| Playing Kapalua: Your Guide to our Famous Trade Winds So you’re standing on the first tee at Kapalua and thinking, “Man, it’s windy!”Welcome to Maui golf, my friend. Here’s what most visitors don’t realize – this isn’t a bad weather day. This is just Tuesday at Kapalua. Those trade winds you’re feeling? They’re as much a part of these courses as the cook pine trees. The Wind Has a Schedule (Sort Of) From April through September, you can almost set your watch by these northeast trades. They roll in like they own the place, which honestly, they kind of do. Winter mixes things up with some Kona winds from the south, but most of the year, it’s all about that northeast breeze. The course architects weren’t rookies; they knew exactly what they were dealing with when they designed both the Plantation and Bay courses. Those longer holes? They’re set up so you get to ride that wind. The shorter ones make you earn it by playing back into the breeze. Learning how to best approach the wind at Kapalua will hopefully make your time at Kapalua more enjoyable. Here’s the local wisdom that’ll save your scorecard: Playing into the wind: It’s not uncommon to need 3-4 extra clubs when those trades are really cranking. Some days it might just be an extra club or two, but don’t be surprised if that 7-iron approach needs to become a 4-iron. Wind at your back: You’ll often get to drop down 2-3 clubs, sometimes more. Your usual driver distance might surprise you (in a good way). Pro tip: If that flag looks like it’s doing an interpretive dance, you’re dealing with serious wind. When in doubt, take more club than you think you need. Change Your Mindset: Stop fighting the wind – work with it instead. Think of it like playing a video game where the physics are just different. Once you accept that this is simply how golf works at Kapalua, you’ll start having way more fun. The wind isn’t trying to ruin your round. It’s just making sure you remember this place long after you head home. -Kapalua Golf Team |
