HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS - KAPALUA, MAUI

HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
PLANTATION COURSE - KAPALUA, MAUI

HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

PLANTATION COURSE

2000 PLANTATION CLUB DRIVE

LAHAINA, HI  96761

877-527-2582

www.golfatkapalua.com/plantation-course.html

www.pgatour.com/tournaments/hyundai-tournament-of-champions.html

Kapalua has to be one of the most beautiful places in Hawaii or on earth.  I love the trees, ocean and resort feeling of this exclusive area that seems to be far removed from the tourists in Kaanapali and Lahaina.  If I were to pick a place to retire and live Kapalua would be tops on the list.  Always try to make it out to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions golf event held at the Plantation Course.  If you are a golf fan and want to meet some of the greatest players in the world I recommend you attend the Pro Am day.  This is the day where the players are relaxed and take time to sign autographs and take pictures.  You need to be strategic on where you wait for the players.  We usually hang near the 10th hole at first and then move around from there.  The Plantation Course is long and full of hills.  Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to do a lot of walking.
Two moments stand out on this day.  One was Bubba Watson who seemed at first to not want to sign autographs or interact with fans.  We caught him at the end of a hole as he was coming off the green.  I had a photo of me and Bubba from last years event that I held up and asked him to sign.  Bubba said "sure" and then proceeded to sign everything we had.  He was polite and posed for photos.  Basically took as much time as necessary to accommodate all of our requests.  Bubba really showed class here and I will never forget this.  Another moment was with Matt Kuchar who is one of my favorite players on tour.  Like my Bubba photo, I had a Kuchar photo from last year that I wanted to get signed.  Kuch saw it and with a huge smile said he would sign it.  He then posed for pictures and took time to engage us.  Kuch is an amazing player and person.  He is the perfect person to represent golf and the PGA.  Always smiling, always competing and always remembering the fans.  Hunter Mahan and Russell Henley also gave us their time and signed autographs and posed for photographs.  Most players on the course during the Hyundae Pro Am will always stop for a moment in between holes.  You just need to be polite and be patient.

Click links below for posts on the Hyundai Tournament of Champions from 2013 and 2014:
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2014/01/hyundai-tournament-of-champions-kapalua.html
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/01/hyundai-tournament-of-champions-kapalua.html

KAPALUA PLANTATION COURSE IS AMAZING

WAITING HERE TO MEET BUBBA WATSON

BUBBA WATSON - TWO TIME MASTERS CHAMPION AND A GREAT GUY.
HE MADE TIME TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS AND TAKE PHOTOS WITH OUR GROUP

