Realize Your Golf Dreams at The Dunes
With Bill Greenleaf, PGA Master Professional
B
ill Greenleaf joins The Dunes at Maui Lani as Director of Instruction. Bill, a PGA Master Professional and Teacher of the Year in New York, is offering group and private lessons. Join innovative groups like mother/daughter, father/son, and husband/wife for fun and learning. Under Bill’s leadership, students will learn fundamentals from a whole swing model. Swing mechanics will make sense as part of the whole. Beyond mechanics will bridge the gap between success on the practice tee and playing the
145
$
Includes golf and private lesson ($260 for two).
game on the course. Real tools to help Dunes customers realize their golf dreams. The facility’s are equally impressive. Golfers enjoy daytime and evening instruction on the facility’s lit, all-grass range. There are also seven target greens, a short-game area, and a private teaching pavillion. The College’s private lessons and half-day schools make learning fun and affordable. Students receive quality instruction, and 18 holes of golf, all for one great price. Call Bill Greenleaf today!
GOLF Maui’s Classic Links.
The Dunes at Maui Lani
“. . . the Gods were working their magic on what we call the Valley Isle; shaping and honing it from deep beneath the ocean floor.”
L
ong before the game of golf was even a
Maui is known for its unique, majestic, and won-
figment of man’s imagination, the Gods were
derful landscape. Maui Lani is just such a place. It
working their magic on what we call the Valley
is a master-planned residential community on a
Isle; shaping and honing and erupting it from
tract of land in the heart of the island. An integral
deep beneath the ocean floor. In time, the island
part of Maui Lani is the golf course. It is called:
of Maui as we know it today was to be born.
The Dunes at Maui Lani. Photo © Douglas Bowser
“. . . for they are the reason The Dunes is so highly regarded.” —Dave Gleason, General Manager
On behalf of all of us here at The Dunes at Maui Lani, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of golfers who have made our arrival on the Maui golf scene such a success, and to invite those who have not yet played The Dunes to come and try it—you’ll be in for a treat. While The Dunes has received a great deal of national attention since its debut in 1999, much of the credit for our success belongs to Bill Mills, its developer, and the many loyal and hard-working employees who we are fortunate enough to have on our staff; for they are the reason The Dunes at Maui Lani is so highly-regarded. I think after a visit to The Dunes you will agree. When you get here, our guest service staff, led by Dean Kawabata, is always cheerful and efficient, and their aloha spirit is contagious. When you enter our new clubhouse, with its comfortable surroundings and well-stocked pro shop, you’ll find it very inviting. If you have time, stop in at our lit practice and learning facility, where our professional teaching staff is available to assist. Then, there is our new restaurant, The Dunes. Headed by Chef Dan Saito, you’ll find everything from an exquisite buffet to a relaxing lunch. I think you will find it is The Dunes at Maui Lani golf course itself that is what you will remember the most. Its fairways, tees, and greens are immaculately-manicured by a fine staff led by Brian Kaulupali. The course’s conditioning only adds to Robin Nelson’s excellent design, which is a tribute to the links courses of the British isles. The following pages will testify to what I have said. I hope they will convince you to visit us in the near future. I hope to see you at The Dunes at Maui Lani very soon. Aloha,
GOLF T
he island of Maui has many beautiful golf
courses. Some are world-famous. The Dunes is quickly becoming such a place.
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“I remember when I first saw it,” renowned course architect Robin Nelson said of the eventual site of The Dunes. “You’re lucky if you get one of these in a lifetime, and I was like a kid at Christmas, rushing from present to present,” The Dunes’s designer mused. “The owner, Bill Mills, probably thought I was over the top. But when I explained that we could build the best course in Hawaii…he became giddy too.” Nelson, whose designs, refurbishes, and redesigns include the Mauna Lani North and South courses on the Big Island; Coral Creek, Royal Kunia, Ewa Beach International, Bay View, West Lock, and the Mid-Pac and Oahu country clubs, on Oahu; and Kapalua’s Bay course, Wailea’s Blue course, and Sandalwood, on Maui, deserves much of the credit for the allure and mystique of The Dunes— much of which comes from its playability. “I play to a 10-handicap. So although I’m usually looking down the middle of the fairway, my eyes are always darting to the rough. This helps me a lot in designing courses that are enjoyable for the average golfer.” Nelson’s clever tee box configurations, deft use of elevation changes, and ingenius hole routing maximizes the impact and usefulness of the Dunes’ natural sloping terrain, while using the Pacific tradewinds to create holes that have more subtle effects on the player.
The west Maui mountains from the first tee.
Randy Hufford & Michael Gilbert
The excitement over The Dunes began with its construction in 1997. The course itself opened on January 15, 1999. The wait was well worth it because it put the young course in the type of condition it needed to be to rival, if not top, even Maui’s finest resort courses—a task it has succeeded in accomplishing to this very day. Weeks after play commenced, the media attention The Dunes received exceeded that of any other daily fee golf course in Hawaii’s century-old golf history. Representatives from Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Travel & Leisure Golf, Golfweek, and a dozen other international and domestic periodical golf publications conjured up words of praise for the course many say finds its roots in the British Isles. “Maui Wowie!,” was how the caption read next to a rare two-page photo spread showcasing The Dunes in Travel & Leisure Golf’s November/ December issue. “Even among the great tracks of Maui,” the internationally circulated golf publication noted in its headline only weeks after the course had opened, “this one has already earned its place.”
Course Architecture
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“Weeks after play commenced, the media attention The Dunes received exceeded that of any other daily fee golf course in Hawaii’s century-old golf history.”
The Dunes at Maui Lani
“All said, the 10th is one of the toughest par-4s on Maui.” —Robin Nelson, Course Architect
GOLF
Randy Hufford & Michael Gilbert
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The 474-yard, par-4 10th.
