left…A very long drive could get a turbo…



The approach must avoid the centerline bunker about 80 yds short of the green:



And if your in the bunker you have this challenging shot:



Number 6 is a short par 4 with a significantly elevated tee and green…I will defer to the experts but this might be a spion kop hole.  The approach angle sure seemed better to the right off the tee…played into the wind all 3 days.



Number 7 is another long par 3 playing at about 200 yds uphill:



Number 8 is a par 5 again moving to the left with another chance to get a downhill kick and a very interesting undulating fairway:


The eighth fairway:



Number 9 is a downhill par 4 with an elevated tee and a gorgeous ocean view:




I will add the back nine in the next few days…Enjoy.  I look forward to your feedback…Although I don't love the bunker style and feel the back nine is not as strong, I would have a lot of trouble naming 100 better courses in the US.  

Bart

[Joel_Stewart]

It appears the routing has stayed the same and Rees has brought in a few new bunkers?  Do you know what type of grass they used?  When I played there a few years ago the greens speeds where about 6.

I know Bob Huntley disagrees with me but I just don't see anything interesting about this course, then or now.

Thanks for posting the photos.

[Bart Bradley]

Joel:

The routing is absolutely unchanged.

I am fairly certain it is Bermuda grass...I would guess that the greens were rolling about a 9 to 9.5 last week.  I find it hard to understand your feeling that the course has no interest...thanks for the comment.

Bart

[Mark_Fine]

Bart,
I can't say that I like the aesthetic of the new bunkering    I always enjoyed Mauna Kea (my wife loves the hotel).   I was on the Big Island last November and the course and hotel had not yet opened so I didn't get to see the changes.  Thanks for sharing.
Mark

[Brad Klein]

Big Island. Big site. Big course. Everything on a big scale.

Yet only small pieces of bunkering are visible. Seems like an odd choice, that flouncy bunkering -- a judgment made only on the basis of recent pictures of a place I've seen in its previous incarnation.

[jonathan_becker]

Thanks for the photos.  My buddy is getting married there next month and im gonna have to send him a link to this page.

[Bart Bradley]

#10  Double dogleg right par 5...a very interesting and strategic hole…you must stay as far left (much more that what is it first appears) as possible to give the best angles…

#10 tee shot:



2nd shot on #10:



UGGHHH..none of my pictures of 10 green turned out…it is an elevated green angling from front left to back right …making it much easier to approach from the left.

#11  The beautiful par 3 …a long iron toward the ocean




Unfortunately, I think the course becomes a bit weaker at this point with some less interesting holes.

#12  Dogleg right par 4

The tee shot with far too many bunkers on the outside of the dogleg:



The approach:



#13 Slight dogleg left par 4:

Tee shot:



The uphill semi-blind approach:



#14 The demanding long dogleg left par 4 ….

Tee shot and Fairway:




 
View of the uphill approach to the green:




#15 Par 3 probably the least interesting par 3 in an otherwise very interesting set




#16  Another long par 4 slight dogleg right





#17  Dogleg left par 5 with large bunker in the right center of the fairway approx. 160 yds short of the green

Tee shot:



View of the large fairway bunker on the right:



Approach from left fairway past the bunker:



#18  Long par 4 with short forced carry downhill off the tee..

The tee shot:


The approach:



A view back down the fairway to reveal the elevation change:




Well, the comments after I posted the front nine pictures basically agreed with my concerns about the choice of bunker styles.  Ignoring that, however, the course is a lot of fun.  The areas outside the rough generally allow for a player to find errant shots and sometime allow for pitch-outs.  The course features plenty of width, appropriate for a windy site.  There are a number of dramatic and strategic holes and I think the course should be recognized for having merit.  It certainly is not among the nation’s very top tier but I believe it is comparable to other courses in the bottom of the US Top 100.  If you are on the big island, don’t miss it.  I look forward to more of your comments…hope you enjoy the pictures.

Bart

[cary lichtenstein]

I always liked this course, but I am in agreed with regards the bunker style, it hurts both my eyes and what's left of my brain

[Matt_Cohn]

Great course, weird bunkers. It's not like the course was lacking for visual interest before.

[Bob_Huntley]

It appears the routing has stayed the same and Rees has brought in a few new bunkers?  Do you know what type of grass they used?  When I played there a few years ago the greens speeds where about 6.

I know Bob Huntley disagrees with me but I just don't see anything interesting about this course, then or now.

Thanks for posting the photos.

Joel,

The first time I played it was in 1966 post the Hawaiian Open. A bunch of pros were there and an informal game was organized. I partnered Chi Chi Rodrigues and we won a few dollars. It may not be what some consider interesting, but to me,  the sheer determination of Rockefeller to experiment in even considering a course laid out on a lava bed made it so. I have returned many times since and have always enjoyed the hotel and the course.

Bob

[Ed Oden]

Bart, thanks for a great tour.  The course looks much better than I would have expected.  I've always been attracted to courses with good approach shots and Mauna Kea looks like it has a bunch.

