Today, I along with Russ/ PM Hacker and Keola/ Lo_Pro_Hitta66 started off our day with a round of golf at Ko Olina Golf Club. Ko Olina is located on the west side of Oahu. It's about a twenty-five mile drive for me from downtown Honolulu and took me about twenty minutes to get there.

Ko Olina will be the sight of the first LPGA Fields Open in February. From the tips Ko Olina plays at 6867yards and has a course rating of 72.3 and a slope of 135.

I wanted to warm up everyone who is stuck in the colder regions so I managed to take a few photos. It was a beautiful 81* by the time the sun came up. Nothing better then playing one our final rounds of 2005 at a great looking course. Too bad we all managed to hack the ball everywhere we shouldn't have been! The course was playing pretty easy with barely any tradewinds. The greens were very receptive but also a tad bit on the slow side. I guess all greens are receptive when you're chipping on half the time!

Anyway...enough writing...here are the pictures. I hope it warms everyone up! Have a safe and happy holidays! ALOHA!

6:15am at the front entrance of Ko Olina Golf Club


6:45am at the putting green and driving range. Nike was going to hold a demo day later when the sun came up.



7am and the sun is finally rising on the 1st hole/ Par 5/ 518 yards



2nd Hole/ Par 4/ 412 yards




3rd Hole/ Par 4/ 362 yards




4th Hole/ Par 3/ 203 yards


5th Hole/ Par 5/ 528 yards




6th Hole/ Par 4/ 373 yards



7th Hole/ Par 4/ 444 yards

Harbor alongside the 7th fairway


8th Hole/ Par 3/ 195 yards


9th Hole/ Par 4/ 438 yards



10th Hole/ Par 4/ 413 yards


11th Hole/ Par 4/ 407 yards



12th Hole/ Par 3/ 166 yards.....tunnel & waterfall to go through to get to the tee and some other nice ponds and black swans








13th Hole/ Par 5/ 514 yards


14th Hole/ Par 5/ 516 yards.



15th Hole Par 4/ 353 yards



16th Hole Par 3/ 227 yards




17th Hole Par 4/ 353 yards




18th Hole Par 4/ 428 yards

Great pics, thanks for sharing. I especially like the first couple of pics where the morning dew is still on the ground. There's nothing like being the first or second group off in the morning.

great pictures, must be nice not to see any white stuff. I'm stuck in 4 plus feet of snow, but we did have a heat wave today a high of 19 degrees.

Question what does it cost to play?

Have a great Holiday!!

Glad you guys are liking the pics. As for price....we locals paid $70 which is pretty high for us compared to most other courses. I'm not sure of what the price is for tourist, but I wouldn't doubt it's over $150.

Thanks for the scoop, I'll be staying there next week

( * )

beruo

buddy!

I'll tell you all about the round later. By the way, 3rd hole pic with the ball on the green...my only birdie all day!

Magnificent!!! Absolutly Beautiful......thanks for sharing.



...a little "left to right slider", Nice putt!

How about the 8th hole? .....Gorgeous!

Those pictures were awesome, I do have to admit I might have thrown up a little in my mouth when I heard it was 81.... When I woke up it was -8 yesterday, I think it got to +10 or 15, can't tell you how jealous I am!!!

As a graduate of Mililani High (c/o 1991), I suffer the pain of knowing how good golf is in paradise. Thanks for the pics and the memories!

Nick

That looks magnificent, and just a bit warmer than the UK right now. Thanks for the pics, pitbull.

Reid,
thanks for sharing those. Must be nice to live in a warm climate. My mizuno's are currently collecting dust in the bag. I love Hawaii. I've been to maui twice and played all the great tracks over there. Hopefully i'll get to your island some time. Enjoy !!

Glad you guys are liking the pics! I hope it brought some sunshine into your dreary winter days!

Nick...I didn't know we had a "Trojan" on board!

Beautiful course, looks playable/open. It's over freezing here and should be for the next couple of days. Might be able to get in a round before new years if the rest of this snow goes away. Last year at this time I was on Maui enjoying the golf. I definitely should have gone back.