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Nelson’s capitalizes on what nature provided, and that’s the key to The Dunes’ charm. Constructed on sand dunes that have remained untouched by man ever since Maui was formed over a million years ago, the bulk of The Dunes’ 18 holes are routed through a terrain consisting of huge mounds and slopes—or dunes. These dunes make for a terrain that features natural elevation changes and contours that have been shaped by the tradewinds over an enormous time span. The result is unspoiled terrain ideally suited for golf which allows for holes to look and play much like what one finds on the links courses built in the British Isles hundreds of years ago. “It’s not a true links course because we’re in a different climatic zone, and we don’t have the exact same turf conditons,” Nelson explains. “Plus, because of the heat and humidity, we don’t have the fescue grasses and so forth. But in many respects, The Dunes is as close to an authentic links as can be built in Hawaii. It is spread out like Royal Troon—you go out on #1 and don’t see the clubhouse until 18. Anyone who has seen Ballybunion, Wild Dunes, or Shinnecock Hills will recognize The Dunes.”
“Anyone who has seen Ballybunion, Wild Dunes, or Shinnecock Hills will recognize The Dunes.”
The Holes
Ron Dahlquist
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Mt. Haleakala from behind the #4 green.
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The 18 holes at The Dunes play to a par of 72, and measure 6,841-yards from the black tees. While this may seem like a tame length to some, don’t let that fool you; even the longest and the straightest of players will need to bring their A-games to this course. Nelson’s elaborate array of tee box configurations bring the radically sloping terrain, dense kiawe forestry, and elaborate pot bunkering into play to give golfers four looks at each hole depending on their skill-levels. The result is a masterpiece consisting of holes that can test the moxie of all players: from the good, the bad, and the ugly—to the very ugly. The course’s opening hole is a perfect example. This 428-yard, par-4 features a slight dogleg that works to the left around an ancient dune. Golfers are tempted to cut the corner, but in doing so flirt with an approach over sandy revetted pot bunkers, a greenside grassy pot bunker, and a shallow angle in to the putting surface. Golfers who cut the corner perfectly are left with a testy short-iron approach. Those who play it down the middle and are conservative have more club on the approach, yet are offered a clear path to deepest part of the green. The #2 hole is a short 381-yard, par-4 and is another risk/reward hole. Players who lay up to the left side of the fairway are left with a longer approach to the slightly elevated green surrounded by pot bunkers. Those who go long flirt with the right side of the fairway where deep bunkers and a waste area lurk. Nelson beckons the player to ponder the options, “do I have this shot in my bag?” The real question is, “do you have that shot in your bag all day?” Nelson rewards good course management, prudence, some humility, and a little patience. Brute strength is not required for good scoring at The Dunes. Instead, it is all about good decisionmaking, playing within one’s self and, yes, luck. The 145-yard, par-3 #3 is a great example of a short hole at The Dunes that requires a lot of finesse and careful planning. Its
longish green sits at an angle—with the front to the player’s left and the back to the right—creating a shallow landing area protected in front by deep pot bunkers, and deep wild grass and bush in the back. Anything long or short is trouble so Nelson gives the player a second choice: a bail-out to the left-front portion of the green. While the putt from there is often long and a birdie is less likely, the spectre of a double-bogey is also less-likely to occur. Still, when standing on the tee with a pitching wedge in hand, it’s hard to aim 30 feet away from the pin, but it takes that kind of mental control to score well on this course. Nelson’s penchant for the risk/reward design theme, coupled with his outstanding hole routing and use of elaborate bunkering in the fairways begins to show its true colors with the 509-yard, par5 #4 hole. Standing on the tee practically the only thing one sees with driver in hand and hopes of the green in two is a ten-yard wide saddlelike strip of fairway. There it sits awaiting one’s boldest tee shot 220yards away. And this tiny target gets even smaller when factoring in the steady right-to-left trades that cast fear. The target gets smaller still as it sits adjacent to a sea of revetted pot bunkers and forestry to its immediate left, and a waste area filled with indigenous alluvial dunes sand and kiawe trees to the right. Hence, anything long off the tee errant almost assures a player a double-bogey or worse. Naturally, one can play it safe and lay up. But in doing so it presents the birdie-seeker with a very difficult layup shot requiring a lengthy second aimed at a narrow landing area between kiawe forestry to the left, and an 80-foot-deep waste area fenced off by kiawe wood posts to the right. For those who try to unload all their fire-power, Nelson has two pot bunkers awaiting them a couple hundred yards away in the fairway. The bold must be bold accurately! Credit once again goes to the course designer for offering the less-gifted a chance to play a second shot of more-modest ambition that will still put the ball within 160-yards of the putting surface. From there, a reasonable third-shot gives those who take the safe route a fair chance to make par or better.
The next two holes add a new dimension to the equation: water. The 362-yard, par-4 #5 hole seems like a birdie opportunity on paper with its short length, but those who try to tame it with a wood in their hands often find their length is more of a hindrance than a help since the landing area narrows as tee shots get closer to the hole when a small pond comes into play. One can lay up with an iron although it does bring the pond guarding the green’s front into question too. Hence one must choose, with both options offering risks and rewards. What makes it so interesting is how Nelson gives the player choices—ones they can make depending on what they think they can do at the moment—not what he (the designer) expects. Big difference. The 198-yard, par-3 #6 shares the same waterspace as #5, but plays in the opposite direction with a left-to-right prevailing trade. Here Nelson offers a bailout area to the right and allows fear to creep into the hearts of all others by fronting 90% of the green with water and setting up the tees as far as 200+ yards out. The better (or more daring) the player, the more demanding the shot. There’s more. The green is very shallow and wide—like an hourglass set-up perpendicular to the tees. At its narrowest point there lies a deep pot bunker toward the front and a grassy knoll toward the back. The entire green is backed-up by a grassy hill to create a bowl-shaped effect that can help yet often hinders depending on luck. As a result, using lots of club to clear the water means risking a difficult pitch off a severe slope out of rough facing toward the water. A birdie on this hole is indeed special. The 351-yard, par-4 #7 is a short, wide-open hole that offers the player a legitimate glimpse at a birdie. It does have bite for the errant approach or sloppy tee shot, but keeping the ball in the fairway and converting the approach shot with the right club in hand is should put the player in position to make a low number. They key is to stay focused as Nelson’s easiest holes still require the player to execute quality golf shots. Not tough shots, just well-executed and intelligently-crafted.
