Princeville Makai Golf Club - Hole #7

Getting To Know: Princeville Makai Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With Eric Belmonte, Head Golf Professional

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Eric Belmonte who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Princeville Makai Golf Course sits on a bluff overlooking the deep blue pacific ocean. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. the Makai opened in 1971and has been ranked as one of Hawaii's top golf courses in Hawaii, appearing on numerous "Top 100 Lists". Princeville Makai Golf Club is managed by Troon Golf, the largest golf management company of golf and Club operations in the world managing courses in more than 29 countries and 34 American states.

Originally designed as a three nine-hole course, Ocean, Lakes and Woods. In October 2008, the course closed for extensive renovation and reopened in January 2010 featuring The 18-hole Makai Course incorporating the original Ocean and Lakes nines. The 9-hole Woods course reopened in April 2010.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf on the Island, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Golfers should play the Makai Golf Club due to the surrounding beauty, well manicured fairways and greens and the ocean front golf holes. We offer golfers a variety of golf packages to fit their needs. Golfers have a choice of playing 9 holes or 18 holes.

Makai also offers our popular Sunset Golf Cart Tour - it's a self guided tour on Makai's 18-hole course. A great way for non-golfers to enjoy the course. Before heading out on the tour, stop by our famous Makai Grill to pick snacks, soft drinks or an adult beverage.

You'll see different flowers, trees and during seasons, you'll get a chance to see whales breaching out in the pacific ocean and the Laysan Albatross and its baby nesting.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
The wind condition plays a big part in club selection. On a normal day with 5-10 mph wind, choose 1-1.5 club difference than what you would normally hit. On a lot of the holes, it's better to be long than short. Play Well!!

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
I am most proud of the condition of the golf course and all the compliments on the renovation we've received from guests that has been coming here for years, some over 20-30 years.

Here are a few Makai Awards.

2015/16 Golf Digest, Makai Course #65 on "America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses"

2015 Golfweek, Makai Course #42 in "Top 100 Resort Courses" and #4 in Hawaii's "Best Courses You Can Play"

2014/15 GOLF Magazine, Makai Course #5 in "Best Public Courses in Hawaii"; "Premier Golf Resorts in North America," Gold Medal for The St. Regis Princeville Resort

2014 Golfweek, Makai Course #86 in "Top 100 Resort Courses" and #4 in Hawaii's "Best Courses You Can Play"

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Princeville Makai Golf Club has four signature holes, Makai Course #3, #7, #13 and #18. The most photographed signature hole is #7, a par 3 one must carry nearly 200 yards from the back tees over a ravine and the ocean to a green fronted by a cliff with tropical vegetation and trees. It is also the most photographed hole because of the famous back drop of Bali Hai (Mt. Makana) in the movie South Pacific.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite is the par 5, 18th hole. With a well placed tee shot, golfers are able to go for the green in two over the lake and make a birdie and possibly an eagle. On the other hand, a bad second shot can cost you a few extra strokes. It's a risk/reward hole.

On your tee shot, aim a little left of the bunker that is well placed in the middle of the fairway and you'll have a shorter approach to the green.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
We have a great selection of Breakfast and Lunch items at the Makai Grill. A must have are our favorites the Turkey Wrap and Chicken Panini. Wash it down with our original Makai Tai drink.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
There is a tie for the course record. Record came during the Collegiate Golf Tournament here at Princeville Makai Golf Club hosted by the University of Hawaii.
Chad Ramey from Mississippi State 63
Frederick Wedel from Pepperdine 63

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7223
Slope: 134
Rating: 75.4

More Information
Princeville Makai Golf Club
4080 Lei O Papa Road
Princeville, Hawaii, 96722
808-826-1912
www.makaigolf.com

Revised: 05/07/2015 - Article Viewed 41,221 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.