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TheBuzz
Erika Engle
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Swing votes bring Hawaii golf resorts to the fore
Hawaii's Kapalua Golf Resort is No. 5 in the U.S., according to readers of Travel + Leisure Golf magazine.
It's 2008 World's Best Golf Resorts coverage hits newsstands Sept. 16 but is online now for perusal.
Pinehurst Resort in No. Carolina scored a perfect 100 and is T+L Golf readers' No. 1 pick for the third time in the past four years.
So. Carolina's Kiawah Island Golf Resort is second, followed by Pebble Beach Resorts in California, Brandon Dunes Golf Resorts in Oregon and with a score of 97.40, Kapalua is the only Hawaii golf resort in the magazine's U.S. top 10.
Last year, Kapalua was No. 4 with 98 points and Princeville at Hanalei was No. 6 with a 96.50.
The tenth-ranked Reynolds Plantation in Georgia scored a 94.16, meaning Princeville's 92.21 this year is still well up there.
The scores were compiled via an online survey taken from April 16 to June 9 that asked several questions. They asked readers to pick one of 13 regions and name three top picks in answer to several questions.
Kapalua was ranked No. 1 in Hawaii as being the best golf resort, having the best course and being the best resort for a buddy trip.
Princeville is No. 2 in those categories and the Poipu Bay Golf Course is No. 3 in the best golf resort and best course categories.
The Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa was tops for family trips involving golf and No. 3 on the buddy trips list.
Hawaii's top three underrated resorts among T+L Golf readers are the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club; Four Seasons Resort Lanai, Lodge at Koele and Turtle Bay Resort.
Pinehurst hit three category holes-in-one, scoring 100 as a golf resort, for its No. 2 course and as a best resort for buddy trips.
However, even perfect Pinehurst doesn't get exposure like Hawaii does from the magazine's Web edition.
Online T+L Golf readers who click to find out which golf resorts are best by region will automatically get the Hawaii results page. That's got to provide some delight to visitor industry types, considering the too-many recent reasons for gloom.
Also, online readers clicking on the "By Category" tab to see the world's best arranged nine different ways, will see Hawaii at the top of five of those nine pages including best golf resorts, best buddy trips, best family trips, most underrated resorts and best courses.
The best resort courses page lacked a list, the toughest courses and most underrated courses are all in the U.K. and properties on the best hotels list were in Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland, since the magazine lists no golf resorts in those destinations.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4747, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at:
erika@starbulletin.com