The courses, while picturesque, are now tame by PGA Tour standards, as evidenced by consecutive weeks with scores so low they’ve been breaking records.
And the travel is intense, with players often making a journey of 4,000 miles or more, needing to build substantial cushions into their schedule to account for a massive plane ride over nothing but Pacific Ocean blue waters.
So do trips to Kapalua’s Plantation Course in Maui, site of last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions on the PGA Tour, and Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, site of this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, still resonate with PGA Tour pros who frequently enjoy the game to the world’s most scenic backdrops?
Absolutely.
Kapalua was designed by the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and is the top-ranked public-access layout in Hawaii. Waialae is near the state’s only major metropolis and offers plenty of nightlife and cultural opportunities on top of the amazing views.
Still, we put together a summary from the pros as they reflect on a little quality time in this Pacific paradise.
Webb Simpson of the United States plays his shot from the 11th tee during the second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 14, 2022, in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“This is really far from Charlotte, it’s really far. I realized that when I got off the plane in Phoenix, I’m not even halfway there.
“I love it here. I have great memories here. And it is a golf course that if I put top five favorite courses for me and my game, this would be one of them: It’s short, it’s tight, we have doglegs, we have wind, I love bermuda greens. So it is really far. It’s further for me to come here than The Open Championship.
“It’s a trip worth taking. Charlotte is freezing right now.”
Jim Furyk of the United States walks across the bridge to the second hole during the second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 14, 2022, in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
“I’ve always loved being here … I love Sony. It’s a place I had a lot of success. I think I lost in a playoff in ’97. Had a lot of Top 10s here. Love the course.
“I feel like I’m not hitting the ball far enough to compete out here on a regular basis on a lot of the golf courses, but Waialae is a place I still feel I can get around and shoot under par pretty well and so it’s fun. Places I’ve won, Valspar, Heritage, those are courses I can still compete on.
“Once in a while I’ll dip out here but I’ll predominately play on the Champions Tour and having Hualalai next week, I’m grateful Sony gave me an exemption and a chance to come over here for two weeks in Hawaii.”
Matt Kuchar hits his tee shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“Love the golf course. Love the environment. I can’t recall last time I’ve skipped Sony Open … it’s one I look forward to every year. Mainly the golf course, but you throw in the state of Hawaii as well. Just kind of me it’s a paradise and always excited to come here.
“We love it. The boys love it. They stay busy, stay in the water and on the land doing every activity you can hope for. It’s a place we think so fondly of, and try to spend as many days as we can here.”
Kevin Na hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“Hawaii is a great place. I think that’s one of the perks of being a PGA Tour player — you can come here, make an excuse for work, but it’s Hawaii. It’s nice to start at Sentry and then come here and make it a two-week trip; I brought my family with me.
“My daughter has been to Hawaii every year. She loves it. She’s been here five times and she’s only five years old. My son, it’s his first time, he’s a little over two and first time to Hawaii. As soon as we landed he said, “HAWAII!” So he’s really excited, yeah.”
Marc Leishman of Australia plays his shot from the seventh tee during the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 09, 2022 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
“I feel like you can ease into it a little bit. Obviously, we are all very competitive and we all want to win, and we play really hard. But I think off the golf course here, it’s a little different feeling and you can finish golf, go to the pool, go to the beach. My family always comes here, so I can enjoy my time with them. But yeah, when we’re on the golf course, we’re playing hard still.”
January 13, 2022; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Patton Kizzire hits his second shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“This place has nice vibes. It’s a not always calm wind-wise. It was this morning and I knew it would be, and I knew I needed to keep the pedal down and make a bunch of birdies. I’ve played really well and I’m pleased with 7-under. … The course is fantastic. Guys are going to play well every week and everybody is so good now. You really have to play your best to win and you’ve got to take it deep. You’ve got to keep the pedal down. Pars don’t give you much these days, so I think the scores will be pretty good and just looking to make more birdies.
“This place is so nice. I enjoy starting the new year here every year and unfortunately my family wasn’t able to make it this year. We got a newborn, so they were on my mind today. It’s always, always great to be at Waialae.”
A scenic is seen as Cameron Davis of Australia, Seamus Power of Ireland and Charles Howell III of the United States walk on the 17th hole during the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club on January 13, 2022, in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
“It’s so nice. I was practicing in Las Vegas in the winter, and it was sunny, but still gold, cold wind. And you get out here, I was in Maui last week and it’s beautiful, you swing with a T-shirt on; it doesn’t seem as difficult.
“It’s obviously the same for everyone but it just seems to get you going kind of starting the season a little bit.”
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