Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/80982
caliber pro shop, including being named national Merchandiser of the Year by the PGA of America. Wailea Golf Club has recently updated and expanded its popular premium rental club program at the Gold & Emerald courses. Customers can choose from a wide selection of premium clubs including Callaway's RAZR Tour, RAZR X and Ladies RAZR clubs; Titleist's AP1 & AP2 Irons, 910 series clubs and the Scotty Cameron Newport 2 putter; and left-handed men's clubs from TaylorMade including the R11 driver and wood, Burner Irons and Corza Ghost putter. Wailea's premium rental club program allows customers to try out some of the newest equipment available during their round at Gold & Emerald courses before making their buying decision. Customers have even been known to set aside the personal clubs they brought with them to Maui in favor of renting Wailea's premium clubs. Ping and Cobra sets are also included in the premium rental club inventory, which is updated on a regular basis. Visit www.waileagolf.com. Located in Lihu'e, Kauai Lagoons Golf Club has a very popular Member for a Week program. The program includes seven consecutive days of unlimited golf, logo polo shirt, engraved bag tag, and 20% merchandise discounts. The price is $495 plus tax per person and additional weeks can be purchased at $435. Another great opportunity is their Kauai Golf Challenge. For $435 including tax, players can choose three rounds to play from among five participating courses – Kauai Lagoons Golf Club, Puakea Golf Course, Princeville Prince Golf Course, Makai Golf Club, and Poipu Bay Golf Course. The rounds must be played at three different courses. Additionally, card holders receive a 10% merchandise discount on regular-priced items on the day of play. A round at Puakea includes a $50 golf shop credit, which can be used for merchandise, rental clubs, or green fees. Packages can be purchased from any of the participating courses, either in person, or by calling one of the courses and mentioning the Kaua'i Golf Challenge. Challenge vouchers can be picked up at any of the courses. There are no restrictions on the day or time Kaua'i Golf Challenge rounds are played. Package customers simply need to call ahead and book their tee times. Rounds are non-transferable and must be used within 30 days of purchase. Visit www.kauailagoonsgolf.com. FACILITY PROFILE Golf in Maui is an everyday sport – the sun is almost always shining, the trade winds blowing and the sky is a bright, clear blue. The only difficulty here is choosing where to tee it up – but if you want to go to one area and get a big bang for your buck, Wailea is the area and the trio of tracks there – the Old Blue, Emerald and Gold – all offer different sorts of challenges. WAILEA GOLD #8 The Old Blue is a testament to how the game was seen, and played back in the 1970's when it came on stream as the first of the trio. And while it may be the elder sibling it still shines as brightly as the others when you come right down to it. Now 40, the Blue lives up to its name as a true Hawaiian course, with wide fairways and large greens making its length of just under 6,800 yards seem like a a relatively easy test. Be warned though - if that's how you approach this track you'll soon change your thinking. The winds and the length of some holes, increased by one to two clubs due to Maui's sea level elevation, make the grand old lady of Wailea golf a fun, challenging test that can humble any level of player in a real hurry. Just down the road is the prettiest of three Wailea courses, the Emerald. Right from the start this eye-candy course is fun to play but is still challenging enough to test even the lowest of handicappers. This course is particularly front-tee friendly, as there are very few forced carries and the fairways are again wide and inviting. Even if you miss one, don't fret, as the rough for the most part is not a real problem, Playing to a distance of just over 6,800 yards from the back tees, this course isn't short but when you play the proper tee boxes the game is fun due in large part to the gorgeous scenery on virtually every hole. The first hole here is likely the best visual of all – a downhill par 4 with a 28 pretty steep right to left slope. When you add in a dramatic view of the Pacific Ocean it becomes a chore to keep your eye and focus on the game and not the water and whales. The Gold is a bit more of a challenge as it does have a number of forced carries off the tees and lava rock outcroppings throughout. In fact this course is so demanding, it was home to the Champions Skins Game for seven years. Playing to a length of just over 7,000 yards, the course is a test in keeping your composure after the large greens and elevation changes make club selection a real art so when you paint a picture of perfection on any of the holes here, you can be proud of your craftsmanship. One of the neat holes here isn't a big one – in fact it's less than 250 yards. That being said, if you try to drive the green make certain you do as the putting surface is well protected by large, deep bunkers and if you miss right, your ball can go for a good, long roll before it comes to a stop leaving you with a truly difficult approach over those same bunkers. So if you're fortunate enough to find yourself in the Wailea area on Maui and are looking for some great golf close at hand, give the this trio a go – you won't be disappointed. The Wailea courses are owned and operated by the GolfBC Group who offer online specials on tee time rates throughout the year. Go to golfbc.com to check them out. 2012 HAWAII UPDATE