GOLF IN PARADISE: Hawaii's Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

If you’ve got more than just a long weekend to devote to your golf obsession, then get on a plane and head for Hawaii’s Big Island, where golf nirvana awaits at the Hualalai Golf Club. You will have to check into the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai to experience that state of bliss, however, because only registered guests (or guests of the area’s homeowners) are invited to play on this incredible private golf course.

It isn’t exactly punishment to have to stay at the Four Seasons Hualalai, for it is one of the most visually stunning resorts along the Kohala Coast on the Kona side of the island. Lava beds, palm trees, sandy beaches, and beautiful bungalow accommodations are just part of the lovely elements that make up this exemplary destination. Add in a couple of top-notch restaurants, a fabulous spa and sports club, and even a traditional Hawaiian King’s Pond that teems with tropical fish and eagle rays and this is a place that fulfills your wildest vacation dreams.
Lava rock challenges the best golfers at Hualalai.
Hualalai’s golf course just adds to that dream, a Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole beauty that is home to the PGA Champions Tour MasterCard Championship through 2009. Surely it is the pros’ choice because it has such an awesome landscape, with black lava beds juxtaposed against perfectly kept green fairways, which are dotted with towering palm trees and lushly colorful flowers. All that beauty, plus numerous holes that offer views of Mauna Kea volcano or the vast ocean, complete with crashing surf and chances to spot migrating humpback whales in season, make this a golfing experience par excellence.

Many holes have ocean views at Hualalai.

Make sure to bring plenty of balls, as that black lava is sharp and unforgiving. Even if your ball bounces back in play after a hard thwack in one of the beds, it is often mangled beyond use. And watch for the wild goats that skitter across those same beds as if they were smooth grass; they are sure to bring an extra grin to your already smiling face.

Hualalai’s 19th watering hole is a gem, too. Award-winning chef Alan Wong presides over the Hualalai Grille, a casual eatery that overlooks the 18th and offers a kalua pig sandwich to die for.

You’ll want to play Hualalai at least a few times during your stay here and if you thirst for more world-class play, check out the Mauna Lani Resort’s North and South courses further up the coastline, as well as the Waikoloa Beach Resorts’ King Course and Beach Course.

More information: www.fourseasons.com/hualalai, www.maunalani.com, and www.waikoloabeachresort.com/golf.