PRINCEVILLE — Disc golf can now be played on the North Shore.
Princeville Makai Golf Club now features an 18-hole disc golf course — the Princeville Mauka Disc Golf Course.
The course was designed and set up by disc golf manufacturer Innova Disc Golf. Innova’s Harold Duvall, Andrew Duvall and Darrell Bankes were on Kauai and designed the course in Princeville.
Tom Freestone, the head golf pro at the Princeville Makai Golf Club, said that the Duvalls and Bankes designing a course on Kauai is like as if three golf greats designed a golf course here.
“They all collaborated on it, and they had a wonderful experience doing it,” he said. “That’s what happened here at Princeville Makai. We just had one of the serious legends of the game come in (Harold Duvall), his son (Andrew Duvall) who is a very high-regarded disc golfer and designer, and then one of the lead designers of disc golf (Bankes) all came together here and created what they believe is the greatest disc golf course in the world.”
It all started because of a chance encounter between Bankes and Kauai resident Phil Worwa, who is also known locally as the Santa In Paradise.
Worwa operates a disc golf course at the Puakea Golf Course in Lihue and has been a disc golf enthusiast since 1978.
Soon after Worwa and Bankes met at Puakea, Kauai’s Santa introduced him to the people at Princeville Makai Golf Club and got things rolling.
“These guys came down (in August) and analyzed every target,” Worwa said. “The walking nine at the Woods, you can put two targets per hole, and you can play golf there as well. … They designed it. Each target (requires) a different technique, and it’s an incredible view from the tee box. They lined these up really awesome.”
Worwa said he even helped the guys from Innova dig holes and set up targets.
He said to have another disc golf course available on Kauai is “incredible.”
The disc golf course opened to the public in August and is weaved around Princeville Makai’s 9-hole Woods Course and is separate from the club’s main 18-hole Makai Course.
“There’s nothing that takes away from the golf side of the Woods Course,” Freestone said.
Earlier this month, the Princeville Mauka Disc Golf Course had its first hole-in-one recorded. Kauai resident Buckeye Bottoms accomplished the feat on the course’s 15th hole.
“Having the hole-in-one on it already, it makes it really a fun way to introduce the course,” Freestone said.
Info: 826-1863, www.makaigolf.com/discgolf
