Something To Look Out For At Kapalua This Week...

With the Hyundai Tournament of Some Champions set to get underway Thursday, it's always fun to see beautiful Kapalua, particularly in High Definition. However, since Tiger and Ernie Els' epic 2000 shotmaking duel (career win No. 16 for Tiger!), the ground game shots that often made the event so memorable have been sorely lacking due to soggy approaches. But courtesy of the GCSAA, it sounds like the resort has tried to address the wet approaches with a pricey new irrigation system:

GCSAA member Golf Course Superintendent Orlando Baraoidan has the course in great shape after a dry advance week followed an abundance of rain the previous few weeks.

Kapalua’s courses are wall-to-wall bermudagrass. The rough is 1 ½ inches high at the Plantation Course and the greens are rolling fast and smooth. In fact, due to the contours of the greens and the high winds there, tour officials had Baraoidan slow the greens down some. He installed a new irrigation system this year, a seven-month project started in February, that has improved the consistency across the Plantation Course, reducing dry spots and soggy approaches.