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Fast Times at Turtle Bay
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 January 2005 |
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A $60 million upgrade on Oahu's north shore keeps golfers from island hoping By SCOTT GUMMER
Senior Writer, GOLF MAGAZINE Mid-irons are all that's required at any par 3 (the longest is 180 yards), and the toughest holes are a pair of par 5s, Nos. 7 and 10, marked at 544 and 502 yards, respectively. Doglegs and OB stakes make you think twice about unleashing the heavy metal, particularly at the tantalizing 277-yard, par-4 14th, but the steel-wool-wiry rough is really the biggest worry. Still, when the trade winds blow--at times upwards of 35 mph--all bets are off.
Recommended options for post-round relaxation are the Kukui & Macadamia Nut oil massage at the new Spa Luana or one (or more) of bartender Diane's mai tais at Lei Lei's next to the pro shop. Lei Lei's serves up the best golf club grub on this or any island--save for the Spam sushi. It's so good that locals come to the resort to eat.
The sixth on the Fazio courseCourtesy of Turtle Bay Resort
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The Palmer Course is in danger of being nicknamed the Irwin Course given that Hale has won all three Turtle Bay Championships since the Champions Tour started coming here in 2001.
The tournament has moved from October to a better late-January slot this year that should draw a stronger field of players on the heels of the MasterCard Championships, and come February the resort will also host a new LPGA event.
| Let The Wave Catch You |
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Surfing and golf have more in common than you might think. Both require a proper stance and precise timing, and both are best learned with a good teacher. Mine was Hans Hedemann, former pro champion turned entrepreneur with six surf schools on Oahu, including one right at Turtle Bay.
I'd surfed twice before, and both times I'd pearled--the surfing equivalent of pitching over the handlebars. There are great waves in Turtle Bay, but we opted for more manageable four-footers down the road at Malaekahana.
"Don't catch the wave," said Hans, after I promptly pearled. "Let the wave catch you." It was his way of saying, "Be the ball, Danny." The next wave caught me, and I experienced the most supreme pleasure as I rode it the length of a par 3.
Like golf, surfing is a mix of hits and misses, with each good ride erasing the duffs. In that way, golf and surfing are equally addictive: Once you get the hang, you're hooked.
-- S.G.
Hans Hedemann Surf School Two-hour lessons: $150 for one person, $125 per person for two people, $75 per person for three or four people. Equipment included. 808-924-7778, hhsurf.com. |
The course bends like a horseshoe around the 100-acre Punaho'olapa Marsh. Following a linksy front side, the back nine delves deep into a jungle. Hard to know what kind of mood the usually affable Arnie was in when he sketched this track because there are some spots where the design can be so punitive they ought to add a penal-code page to the yardage book. Like the first hole, where a sumo-size banyan tree blocks the corner on a sharp dogleg-right. And the second, with big boulders in the fairway bunker.
And the third, a par 5 with a sneaky bunker not visible from the fairway set smack where you think you want to hit your third shot. Are you starting to see a pattern here?
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