Work on cart paths will not slow Ala Wai traffic

By Bill Kwon

Neither rain, construction work nor cement trucks will keep local golfers from their appointed rounds at the Ala Wai Golf Course, surely the world's busiest with an average of 500 rounds a day.

Ala Wai Golf Course superintendent Clarence Nakasukasa, left, and maintenance supervisor Frank Uehara inspectthe third fairway. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

The front nine will be done first. Royal Construction, which was awarded a $750,000 contract, has 150 days to complete the work. RMY Construction, the low bidder at $650,000, will begin the second phase for the back nine with the contract calling for it to be completed in 100 days.

Except at the seventh hole where the new path will be on the opposite or left side of the fairway, most of the new cement paths, replacing the old asphalt ones, will follow the existing layout.

In order to ensure that play will not be interrupted, the 496-yard, par-5 third hole will be converted into two holes — a 246-yard, slight dogleg right par-4 with a temporary green, and a 120-yard par-3 with a temporary tee at the left of the fairway's cart path to the regular third-hole green.

Both temporary green and tee are now in place and ready to go, said Wayne Lee, the city's golf course system acting administrator.

Despite being able to drive the green, the temporary par-4 will not be that easy of a hole, according to Frank Uehara, the course's maintenance supervisor and greens keeper. The slightly elevated green will be protected by a huge tree that now stymies those who push or slice their drives from the regular third tee.

With the addition of a second temporary hole, golfers will still be able to play nine holes while work is being done, hole by hole.

It has not yet been determined which of the front nine's holes will be worked on first. The third hole will revert to a par-5 once the first phase of the project is completed.

A similar plan will go into effect when work begins to replace the cart paths on the back nine. The 533-yard, par-5 13th hole along the stream separating the golf course from Iolani School will become a 372-yard par-4 with a temporary green along the right fairway, and a par-3 with a temporary tee for a 150-yard shot to the regular 13th green.

"We'll always have 18 holes," said Lee, who added the cart paths at the Pali Golf Course will also be replaced this year. A $736,000 contract to do the back nine first has been awarded but not yet executed, he said. There is no bid out yet for the front nine's cart path work.

In addition, the men's and women's bathrooms at the Ala Wai Clubhouse will undergo a $100,000 renovation, starting in the next 45 days. An outside trailer restroom will be provided, but the restroom facilities by the snack bar will still be available.

"There's a lot of work being done," said Lee, who added that a restroom and shower facility for the Ala Wai Canal canoe paddlers will also be built mauka of the entrance road to the golf course.

Lee is one of the applicants for the city's golf course system administrator, a position that opened following the retirement of Dave Mills in December. The deadline for to apply for the civil service position is Thursday.

Considering the heavy play, the greens at the Ala Wai Golf Course are remarkably among the finest in the state, whether you're talking about a public, private or resort course. It is a tribute to Uehara and his maintenance crew and also Clarence Nakasukasa, the golf course manager.

Despite all the anticipated distractions from lumbering cement trucks and the construction work going on, figure on play to continue without letup and golfers still scrambling to get starting times at the popular course.

Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.