NANEA GC

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA

In recent years, acclaimed Scottish golf course architect David McLay Kidd, who designed Bandon Dunes and the Castle Course at St Andrews, has been the go-to-man for wealthy developers looking to create a spectacular and exclusive property.

Nanea, the brainchild of financial wizard Charles Schwab and Safeway supremo George Roberts, was carved out of the lava-covered mountainside of Hawaii’s Big Island. Covering more than 7,500 yards from the tips, Nanea offers isolation on every hole was well as a Pacific Ocean view … so I am told.

Schwab and Roberts’ brief to Kidd was they wanted a walking course, one that featured fast, demanding putting greens, challenging contours, and plenty of choices from the tee. It had to be a links-style course in the Scottish mould. Apparently Kidd did an outstanding job … apparently.

I learned of the course while playing on the Big Island in 2008. Some of the pros from the local resorts had been lucky enough to play Nanea and enthused about the design and conditioning of the layout.

I called the course seeking to venture out and have a look at this marvel. “It is the view of the membership that they don’t want any publicity so your visit would be pointless. It is a private club,” the dismissive man in the pro shop told me. I assured him I could keep a secret but to no avail.