Hawai'i Course of the Week

Within the first few years of its opening, the Prince was ranked No. 1 in Hawai'i by Golf Digest and it remains in the premier position in the latest (biennial) rankings (May 2001). It also ranks No. 51 among America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.

The course spans 390 acres of landscaped greens, tropical jungles, waterfalls and ravines. It is a registered member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, a nationwide environmental program for golf courses.

The Prince is one of Hawai'i's most challenging golf courses, with a USGA course rating of 75.3 and a 145 slope. But five different tees on each hole allow you to set your own challenge. Named after Prince Albert, a relative of Kamehameha the Great, the Prince was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Looking as if it has emerged full-blown from nature, it chugs uphill, jumps ravines and careens downhill like a roller-coaster.

The par-4 12th hole — "Eagle's Nest" — takes off from a perch 100 feet above a slender fairway lined by a dense jungle. If the fairway is found by a precise drive, the 'Anini Stream comes into play on all sides of the green on the second shot. The green is surrounded by an amphitheater of natural ferns and tropical foliage.

• Facts, figures: Princeville Resort/Prince Golf Club (72, 6,521) — 5-3900 Kuhio Hwy., Princeville, 96722. 826-5000. Head Pro: Jack Baker. Resort. Green fees (cart mandatory): Kaua'i resident $70, $60 after 11 a.m.; other kama'aina $85, $75 after 11 a.m.; Princeville Hotel guest $130, resort guest $150, non-resident $175. Guests and non-residents $120 after noon. Replay rate is $45 kama'aina and $60 non-resident.