(Written by Jim Allen - 3/29/08) ... There are few things on gods green earth that beat golfing in Hawaii. The sky is bluer, the grass is greener, and there is a certain "X" factor that typically puts it over the top. That X-factor could be the fresh ocean air, or the way the course is cut through the local surroundings, or just the fact that one is golfing on an island paradise.

     The Jack Nicklaus-designed Kauai Lagoons Golf Course is one of five rated courses on the island chain and is very worthy of its rating on the Top 100 list. The course is tied to the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club property and actually consists of three distinctly different nines. They are entitled the Kiele, the Maile, and the Mokihana. The Maile nine is a wide-open Scottish-style rolling links course with undulating greens. The Kiele has the most personality, weaving its way through mango groves, rolling hills and the local jungle. The super-scenic Mokihana nine, which runs along the ocean, is being revamped and is expected to reopen later this year.

     The 19-minute Hawaiian Airlines flight from Oahu to Kauai was the preferred method of transportation to get to this venue. The best thing about the course is that it is less than a five-minute taxi ride from the Lihue Airport. I arrived at 8:45 a.m., with a scheduled 10:00 a.m. tee time, but being on Hawaii-time, there wasn’t any hurry to do anything.

     After pounding a few balls with a few others on the nice practice range, I decided to get ahead of a foursome and a husband and wife duo. When I saw another solo golfer spin off, that was my cue to team up with someone and knock number 90 from the list. However, by the time I got to the starter, I discovered that the single went back to the hotel. The starter offered and I accepted to go out as a single on a wide open course. It was 9:20 a.m. 

     I blazed a trail through the Maile course, where it is most impossible to lose a golf ball, but not impossible to find many of the well manicured bunkers. The first three holes took less than 20-minutes to play and I didn’t see another body until I reached the 499-yard par-5 seventh. There, another husband and wife team let me blow through. I passed another couple on number nine, before sliding over to the scenic Kiele course. 

     The first thing you notice on the Kiele course is the monument markers that designate each tee box. Each one is an animal, ranging from monkeys to bulls, in a style and size worthy of a Greek shrine. The terrain of this nine was more up and down and the decision to club up to reach some greens turned out to be a very wise decision.

     There are a couple of killer par-3’s on this course. One is the fifth hole, a 176-yard blast over the lagoon jungle to an elevated green. Anything short of the green rolls down the hill into the jungle - never to be found again.  Ask me how I know that!  That led to an embarrassing triple-bogey, but luckily there were no witnesses. The other is a short picturesque downhill 132-yarder cut into a ravine with a pond to the right. As luck would have it, I had a foursome as an audience that was letting me play through. The last thing I needed was another triple. But with the added pressure, I used the opportunity to stick a nine-iron on the right edge of the green and sinking a five-footer for par. "Oh yah … I do that all the time." 

     I carried that momentum to par the last hole and finished with a satisfying bogey round of 90. A 90 on number 90.  Not a bad investment considering the $175 non-hotel guest green fee. Not just because of the speed record, but because going out solo allowed me to enjoy the course for all it brought to unless you count all of the two-stroke penalties for not pulling the flagstick on my putts.

     As it turned out, a total of five groups graciously waved me up and through and I walked off the final green at 11:27 a.m.  No ..., that is not a typo; that would be a two-hour and seven minute round of golf, a new personal speed record. To put that in perspective, I spent more time waiting at the airport for my flights than I did playing 18-holes. Not exactly done on laid back Hawaii time; but it was definitely satisfying.

     Overall, the round was worth every dollar of the the party. Let's call it the "X" factor.  The service was great, and the pro shop was very accommodating, which allowed me to change to an earlier flight back to Oahu. Just another great day in paradise!  Next time I'll try it in four-hours.