Hole 12 - Another Great Hole

The Makai Golf Course

The Signature Holes

By Brian Weis

Eric Belmonte, PGA, Head Golf Professional, at Makai Golf Club describes the signature holes at the course.

HOLE 3 - Par 3

Yardage: 181, 153, 150, 130 yards
The third hole is as challenging as it is spectacular. This perilous par 3 requires a short iron shot from a teeing area elevated 100 feet above a protected green below. A beautiful lake fronting the green mingles with the beauty of Hanalei Bay in the background and the north shore's breathtaking mountains. With the trade winds blowing from behind and the enormous drop to the green, usually two clubs less are required, making this beauty less beastly.
Yards: 181 153 150 130

HOLE 7 - Par 3

Yardage: 181, 153, 150, 130 yards
An exceptionally frightening par 3, while at the same time featuring the tranquil beauty of the Pacific Ocean and Hanalei Bay. From the championship tees, one must carry nearly 200 yards over a ravine that is 160 feet deep--with the sea churning against the black rocks at the bottom--to a green fronted only by a cliff garnished with tropical vegetation and trees.

HOLE 13 - Par 3

Yardage: 255 198 175 145 yards
This testy par 3 is normally played into the stiff Pacific trade winds, requiring a well-struck shot with plenty of club. The Pacific Ocean lies beyond, providing frequent winter sightings of humpback whales, with soaring albatross and the Kilauea Lighthouse in the background. Be sure to hit several extra clubs into the stiff wind as the bunkers and steep face will not allow for a roll-up approach.

HOLE 18 - Par 5

Yardage: 567, 534, 505, 403 yards
A thrilling par 5 where the golfer coaxes his ball in successive shots over two large lakes to a solitary green fronted by water. This finishing hole reshuffled the leader board during every Women's Kemper Open the course hosted. A gusty, well-placed drive over the first lake can put you in position to go-for-broke over the lake protecting the green. Even a perfect lay-up second shot doesn't assure a par 5, as the wedge shot still must clear the lake.

More Information
Makai Golf Club at Princeville
4080 Lei O Papa Rd
Princeville, HI 96722
Phone: 808-826-1912

Revised: 03/16/2012 - Article Viewed 30,613 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.