Mauna Kea Returns!
The signature 3rd at Mauna Kea Golf Course
In 1964, Robert Trent Jones, Sr. finished designing a course on the Big Island of Hawaii for Laurance S. Rockefeller. The Kohala Coast was, at the time, devoid of any resorts or population centers, and was, to most Western eyes, a lava desert wasteland. But not to these two gentlemen. Jones famously said in reference to the courses’ famed #3 (pictured at right):
Mr. Rockefeller, if you allow me to build a golf course here, this’ll be the most beautiful hole in the world.
It is certainly worth consideration, and it is more than just a postcard. This par-3 is a test for all comers. It’s an over-the-water long shot from all sets of tees, but especially from the ceremonial back tee, which hangs precariously over the water and requires a 250 yard direct shot to carry the Pacific. The story is told of the Big 3 - Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player - coming to open the Mauna Kea for a televised event. Player missed the green several times from the back tee during a practice round, and threatened to boycott the event if he was forced to play from that tee. He wasn’t. I dug up this UTube video that replays some of the show. I’m not sure if my favorite part is the obviously canned swing sounds, or Jack’s blazing 1-iron to 8 feet on #3. The third hole segment runs from 0:33-1:39.
The golf course closed along with the hotel after the 6.7 magnitude earthquake on October 15, 2006 shivered a crack through the hotel’s foundation. The hotel was forced to close, and management made a move to update the golf course while repairing and renovating the hotel.
The par-3 11th at Mauna Kea
Robert Trent Jones’ other son, U.S. Open doctor Rees Jones was hired for the job, which was to update and refresh the course. The grainy Bermuda greens were re-turfed with TifEagle, which has less grain and can be mowed tighter for fast greens that roll true. The rough and fairway turf were also defoliated and replanted with the more playable Tifway 19 hybrid. The course was stretched out a bit too, and now plays nearly 7400 yards from the back tees. The biggest difference, though, is in the bunkers.
The bunkers are as polished and handsomely sculpted as the hundreds of pieces of Rockefeller’s Asian art collection that accents the hotel. The bunkers are now deeper, have meaner lips, fresh sand, and have been fitted with new liners to keep the sand playable.
The new Mauna Kea is, mostly, the old Mauna Kea, just adjusted for Pro V1s, 460CC drivers, and box grooved wedges. It took a little facelift, but it’s easy to see that the Mauna Kea Golf Course is still the pearl of the Kohala Coast.
-Bryan Fryklund
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