Kapalua still near tournament peak, even without a tournament

The first full week of the calendar year normally opens with the PGA Tour at Kapalua Golf’s Plantation Course. With the cancellation of this year’s Sentry, the Course is welcoming visitors and Maui residents — Kama’aina — alike with pristine conditions.

“In September, no one could have predicted that course conditions would improve so dramatically,” Kapalua Golf GM Alex Nakajima said. “It’s a credit to our amazing agronomy team that we’re seeing these incredible conditions.”

The Plantation Course reopened for public play on Monday, November 10. The golf course had been closed since September 2 to allow Kapalua Golf’s agronomy team to restore turf health following prolonged Tier 4 water restrictions (zero irrigation) that caused significant stress and damage to Kapalua’s two golf courses over the summer. On September 16, the PGA Tour announced that The Sentry tournament would not be held at The Plantation Course.

Since early September, Kapalua Golf has remained on Tier 3 water restrictions — a 60 percent reduction of normal water use — and Kapalua Golf’s Bay Course has remained closed. At The Plantation Course, the drought-tolerant Celebration bermudagrass (on tees, fairways and rough) and TifEagle Bermudagrass (on greens), all planted during the 2019 renovation, have proved to be a major factor in the recovery.

Andrew Rebman has the director of agronomy since August 2018. Bryan Pierce, who played collegiately at Cal Poly, has been the Plantation Course superintendent since April 2021. Kirk Bender is the Bay Course superintendent.