The state hopes to build on the excitement surrounding golf in Hawai'i by attracting more visitors here to play the game.

Young local golf sensations such as Michelle Wie, Tadd Fujikawa and former Big Island resident Kimberly Kim have put Hawai'i in the spotlight, but there is still room for growth in Hawai'i's golf market. About 14 percent of Mainland visitors and 8.4 percent of Japanese visitors golfed during their trips here, according to 2005 visitor data from the state.

By comparison, about 48 percent of Mainland visitors went snorkeling or scuba diving, nearly 29 percent went to a museum or art gallery, and 40 percent shopped at designer boutiques.

If ever there were a time to increase the number of golfers traveling to Hawai'i, this would be it. Golf Channel viewers this year are being treated to expanded coverage of six pro golf tournaments in Hawai'i, getting more than 200 hours of images of sunny golf courses and tropical scenery in the middle of winter.

Fujikawa, who last month became the youngest in 50 years to make a PGA Tour cut, has been featured in Sports Illustrated and was on the cover of Golfweek and GolfWorld magazines, and yesterday won the 28th Hawai'i Pearl Open at Pearl Country Club.

Kim, the former Hilo resident who won the U.S. Women's Amateur golf tournament last year at 14 and became the youngest champion in the event's history, is recognized in today's issue of ESPN The Magazine, which mentions she's from Hawai'i.

Dean Wilson made national headlines last year when he won The International, the first victory by a Hawai'i golfer in a PGA tour event on the Mainland.

And you can hardly find anyone who hasn't heard of Michelle Wie.

GOLFING VISITORS DOWN

Still, the percentage of Mainland visitors who golf here is down from 2002, when golfers made up a 17.4 percent share of the Mainland market. The number of Japanese golfers is down about 38 percent from 2002, when nearly 14 percent of Japanese visitors golfed here.

State tourism officials hope to attract more golfers with an enhanced marketing push. They say golfers typically spend more money daily and do more activities during their Hawai'i vacations than other visitors, a quality that appeals to businesses in the state's No. 1 industry.

"With the heightened awareness of Hawai'i and golf, and the added emphasis in marketing that (the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau) is doing in regards to golf in Hawai'i, it should result in increased exposure for the golf experience within our Islands," said state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert.

Mainland visitors who golfed here in 2005 spent a total of $1.2 billion during their Hawai'i trips, according to the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau, the state's tourism marketer in North America. Research also shows Mainlanders' perception of golf in Hawai'i improved in 2006 compared with a year earlier, said Jay Talwar, HVCB's senior vice president of marketing.

The HVCB and the Aloha Section PGA late last year began a joint effort to gather historical and current information on rounds played and revenue generated by golf courses. The Aloha Section also plans to have an economic impact study on golf in the Islands.

The HVCB began heavily marketing golf in 2005, including launching "Aloha Swing," a partnership with The Golf Channel surrounding the pro tournaments held here. The Golf Channel coverage — including features about Hawai'i — increased this year, Talwar said.

$2.4M FOR PGA BACKING

"It's difficult to quantify the dollar value of exposure like that, but any kind of exposure like that benefits the game of golf, (and) also golf and its relationship with Hawai'i, which in the end ... will benefit tourism and our economy overall," Wienert said.

There are also the televised golf tournaments that have — at least for now — made a home here.

The Hawai'i Tourism Authority is paying the PGA Tour $2.4 million a year through 2010 to host and market at least six events. Hawai'i this year is home to seven televised pro tour events in January and February, including season openers such as the PGA Tour's Mercedes-Benz Championship, the Champions Tour's MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, and the LPGA Tour's first full-field event, the SBS Open at Turtle Bay.

Kaua'i officials, meanwhile, are looking for a major golf or other sporting event to replace the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, which recently moved to Bermuda after being held on the Garden Isle for more than a decade.

Estimated visitor spending generated from the 2006 PGA Tour and Champions Tour tournaments ranges from nearly $1 million to $14 million, depending on the event, according to the Hawai'i Tourism Authority. HTA cautioned, however, that the figures are based on visitor attendance estimates provided by the golf courses hosting the events, not by a survey.

The televised golf tournaments also provide valuable exposure for Hawai'i's golf courses as well as the Islands, said Hawai'i Tourism Authority sports events manager Mike Story.

"When (viewers) are huddled in their houses in the dead of winter, they're seeing ... beautiful sun and beautiful courses, (and) they have the potential to play on these courses where the best in the world play," Story said. "I think it's enticing to a lot of people."

'THE PROS PLAY HERE'

It certainly was enticing for Canada resident Ken Whitehead, who brought his own golf clubs here for a vacation with his wife.Between sightseeing and other activities, he planned to play at the Turtle Bay Resort's courses.

"We've seen it on TV," said the 56-year-old retired Air Force navigator, who usually golfs three to four times a week. "The pros play here, and all the golf books I subscribe to, they're always talking about Turtle Bay. We're on the island for a few days; I said, 'Why not?' ... You see the pros play; you see how they do, so you like to say, 'I'll go and see how I do.' "

California resident Mike Keenan and his wife, Melinda, were visiting O'ahu and Kaua'i for three weeks "to enjoy Hawai'i and play golf" at about five different courses.

They also recently visited Maui, where they played on the Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course. The reason? That's where the PGA Tour's Mercedes-Benz Championship is held.

"We took pictures," Mike Keenan said. "And we went to the back tees, where (the pros) play ... to see what it felt like — just to kind of — what it's like to be a pro. It was fun. We loved it."

Golfers "tend to engage more in the destination," said John Monahan, HVCB president and CEO. "Not only do they do rounds of golf when they're here, but they also tend to dine out more often and use spa facilities."

Golfers who visit Hawai'i also tend to bring spouses and families, which distinguishes the Islands from other golf destinations that attract more "buddy trips."

"If Mr. Jones is in Michigan and he says, 'Hey, I'm going to Myrtle Beach with my three buddies,' his wife says ... 'I'll see you when you come back,' " said Matthew Hall, Turtle Bay Resort's director of golf and president of the Aloha Section PGA. "If he says, 'We're going to Hawai'i,' she'll say, 'Well, not without me, the three wives and our kids.' It turns into more of a family-oriented event. Those people then become interested in other activities."

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.