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Honolulu Country Club

Private Course 18 Holes - Par 72 - 6129 Yards 1690 Ala Puumalu Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96818 Tel: (808) 833-4541 Fax: (808) 833-2801 Green Fees (subject to change) Time/Day Kamaaina Non-Resident Weekdays - - Weekends - - After 4:00 pm - - Dress code: No denim, collared shirt and bermuda shorts required Guest Policy: Open

 

Par Yardage Course Rating Slope Black 72 6615 70.8 128 White 72 6048 68.4 124 Red 72 5367 N/A N/A

 

Built in 1977 Francis Duane & Arnold Palmer

Greens: Poa Annua Grass

Fairways: Bermuda Grass

 

This course was built on flat terrain and has canals coming into play. The fairways are tree lined with Coconut trees. The Hawaiian Open Pro AM was held here in 1991. Guests are not allowed to play unless accompanied by a club member. The slope and course ratings are adjusted every six weeks.

Water is the name of the game at Honolulu Country Club. In fact, the 18 fairways at this very exclusive, private course almost resemble islands. Only two holes at Honolulu Country Club are not bordered by water, making it fortunate that heavy rains are rare on the leeward side of Oahu.

This par-72 course was constructed on the swampy flatlands of Salt Lake pond in 1976, across the highway from the Moanalua Country Club. Like Moanalua, the Honolulu Country Club was built on lands which were once part of the Samuel Mills Damon estate. Developed by Stan Himeno and his partner, Jiro Yanase of Japan, the wetland area was transformed into a challenging 18- hole golf course - one of the most unique on Oahu - by east coast architect Francis Duane, who had some help from Arnold Palmer. The 6,182 yards (from the middle tees) of this flat course offer views of the Honolulu skyline, the Koolau Range and Tripler Army Medical Hospital.

In addition to the water, Honolulu Country Club is famous as the home of "Celebrity Fairways." The holes are named for heads of state, scholars, athletes, and entertainers, some of whom also have been known to play a few rounds with the local members.

Despite being very flat, the course offers plenty of challenge, with lots of coconut palms and other trees and well-placed bunkers. But the main hazard is the ever-present water, especially on the back six holes. Water either borders, separates, or protects the greens an fairways of holes 12 through 18. And the fairways are narrow and quite unforgiving to slicers and hookers.

The par-four 6th hole is the number-one handicap on the course. A dogleg right that is named for Frank Sinatra, it measures 433 yards from the middle tee, and features a pond at the dog's knee and a triple-bunkered green. Number 12, a par-four, is named for Sony Corporation Chairman Akio Morita. It measures 331 yards from the regular tee and water does not come into play. But there are seven bunkers on this hole, including three on the fairway and four protecting the green.

Hawaii's famous champion swimmer and surfer, Duke Kahanamoku would appreciate his namesake hole, the par-three number 13, which looks a lot like a swimming pool. It is two-thirds water. At 144 yards from the regular tee, it's a pretty drive across a large pond to a green with two bunkers.

The par-5 finishing hole, named for Arnold Palmer, is one of the most demanding on this course. Water borders the entire left side of the fairway and wraps around the green, and trees line the right side. The dogleg left hole must be played over water to a green that is bunkered on the right, left and back sides.

Other "Celebrity Fairways" are named for former President Lyndon B. Johnson, former Hawaii governor John A. Burns, Israel's Golda Mier, and athletes Franco Harris, Pele, Joe DiMaggio, Billie Jean King, and Joe Louis.

The course is open daily from 7:00 am to sunset. Club members enjoy luxurious clubhouse facilities, including a plush dining room, men's grill, and conference room. The snack shop, tennis courts, and large swimming pool are flanked by an immaculate locker room with sauna, shower, and bath facilities. The well-stocked golf and tennis pro-shops and a night-lighted driving range complete the list of amenities.

The golf pro shop offers rentals of both golf clubs and powered golf cars. Golf cars are required on the course most times. Membership in the Honolulu Country Club is limited to 500 and there is, not surprisingly, a waiting list. Guests who wish to play golf must be accompanied by or sponsored by a club member. The Honolulu Country Club is often played by pro golfers and other celebrities prior to the PGA Tour's Hawaiian Open. The club also hosts the annual Danny Kaleikini Pro-Am Golf Classic.

 

 

Golf Pro Tips to help with your golf game in Hawaii Trade Winds The prevailing trade winds come directly from the northeast or from the direction of Diamond Head. If the winds are coming from the northeast, then the trade winds are blowing. If the wind is coming more from the south, then the Kona winds are blowing. "Kona" means south. The key to playing in the wind effectively is making the right club selection and to try to always make the wind your friend - in other words, don't fight it! Playing into the wind, take plenty of extra club and always swing within yourself. A hard aggressive swing puts more backspin on the ball causing it to fly higher and be more affected by the wind. As the Scot's would say, in the breeze, swing with ease! The same truth holds for down-wind shots - try to estimate the affect of the wind and choose the correct club. A crosswind will always magnify the direction of your ball - a slight fade can turn into a monster slice. So the key to playing into a crosswind is to try to work your ball against the wind. If the wind is a slice wind from left to right, then try to draw or hook your ball into the wind and vice-versa with a wind from right to left. Again, remember that the wind can be a friend if you allow for it!

Sand You will find that most of the Golf Courses here in Hawaii have beach sand. It may play a little different from what you're used to because it tends to be more granular and firmly packed. Luckily, you can avoid the dreaded plugged lie with this type of sand. Since the sand tends to be hard-packed, a sand wedge designed with minimum bounce will work best. A sand wedge with a lot of bounce will tend to deflect or "bounce" off of the firm sand and into the ball resulting in shots that fly over the green rather than land softly on them. If you're not sure of the bounce on your club, check with the Golf Shop. You also will want to avoid opening up the face of your sand wedge a lot since that creates additional bounce on your wedge. Good luck and remember you came to Hawaii to spend time on the sand.

Uneven Lies Swales and hills are a big part of most of the course designs in Hawaii and can make for some uneven lies. Remember to adjust the level of your shoulders to match the level of the slope. You will also need to adjust your balance to match the slope. On downhill lies, it's natural for your weight to be more on your downhill foot. To balance this out, try to place a little more weight on your uphill foot. Then, take a practice swing or two to see where the bottom of your swing is and then try to match your ball position to that bottom point.

Multi-tiered Greens A majority of our greens have multiple tiers. If you've missed the green on your approach, then getting it close to the pin is a real challenge. A high lofted pitch shot has a very small landing area to be successful. I would encourage you to consider chipping the ball with a lower lofted club to deal with these conditions. Keep the ball back in your stance, keep your hands slightly ahead of the ball to deliver a downward strike and always accelerate through the ball.

Reading Greens Most of the greens in Hawaii are Bermuda grass and tend to have "grain" in them. "Grain" means the tendency of the grass to lay over or to grow in a particular direction. A putt that is "down grain" will be faster and run farther than a putt of the same distance "into the grain". The best way to tell which direction the grain is growing is to look at grass on the edge of the cup. The grass will appear to be browner or slightly frayed on the side of the cup that is down grain so putts in that direction will be faster.   Generally speaking, the "grain" tends to grow in the same direction that the prevailing trade winds blow and also the setting sun.

 

 

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