GOLF
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Randy Hufford & Michael Gilbert
“a masterpiece that can test of moxie of all players; from the good, the bad, and the ugly—to the very ugly.”
The 362-yard, par-3 #5 hole and Mt. Haleakala in the distance.
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Ron Dahlquist
approach this green, one must not only shape their second shot, but decide how daring they want to be in doing so. Carry the two pot bunkers in the middle of the fairway about 100-yards short of the green and a wedge/birdie opportunity is to be had. Lay back and play it safe and one needs a 7-iron or more. Either way, the player’s got options. The #9 hole also has a deep undulating green that is replete with all kinds of interesting swells created by the dunes. The Dunes at Maui Lani is a lot different from the typical resort or public golf course because the designer’s intent was that players focus is on the entire round of golf from start to finish. Players head out and come in. There are no restaurant stops, pay phones, or visits to the locker room to be had until the game is finished. The ride between the #9 green and #10 tee winds by the entrance to Maui Lani’s gated residential community, The Island. In fact, golfers pass directly in front of The Island’s digital-access gates before tunneling beneath a huge sand dune to the other side where #10 awaits. Want a homesite? They’re for sale! From the tips the 474-yard, par-4 #10 hole is arguably one of the most difficult golf holes on all of Maui to par let alone birdie. The tee shot is blind and can play into a snarling headwind. The fairway curves right, left, and then right again while dropping 80 feet in elevation. Golfers ahead in the same fairway must ring a bell when the coast is clear; a stripped directional pole is positioned in the fairway to show the best line. That brings up an important point. The Dunes is among the few courses on Maui who provide players with diagramed “caddie journals” showing the lay-of-the-land on each hole (so you won’t need this article when you’re out on the course). It provides playing tips and yardages and is very helpful. On #10 such local knowledge is especially handy as you’ll want to visualize your tee shot before you even hit it. With trouble left and right, and the fairway sporting three tiers, most good tee shots down the middle are left with an approach of about 200 yards. But a good tee shot on this hole is not enough. Golfers must judge their approaches well when playing into its deep and narrow kidney-shaped green which is protected by deep bunkers and a prominent ridge that divides its front and back portions. One needs to hit the ball into the wind with a mid-to-long-iron accurately ans must also land their approach on the correct half of the green if they want to have a good run at birdie. All said, #10 is a challenge that golfers consider one of the toughest par-4s on Maui.
“...with its narrow tees, closely-cropped fairway, and sly green all framed in by the kiawe forest.”
The next three holes present some of the most challenging tests of course management to the golfer The Dunes offers. They are not outlandishly long, nor are they extremely tight. They are just a little of each, and they are often complimented by a headwind that can shake up even the best players. The 198-yard, par-3 #8 hole is where the fun takes on new dimensions. It plays through a kind of chute with narrow tees, a closelycropped and contoured fairway, and deepish green all framed in by the kiawe forest. Trees partly encroach the airspace, cramping the styles of those who draw the ball. Faders who try to carve the ball into the deep putting surface find it buffeted by trades, obscured by trees and an altogether narrow target surrounded by deep pot bunkers. Add it up and be stoked if you make par. The front-nine ends with the solid 547-yard, par-5 #9 hole which requires three great shots and two super putts to make par. A birdie is outstanding. The tricky hole begins with a tee shot that plays into a headwind and features a fairway that narrows with length and is dotted by various trees. (There are only two holes that play into direct headwinds: #9 and #10.) Faders do well off this tee as they can play their balls to move away from the forest. A draw, provided it isn’t over-cooked, works too. The key is to play whatever shot you can to keep the ball under the wind and on the left side of the fairway, as anything right brings trees into play. The second shot is where forest, pot bunkers, and overhanging trees converge, which is why a well-placed tee shot is recommended. In order to put the ball in the optimum position to
A kiawe forest lines the 9th fairway.
The 416-yard, par-4 #11 hole offers those who’ve suffered off the tee on previous holes a short reprieve and some breathing room with a wide fairway and little immediate danger. It is a short hole that plays downwind, so even a fairway wood or an iron can be played. What does open the player’s eyes is the second shot awaiting them. Set 60-70 feet above the fairway is the #11’s shallow and undulating green. It features two false fronts which wrap around a nasty pot bunker all on the edge of a tightly-cropped fairway that looks straight downhill. Often the pins are placed perilously close to the front where anything short not only rolls off the green but usually winds up 25-80 yards back down the hill in rough—where golfer’s rarely succeed in recovering without losing a good number of strokes to par. This makes club selection and the all-important high-soft-fade critical as going long points back at an awkward and speedy downhill, down-grain chip toward the “clif” again. This is one shot everyone has flubbed to avoid disaster and it usually brings to mind yet another long par-saving putt. The short #11th at The Dunes often stimulates every emotion a golfer can have: from a steady heart beat to sheer terror. Those who leave this hole, and the two that preceded it, with anything close to par on their card shouldn’t complain. These three are like Maui’s version of Amen corner! Reemerging from the tunnel that separates #10 and #11 from the rest of the course one finds the 424-yard, par-4 #12 hole awaiting. There one finds its multi-leveled tee boxes sit poised high upon a dune well-above the heart of Kahului’s residential district. One can see great views of Mt. Haleakala, the north shore, and the central valley where activity buzzes all day-long.
