AROUND THE GREENS
Perseverance at Puakea pays off with 18 holes
By Bill Kwon
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Sports Illustrated lists Puakea as one of the 10 best nine-hole golf courses in the nation. Now that it has finally opened as an 18-hole course, count on golfers doubling their pleasure.
Kellie Pleas, Puakea's director of golf and head professional, is confident that they will.
"If they enjoyed the course before, they'll enjoy it even more," she said.
It's been a long wait for Pleas and an even longer wait for architect Robin Nelson, who designed the Puakea Golf Course, once the site of a sugar cane plantation dating back more than 140 years.
You couldn't blame Pleas (pronounced Place) for being a little emotional at its opening Tuesday. She thanked every maintenance worker as she played the course with two visiting hackers, including yours truly.
"If you weren't there, I probably would be crying. I was getting emotional," Pleas said. "It's a huge relief for everybody."
One of the relieved parties is Nelson, who was first called on to design an 18-hole golf course at the old Grove Farm property in 1991. When Hurricane Iniki devastated the Garden Island the following year, the project was halted.
Nelson is no stranger to long waits. He also designed Royal Kunia, which finally opened in May after nearly nine years because of economic reasons.
His patience has paid off. Nelson has the distinction of being the architect of the two newest 18-hole championship courses in the state.
"I guess it's a bit of a coincidence," he said.
Both openings have been well worth the wait.
In Puakea's case, though, at least it had been opened for play since 1997 as a sporty 10-hole course. Ten holes were ready, so the owners said, what the heck, use them all. Pleas became the head pro then with her two assistants, Pat Hunt and Glenn Tamagawa.
"It's a great site, one of the best projects I've ever worked on," said Nelson, who lives in Mill Valley, Calif. "It's the most fun course to play I've designed."
He tweaked his original 18-hole design in coming up with eight new holes to add to the original 10. He got the go-ahead to complete Puakea from Steve Case, a Hawai'i native and AOL founder, who purchased the property two years ago.
Seven of the 10 holes now make up the back nine. The other three are now holes six, seven and eight. The sixth, a par-3, was the former No. 8 and it remains Puakea's signature hole.
It's a breathtaking hole as even duffers will want to hit from the elevated blue tees (a 156-yard carry) to a green below that's fronted by water.
"It's still my favorite hole," said Pleas, who also likes Nelson's new third hole, a par-4 with fairway that looks narrower than it is. With a lake cutting into the green on the left, a tee shot in that direction makes it a difficult angle coming in. Ha'upu, the peak incorporated in Puakea's logo, dominates the background as it also does at the par-4 fifth.
"When I first saw the hole, when it was nothing but bare dirt, I told Robin it didn't do much for me," Pleas said.
Now that it's fully dressed and with a lake at the left filled, she thinks it's a terrific hole. And challenging, too.
"Playing the course so often enabled me to better understand how the wind comes into play," Nelson said. "As a result, I was able to tweak the holes from my original design and make them play differently from any of the existing ones."
Still, Nelson outdid himself in the original design, coming up with two of the most scenic back-to-back holes of any golf course in Hawai'i — the par-4 12th and par-3 13th, which were Nos. 2 and 3 in the 10-hole layout. A deep reservoir provides both a scenic distraction and a watery hazard for both holes.
As a 10-hole course, Puakea had about 75 percent local play, said Pleas, who hopes more visitors will play the course now that it's 18 holes.
"We want them to enjoy a Kaua'i-style, keep-it-simple experience," said Pleas, who grew up on the Garden Island with her two brothers, including local PGA pro Tommy Hines.
Their dad, Thomas Hines Sr., was the golf superintendent at the old Kaua'i Surf Golf Course, which also was a pretty good nine-hole course.
For someone who once "hated" junior golf, Pleas has come a long way in her profession. Instead of playing golf with 1979 Kaua'i High School classmates Guy Yamamoto and Jonathan Ota, she went surfing.
However, she started working in the Kaua'i Surf golf pro shop after school. Now, she's the only female PGA member who's a head golf professional in Hawai'i. She also coaches the Kaua'i High girls team and is in her final term as president of the Kaua'i Junior Golf Association.
Pleas met her husband, Steve, through golf. He lost a club at the Kiele Golf Course where she once worked. She found his club and personally called him "because he was cute." They have four children, including Jennie, 17, who plays for the school golf team.
Billy Casper Golf manages the facility and golfers can sign up for tee times on the Internet (www.puakeagolf.com) or by telephone (808) 245-8756. Rates are $45 for Hawai'i residents and $125 for nonresidents any day of the week. Twilight (from 2:30 p.m.) and nine-hole play are also available at reduced rates.
Note: From Monday through July 13, girls under the age of 17 with a paying adult will be allowed to play for free at Puakea as part of the Take Your Daughter to the Course Week.
Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net.