Just for your info, green fees are $160.00 USD for visitors. Hope you enjoy the course

Hopefully, we'll play the Palmer Course @Turtle Bay Resort for our Inaugural Round of 2006 since I've already booked a tee time. I hope our scores are a lot lower than @Ko'Olina GC. Speaking of which, I got to get my butt to the driving range early this morning.

Yes buddy...hopefully they'll be better at the Palmer. Don't practice too hard...we should be able to go low easily on Monday if we just use a little brain work instead of trying to out muscle the course!

Pitt:

I played there numerous times last week! I just got back yesterday after staying at the Ihilani Resort next door. Pitt, you are really lucky with the kamaaina rate!

Thanks Reid for posting some pic's of another of your great courses.

I can add some pictures of the rain/ snow mixture that we are receiving today.

Keep those course pic's coming, i like the waterfall that you drive behind, very cool.

Thanks again. John.

Great pics...The weather is here, wish you were beautiful!!!

P.S. I put the pic with the sun shinning through the palm as my desk top back ground. All of us here in the cold climate say thanks! (Though we're gonna have close to 60* tomorrow...I feel an illness coming on!)

Send that weather here! hahaha Beautiful pictures, especially the waterfall

I'm really glad you're all liking the pictures. It makes it all worthwhile...taking, resizing and posting them. If you've never attempted playing a round of golf and also taking the pics at the same time, it's hard to stay mentally in the game.

Blade..I love that sun picture too. I've got it as my wallpaper too. Kazt, you're right the Kamaaina rate it great but even at $70 it's really high compared to the many other courses and options we have. John....with all the snow you've been in...you were my inspiration to go out and take the pics!


Wait till next year and Russ/Pm Hacker. Keola/lo_pro_hitta and I will be at the Turtle Bay/Palmer Course. Site of an LPGA and Champions tournaments. We've got our tee time set up and will be out there just before they have the tournament.

Great pics, the 8th hole is a beauty. Man I wish I was there!!

"Glad you guys are liking the pics! I hope it brought some sunshine into your dreary winter days!

Nick...I didn't know we had a "Trojan" on board! "


Yep - even worked on the Trojan Times, school newspaper.

I only made the tournament squad once or twice --- plus our best player was a girl (Lisa --- can't remember her last night, sorry).

I was around when the Lee brothers were the best juniors --- Regan was one of 'em.

Nick, okay...I figured out your time frame. One of the members here at Golfwrx is good friends with Regan. I just know of him. I was from the older days and the guys you may/may not remember. The guys I played with who are now local Pro's were Beau Yokomoto, Phil Chun, Shane Abe, Brandon Moynahan. Probably the better known older guys were Don Hurter now more known for his teaching in Colorado, Greg Meyer of the JPGA.

Nice to have you here!

Reid,

Going off topic, but how do you like your MP-60s versus the -32s? I've beeen a Hogan fan for yearss but living in Japan, you just can't avoid the deluge of Mizuno ads! Also, I can custom order quite easily from Mizuno, which is a plus.

[/quote]


Nick, okay...I figured out your time frame. One of the members here at Golfwrx is good friends with Regan. I just know of him. I was from the older days and the guys you may/may not remember. The guys I played with who are now local Pro's were Beau Yokomoto, Phil Chun, Shane Abe, Brandon Moynahan. Probably the better known older guys were Don Hurter now more known for his teaching in Colorado, Greg Meyer of the JPGA.

Nice to have you here!
[/quote]

I enjoyed my years in the islands, and certainly welcome the opportunity to reminisce and see what's up now.

Greg Meyer and David Ishii were the biggest names I remember.

There was also a younger local --- big fella --- whose family was prominent in Hawaii golf. I think at the time (89-91) he was attempting to go pro (either Japan or mainland). The last name escapes me. I just remember how big the sumbiskit was and how far he could pound it.

My wife would love to visit Hawaii (doesn't everyone) --- maybe I can swing it for the 20th high school reunion.

Damn I'm old.

Great pics...they really make me sick now seeing what I missed out on.I was sopposed to play there a few years ago when visiting my cousin...he set it up for me to play for free as a friend was going to get me out and all I had to do was buy the guy a few beers...turns out we stayed out all night drinking and I never made it there to play..I woke up in the morning and it was pouring rain and went back to bed but where the course was I didn't rain at all.

