Pacific Links selects Tiger Woods and Gil Hanse to develop Mākaha courses

Golf network Pacific Links International has selected Tiger Woods’ firm TGR Design and Gil Hanse to design two courses for Mākaha Valley Resort on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

The resort covers 644 acres and is being developed by Hawaiian firm Stanford Carr in conjunction with community leaders and native cultural practitioners on the island.

The courses – on the site of the existing Mākaha Valley Country Club – meander through lush, rolling terrain between the Wai’anae mountains and Pacific Ocean, offering expansive views of both.

Woods’ firm has released a rendering of the par-71, 7,300-yard North course. It has an open feel with features including shared fairways on several occasions and a two-green complex for the seventh and thirteenth holes. Two of the par fives, including the closing hole, extend beyond 630 yards.

“At TGR Design, we focus on finding spectacular locations to design distinct and memorable golf courses,” said Woods. “The Mākaha Valley on the west coast of Oahu is truly one of these unique and special locations. The cathedral-like setting of the property is framed with big ocean views to the west and towering mountains to the east. We are designing a golf course that will take advantage of this spectacular setting yet still be fun and playable for golfers of all abilities.”

Watch: Pacific Links International’s announcement of the partnership with Woods

Pacific Links International said: “The open nature of the course will provide countless opportunities to bask in this beautiful setting, while the vast fairways, speckled with bunkering, will promote strategic choices and different routes of play. The natural layout will require golfers to navigate a myriad of options in order to score well. Large, tightly mown green surrounds and intricate internal greens contours will further emphasize the highly strategic nature of the golf course, which also boasts variety in hole direction, elevation, shot shape, and distance.”

Gil Hanse will redesign the resort’s South course.

“We at Hanse Golf Course Design are very excited to be partnering with Pacific Links International on the South course at the Mākaha Valley Resort,” said Hanse. “The opportunity to work on such a magnificent site, with equally dramatic views of the ocean, the mountains and up the valley is all we could hope for on a property.

“With the sloping nature of the land, several natural washes, and a few significant elevation changes to work with, we know that the course will have a great deal of variety and will flow wonderfully across the topography. Combining those natural advantages with a style that will be based on the great California courses designed by George Thomas should yield an interesting and thoughtful course to play and a spectacular one to look at.

“It is also an honour to be part of the design team at Mākaha Valley where we will be building side-by-side with the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods, and his design group. The commitment to bringing these two design groups together for the first time anywhere is the vision of Pacific Links International, and we could not be happier to be working with them as they continue their pursuit of building the finest golf facilities in the world.”

Pacific Links International is a golf network focused on Chinese golfers that has access to premium courses on over 400 properties in 37 countries around the world. It has a membership in excess of 17,000. Du Sha, owner and founder of the firm, said: “The Mākaha Valley Resort represents an incredibly exciting development for Pacific Links International and we are extremely pleased to be able to unveil our partnership with TGR Design and Hanse Golf Course Design.

“Through the creativity and ingenuity of both Tiger Woods and Gil Hanse, and the natural beauty of the Mākaha Valley, we will create one of golf’s finest and most sought-after destinations, and we look forward to sharing further details with the golfing world as the project develops.”