Faders of the ball will feel at home on this shortish downhill hole as prevailing trades and the slope of this dog-leg all help to work balls from left-to-right. Bunkering and kiawe guard the right side of this fairway to deter the cutting-off of the hole’s corner, which is tempting. (Those who succeed in pulling off such a shot do need lady luck on their side if they hope to cop a good-enough lie to take advantage of the short pitch theyll have to the green.) However, most mortals and smarter golfers will play this hole straight away as their second shots play straight downhill to a deep green. (While it is heavily bunkered, you still feel like you are shooting darts when taking aim at this green. Anything close, and you’ll have a good shot at par or birdie.) #13 is true birdie hole. This 516-yard, par-5 plays straight downwind, and while the green is elevated, the hole is still reachable in two good shots from all tees. Nelson’s clever positioning of bunkering, the natural slope of The Dunes that shape the fairway, and the shape of the green are all hole attributes that make the hole fun while keeping players honest. But, while #13 is a birdie hole, Nelson doesn’t hand it to you on a silver platter; you’ve got to earn it! The 340-yard par-4 14th, by its length, should be an easy birdie hole too, but the mounding that hides the front of the green, coupled with Nelson’s pot bunkering behind these mounds, makes what should be a simple approach one that often leads to trouble and lost shots. As tricky as the approach is, drivers beware! Most players get to the tee on this hole and pull out their 1woods and bang away only to find their balls have gone too far through the fairway left or right behind trees or into a ferocious pot
GOLF
“. . . even a fairway wood or an iron can be played.”
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Clouds waft above the west Maui mountains behind #14.
] Ron Dahlquist
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The 428-yard, par-4 #15 features an
inviting, contoured fairway that leads to a ravine and the angled, two-tiered putting surface.
]
“Nelson doesn’t hand it to you on a silver platter; you’ve got to earn it!” and also protect against going right or even long as the fairway ends at the edge of another ravine. The #15 hole is the only par-4 that has a forced carry. Albeit not a long one, but a carry nonetheless. Usually this type of shot is too much for the average player, so Nelson puts the thrill of pulling off such a shot within reach, and that far outweighs the agony of any potential failure. Hence, the design of this hole in particular is quite fair since the ravine one must carry is only about 50-60 yards wide (almost anyone capable of swinging a golf club can carry it, eventually). Players can also lay up and cross from a closer range. The 346-yard, par-4 #16 hole is very short, and that, like the 14th, can sometimes get the overly-aggressive player into trouble. A 40foot high sand dune hugs the right side of the hole. At its base is a waste area that runs its entire length while curving into the fairway roughly 200 yards from the tee where the fairway widens. A golfer can play a tee shot of between 185 and 220 yards and it will give them a good angle into the green, which slopes from rightto-left. They also avoid being blocked by a hilly area that obscures the view of the pin. Those aggressive-minded hitters who strive to
Ron Dahlquist
bunker. This thoughtless strategy is the type that plays right into Nelson’s hand. In addition to the obvious, he makes the second from such a position more difficult because it is usually blind, plays from an uneven lie in the rough, brings the greenside pot bunkers into play, and offers the shallowest angle of approach. All-too-often a player errs off the tee and dribbles their ball 170yards down the fairway only to find themselves in perfect position to attack the pin. For those who refer to their caddy journals, and play the smart shot off the tee, par or birdie is very possible on this hole. But, the temptation to go for the green off the tee is so great that very few golfers can resist, and thus rarely make a birdie on this seemingly-simple yet very-tactical golf hole. The shot strategy changes abruptly on the 428-yard, par-4 #15 hole which usually features a left-to-right tradewind and requires a that a tee shot favor the left and plays over a small valley or uphill depending on which tee box a player uses. Those playing from the back tees find they must flirt with a tree and ravine on the left in order to avoid trees and another ravine on the right. Those playing from the forward tees must get their ball up quickly to carry the hill that stands between the tee and the green overpower the hole usually find themselves approaching from above the hole (right), blocked by another sand dune, and landing their balls on the downward slope of the green which is tough to hold. Hence, short is good off the tee and can often produce a good score on this hole. One hole that shows off Nelson’s true flair for the dramatic, like elaborate tee box configurations, fairway shaping and greenside bunkering is the 190-yard, par-3 #17. Left-to-right prevailing trades make one’s club selection and shape of shot key as the long but narrow green is more evasive than it looks. And, while this green features a slot in the front that allows players to run their balls onto the putting surface, it is the cut-shot with a full carry that is the ideal way to play this hole. Executing is tougher than it sounds since the shot requires one to flirt with steep mounding to the left side of the green. When the winds are up, the possibility of losing it to the right into a deep revetted pot bunker increases. Trouble left and trouble right. Deciding on the lesser of two evils and playing for the pin with one’s release favoring the left is the best bet. Par on #17 is good. Birdie is something to write home about. As finishing holes are often thought of as pivotal in the game of golf, Nelson doesn’t disappoint on #18 at The Dunes at Maui Lani. It is a 588-yard, par-5 that summons one’s very best and is often the apex of a player’s day on the links. In its simplest form, #18 is a hole that starts out straight, then doglegs to the right on the second shot around a huge pond that remains in play to the very finish. OB and a waste area lurk to the left and pot bunkers loom toward the left-portion of the fairway on the second. The wind, which comes from the left, blows hardest
here since this finishing hole is on the home-stretch to the clubhouse set on high ground where cover is non-existent. How one deals with the wind and Nelson’s other obstacles is critical to succeeding on the opening two shots on #18. One’s third, or approach, is often the scariest since the golfer is usually forced to throw the ball up high in order to land it softly. So, with the trades gusting in from the left, and a speedy/firm putting surface ushering balls toward a watery abyss to the right, it’s no wonder why the final shot of the day at The Dunes will likely add up to be an exciting finale for all players.
