Kapalua golf courses to temporarily close to restore grass in attempt to save The Sentry tournament on Maui

Right now, the Maui golf course that hosts the PGA Tour’s prestigious season opener every January for the past 27 years is unplayable at the elite level. Severe water restrictions in West Maui have resulted in brown fairways and dying grass on the greens.

But efforts are underway to return the Plantation Course at Kapalua to lush green — and save The Sentry, once known as the Tournament of Champions, and the $50 million boost to the economy and other benefits it brings to Maui and the State of Hawaiʻi.

Discussions have heated up over the past few days between the PGA Tour, state and county governments, title sponsor Sentry Insurance and Kapalua Resort, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed on Tuesday to the Hawai’i Journalism Initiative.

Time, however, is not on their side. The countdown clock on The Sentry website for the Jan. 8-11 tournament reads 133 days.

The efforts to save the tournament picked up after a lawsuit was filed on Aug. 18 in Second Circuit Court against Maui Land & Pineapple, owners of a century-old ditch that provides water to West Maui. Leading the lawsuit is Tadashi Yanai, the richest man in Japan, and the head of TY Management Corporation that owns the Plantation Course.

Maui Land & Pineapple said in response to the lawsuit that it is following directions from the state Commission on Water Resource Management. 

On Saturday, Hawaii Water Service on behalf of Maui Land & Pineapple Company loosened water restrictions in West Maui despite the area still being in a drought. They went from tier 4 (100% restriction for irrigation and landscaping) to tier 2 (40% restriction) of the water flow.

Being able to water the grass, albeit at less than usual amounts, will enable the greenskeepers to try to bring the course back to conditions suitable for the best players in the world.

“So that’s good news for us, obviously,” said Alex Nakajima, general manager of Kapalua Golf and Tennis. “But it requires a little bit of time for us to put a plan together. What do we do with the 60% (water flow)?”

Beginning Sept. 2, the Plantation and Bay courses at the resort will close for 60 days. During that time, golf course workers who make up about half of Nakajima’s staff of 300 will stay on the job to do aeration (mechanical removal of soil cores that improve air, water, and nutrient penetration to the root zone) and verticutting (cutting thin grooves into the soil to remove excessive thatch, and improve water and air penetration).

They also will applying a slow-release fertilizer, using some water, and “removing the dead grass on the greens.”

“We have tons of work to catch up on,” Nakajima said.

And with the still limited water available, it would be a “losing battle” if golfers were to continue playing on the course.

“Damage catch up and closure impact (will cost) millions, but we are willing to do this,” he said.

Nakajima said he is hopeful but not positive the planned rejuvenation efforts with the shutdown of the course will work. But it was the only option he could think of to quickly bring the brown grass back to PGA Tour standards.

“The PGA Tour is closely monitoring the ongoing water conservation requirements affecting Kapalua Resort,” a PGA Tour spokesperson said in an email to the Hawai’i Journalism Initiative on Tuesday. “We are engaged with our partners at Sentry Insurance, Kapalua Resort, Maui County and the State of Hawaii to assess any potential impact on staging The Sentry at The Plantation Course in January. We will provide updates as appropriate.”

Sentry Insurance declined to comment on Tuesday.

For now, the PGA Tour is moving forward as if the tournament will be played at the Plantation Course. Tickets are on sale and calls for volunteers have been issued.

The Sentry tournament, with its top-notch field of players, and alluring location with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and West Maui mountains, draws fans and global attention to the island.

In 2022, the tournament had an estimated economic impact of $48 million and event officials believe that number has since risen past $50 million. 

The Sentry is one of nine Signature events on the PGA Tour, up from eight a year ago. The tournament, with its smaller, more elite field, carries more FedEx Cup playoff points and an increased purse of $20 million than regular-season events.

County of Maui spokesperson Laksmi Abraham said the tournament “creates jobs, educational opportunities, and provides vital funding that directly supports our local nonprofits and families. The Sentry is a valued partner, and the County remains committed to supporting the tournament’s future here on Maui.”

The Governor’s Office said: “The Sentry is an important event for Maui’s economy and a showcase for Hawai‘i worldwide. Together with the Sony Open, it anchors the PGA Tour’s presence in our islands and supports local jobs, tourism and investment. We’ve been in discussions with partners to keep the tournament here while respecting Maui’s recovery needs.”

The Governor’s Office added that it is “monitoring the situation” on the water situation, “while management decisions remain with the Commission on Water Resource Management.”

In May, the tournament announced that it had provided a record $747,704 to the Maui charities this year. Since its run on Maui began in 1999, The Sentry has raised more than $9.7 million for local nonprofits, according to the insurance company.

The Lahainaluna High School Foundation is one of six “key community organizations” that receive charitable funds from The Sentry. The others are Scouting America-Aloha Council, Hale Makua Health Services, J. Walter Cameron Center, Ka Lima O Maui and Lahaina Junior Golf.

“The foundation would be devastated without having this income come in because … it has become the only financial support for us,” Lahainaluna High School Foundation president Mark Tillman said.

The foundation sends members of the high school’s wrestling, football, debate and robotics teams and the school band to the Plantation Course as volunteers prior to and during The Sentry.

“I’m not sure it wouldn’t ruin us — obviously if it does go away — because we do have money,” Tillman said. “But it certainly would stymie the progress that we want to continue to make up at Lahainaluna and actually for all of Lahaina.”