Ed

[Bart Bradley]

Bump ....

Matt Ward listed Mauna Kea in his TOP 25 US courses...I was a bit surprised even though I liked Mauna Kea ....it doesn't make my personal top 25 but I do believe it should be included in the US TOP 100.

Has anyone else now seen the course since the renovation and what were your opinions...?

Bart

[Ronald Montesano]

I REALLY like the ripples in the fairways...I think that Crag Burn could do with a few ripples...Seems like it has in common the one bad par three hole (#17 at Crag Burn.)  Wonder if that is one of many RTJ Senior tendencies?

[Matt_Ward]

Bart:

Was there recently to see the course and frankly when people go off the wall on the bunkers they forget the strategic qualities that so many of the holes have.

The Rees effort didn't fundamentally alter what his dad created.

People also forget how demanding the tee shots can be when any real wind picks up -- try placing a tee shot to the 2nd fairway when it's really whipping around. People also forget the tenacity of such par-3 holes as the 3rd and even more so the 11th -- one of the world's best in my mind and even better than the 3rd. Mauna Kea has held up well for many, many years -- if I had drop it out of my top 25 it would not fall by much. People often bemoan Hawaii golf as being nothing more than resort-ish and not worth the time and effort.

Mauna Kea has plenty of playability -- but it doesn't concede much for the better player -- the greatness of RTJ is really on display there and often times many on this site quickly pan anything tied to his name. Those who do that to Mauna Kea are seriously in error with such a calculation in my mind.

[Bart Bradley]

Matt:

I agree with much of what you have written here and I agree that the style of the bunkers is not the most important item in evaluating a golf course.  I do think Mauna Kea has lots to offer and I am glad that you recognize it as noteworthy.  Having said that, the aesthetics of the bunkers could be better ...  .

Ronald:

I agree about the ground movement ....interestingly, the lava heaves up and down all over this part of the Big Island in a way resembling dune mounds...It makes for some fun shots, fun lies, and interesting bounces.

Bart

Bart

[Matt_Ward]

Bart:

The new internal contours on many of the greens makes for a much more demanding layout -- in the previous version a half-ass approach could land on the green and require some effort for a two-putt rarely a three jack for sure.

Now, that's not the case anymore.

In regards to the bunker scheme -- people need to see the internal ground movements you get with so many of the fairways at Mauna Kea -- they heave and ho in a range of ways.

One other thing -- the driving element at Mauna Kea is often underlooked but the better player is forced to both hit for sufficient distance while being on the proper side of the fairway -- at the same time playability is not compromised for the average player who knows what tees are best for him / her.

[Sean Leary]

Matt,

I like Mauna Kea as well, but I am surprised you have it rated that high, considering the courses you have played on your resume.

[Matt_Ward]

Sean:

It might be necessary for you to see what the "new" Mauna Kea is about versus what was there previously. RTJ is not well respected on this site for his top tier works -- but Mauna Kea is the best of the lot I have played from his handiwork.

In regards to my ratings position -- it's possible the course could be lowered a few pegs -- it would certainly be among my top 50. When I posted my 25 best in the USA -- it was done rather quickly because a number of people - yourself included -- wanted to see my listings. I also tried in my posting of top courses to spread the wealth around in terms of different styles and architects although Doak occupies no less than three (3) positions in the USA for me.

Mauna Kea is one of those few resort courses that can test the top tier player while not throwing under the bus the pedestrian player.

For some people the "look" of the bunkers there is the defining element -- for me there is much more to the internal land movements plus what was done with a number of the greens. Anyone going to Hawaii and not playing there has missed something that is really special.

[Mike Bowen]

In my search for info about the renovation of Mauna Kea I came across this thread.  I am interested as to why the bunkering is criticized.  Not saying it's perfect, but what are the issues with it?  How could it be better?

To me it doesn't look a ton different than the newly renovated LACC which gets high praises.

[Chris DeToro]

I'm glad this thread got bumped--I'm actually heading to Hawaii in January with my significant other.  If you only got three total rounds in 10 days in Hawaii, where would Mauna Kea stack up? 

[Kevin_Reilly]

Chris, are you going to the Big Island?

[Chris DeToro]

I'll be spending time in Maui and Kauai

[Kevin_Reilly]

If that's the case,  I can't see a reason why you'd want to make the trip to the Big Island play Mauna Kea for one of your three golf slots.

[Joel_Stewart]

Thought I would bring this thread back from 2009 after the renovation by Rees Jones.


I'm heading over to the Big Island in October and noticed that Mauna Kea is closed again, this time for a renovation by RTJ Jr. Its scheduled to reopen in November.


I'm not going to bash Rees but I knew a member and homeowner there years ago and they thought Rees made the course to difficult.  I don't know what the instructions were to Rees but my guess back then was they wanted it to possibly hold a tournament and get back to a Top 100 status.


Should be interesting what RTJ Jr. has in mind?

[Tommy Williamsen]

Certainly has to feel like a slap in the face to Rees.