Kaua‘i Earns Top Honors in GOLF Magazine ‘Best-Of’ Rankings

Garden Isle Courses Garner Four of the Top Eight Spots in Hawaii; Prince Course at Princeville Golf Club Ranked No. 1 

(KAUA‘I, Hawaii) – The Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau announces today that all five courses in its golf-and-resort lifestyle destination co-operative – Kaua'i: Discover Golf's Ultimate Island Green – are ranked on GOLF Magazine’s biennial "2012 Best Courses You Can Play" by state list.

Kaua‘i courses hold four of the top eight spots in the “Best-Of” state rankings. The newly renovated Prince Course at Princeville Golf Club is the No. 1-ranked course in Hawaii and also landed at No. 16 on the magazine’s “Top-100 Courses You Can Play” list. Following the Prince Course in the state rankings are Makai Golf Club at Princeville at No. 5, Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club at No. 7,  Poipu Bay Golf Club at No. 8 and Puakea Golf Course at No. 17.

There are more than 90 golf courses in Hawaii and only 20 were cited for “Best-Of” distinction.  The complete rankings are available online and will be published in the September 2012 edition of GOLF Magazine.

“We are thrilled to once again have our golf courses included in these prestigious rankings,” said Sue Kanoho, Executive Director of the Kaua'i Visitors Bureau. “Kaua'i provides an amazing collection of unforgettable courses and resorts and honors such as these further solidify the island as one of the best golf destinations not only in the state of Hawaii, but in the world.”

Nearly all of the courses and resorts in the co-operative have recently undergone major enhancement projects, helping improve their standing in the GOLF Magazine rankings.

The Prince Course at Princeville rose from No. 22 in 2010 to its current No. 16 ranking in the Top-100 after completing a 15-month renovation program in March. The refurbishment was overseen by Robert Trent Jones II – the original designer – and included the reconstruction and reconfiguring of green contours as well as the widening of fairways to promote a more enjoyable experience for players of all levels.

In addition, Kauai Lagoons Golf Club soared from No. 18 in the 2010 “Best-Of” state rankings to No. 7 this year, while Makai Golf Club at Princeville improved three spots.

The Jack Nicklaus-designed Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club opened the new Kiele Moana (Ocean) Course in May of 2011 and now features the longest stretch of ocean holes in Hawaii. Makai Golf Club at Princeville, also a Robert Trent Jones II design, underwent an extensive multi-million dollar renovation to redesign greens, fairways, tee boxes and bunkers in 2010.

Poipu Bay Golf Club, which along with the adjacent Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa has been named one of the top golf resorts in the world, re-opened in December 2010 to rave reviews after installing the eco-friendly Seashore Paspalum turf on all greens.

Puakea Golf Course is annually included among Hawaii’s best courses in national rankings and is situated at the base of towering Mount Haupu. The Robin Nelson-design plays through deep ravines, crosses mountain-fed streams and reveals sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

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

You can also follow Kaua‘i Golf on Twitter at  www.twitter.com/kauaiGolf, or “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Kauai-Golf/204271937068.

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