The Dunes Practice Facility The Dunes has the only lit practice range in central Maui with grass tees and target greens. It is the island’s newest practice facility and it features over two acres of teeing areas made up entirely of Tif-419 Bermudagrass. Only The Dunes offers so much luxury. In addition to its world-class teeing areas The Dunes’ practice facility features brand-new range balls, large accommodating bag stands on every “tee-box,” and over two-dozen all-new hitting mats for those who refer them. The range itself features a crushed-coral sand bunker with its own pitching and chipping green, and seven beautiful target greens all designed by Robin Nelson specifically to help players take maximum advantage of the helping right-to-left trades while working every club in their bags. Each green has its own set of bunkers designed to emulate real playing conditions, with their depths and widths varying to give players a chance to work every aspect of their games. What also makes this range (and the entire golf course) so special is in how it is so well-maintained. The Dunes’ maintenance crew is overseen by course superintendent Brain Kaulupali. Kaulupali’s team puts in the time and effort required to maintain a facility that boasts its own contoured fairway, raked coral sand traps, and edged bunkers; all giving holes the definition they were designed to
have. (So our drivers, fairway woods, irons, and wedges all have someplace to go. . . ). The facility even has a ball machine that scans specially-made cards with magnetic strips that allow customers to avoid waiting in line or digging for quarters.
GOLF
The Dunes Golf College The Dunes at Maui Lani even has its own “Golf College” headed by Bill Greenleaf, a PGA Master Professional who was Teacher of the Year in New York. The Dunes Golf College offers group and private lessons so people can enjoy innovative fun and learning. Under Bill Greenleaf, students learn the fundamentals from a “whole swing model.” Explains Greenleaf, “Swing mechanics will make sense as a part of the whole. Beyond mechanics will bridge the gap between success on the practice tee and playing the game on the course. Real tools to help Dunes customers realize their golf dreams,” The Dunes’ director of instruction said. Golfers can also enjoy daytime and evening instruction since the facility is lit and a private teaching pavillion exists to afford students, and the pro, an opportunity to discuss the curriculum in a private setting The College’s private lessons and half-day schools also make learning affordable. One package allows students to receive quality instruction and 18 holes of golf for what they’d normally pay to play a single round at one of the resorts. For more information, call Bill Greenleaf at (808) 873-0422 for details.
The Dunes Pro Shop The Dunes at Maui Lani Pro Shop and clubhouse is managed by Dean Kawabata, the clubhouse operations manager. It is stocked with an abundance of attractive and colorful fashion accessories all bearing The Dunes at Maui Lani logo, which is a specially-designed coat of arms adapted from that of the Mills name; after the course’s owner, Bill.
“I t i s a 588-yard par-5 that summons our very best, and is often the apex of a player’s day on the links. ”
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The Dunes’ offers scenery and four spacious teeing areas to accommodate every level of player.
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Randy Hufford & Michael Gilbert
Clubouse and pro shop images by Robin Fowler
“...a speciallydesigned coat of arms adapted from the one bearing the Mills name; after the course’s owner.”
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The clubhouse and pro shop at The Dunes is stocked with the latest in logowear.
Leona Andrin, is The Dunes at Maui Lani’s merchandiser and buyer. “We carry a full men’s and women’s line of golf apparel,” the Molokai-born fashion expert explains. “For the ladies, we carry classic polo, sleeveless, and short-sleeve shirts. We also carry vests, shorts, and sweaters in a variety of lines such as Lilly’s of Beverly Hills, Tail, Marcia, EP Pro, and Tommy Hilfinger.” Andrin’s 7 years with Grand Waikapu C.C. and 9 years at Miki’s at Wailea, afforded her the kind of experience she needed to buy for the type of discriminating clientele The Dunes serves. “Here at The Dunes I’ve stocked our store so our patrons will find a wide and colorful selection of items to fit just about any look, need, or budget.” The Dunes pro shop stocks such popular golf apparel names as: Copley, Ashworth, Monterey Club, Clark & Gregory, Skins, SDI, Cross Creek, and more. Its large selection of Texace hats, with The Dunes logo embroidered in a variety of colors, starts at about $20. The Dunes has an exceptional crew of pro shop and guest service personnel. Darlene Johnson, in charge of advance sales and administration sets a shining example. Got a group? Give her a call: (808) 873-7911 x3.
The Dunes Restaurant It’s hard to find good food at a golf course, but The Dunes at Maui is just such an exception. After having tapped one of America’s top chefs to take the helm of their newly-opened clubhouse eatery, The Dunes Restaurant has turned sports fans into fine diners literally at the flick of a switch. “We are stepping out of the box of originality and are creating a new wave flavor of our own at The Dunes,” says chef Dan Saito, a Maui-transplant who was most-recently employed to design the food creations at the number ten-ranked resort in the world, Manele Bay, on Lanai. “Ours is a style of flavors,” the former mentor of Wolfgang Puck says with a smile. “We merge the freshest Maui-grown ingredients
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with our own traditional home-style approach to produce a brand of cuisine that has a unique Asian-American twist.” Recruited by the formidable regional restaurant management company Modern Innovations of Honolulu to provide The Dunes at Maui Lani with a restaurant, banquet, and catering solution that could compete “toe-to-toe” with Maui’s top resorts, chef Dan Saito was recently featured in Wine & Spectator magazine as the “one to watch” among chefs in Hawaii. Saito began his career at the renowned La Serre Culinary Academy in Paris. It was there that he learned the mastery of the world’s leading culinary artists before completing his apprenticeship in the same city at the famous bistro Maxim’s. Later Saito would return to America at a time when chef Wolfgang Puck was reaching the height of his meteoric culinary rise to greatness. It was Puck who hired the young chef to cook at Spago’s of Hollywood as the right-hand man of his legendary executive chef Anne Gingrass. “The chance to work with Anne and Wolfgang was a huge opportunity for me and I jumped at it. They really taught me how to create flavors on a world-class level,” said the mild-mannered chef. Spago’s was the first stepping stone in a learning process that took Saito years to complete. “Wolfgang pulled me aside during my first year at Spago’s,” Saito began. “He told me, ‘You need to learn every aspect of cooking in order to be the best. You’ve got to put yourself in different situations, learn from them, and move on.’” Saito applied Puck’s advice to himself by working to perfect his talents in every facet of cooking from hâute cuisine for one, to breakfast, lunch, and dinner for thousands. “I wanted to gain experience in doing just about everything at least once,” Saito mused. “Particularly in the area of banquets and catering as that is an important part of our business.” In this arena Saito excelled spending several years helping to create extremely high-end and detailed cuisine at two major banquet and catering facilities: the Claremont Hotel and Resort in Oakland and the Peppermill Hotel and Casino in Reno.
