Some “signature golf holes” occur naturally; in other cases, they’re created through great vision and determined engineering by architects, or as an outgrowth of tradition that develops as a course acquires a history.
At Waielae Country Club in Honolulu, what is now an especially distinctive signature hole was created through a combination of these influences. The club dates to 1927 and has a scenic, Seth Raynor-designed course with several holes that adjoin the oceanfront. But 80 years later, Waielae still didn’t have a golf hole that was thought of as “signature.”
As the idea of creating one was discussed, a member recalled that in the hit 1963 movie, “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World,” characters raced cross-country to find palm trees that had grown together in the shape of a “W,” under which a dying gangster had supposedly buried hundreds of thousands of dollars.
THE GOAL:End an 80-year void and create a “signature hole” at Waielae Country ClubTHE PLAN:Relocate trees to the scenic 16th hole to create a “W” formation.
THE PAYOFF: An instantly memorable sight that provides new distinction for the club. |
Hey, someone then said—we have four existing coconut trees on the property that are pretty tall, and they’re growing at the different angles needed to form a “W.” After getting approval from the club’s Greens Committee and Board to move the trees onto one of Waielae’s most scenic holes (the 16th), an arborist was consulted, and the process of using a large clamshell apparatus to properly uproot and relocate the trees began.
After they were repositioned in the “W” formation, guide wires were used to provide support for six months, until new root growth was sufficient to properly support the angles needed to keep all of the trees in “letter perfect” shape.
The rest is (new) history that was captured by the Golf Channel during the telecast of the 2009 Sony Open, played at Waielae. Cameras panned to the “W” repeatedly, as commentators told the story of the placing of the trees and remarked about how spectacularly they now framed the hole while providing new distinction for the course, and the club. As a final part of the signature, the hole has now been given a name, as is the tradition for courses in Hawaii. Fittingly, the new name begins with “W,” too—Welo, Hawaiian for “float in the wind.”
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