NAWILIWILI — From the dust of renovations, 27 holes of championship golf will emerge once the three phases are complete. Jack Nicklaus, the original designer of the Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club as a Nicklaus Signature Course, was on hand Friday
NAWILIWILI — From the dust of renovations, 27 holes of championship golf will emerge once the three phases are complete.
Jack Nicklaus, the original designer of the Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club as a Nicklaus Signature Course, was on hand Friday to personally inspect the ongoing renovation work that started earlier this summer.
“It’s great to be back here in Hawai‘i and at Kaua‘i Lagoons which has always been one of my favorite golf courses,” he said.
Originally, the Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club consisted of 36 holes made up of The Kiele Course and The Mokihana Course, The Kiele being the more recognized because of the accolades and awards it earned.
The renovations to the 36 holes are being handled in three phases with Nicklaus doing all the redesign work so it remains a Nicklaus Signature Course, states a release from Kaua‘i Lagoons.
The renovation work involves new irrigation, new types of grass on the greens, new sand in the bunkers and drainage and design changes.
A large entourage accompanied Nicklaus, who spent more than four hours inspecting the work being done on the Kiele Back 9 and overflowing to the future changes to the Kaua‘i Lagoons Third 9 as well as the Kiele Front 9.
Engineers, agronomists, as well as representatives from the contractor doing the work joined Nicklaus and the corps of Kaua‘i Lagoons staff.
“The new holes we are building are going to fit in nicely with what golfers have come to expect from the Kiele Golf Course,” Nicklaus told Scott Ashworth, the Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club director of golf. “Great golf holes with beautiful ocean panoramic views.”
The first phase involves the former Kiele Back 9 and the first hole of the “new nine” which will be referred to as “Kiele Kai 9” during the renovation work.
What was the “Kiele Back 9” will be named “Kiele Makai 9” and involves 10 holes of renovation which include four new holes — Kiele Kai No. 1 and Kiele Makai No. 1, 2, and 6. Work on this phase is currently in progress with a planned re-opening as Kiele Makai scheduled for May 2011.
“We are very fortunate to gain an ocean hole,” Nicklaus said, pausing in his tour long enough to chat with a pair of young boys using the comfort station after taking advantage of the Admission Day holiday to do some body surfing. “What an opportunity to build a golf hole that hugs the coastline.”
Kenneth Kimura of the Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club said when work is done, there will be five straight holes being played with water bodies as its boundaries.
One of those include the former Kiele No. 13.
“What an incredible hole,” Nicklaus said while inspecting the work being done. “This is one of the most photographed and beautiful golf holes anywhere. No changes needed here!”
The second phase is planned for the former front nine of Kiele which will be named “Kiele Mauka 9,” Ashworth said.
“Work on this nine should start in the summer of 2011 and be finished in the spring of 2012,” he said. “This phase involves the renovation of seven holes and two new holes — the No. 1 and No. 9.”
The final phase of renovation is scheduled to start in the summer of 2012 and finish in the spring of 2013 and involves the completion of the Kiele Kai 9, a new driving range and practice facility, and a new clubhouse located at Fashion Landing.
“I’m amazed at the energy Mr. Nicklaus had when he was examining the holes,” Ashworth said, being called on for consultation numerous times during the tour. “It’s amazing the memory he has from when he originally designed the golf course, mentioning numerous times how much he likes the Kiele Course and how much he looks forward to updating of the course and bringing the ‘Third 9’ up to the level of the Kiele Course.”
When complete, Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club will offer 27 holes of championship Jack Nicklaus Signature golf with a 1/2-mile stretch of ocean holes — more than any other course in the state.
“I didn’t realize the extent of this project and renovation here at Kaua‘i Lagoons,” Nicklaus said. “With these changes, Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Course is going to be an incredible golf facility with a premier layout and immaculate course conditions.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