“Those two jobs allowed me to take my experiences in Paris and Hollywood to the next level by mastering the art of producing superb flavors for the masses,” said Saito. But it would be his time back on the west coast that would raise the bar for the young chef. First the creator of Pacific-rim cuisine, Jerimiah Towers, recruited Saito as his executive sous shef at Stars Restaurant of Palo Alto. Then, his former bosses, Wolfgang Puck and chef Anne Gingrass, introduced him to executive chef Julian Serrano of Masa’s. “Masa’s of San Francisco was the number one fine dining restaurant in Northern California, and it was there that I was able to florish under Julian’s guidance. It was awesome to gain that experience,” Saito confides. The recruitment of a talented chef like Saito tells a lot about the direction general manager Dave Gleason is headed with The Dunes at Maui Lani in putting the course on the Maui map as a prime contender for group business. “We want to offer the visitor and resident an enjoyable experience at The Dunes,” Gleason says. “Whether it is on the golf course, or in our restaurant, we want our customers to have the very best.”
Setting Trends With the passing of each decade, Maui’s popularity has grown and with it there have been dramatic increases in the number of people who visit the “Valley Isle.” This boom has brought about a rapid transformation in terms of the quality and caliber of restaurants that visitors and residents can choose from. Quality— once the domain of the better hotels and resorts—is now the standard among the island’s best independently-owned and operated restaurants. Increasingly, Maui is becoming home to many of the world’s top chefs. Gleason witnessed this evolution first-hand and looks to set the pace with the organization of an elite group of investors who underwrote the build-out and recruitment of the high-caliber talent needed to manage and operate a cutting-edge restaurant.
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“We want to make it known to those who live here, are visiting, or who are planning to visit Maui, that The Dunes Restaurant is not only a good place to come for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the golf course but more importantly is an outstanding resource with the capability, facilities, and capacity to provide world-class banquet, wedding, corporate, group, and off property catering solutions for groups of up to 250 people at very cost-effective levels,” says Modern Innovations’ president and CEO Gary Ichimura. Ichimura adds, “Our mission is to provide Maui with an outstanding dining experience regardless of whether it is for one, four, or 200 people and under chef Saito’s direction we know we can do it.” Ichimura’s banquet and catering menus are designed with flexibility in mind to provide clients with a broad spectrum of options ranging from simple fried chicken to more complex dishes like foie gras with roasted squab. “With Dan’s experience in fine dining and banquet operations,our capabilites are much broader than most dining establishments offer,” Ichimura notes. Indeed Saito’s menu shows his own diversity with dishes ranging from banana-creamed pancakes with locally-grown vanilla beans and apple bananas for breakfast, to taro-crusted mahi mahi with rock shrimp and Kula orange carrots and coconut Jasmine rice for dinner. What Saito feels separates The Dunes Restaurant from others isn’t
FOOD
necessarily the names or descriptions of what he creates on the menus, but what he puts in the dishes and how he creates them. “Our dishes are designed to captivate the diner with flavors by synergizing the freshest local produce and seafood available on Maui with our specialized techniques to create our own unique brand of home style flavors,” Saito points out. The Dunes Restaurant is beautifully-appointed, seats up to 60 indoors, and opens up to a huge lanai overlooking the #1 and #18 holes. When combined with its adjoining 2,100 square-foot banquet room, The Dunes Restaurant can accommodate parties up to 250. For group bookings and information call: (808) 873-7911 x3.
Chef Dan Saito in his sparkling-new kitchen. The bar at The Dunes Restaurant. Outdoor seating on the lanai.
“We are stepping out of the box of originality and are creating a new wave flavor of our own at The Dunes.” Images by John Henry
—Chef Dan Saito
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Fairway Living at The Island
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A look at central Maui’s first private, gated community.
Where golf is only paces away.
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Michael Gilbert & Randy Hufford
T
he grass is a little greener at the Island.”
