The 10th hole on the Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui.
Feb. 3, 2009
The season kicks off at The Plantation Course at Kapalua. Here is all you need to know about the course that hosts the Mercedes-Benz Championship.
| Fast facts |
| Original architect |
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw (1991) |
| Par value |
73 |
| Number of TOUR events as host venue |
11 (including 2009) |
| Course ranking |
Ranked 50 (out of 54) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2008 |
| Yardage history |
7,263 yards (1999-2005) |
|
7,411 (2006-present) |
| Grass |
Bermudagrass (tees, fairways, rough, greens) |
| Tournament Stimpmeter |
10.5 ft |
| Sand bunkers |
99 |
| Water hazards |
none |
| Course tour |
Click here |
|
| Course record |
|
Player
K.J. Choi
|
Year
2003 |
Round
3rd |
Finish
T2 |
|
| Holes-in-one |
| There has been 1 ace recorded during the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Kapalua. |
|
|
| 2009 Rankings |
| Most Difficult Hole |
 |
The par-3 203-yard 8th "Gorge" is a middle-iron par 3 playing across a native canyon to a receptive green. The green, which slopes back to front and right to left, was built to hold and nurse the ball to the left, given the strong trade winds from the right.
2008: 0 eagles, 16 birdies, 82 pars, 21 bogeys, 5 double bogey, 0 others. |
| Easiest hole in 2008 |
 |
The par-5 521-yard 9th "Long," likely the course's most demanding hole, requires three quality shots directly into the wind to reach the green. The tee shot must be solidly played into the fairway to allow the second to carry a large valley in the fairway crossing. Shots failing to carry the valley leave blind approaches; those carrying the valley will position the players for a short iron or pitch approach to a plateaued green guarded by bunkers on the right. Here, par is coveted.
2008: 1 eagles, 56 birdies, 63 pars, 4 bogeys, 0 double bogeys and 0 others. |
|
|
| Plantation Course |
2008 rankings | Last 10 years |
| 1 |
4 |
520 |
4.065 |
4 |
4.115 |
2 |
| 2 |
3 |
218 |
3 |
6 |
3.138 |
1 |
| 3 |
4 |
380 |
3.968 |
10 |
3.972 |
9 |
| 4 |
4 |
382 |
3.976 |
9 |
3.998 |
8 |
| 5 |
5 |
532 |
4.605 |
16 |
4.641 |
17 |
| 6 |
4 |
398 |
3.798 |
12 |
3.807 |
14 |
| 7 |
4 |
516 |
4.016 |
5 |
4.074 |
6 |
| 8 |
3 |
203 |
3.121 |
1 |
3.092 |
3 |
| 9 |
5 |
521 |
4.565 |
18 |
4.593 |
18 |
| 10 |
4 |
354 |
3.984 |
7 |
3.947 |
10 |
| 11 |
3 |
164 |
2.984 |
7 |
3.006 |
7 |
| 12 |
4 |
420 |
3.718 |
15 |
3.889 |
12 |
| 13 |
4 |
407 |
4.081 |
3 |
4.090 |
4 |
| 14 |
4 |
305 |
3.726 |
14 |
3.846 |
13 |
| 15 |
5 |
555 |
4.573 |
17 |
4.674 |
15 |
| 16 |
4 |
365 |
3.903 |
11 |
3.899 |
11 |
| 17 |
4 |
508 |
4.089 |
2 |
4.075 |
5 |
| 18 |
5 |
663 |
4.766 |
13 |
4.666 |
16 |
|
| Course origins |
Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, The Plantation unfurls across island canyons, native vegetation and panoramic oceanfront plateaus. A shotmaker's dream, players will find that the use of imagination and feel -- along with every club in their bag -- is an asset here. Kapalua means "arms embracing the sea." Kapalua is famous for its three championship golf courses: The Bay Course, The Plantation Course and The Village Course.
|
Surrounding most of Kapalua is one of Maui's active pineapple plantations and a giant stand of one hundred-year-old Norfolk Island Pines (Cook Pines). In 1995, the Kapalua resort established the "Kapalua Nature Society" to coordinate the resort's various environmental programs. This unique organization is managed by Kapalua Land Company, Ltd. and is comprised of resort employees and members of the community.
|
| The Plantation Course was rated No. 56 in Golfweek's 2007 list of America's Best Modern Courses. -- Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America |
|
| Tournament course history |
| Desert Inn CC |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
1953-1966 |
| Stardust CC |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
1967-68 |
| La Costa CC |
Carlsbad, Calif. |
1969-1998 |
| The Plantation Course |
Kapalua, Hawaii |
1999-present |
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