Nick, you're not getting old because I had my 20th two years ago. I grew up playing with Greg and stayed with his family when I played the Big Island. As for David...he watched me grow up. He was one of my teachers and I also worked with him at Pearl CC for the summer. I remember once at the Pearl driving range, I was hitting a persimmon Joe Powell driver that I had just picked up. I was hitting it like crap and David noticed. He came up to me and asked what was the problem. I told him it was a new driver and it was crappy. David grabbed it from me stepped up and teed a ball up. He proceeded to hit it over the driving range and onto the 17th hole fairway. He did this again three more times. He gave a smirk and handed the driver back to me saying..."Hmm...works okay." I laughed my butt off. For a skinny guy he sure could pound the ball. Which is probably one of the reasons he was so successful on the JPGA and also won the Sony Open.

Nice pics, I'd be playing tomorrow here at home in San Diego if I didnt have to got testify at trial against a vanadal that trashed a car. Maybe I can talk the D/A out of needing me, after all I only took pics/fingerprints.

Just reviving this thread to say "Thanks for the pictures"!! Looking at each one brought back exact memories of my round there a couple of months ago.

#8 & #18 were my favorites. 8 is great because you can go for the green over water, or take the safe route and punch it along the right side. True risk/reward.

18 is fantastic because you have two very hard golf shots to avoid the water, and your approach will most likely be in front of a "gallery" at Roy's restaurant.

Truly a great course, I'll play there again on my next visit.

Thanks again!!

Reid, thanks for the great pic's You made a very cold midwestern winters day a little warmer with those pictures.

In 2 monthes or so all our snow should be gone and the courses will be opening, but it will take till the first of June to get warm weather and leaves on all the trees.

So in other words keep sending us snow bunnies lots a great warm pictures to help us make it thru the winter.

Terry

^^I second that request!

Oh, and I made your picture of #8 my new wallpaper at work.

No problem guys! Glad to share the courses here with all of you. I'll be posting Luana Hills or what I call Jurassic Park Golf and Makaha West pictures soon. They should be up my Thursday!

You lucky ~*%!!""%*!!!

Any of you guys out there currently under snow, ice or whatever, and want to play some of the best golf in the world have got to come to Ireland / Northern Irelnd. You'll get a warm welcome, you'll get great food, you'll play great golf.... and you'll definately get drunk.

If you couldn't be bothered with the travelling then get yourself down to that Ko Olina joint! It looks awesome. Great pics mate.

Being of Irish descent, Ireland was always on my "must-visit" list. Probably sometime in 2009 (jeez, time flies, eh??). I've moved it up in the list after seeing some of the tremendous courses throughout the beautiful country!

I just wanted to bump this thread up since all eyes this week in the golf world will probably be on the LPGA. The first meeting of Wie, Pressell, Creamer, Miyazato as professionals should be interesting here at Ko Olina.

I'll watch all three rounds (though I have to TiVO the last round)!

PHAG !!!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO

Dats it,, I coming home...............

Bruddah...do it and bring back some of your new toys!

K Den.....

I'll be home March 13th through April 5. I'll bring some new toys for sure.

Hooo..bruddah..dats one long vacation!

can brah can................


SUPAMAN......

^^Dude...why would you ever leave paradise??? I guess the only reason I'd leave is a good woman or a GREAT paycheck!

Rock Fever. I have been cured.

Eh???

To heck with the paycheck. The bruddah's got some of the best toys around!

OMG...BATMAN?? IS THAT YOU???

Updated the thread since Reid visited my post on my wonderful round at Ko Olina Golf Club this first week of August 2007.

An update on the rate: it is steep, at $105 for twighlight (after 2:00PM). Morning rate is something like $175 for us tourists.

I also played a very nice round at Ko'olau Golf Club. The rate there is more gentle at $75 for a noon tee time through TeeTimesAmerica.com (they also sell Ko Olina, but the discount is not that great) which is a nice saving from the standard $105 for after 1:00PM twilight.

That said, both courses were worth every penny