Kaua'i Resorts Honored By Golf Digest In Prestigious "Top 75" List

(KAUA'I, Hawaii) - The Kauai Visitors Bureau has announced that golf resorts on the Garden Isle have been honored in Golf Digest's list of the "Best 75 Golf Resorts in North America."

The St. Regis Princeville Resort is ranked No. 20 on the prestigious biennial list that was published in the November 2011 issue of Golf Digest while the Grand Hyatt Kaua'i Resort & Spa - located adjacent to Poipu Bay Golf Course - earned the No. 27 spot.

"Having these Kauai golf-and-resort destination partners honored by an esteemed publication like Golf Digest is a true testament to the quality of golf available on the island," said Sue Kanoho, Executive Director of the Kaua'i Visitors Bureau. "Along with Kaua'i Lagoons and Puakea Golf Course, these courses combine to provide five world-class, award-winning options, adding to the array of other activities and natural beauty Kaua'i has to offer."

To determine the 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America, Golf Digest surveyed its course-rating panelists, a collection of more than 1,000 avid players throughout the United States and Canada. The panelists rated each resort they have visited within the past three years. The scoring was based on the raters' overall impression of each resort's quality, not strictly its golf courses.

Overlooking beautiful Hanalei Bay, The St. Regis Princeville Resort marks the legendary brand's first resort in Hawaii. The resort is located nearby two highly acclaimed championship courses - The Prince Course at Princeville and Makai Golf Club at The St. Regis Princeville Resort - and features the renowned Halele'a Spa and The Kauai Grill by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, as well as luxury accommodations.

The Prince Course at Princeville was also included on Golf Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses earlier this year and in recent years has been ranked as the No. 1 course in Hawaii. The course re-opens on December 14, following an extensive refurbishment project that will include the reconstruction of putting greens and bunkers, the widening of fairways and the addition of new tees for added shot value and variety. Tee times are now available to play the newly renovated course by calling call 1-800-826-1105 or visiting www.princeville.com.

Makai Golf Club at The St.Regis Princeville Resort - also the work of Robert Trent Jones, Jr. - underwent extensive renovation in 2009 and reopened last year in immaculate condition, providing spectacular playing surfaces for golfers of all skill levels. Over the past year, the Makai Course claimed second place nationwide in Golf Inc.'s "Renovation of the Year" awards and was named to Golf World's list of "America's 100 Best Golf Shops.".

Poipu Bay also underwent a recent refurbishment program, unveiling new Seashore Paspalum greens and enhanced bunkers and tee boxes in December of 2010. Poipu Bay - yet another Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design - gained international recognition as home to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 1994 through 2006.

Together with the Grand Hyatt Kaua'i it has been ranked as one of the best golf resorts in the world by other national publications, including Conde Nast Traveler. The oceanfront resort, which completed a $45-million guestroom renovation earlier this year, features lush gardens with manicured lawns, six restaurants and six lounges, a water playground with a river pool, waterfalls, a saltwater lagoon, tennis and the celebrated Anara Spa.

Golfers who visit Kaua'i frequently play two other award-winning courses that are included in the "Kaua'i: Discover Golf's Ultimate Island Green" golf co-op:

• Puakea Golf Course: This local-favorite has been ranked among the Top-15 courses in Hawaii by both GOLF Magazine and Golfweek. The Robin Nelson-design flows seamlessly around the lush landscape, offering up-close views of Mt. Ha'upu, which were used as the backdrop for the blockbuster motion picture "Jurassic Park."

• Kaua'i Lagoons Golf Club: Located adjacent to the Kaua'i Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach, Kaua'i Lagoons now features the longest stretch of continuous ocean holes in all of Hawaii after opening the new Kiele Moana (Ocean) Nine in May. The club revamped the former Kiele Back Nine by creating three new holes, replacing the greens and installing white silica sand bunkers to create 18 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature golf.

For more information about golf on the Garden Isle visit www.kauaidiscovery.com/activities/golfing/, www.twitter.com/kauaiGolf, or call 800-262-1400.

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