Celebrating 15 years of great golf at Poiu Bay

One of Hawaii's most scenic courses, Poipu Bay is home to a number of ancient cultural sites and a variety of wildlife, including Hawaii's state bird, the endangered Nene Goose -- offering far more than just golf.

A round at Poipu Bay Golf Course affords players the opportunity to experience the sheer pleasures and daunting challenges of a course recognized as one of America's finest where you can "play where Champions' play."

Following in the prodigious footsteps of past PGA Grand Slam of Golf champions, you might challenge yourself to master the course as Tiger Woods has winning the event for a record sixth time in 2005, with an eight-under-par 64, including two eagles. Or try to match Phil Mickelson's mind-blowing 59 on the final round at the 2004 PGA Grand Slam of Golf -- a career best, a tournament record and a course record -- which included one eagle and 11 birdies.

We admit you might not achieve that many birdies when you play the course yourself, but you will certainly experience birdies of a different sort on the Poipu Bay links. One of Hawaii's most scenic courses, Poipu Bay is home to a number of ancient cultural sites and a variety of wildlife, including Hawaii's state bird, the endangered Nene Goose.

The Poipu Bay course meanders along Kauai's pristine southern coastline, sprawled between lush mountains and rugged ocean cliffs. The 18 Championship holes are set amidst 30 acres of colorfully landscaped tropical plants and flowers, creating one of the most beautiful and intriguing courses in the Pacific. The massive mountain that forms the backdrop for Poipu Bay is Ha'upu, with its highest point -- Ha'upu Peak -- rising 2,297 feet above sea level.

Ha'upu is shrouded in mystery, as legends tell of a giant who lived atop the mountain in ancient times. Poipu Bay's 12th hole provides a spectacular head-on view of Mount Ha'upu.

Poipu Bay's 210 oceanfront acres include a number of significant historical sites -- cultural treasures that are protected and maintained by Poipu Bay staff. The course was designed around several ancient Hawaiian heiau (places of worship) and handmade stone walls, estimated to date back more than 500 years.

The 9th hole includes a lava rock heiau located to the right side of the fairway; the 16th hole features a dogleg left created by an ancient rock wall and heiau, marked as a hazard. Meanwhile, the 17th hole includes two protected ancient structures: a heiau situated adjacent to the elevated tee and a stone wall to the left of the fairway.

Research has determined that the heiau on the course are of a type called heiau ho'oulu i'a, temples where ancient Hawaiians offered fish to the higher powers to ensure that fishing would be good. In ancient times, heiau were built specifically on sites deemed to have the most mana, a spiritual power that emanates from sacred places. Golfers are forbidden to enter these culturally-sensitive areas or play balls from them. If a ball comes to rest within a heiau, it must be abandoned under penalty of one stroke. If a ball comes to rest next to an ancient stone wall, the player must take a free drop within one club length no nearer to the hole, but away from the protected wall.

The state bird of Hawaii, the rare Nene (pronounced "nay-nay") Goose, can often be seen on the Poipu Bay course. In 1952, the statewide Nene population was estimated at around 30, and in 1967, the Nene was listed as the eighth-most endangered waterfowl species in the world. Thanks to environmental programs designed to preserve the Nene's breeding habitat and increase the wild population, Nene are once again beginning to flourish in the Islands. Poipu Bay is home to a nesting population that has increased in recent years. In addition to the graceful, long-necked Nene, many other birds, including blue heron, plovers, shearwaters, and pheasants also frequent Poipu Bay Golf Course.

Poipu Bay isn't all about birdies, however. Bass make their way down from the mountain reservoir to live in Poipu Bay's ponds; magnificent humpback whales spout offshore during winter months; and endangered Hawaiian monk seals can sometimes be seen sunning themselves along the shoreline on hole 16 and 17.

With an abundance of scenic beauty and rare wildlife offering pleasant distractions, a Poipu Bay player's greatest challenge is to maintain concentration on the game. When Poipu Bay first ranked on Conde Nast Traveler's "Gold List" a few years back, one of the magazine's readers wrote this succinct description of the course: "The scenery is so distracting you can barely focus on the ball." Don't say we didn't warn you.

This week, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf's elite foursome will focus on racking up eagles and birdies of the golf genre. As you enjoy the event, however, we hope you will take a moment to appreciate the other species of wildlife, cultural sites and scenic attractions that are so much a part of the Poipu Bay experience.