The 18-hole golf course operated on land leased from the First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu will close permanently on September 30th. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell issued a second stay-at-home order on August 23rd that allowed residents to only leave their homes for essential activities, and golf was not included as one. The order has since been amended to allow operation according to PGA guidelines, but the change came too late to affect the decision to close the course.
The Ko’olau Golf Course in Kaneohe, Hawaii will close permanently on September 30th after business fell during the COVID-19 outbreak in Hawaii, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
The Ko’olau Golf Club has been operating the 18-hole golf course and leasing over 240 acres of land from the First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, the Star-Advertiser reported. But the club contacted the church to terminate its lease early.
The decision is not expected to impact operations of the Ko’olau Ballrooms and Conference Center, which currently remains in business, Hawaii News Now reported.
The 7,310-yard Ko’olau course is typically regarded as one of the more beautiful and challenging courses on Oahu, according to Hawaii News Now, but it was closed for a month between late August and late September during the latest stay-at-home, work-from-home order imposed by Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell.
“The current economic conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible for our golf course operator to continue at the Ko’olau Golf Course,” said Pastor Dan Chun, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church, in a statement. “While we are disappointed that the golf course will be shutting down, we are looking forward to see what God has in store for the property next.”
Alan Tang, the church’s spokesperson, said business had fallen during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Star-Advertiser reported. “It’s been very difficult at a lot of the golf courses, and the Ko’olau Golf Course is no exception,” Tang said. “It’s exceptionally hard on the operator to make any money when they can’t get enough golfers on the course.”
Tang couldn’t say exactly how much business has dropped because of COVID-19, and the Ko’olau Golf Club was not immediately available for comment, the Star-Advertiser reported.
Tang said the church isn’t yet sure what it will do with the land once it is no longer a golf course, but the First Presbyterian Church has retained Pono Pacific Land Management LLC to help transition the land for another use, the Star-Advertiser reported. The acreage is zoned as conservation land.
Pono Pacific Land Management LLC will “assist with developing a long-term vision for use of the property that better aligns with the Church’s mission and the future needs of its Ko’olau community,” Pastor Chun said in his statement. “We see the responsibility of the stewardship of this property and we are only just beginning to imagine the possibilities of how it can further serve our mission and the community.”
Most golf courses on Oahu actually saw a rise in rounds played at golf courses in June compared to June last year, the Star-Advertiser reported, driven by residents who had more time on their hands because of COVID-19, although the loss of business from visitors hurt other courses.
Golf courses on the island were closed in April and allowed to reopen in May, the Star-Advertiser reported. Mayor Caldwell’s second stay-at-home order allowed residents to leave their homes only for essential activities—a list that did not include golf.
Caldwell’s latest order, which went into effect September 24th, explained that golf courses could operate according to guidelines set by the Professional Golfers’ Association, the Star-Advertiser reported.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.