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106
inDulgE golf
Big Easy
ernie els wows with the expansive and entertaining Hoakalei.
words ann Miller
hiLuxury December 2019 January 2020




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... THe WAY We’Ve DeSIGNeD THe HOLe-ROUTINGS, THe COURSe WILL NeVeR PLAY THe SAMe FROM ONe DAY TO THe NexT ...
Hoakalei Country Club in ‘ewa Beach has ernie els’ fingerprints all over it— and not solely because he
designed the golf course a decade ago. Hoakalei is “Big,” as in PGA Tour big, but hardly “easy,” stretching more than
7,400 yards. Still, this South African major championship winner has creat- ed a course in his own “Big easy” style.
Despite all the obstacles (its jaw- dropping length includes more than 100 bunkers and nine bodies of water that touch all but five holes), you are in laid- back, beautiful Hawai‘i; hence,
Hoakalei is serene and welcoming ... for everyone.
els opened his Hawai‘i course on Jan. 12, 2009. The week before, he played
in the Mercedes Championships (now called the Sentry Tournament of Cham- pions) on Maui. After Hoakalei’s grand opening, he headed east for Hawai‘i’s Sony Open. He won both tournaments in 2003, which only enhanced his pas- sion for paradise.
“Couldn’t be better really, could it?” els told the Advertiser as Hoakalei got close to becoming reality. “I love starting my PGA Tour year with these back- to-back tournaments in Hawai‘i. And we’re all very excited about the new golf course at Hoakalei. We’ve got a great mix of holes, incredible views, and the

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