That’s how the slogan for Maui Lani’s private, gated residential community reads and it’s actually quite true. Situated between the #8, #9, #12, and #13 fairways of The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course, each of the Island’s 226 spacious home sites command one or more unobstructed views of the ocean, Haleakala, the Iao Valley, the west Maui mountains, and, of course, the storied tees, fairways, and greens of The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course—all of which are graced by a greener, friendlier brand of hybrid-bermudagrass called Tif-419. But the story about the Island at Maui Lani involves more than mere views of greenery and “Mauidom.” It revolves around its central location in Kahului—the epicenter of all Maui—and the unique mix of people that make up what one leading Maui real estate broker describes as the ideal neighborhood. “I really think it’s going to be Maui’s finest community,” Carol Ball explains, “because you have a cross section of the people that make Maui great. It’s not a segmented type of market like you have in most of the other communities. With Maui Lani you have a nice cross section of the people who make up the entire island of Maui living right here in the one community,” the broker said. Ball, whose company Carol Ball & Associates averages over 30 transactions a month in central Maui, and who has been selling real estate on Maui for over 20 years, says, “We’re talking about a gated community right in central Maui and that’s why it’s such a gold mine—because it’s almost too good to be true to have such a brand
new product in a planned community in central Maui. Nobody ever thought that could happen.” “Most people never thought it would come to fruition because people had talked about it for so long. The people who had the land before either had the wherewithal but not the vision, or the vision without the wherewithal. Mills had both.” Maui Lani is the first master-planned community Kahului has seen since Dream City was created back in the 1950s and 1960s. Mills, with help from Hillwood West, made it all a reality. “Our vision was to provide central Maui with a unique wellplanned residential community. One that incorporates many aspects of a resort community: gated, golf course frontage, large lots, culde-sacs—which create mini neighborhoods, a linear walking park called a strada. We think we have accomplished our goal by providing central Maui with a land plan that will provide abundant housing situated in a brand-new family community,” said Guy Owen, vice president of Hillwood West and the project director for the Island. For the first time in decades, buyers representing a wide crosssection of Maui’s diverse population can buy new housing of all types all conveniently located within island’s most central spot: Kahului; but it wasn’t always that way. Back in the 40s Kahului didn’t even exist. Wailuku was the main town, and the community centered around the sugar mills. People lived in camps around the Puunene and Wailuku sugar mills, and out in Paia and Haiku. That’s where the communities were clustered. At the time, Kahului was just one big sand mass. In the 50s Dream City, what most of the housing we know of in Kahului is today, was developed. Dream City had a specific market that consisted of those being moved from the camp homes. At the
real estate “I really think it’s going to be Maui’s finest community because you have a cross-section of the people that make Maui great.” —Carol Ball Realtor
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David Watersun
time, they may have bought their homes furnished for about $7,000. Since then times have changed. Now they are reselling them for as much as $300,000. Maui’s economy has come a long way particularly since tourism began to flourish in the 70s. With it came more businesses and more people and the local economy grew. As the island’s population and the economy grew the local home buyer took on a broader demographic profile: smarter, more affluent, and savvier. Consequently, the shift toward higher-quality housing inland has begun and the gated community The Island is the first example of this evolution. “I think buyers of The Island come from a different environment,” Ball notes. “One where it’s expected to have a gated community or some degree of privacy or security and for them they wouldn’t have it any other way,” the local broker said. “What we’ve noticed is that one of the major reasons people want to be at The Island is location. You can say you want it luxurious; you can say you want a gated community; you can say you want
Interior view of the new 3D Builders’ model, The Kauai.
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the views; you can say you want to be around a golf course; you could have those things anywhere else on Maui but you can’t have the location. That is the unique factor of The Island.” “And, interestingly enough, the people that have selected The Island have selected it because of location. Many of the buyers work at the medical center and they don’t want to drive from Kula or Wailea in the middle of the night. They’re tired.” At The Island, residents have all of the amenities and all of the things they would like right in their backyard and yet they’re one minute from the business district or the hospital. There are those who want to be in central Maui because they can be close to the airport should they have visitors from out of town. Then there are the people who don’t want to be a part of the resort community. They want the amenities but they also want to be where they can readily go to Wailuku or shop in the mall with the other local people. Jonathan Olson of Delmore Realty was the sales manager for the Grand Fairways at Maui Lani. Once again, as sales manager, Olson represents The Island at Maui Lani along with Carol Ball & Associates. He spends the better half of his work week talking to home buyers about The Island and is thus a good source of information about the market. “Some ask about Wailuku Heights,” Olson explains, “and some are even comparing The Island to Wailea and Kapalua and I think they just want golf course living and Maui living but they don’t want to pay that million-dollar price tag. The Island gives them all that, plus they get the added bonus of a super-convenient location, which no one else on Maui can offer.”
T
he 6,840-yard, par-72 Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course is designed just like the classic courses crafted centuries ago in the British Isles. Its 18 unique holes take full advantage of Maui’s naturally-sloping island dune terrain. That’s why creativity, finesse,
strategy, and good shot-making are all part of the Dunes experience. In addition to great golf, The Dunes offers the only lit range, with grass tees, in central Maui. It is also home to the newlyopened Dunes Restaurant, all conveniently located in central Maui.
The Dunes at maui Lani • 1333 Maui Lani Parkway, Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, 96732 Pro Shop Phone: (808) 873-0422 • Pro Shop Fax: (808) 871-6647 • Group Reservations: (808) 873-7911 x3 Internet: www.dunesatmauilani.com
© Robert Reck Photography
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The Queen Kaahumanu Shopping Center is only minutes away.
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“From over here on lot 16 you can see the great views of Haleakala and the #13 fairway,” Olson said while standing on a grated sand lot along the outer perimeter of The Island one afternoon. “Across the way you can see those are the Grand Fairways lots that sold for $171,000. The last one sold for $179,000. Over here, at The Island, you’re going to get a gated community, some ocean views, you’re above everyone in town so your views are unobstructed, and you’re getting all of that for about $20,000 to $25,000 more.” The developers of The Island at Maui Lani so named The Island because of its location between the back nine golf course holes at The Dunes. “The reason we call it The Island is because it is surrounded entirely by The Dunes’ fairways,” Leiane Goo,
“. . . a super-convenient location, which no one else on Maui can offer.” —Jonathan Olson, Realtor
The
Island
AT M A U I L A N I
Maui’s Newest Gated Community on the Fairways of the dunes championship Golf Course
3 MONTH SPECIAL Central Air • Corian Countertops • Insulation CALL FOR DETAILS! Model to open soon!
Betsill Brothers Construction, Inc. Sales Office: 243-2249 • Or Call Direct: Byron Yap 870-3182
www.betsillbuilder.com
Dream home along the Dunes Golf Course
“. . . an island set within the Dunes’ perimeters.”