HUNTER MAYHEN BEING INTERVIEWED BY GOLF CHANNEL

HUNTER MAHAN

VIEW OF MOLOKAI

WHILE MOST OF THE COUNTRY IS FREEZING WE ARE ENJOYING A BEAUTIFUL JANUARY DAY
IN KAPALUA, MAUI

RUSSELL HENLEY

MATT KUCHAR IS ABSOLUTELY THE NICEST AND COOLEST GUY ON PGA TOUR.
ALWAYS STOPS TO TALK, SIGN AUTOGRAPHS AND TAKE PHOTOS

THE VIEWS AT KAPALUA ARE AMAZING

FAIRWAY ON HOLE #1

LOOKING BACK AT PLANTATION COURSE CLUBHOUSE AND FIRST TEE BOX

HOT DOG AND A BEER AT THE HYUNDAE WILL SET YOU BACK $15

HEY THATS ME TEEING OFF AND AMAZING THE PRESS AT THE HYUNDAE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

 HUNTER MAHAN WAS FRIENDLY AND ALWAYS SMILING

BUBBA WATSON WAS A TOTAL GENTLEMEN AND TOOK TIME TO TALK, SIGN AND POSE FOR PHOTOS

 MATT KUCHAR SIGNED MY PHOTO FROM LAST YEARS EVENT

TWO TIME MASTERS CHAMPION BUBBA WATSON SIGNED MY PHOTO FROM LAST YEAR

HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS - KAPALUA, MAUI

HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
KAPALUA, MAUI, HAWAII

We found out that good people and attitudes can definitely make up for rain and high winds.  Our trip to Kapalua, Maui to watch the worlds best golfers in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions turned into a rain and wind swept day that made meeting the players and obtaining autographs pretty tough.  We hiked the hills of Kapalua, got soaked and held onto our hats as the winds swirled around us.  Our goal was to have Bubba Watson sign our limited edition club heads, tournament flag and golf ball.  We walked with Bubba for several holes as the rain pounded us.  Bubba was trying to stay dry and rushing to get out of the rain after the first hole.  We approached is cart but he darted away.  Next up we followed him to another hole where we camped out on the green where we thought he would exit to the next hole.  Wrong side.  Bubba jumped in his cart and went the other way driving by us again as we held out our pens and yelled for an autograph.  Discouraged, we had to regroup after buying a $62 umbrella in the pro shop.  The course was out of panchos and the rain was coming down in buckets.  I purchased the expensive umbrella and left my Nephew to fend for himself.  Since he is only 22, I felt he can handle a little rain.  The poor kid was soaked from head to toe.  My other friend brought an umbrella from home and together the two umbrellas and the kid set out to find Bubba.  We walked for what seemed to be miles up hills and then up to another hole where Bubba was teeing off.  We stationed ourselves at the green as Bubba finished the hole.  As Bubba exited the green, we hit him with our club heads and tournament flags.  Bubba signed everything with a smile.  His caddy said to us "boy you guys are dedicated being out here in this rain".  With Bubba autographs in hand, we cruised the course and obtained more signatures from some of the best players in the world.  I was not done with Bubba though.  Needed a photograph with him and need to have my personal Drew's Rocketball signed by the Master's Champion.   We again tracked Bubba down on another hole and stood there like hungry cats as he walked off the tee box.  May we take a photo Bubba.  "Sure" he said.  Photo and Rocketball signed we went to find our other friends who were hanging out in a dry tent drinking beer and smoking cigars.  Seems they commandeered a storage tent  for volunteers and turned it into their own corporate tent.  The menu board for the concession stand was turned over and they hand wrote the words "Cohiba Corporate Tent".  Cohiba being a cigar distributor that provided us with some nice smokes.  A trash can lid was hijacked to make a table and chairs were brought in from the concession area.  If ever you could act like you belong and get away with it, this was it.  We stayed in our "corporate tent" the remainder of the rainy day.  As this was originally a storage tent for towels, trash bags and plastic gloves we were more than happy to allow volunteer workers into our corporate tent to replenish their supplies.  Many of them expressed interest in joining us for beers after their shift.  "by all means we said, you are all welcome in the Cohiba Corporate Tent.  The laughter, smiles and experience of our corporate tent will be with all of us forever.  This was one hell of an awesome rainy day in Kapalua.
Click link below to view post on the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2014/01/hyundai-tournament-of-champions-kapalua.html

BUBBA WATSON WAS A GENTLEMEN AND STOPPED FOR PHOTO AND AUTOGRAPHS

BUBBA WATSON SIGNED LIMITED EDITION PINK CLUB HEAD AND GOLF BALL

BUBBA WATSON SIGNED GOLF BALL

MY PERSONAL "CAUTION HOT" DREW'S ROCKETBALL SIGNED BY BUBBA WATSON

KAPALUA AIRPORT IN MAUI

HEADING OVER TO KAPALUA, MAUI TO WATCH GOLF'S GREATEST PLAYERS

ARRIVING IN KAPALUA TO RAIN AND HIGH WINDS

MY NEPHEW ROBBY GOT SOAKED BUT WAS ALWAYS SMILING

BUBBA WATSON TRYING TO STAY DRY AT KAPALUA

HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS IN KAPALUA, MAUI

BUBBA WATSON TEEING OFF

ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GOLF COURSES IN HAWAII - KAPALUA PLANTATION COURSE

WHEN THE SUN FINALLY CAME OUT KAPALUA AND THE VIEWS ARE BEAUTIFUL

WE MADE OUR OWN CORPORATE TENT ON THE FIRST HOLE

VIEW FROM OUR CORPORATE TENT ON HOLE #1 AT KAPALUA

TOMMY "TWO GLOVES" GAINEY SIGNS MY GLOVE

TOMMY "TWO GLOVES" GAINEY SIGNED GLOVE
NOT YOUR NORMAL GLOVE.  THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON IMPERSONATOR GLOVE WITH SEQUENCE

HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT FLAG SIGNED BY PLAYERS -
BUBBA WATSON,  RICKIE FOWLER, DUSTIN JOHNSON, ZACH JOHNSON, BRENDT SNEDEKER,
KEEGAN BRADLEY, IAN POULTER, STEVE STRICKER, WEBB SIMPSON,  HUNTER MAHAN
AND TOMMY "TWO GLOVES" GAINEY