Pact sought on Waialae golf course nets

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

KAHALA — Despite concessions by Waialae Country Club, nearby residents want a promise in writing that the club will never install 60-foot poles to hold up nets around its driving range.

For two years the Waialae Golf Course Community Association and the country club have been at loggerheads over the club's plans to build 60-foot poles to string nets around the driving range.

Residents fear that the poles will block an important view plane, while the club has said it believes the poles are necessary to ensure safety and reduce liability.

Last week, a country club representative told the community that poles would not be used.

"We have decided to eliminate the poles and attach the netting to palm trees," said Cedric Choi, Waialae Country Club president. "We will raise the height of the netting as the trees grow. This will be much more aesthetically pleasing to our members and to the community."

The club proposes to attach a special bracket system to the coconut trees, eliminating the need for poles.

Residents, while saying they appreciated the country club's concessions, were not satisfied.

The community has a big stake in what happens to the view of the golf course, said Lester Leu, president of the Waialae Golf Course Community Association. Homes fronting the golf course bring a higher price, which is why the community is so concerned about the view plane.

"We're concerned that if the trees don't work that we've given away our rights to object to the 60-foot height and the club will go forward with the poles," Leu said. "We have a committee looking into this. We support the club's use of coconut trees."

The club initially proposed to set up nets on 60-foot poles around the driving range and to build a maintenance gate off Waiholo Street and a cart path near the seventh and eighth holes on the course. The proposals drew the ire of residents whose homes back onto the golf course and country club. In June 2001, after two public hearings, the club put its plans on hold.

Meanwhile, the country club also has decided not to install a gate or build a cart path. But the poles have remained a sticking point.

"There's no guarantee that the netting is enough at this height," said Sherry Spangler, a resident of the area. "If we allow them one foot in the door, will we be allowing them to go even higher? We want some kind of guarantee."

Choi said the country club is unwilling to make that promise and will present its plan to the city for final approval.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.