Sony Open in Hawaii, Waialae Country Club

Photos courtesy of Waialae Country ClubHole #1
Par-4 | 480 Yards | Mamao (Distant)

This hole was originally designed in 1927
by Seth Raynor with the famous Road Holeof St. Andrews, Scotland in mind. The
forward tee constructed in 1999 makes thisformer par-5 hole play as a par-4 and 1/2!
Depending on the wind, the second shot
to a very shallow green guarded in front by
a deep bunker and a bunker surrounding
the right half of the green, can be playedwith anything from a 3-wood to a 9-iron.
Welcome to Waialae!

Hole #4

Hole #7

Hole #10

Hole #13

Par-3 | 204 Yards | Apiki (Tricky)

Par-3 | 176 Yards | Upiki (Trapped)

Par-4 | 351 Yards | Kipaku (Drive away)

Par-4 | 477 Yards | Akau (Right)

A very tricky par-3 played into the wind.
The elongated 59-yard green has a deep
swale running across the middle. Par iswelcome here.

The second of the par-3s on the tournament’s
front nine, this green is as wide as the par-3
hole #4 is long. Originally, this green wascompletely surrounded by sand, giving thehole its name. Bunkers still wrap around theentire front side of this green with a lone
bunker on the backside. A deep ridge on thefront of the green runs laterally front to back.

This is the shortest par-4 on the course.
Best place for the drive is on the right sideof the fairway avoiding the fairway bunker.
Two towering palm trees standing sentry
on the left protecting the two-tiered green.
Good birdie hole.

Formerly played as a par-5 at the Hawaiian
Open, the re-designed forward tee allows
playing this hole as a long 478-yard par-4
hole. The reshaped fairway bunker on theright allows more room in the landing area
for the drive. Par is a very good score on
this hole.

Hole #5

Par-4 | 417 Yards | Welo (Float in the wind)

Tee it high and let it fly! A finish with the windat your back. The best place for the drive ison the right side of the fairway. The second
shot is a short iron played to a green framedby the Pacific Ocean and several large palm
trees. This hole is considered the signature
hole at Waialae.

Hole #17

Par-4 | 467 Yards | Auwai (Two ditches)

Hole #2

Hole #16

Par-3 | 194 Yards | Alae (Mud hen)An elevated tee sixty yards back and acrossthe stream really adds teeth to this hole. Itbrings the lake, which runs down the left
side into play for the longer hitters. A very
demanding tee shot must be placed between
the lake and the fairway bunker guarding theright side. A good drive will leave a middle
iron to a fairly generous green.

The rebuilt championship tee 30 yards backin its original location unused since the late1970s calls for a tee shot with a 225-yard
carry over the first ditch. This is certainly
no problem with the wind at your back, butwatch out if the wind switches. A drive thatmakes it over the ditch leaves a short ironsecond shot. Putting is very tricky on theheavily contoured green. Birdies are rareon this hole.

Hole #3

Hole #6

Hole #9Par-4 | 422 Yards | Ii Brown (Mr. Golf)

Par-4 | 460 Yards | Lalau (Go astray)

Par-5 | 506 Yards | Aloha

Hole #12

Hole #15

Hole #18

Named after Mr. Golf in Hawaii, Waialae
founding member, Francis Ii Brown, once
drove this green. The tee box moved a few
yards forward and to the left in 1999 brings
the lake more into play on your drive. A longaccurate drive off the tee is rewarded with ashort iron for this dangerous second shot tothe green.

A prevailing left-to-right wind moves balls
towards O.B. on the right. A well-placed
drive must favor the left center to avoid thefairway bunker and trees. The front rightof the green is guarded by a large bunker.
Tom Doak rebuilt the green with inspirationfrom Seth Raynor’s Punchbowl green.

Normally played as hole #18 by Waialae
members, this par-5 requires accuracy on
both the drive and the second shots. O.B.
runs down the left side of the fairway and ared penalty area down the right. A strong
left-to-right wind makes this hole eventougher. It is reachable in 2 strokes, however,and has given up its share of birdies.

Par-4 | 440 Yards | Imua (Straight ahead)Par-4 | 398 Yards | Pilikia (Trouble)

Par-5 | 551 Yards | Kilou Loa (A long hook)

A long hole requiring both length andaccuracy off the tee, the drive must beplaced between the fairway bunker on theleft and the series of mounds and trees on
the right. A middle to short iron sets up
an easy birdie putt on a relatively flat
putting surface.

This hole can certainly be troublesome.
O.B. runs up the entire left side, and both
the drive and second shots are played into
the wind. Tee shots out to the right areblocked on the second shot by an old kiawe
tree which dominates the right side of thefairway about 100 yards from the hole.

A great finishing hole! Isao Aoki proved
this in 1983 with a spectacular eagle for hisvictory. Aoki knocked it in from 128 yards
out, but this hole is reachable in 2 strokes. Abunker set in the dog-leg makes the drive off
the tee a “thinking shot.” A second shot canbe played straight downwind to the green.

Par-4 | 423 Yards | Oolea (Unyielding)Hole #8
Par-4 | 454 Yards | Huluhulu (Hairy)

The tee shot is everything on this hole.
Played through a chute of trees, the drive
must carry a stream that is 230 yards out,
avoiding two fairway bunkers on the right.
Once that is accomplished, a short iron isleft to the hole. A definite birdie opportunity.

Hole #11

Hole #14

Par-3 | 194 Yards | Kailani (Sea and sky)Par-4 | 430 Yards | Hema (Left)

The real challenge on the tee shot is to avoid
the potential distraction of the Pacific Ocean
behind the green. The prevailing wind blows
left to right so the large bunker on the rightgets lots of action. This is an excellent
one-shot hole.

A dog-leg left par-4, this hole plays backtowards the mountains. A well-placed drive
to the right side of the fairway leaves a shortiron shot to the green that is sloped steeply
from back to front. Best to stay below thehole for the ideal birdie putt.

The most scenic hole at Waialae bears thename of the Sony Open fire-bird according
to Hawaiian lore. Hole #17 is a very difficult
par-3 requiring a long or middle iron. Thegreen features the original Seth Raynor
design which is a classic Redan-style green
with a large bunker on the left and a seriesof three deep, hidden bunkers guarding theright. Par-3 is a good score here, especiallyin the final round.