classic golf wailea

Arthur Jack Snyder’s Wailea Old Blue Golf Club is the former LPGA Tour stop that set the standard for Wailea’s immense popularity. With its premium on vintage design, the Old Blue is a Maui classic.

“The Wailea Old Blue is one of Hawaii’s classic golf courses,” explains course general manager Barry Helle. “It is one of the original resort courses in Hawaii, outdated only by the Robert Trent Jones, Sr.-designed Mauna Kea and Royal Kaanapali courses,” he notes. And he’s right. In fact, resort golf was just on the cusp of arriving when the visionaries of Wailea chose the resort’s fabled location. The rest, as we all know, is history. “The Old Blue,” Barry adds, “with its classic charm was a major contributor to putting Hawaii on the world’s golf map.”

Looming high above the shores of Wailea is the stunning and dormant volcano, Mount Haleakala. At sea-level, and meandering across its lower foothills, are the Old Blue’s lush and immaculately groomed fairways. When playing golf on the Old Blue, you’ll enjoy a breathtaking tour of Wailea’s spectacular ocean views, dramatic volcanic mountain slopes, cooling fountains, serene lakes, exotic blossoms, and coral sand bunkers.

The Old Blue is a true classic Hawaiian resort course in every sense of the word. It combines everything you could ask for in a golf resort set in paradise. And it’s a good value too.

Just like with the real estate boom, green fees have skyrocketed, and a good deal is hard to find. In 10 years, green fee rates in Hawaii have nearly doubled. But at the Old Blue, things haven’t changed so much in that department. In fact, their rates are the fairest on Maui, and what you get for your money blows away the competition.

Why is the Old Blue such a good value? For starters, the price is right. Second, the weather in Wailea is the best in Hawaii

for golf. They get so little rainfall that it is barely measurable, and then there’s the wind. It blows hard out here in the islands except at Wailea. As Barry notes: “Courtesy of our being located directly in the lee of the 10,000 foot Mount Haleakala, (we’ve got) the most beautiful windbreak in the world.”

If money and weather aren’t enough points in favor, there’s more: Wailea is home to five gorgeous beaches. These white crescents are inviting for a snorkel dive, or just frolicking in the shore break. Whether you golf or not, these alluring beaches command incomparable panoramic vistas, as do the fairways themselves. In fact, golfers are hard-pressed to find a hole that doesn’t offer a chance to see a whale or two breaching out in the channel. It’s truly a sight you can’t afford to miss. Bottom line: you can golf in Wailea for the price of a daily fee course.

When I spoke to Arthur Jack Snyder years ago about his work on Maui, he was especially proud of his design of the Old Blue Course. “I’ve always liked the way the course turned out,” he told me. “It’s a perfect blend of forgiveness and challenge.”

At 6,765 yards from the tips, the Old Blue is of an age when mile-long tee shots were not the norm. Persimmon woods, blades, and balata balls with big smiles on them were the tools of the time. Wit, strategy, and leisure were the operative words in an era, as Barry puts it, “where courses were judged by their charm and character and not whether they could contain ultra-long hitters.”

Snyder’s layout is challenging nonetheless, but players “experience a certain comfort level knowing that the fairway is wide with a forgiving touch built in.” Barry points out that players at the Old Blue can “swing with confidence,” and all the while “marvel at the scenery. Views that say Hawaii... views that say Wailea.”

The Old Blue provides a pleasing diversion for weekend golfers, but elevation changes, fantastic views, and strategically placed hazards have tested some of the best professional players. In fact, years back when the LPGA Women’s Kemper Open was played on the Old Blue, tournament officials had to admonish some of the competitors for slow play. (Turns out the pros were dallying at the 12th hole to do a little whale watching.)

The Old Blue’s 18 holes play out in 35 and come home in 37. There are three par-5s on the back, with the 497-yard 14th being the shortest, and one on the front side: the 560-yard fourth is the longest hole on the course. Three of the par-3s play over water, but only one of them, No. 2, is over 200 yards (207 from the tips). From the White tees, No. 2 is much tamer at only 168 yards. Six of the par- 4s are between 357 and 388 yards from the tips. The longest 4-par is No. 8, which measures 435 from the tips.

This is coincidentally the men’s No. 1 handicap hole on the Old Blue Course, and it is a good test of one’s skill, with its long, narrow, elevated green.

Lady golfers always enjoy this even tamer course from the red tees, which measures a reasonable 5,208 yards. They even have a legitimate shot at eagle on the par-5 fifth, as it is very reachable in two good shots, at only 377 yards.

Arthur Jack Snyder was mostly known for his work in the southwest. But, as Barry puts it: ”Jack immediately grasped the special nature of Wailea and designed the Old Blue to take advantage of the natural terrain while accenting the beautiful views.”

The Old Blue, with its classic charm and elegance, may be from a by-gone era, but it stands above them all with its grace.

As Barry says, in closing: “To this day it remains true to its heritage of offering classic golf in paradise.”•

DEPARTMENTS

Courses

Maui’s golf courses on the grid.
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E Komo Mai

A thought or two about our culture.
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Journal

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Cover Art

The work artist Ronaldo Macedo fashioned for this issue’s cover.
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Interviews

Kapalua’s Gary Planos brings us up to speed. Read more....

Photo Galleries

Our extensive library of golf photography, shot by us exclusively, is the largest archive in Hawaii. Read more....

Videos

The Maui Golf Show debuts in 2008, but as our collection of footage grows, you can preview what’s ‘in the can’ right now.