Princeville, Mauna Kea honored by Golf Digest

Advertiser Staff

Princeville's Prince Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., and Mauna Kea, designed by Robert Trent Jones, are again included in Golf Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.

The 2003-2004 list will be published in the May edition. The magazine started its biennial survey in 1966. It is the oldest and considered the most respected golf course ranking.

The 20th edition of the list comes with a bonus. The magazine has added a new ranking of America's 100 Greatest Public Courses, in response to the predominantly private nature of the 100 Greatest Courses.

Princeville, ranked 73rd overall, and Mauna Kea, No. 84, are resort courses open to everyone. The Prince, opened in 1990, has been ranked every year since 1993 and has been as high as No. 43. Mauna Kea has been ranked 28 years since 1969, missing only from 1979-84. Its highest ranking was in the 40's from 1969-72.

Princeville and Mauna Kea are Nos. 14 and 17 in the list of 100 Greatest Public Courses. Kapalua Plantation came in 50th on that list. Kaua'i Lagoons Kiele was 74th, The Challenge at Manele 76th and Ko'olau Golf Club 97th.

Those six courses led the magazine's state-by-state listing of Hawai'i's Top 15 courses, followed in order by: Makena South, Turtle Bay (Arnold Palmer), Mauna Lani North, Princeville Makai (Ocean/Lake), Hualalai, Wailua, Wailea Emerald, Po'ipu Bay Resort and Mauna Lani South.

Golf Digest compiled its rankings by asking a nationwide panel of 844 low-handicap male and female golfers to judge courses. Criteria included resistance to scoring, design variety, memorability, aesthetics, conditioning and ambience.

The five "greatest courses" overall are Pine Valley (N.J.), Augusta National (Ga.), Cypress Point (Calif.), Oakmont (Pa.) and Pebble Beach (Calif.). All were built before 1934. The Pebble Beach Golf Links headed the list of 100 Public Courses.