golfingod
United States of America |
Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2025 @ 4:55:32 PM at |
IP Logged |
|
Just wanted to add a bit more thanks for all your courses, rlslay, this one is a beauty, wish I could describe it like Holein1, but I agree with him all the way. One exceptional thing - on the 3rd green, if you miss in the right direction, your putt faces the ocean, with the cliffs to the left, I couldn't take my eyes off it, it was so Hawaii...probably why I missed the putt! Thanks again.
|
Holein1
France |
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2025 @ 8:10:50 AM at |
IP Logged |
|
Once in a while, rlslay “ventures” into the “real” world, recreating beautiful courses and this one (updated from his 2010 version), set in the Kohala Coast of Hawaii, is no exception, with its nice ocean, gorgeous green mountains, and lush vegetation along with numerous wide bunkers (I counted 98 of them !) lined up all along large undulating fairways and around the greens. Needless to say, this par 72 is a beauty from the 1st tee to the 18th green and looks like a postcard, with some holes standing out, such as the dogleg right par-4 1st, uphill all the way and with beautiful plantings all around and four bunkers surrounding the green, the superb, but very scary, par-3 3rd, with a tee shot over the ocean (with the sound of the waves accompanying you) landing onto a tiny green, and the scenic par-3 7th hole, facing the mountains, and with a waterfall, far away to gaze at. But you will have to be careful with all the other holes too (dogleg left par-4 2nd, downhill all the way, straight par-4 4th, slightly uphill all the way, dogleg left par-5 5th, par-4 6th, downhill all the way and with a small green, slightly to the left, dogleg left par-5 8th, and the downhill par-4 9th), with plenty of bunkers awaiting your errant shots... The back 9 starts with the very pretty and challenging dogleg par-5 10th hole, bending sharply to the right, with three blind shots needed to reach the green (downhill tee shot over bushes and small trees landing onto an undulating tree-lined fairway, uphill second shot landing further.. down, and a short and uphill approach for a potential birdie). As if you did not have enough pressure, the par-3 11th hole, with its spectacular panorama, will add some more, with a blind and steeply-downhill tee shot landing onto a green, surrounded by four bunkers (and with the ocean behind), before facing three dogleg right holes in a row, with elevation changes (par-4 12th and 13th, uphill all the way, and with a blind approach on the latter, and the dogleg right par-4 14th). Then, after the straight and uphill par-3 15th hole, followed by the dogleg right par-4 16th, with an undulating fairway and a slightly-downhill green, and the dogleg left par-5 17th, with an uphill tee shot landing onto an undulating fairway and a very long second shot toward the elevated green, you will complete your round with the pretty dogleg right par-4 18th, downhill all the way and with a great panoramic view of the clubhouse and ocean behind as you reach the green. Visually-stunning, and with a few scary holes, this Mauna Kea GC 2020 version is simply gorgeous, so much so that you better bring your camera, along with your bucket and spade, to immortalize this magnificent landscape, redesigned by rlslay !
|