NAWILIWILI — The Kiele Moana Nine will be open to the public starting Monday. Scott Ashworth, the Kaua‘i Lagoons director of golf, welcomed a handful of dignitaries and anxious golfers to a brief dedication ceremony Saturday officiated by Kehaulani Kekua
NAWILIWILI — The Kiele Moana Nine will be open to the public starting Monday.
Scott Ashworth, the Kaua‘i Lagoons director of golf, welcomed a handful of dignitaries and anxious golfers to a brief dedication ceremony Saturday officiated by Kehaulani Kekua before the golfers departed to experience the newly re-opened part of the course.
Ashworth said it has been four years since the Kiele was taken off line for renovation and reworking as part of the overall golf course renovation work.
Under the new plan, Kaua‘i Lagoons Golf Club, formerly a 36-hole course encompassing the Mokihana course and the Kiele course, will become a 27-hole complex comprised of the Kiele Moana Nine, the Kiele Mauka Nine which is currently in play, and when completed, the Kiele Waikahe Nine, a future project.
One of the new features of the Kiele Moana Nine is the creation of a new ocean hole, the No. 15, which was reviewed and discussed with Jack Nicklaus during his visit in August.
With the completion of the Kiele Moana Nine, work started on Phase 2 of the project which will renovate and upgrade the Kiele Mauka Nine, Ashworth said.
Some of the notable differences will be replacing the current “red” sand with the more pristine white silica sand found on the Kiele Moana Nine and regrassing with the Tifeagle turf for faster and more consistent putting.
Kekua, being called on to dedicate several projects within the Kaua‘i Lagoons complex, said the “Moana” of Kiele Moana refers to the vastness of the ocean to the horizon and the vastness of depth of the ocean which cannot be seen.
This differs from “kai” which means “salt water,” she said.
The Kiele Moana delivers with three new holes, offering the longest stretch of continuous ocean holes of any course in Hawai‘i, the Kaua‘i Lagoons website states.
Moana also means a place where decisions are made and in ancient times was referred to a place where chiefs met on important matters.
As she spoke, the trill of auku‘u competed with the drone of metal birds in the breezes which blanketed the audience and swept the fairways of the No. 18, sending auku‘u to flight.
Kenneth Kimura, the Kaua‘i Lagoons director of operations, said this weekend was devoted to the island. Saturday was the blessing and a mini tournament with entertainment and pupu. Today, kama‘aina have an opportunity to play the Kiele Moana before the course is open to the public Monday morning.
“The entire day is reserved for kama‘aina only as a mahalo for their patience over the past four years as we worked on the Kiele Moana Nine,” Kimura said. “The day has already been sold out and we have 180 eager kama‘aina golfers scheduled starting from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.”
Ashworth said there are already two tournaments scheduled for the new course: on June 4, Linda Smith, principal of Kaua‘i High School, will lead the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation tournament; on June 18, Ben Simao, the front desk associate at the Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club, is spearheading a tournament benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network.
