Considered Poipu Bay’s “Signature Hole” for its combination of challenge and beauty, the 16th hole was dubbed “the Pebble Beach of the Pacific” by Robert Trent Jones for its sprawling run along rugged coastline. An enormous 501 yards, this hole is the longest par 4 on the course and one of the longest in the state. Play is downhill, downwind from an elevated tee, with a variety of challenges: a small lake followed by two fairway bunkers on the right, a sheer cliff dropping to the ocean on the left, and a dogleg left created by an ancient rock wall and heiau, marked as a hazard. Both fairway and green slope toward the sea.
Most players will use the fairway bunker on the right to shape their 2nd shot to the fairway. If they don’t keep their ball to the right of the fairway, they’ll face having to fire their next shot over the heiau. The undulating 16th green is Poipu Bay’s largest and most contoured, guarded by three bunkers stretching from the right to the back of the green. Players will be pleased to walk away from this hole with a four.
