Wailua Municipal Golf Course Detail
This writeup was done from the white tees (6585 yards). The blue tees run 6981 yards, which isn't outrageously long, but the white tees are plenty of golf course for your average bogey golfer. There are lots of 400+ yard par fours, which are plenty long at sea level...
#1 is a wide open par 5, which doglegs to the right along the seashore. This is a great warmup hole because a) it's hard to get in trouble, and b) there's the ocean!
#2 is a 441 yard par 4, which also runs alongside the ocean. This is difficult (for me) to reach in two, but be patient, and don't overswing. If you make a bogey, so be it. But don't make it worse than it needs to be...
#3 is a long par 3 running away from the ocean. Take a few pictures from the tee box, and then turn your mind back to golf. The best miss is short, so you avoid the cavernous bunkers. This is a big green, so if the pin is back, make sure to use plenty of club.
#4 is a straightforward par 4, playing 396 yards. It helps to hit it straight, and not let it leak into the trees (and the hazard!) to the right.
#5 is one of the shorter par 4s, playing only 340 yards. It's pretty much straightaway, so play it like you find it. The angle is a little better from the right half of the fairway, but anything in the short grass is basically okay.
#6 is a bit longer, and dog legs slightly left as your tee shot goes over a hill. This angle is definitely better coming in from the right.
#7 is a shorter par 3 that is well defended by bunkers front and left. If the pin is forward, either a) don't miss, or b) miss a little left. Missing a little short or a little right will dump you in the front bunker. If the pin is back, make sure you take plenty of club to avoid those bunkers.
#8 is kind of a replay from #5, except it's a little longer. Same advice as before, namely keep it in play, and favor the right half of the fairway.
#9 is a short par 5 that doglegs a little bit left. If you remember to hit your tee shot straight, this hole is pretty straightforward. (I guess that can be said for a lot of holes.)
#10 is a little longer par 5 running alongside the highway. It kind of sits down in a depression so the nearby road doesn't really get in your head. Pay attention -- you really need a good tee shot. If you leak into the trees very far, this can run into extra strokes pretty quick.
#11's tee box staggered back alonside the #10 fairway 80 yards or so. The hole then wraps around a pond to the left. Don't try to get too cute and cut that corner -- the hole is only 356 yards, and the distance you might save really doesn't justify the risk.
#12 goes up a hill to the back corner of the course, and seems to play longer than it should. It only claims to be 390 yards, but it takes two pretty heroic shots to get there. Be mindful of the bunkers left and right, and take an extra club on your approach shot.
#13 is a 521 yard par 5 that doglegs left around a corner in the trees. Stay away from that corner! Hit the ball out straight. The second shot is challenged by a water feature that runs across the fairway. Whether there's water in it will depend on how recent the last rainstorm was. You need to hit a solid shot to clear the ditch. If you choose to lay up, you're still well over 200 yards from the green. Favor the left side of the fairway on your second shot to set up an ideal approach, staying away from overhanging trees on the right.
#14 is an uphill par 3. The scorecard says 168. It seemed longer than that to me, largely because you're hitting over a big swale as you go up the hill. There's a mean bunker on the right side of the green. The green also has two tiers front to back. Try and land on the right one.
#15 is a long par 4 (434 yards) from an elevated tee. I hit a pretty good drive, and didn't quite reach the green with a well-hit two hybrid (perhaps I need to change my definition of "pretty good"). The green, once you get to it, falls away steeply to the right and behind, so don't be long!
#16 is a fairly short hole (346 yards), with a nearly right angle bend to the left. It's also uphill. Do crowd the corner on the left to set up the ideal approach shot with a wedge.
#17 is 173 yard par 3 that is worth the price of admission all by itself. It provides the best view of the ocean on the entire course. Take plenty of club -- there's probably going to be a breeze coming in off the ocean, and there's a huge bunker running all the way across the front of the green.
#18 is a tricky hole. It's 374 yards, it doglegs right around a very dense grove of trees, and the tee shot goes through a kind of narrow chute. Do not miss it right, or you're looking at double bogey (unless you lose your ball completely in the trees...). Favor the left center of the fairway, and hang the extra distance. The green is huge, and has steep drop-offs left and long. Tough hole.
This course is a great value. Lots of ocean holes, lots of character, very reasonably priced. Bring your own snacks.
| 