Snag one of Hawaii’s most precious pieces of real estate. For a
MAUI LANI
Monthly Payment
$1,993
of
*
you can own a spectacular custom home on a golf course frontage lot.
Central
Location
With a backyard of nothing but beautiful hawaiian landscape, you’ll live only minutes from beaches, airport, shopping, schools and business centers.
Championship
Golf
The Dunes Championship Golf Course will be your constant source of pleasure.
Ron Dahlquist
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Golf course views abound at The Island.
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director of Maui Lani development explains, “and it’s this location that made it a prime opportunity for us to create a gated community like The Island.” The Island is indeed like an island set within The Dunes’ perimeters, so homes can be seen from the fairways below. (In keeping with other upscale golf communities, The Island has its own set of design guidelines that were developed to assist lot owners in designing their homes while maintaining long-term property values.) Homeowners are assured that they, and their neighbors, have met The Island’s standards, which encompass everything from architectural plans, landscaping, and construction methods to materials and compliance. A Design Review Committee exists solely for this purpose. “We made sure we would give enough of a guideline to create a nice subdivision, while at the same time not so strict that our owners would feel like they’re living in a condominium association,” Goo said. The Island’s semi-oval design accommodates 226 lots all encircled by Dunes’ fairways. Roughly half the lots form an inner perimeter and the remainder form the outer.
Free Memberships Enjoy FREE 1 year memberships to The Dunes Players Club and to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Ilima Club. Free memberships for new Island Residents only.
To Tour Our Championship Golf Course, Clubhouse and Model Homes call:
Carol Ball & Associates (808)871-8807 Delmore Realty (808) 242-1467 Courtesy to Broker (Broker must accompany client on first visit) Directions: Take Kaahumanu Ave. toward Wailuku and turn left on Maui Lani Parkway. *$1,993 monthly mortgage payment is based upon a purchase price of $195,000 (Lot 94, Phase I) & 3D Builders and Design's Mauna Kea model (2,517 SF total) for $229,400 with a 32% down payment of $135,808 on a 30-year fixed mortgage (360 payments). Interest rate is 7.375% based upon 2.5% loan fees or $7,215 ( 7.666% annual precentage rate). Monthly payment quoted above is principal & interest only payable on first of each month and total principal and interest payments over life of loan is $722,173. Does not include Maui Lani Master Association dues, Island sub-association maintenance fees, real property taxes and insurance. Interest rate, fees and taxes are subject to change without notice.
M o d e l H o m e s O p e n D a i l y 1 0 am - 5 p m
real estate “We couldn’t be happier— we’re right off the ninth hole.” —Sherri Grimes, Homeowner
Courtesy of Yacuk & Assoc.
Homes within the inner perimeter are owned and developed by a builder who started in Hawaii and has grown nationally named Schuler Homes. Schuler offers many home designs available to buyers with interior lot and home packages starting at about $337,000. Home buyers in search of more flexibility may choose to buy a lot on the outer perimeter, which is owned by Maui Lani. These lots all offer direct fairway views, in addition to the Maui expanses. These lots start at about $194,000 and average 10,000 square feet. Two of Maui’s top builders, 3D Builders and Design and Betsill Brothers Construction, have built many of the homes at The Island, in addition to the whole Maui Lani development. “We’ve had a long relationship with 3D Builders and Betsill Brothers and feel that they are consistently able to deliver our homeowners the type of quality and workmanship they deserve. Both builders get their work done on time and within budget,” Leiane Goo explains. “We couldn’t have asked for two better partners.” Both Betsill Brothers and 3D Builders have model homes on-site to give buyers a glimpse of what a lot at The Island looks like from outside and within the comforts of a real home. “Our model home with our large open space design really showcases the spectacular views which is a result of the positioning of
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Artist’s rendering of The Island’s gated entry.
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“. . . we have a little bit of everything that is needed to create a really nice masterplanned community.”
the doors, cabinetry, and windows,” says Steve Betsill, vice-president for sales & marketing. He adds that the model is, “full of design features that have only been seen in Maui’s most expensive homes, and once completed, are a must to visit for inspiration and new ideas.” Betsill even provides a design center inside their model home to help customers compose the elements to fit their own styles. Dan McEvoy, vice president of 3D Builders and Design describes their newest model home, The Kauai, as “a good exampe of 3D Builders’ innovative approach to state-of-the-art custom home-building—utilizing the latest design technology and style to achieve an exceptional living environment.” Within 3D Builders and Design’s model, buyers find a design-scheme showcasing a contemporary Hawaiian style with plenty of open living space and options to reflect Maui’s old plantation era. Beginning with its distinctive courtyard entryway, The Kauai’s classic island style unfolds throughout more than 2,300 square feet of living space beneath a Monier tile roof and high, vaulted ceilings. The entirety of it all captures the expanse of The Island’s panoramic ocean and golf course views and is indicative of what a typical Island home site can be. Those living at The Island seem content with what they’ve got. “The golf course lot and 3D Builder home package we bought gave us a terrific value,” remarks Sherri Grimes of Pacific Radio Group, a local station-operator. “We couldn’t be happier— we’re right off the ninth hole.” New owners at The Island also enjoy complimentary one-year memberships to The Dunes at Maui Lani Players Club, and Ilima, at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. The entire Maui Lani community is poised to grow even more, as Leiane Goo explains. “We have zoning for churches, community centers, a village center—which is like a mixed-use commercial site, multi-family and single-family residential housing, and a medical facility. So we have a little bit of everything that is needed to create a really nice master-planned community which is what we are doing,” said Goo. Evidently so. The Island and the Maui Lani community as a whole are fulfilling a promise made decades ago and now delivered by developer Bill Mills. “I’ve written Bill Mills so many thank you notes,” adds Carol Ball enthusiastically. “Thank you Bill for bringing us this wonderful community.”