GolfClubAtlas.com > Golf Course Architecture
Kahuku Golf Course profile is posted under Courses by Country
Jerry Kluger:
I remember when I first went to Ireland my introduction to true local golf was Mulranny where you put your green fee in the honor box and you played the course watching not to step in cow or sheep droppings and teeing off with a cow lying next to your your ball. It is these nine hole courses that have so much character and bring you back to what is the nature ;D of the game.
Joe_Tucholski:
Being on a small island it sounds strange to say but the course is remote. From where I lived it took over an hour to drive to the course, without traffic. There really isn't a large population base that this course can draw from. The only other course in the general area is Turtle Bay. Turtle Bay clearly targets tourists but also has a pretty good deal for locals where the golf comes out to $50ish/round (and a $15 dollar super twilight rate).
I figure the course serves the small local population around Kahuku and Laie and is good for what it is. Like most golf on Oahu, keep your expectations low, enjoy the setting and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised.
John Morrissett:
One of the real pleasures to be found in golf is playing a good course about which you know next to nothing. The first round at Fishers Island in 1986 will always win the prize for this award with the Morrissett family. Imagine playing that gem without ever having seen a picture of it and knowing nothing other than the fact that Seth Raynor designed it; by the time Ran, Dad and I reached the 5th tee, we were positively hyperventilating and wondering if we were on the greatest course on the planet!
While not on the same scale as that experience as Fishers Island, my first time at Kahuku Golf Course was similar. I had seen two or three pictures of the course and read a few comments about it but otherwise knew no details. I wound up loving it: A beautiful setting and very good piece of property, a fun variety of holes, some unique architectural elements, and a casual Hawaiian atmosphere. That first visit led to a second visit on a subsequent trip to Oahu, and it’s safe to say that any future trip to the island will include one or more rounds at Kahuku.
Sometimes critics overlook the fact that golf courses are purpose built – they are there to achieve a particular objective of the owner (host a significant tournament, be a “Top 100” course, allow resort guests a pretty but undemanding round, help sell real estate, present a fun challenge for members, allow beginners to play in a non-intimidating environment, etc.). Kahuku was never intended to host a big tournament or enter into any rankings. Rather, it was built to provide a recreational venue for employees and local residents. Given the loyal following the course enjoys locally among players of all skill levels, it has certainly achieved its goal of serving as a place for fun, and it is has me wishing that I lived nearby so it could be my home course. (Granted, if I lived nearby I would be happy for many other reasons as well!)
John Morrissett:
I played Wailua back in 2001 and don't entirely trust my memory of it. I remember the 2nd along the beach and the two par three on the back nine as standout holes. It was certainly an amazing value, and it has even hosted a couple of U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships. As Joe points out, Kahuku is off the beaten path, while Wailua is very much on the the beaten path (at least in terms of Kauai, where it borders the main road).
While this has nothing to do with architecture, Kahuku feels more like that cliche of a "hidden gem" - you won't stumble across it accidentally, there is little to be found about it even in this age of the internet, and it has a loyal following. It also receives much less play than Wailua does. On the architecture side, while each hole has something to it, I love the stretch of 3-6 and to see how the dune was used unapologetically for three par threes and a drivable par 4. Those four holes are fun as well as challenging. The 5th is one of the most clever and original holes (and in a deceivingly simple way) that I have come across.
MCirba:
Nothing definitive yet, but I'd be surprised if the course wasn't planned or designed by one Thomas G.S. Walker, a transplanted Scot who became manager of the Kahuku Plantation in 1928 at age 32. He came to Hawaii in 1920 after being wounded twice in WWI as a Lieutenant in the Royal Scots.
Walker was a much beloved manager, and when his house burned down in 1932 the locals took a collection and presented Walker and his wife with $2,200 in the midst of the Depression. Walker was a huge advocate for sports, a local politician, a golfer, and seemingly a man of great generosity who built the golf course where his workers played for free. Joe Katsuuma was his Athletic Director and may have been similarly involved.
https://www.localciting.com/mapping-the-territory/survey-of-kahuku-as-a-plantation-town-kahuku-ahupuaa-oahu/
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