Originally the 1st and 2nd holes played right along the beach, and so did the 7th. The former were re-routed by Robert Trent Jones to make room for the Kahala Hotel, the latter for a housing development. It was the first change that resulted in the odd 9th hole (the tournament 18th -- a sharp dogleg around the now 1st hole), and the latter change that resulted in holes 5-7 being much tighter and out of character with the rest of the course (because they aren't Raynor's at all).
We have submitted our ideas for the course and await instructions on how and where we might begin work. They are not likely to proceed very quickly, because it's a very very busy course -- they play something like 60,000 rounds per year.
As Pat mentions, it's a nice windy spot, and I thought the course conditioning was just right when we visited in May -- fast and firm. With those sorts of conditions, it ought to be possible to make some dramatic improvements, although a full "restoration" is not possible.