Pacific Links aims to make golf accessible

Pacific Links Hawaii owns and operates four golf courses and a Champions Tour event here. That unique position inspired Golf Oahu Kamaaina Rewards, a frequent-golfer program introduced last week that will most benefit those who have kids and/or hit many buckets of balls.

The idea, according to Pacific Links CEO Micah Kane, is to "reinvigorate the game in Hawaii."

"It is an attempt to broaden and expand the sport to the locals," Kane said. "Provide reasonable opportunities financially to maintain and engage in the sport and still get a high-quality experience."

The company now owns Kapolei Golf Course — site of the second Pacific Links Hawaii Championship in September, Olomana and Makaha Valley Country Club, where the East Course is open and the West is closed and still in the redesign phase. It operates Royal Hawaiian (formerly Luana Hills). Talks for the two Kaanapali Courses on Maui ended without a deal a few months ago.

The rewards program provides discounted greens fees, priority access, free range and practice facility use, clinics and special events at any of the PLH properties. Juniors can play free after 4 p.m., as part of the company’s plan to "engage the next generation."

Cost is $720 for the year, which covers the member and immediate family. It works out to $60 a month, or about what a family of four would save if it played one round and each hit a bucket of golf balls.

For some, it can be a great deal. For Hawaii, it is a whole lot better than making the courses private, which was a source of conversation a few months ago, particularly among club members who use PLH courses on a regular basis.

"We’re trying to understand how to frame our local efforts," Kane said. "We knew there were rumblings out there that we were going to privatize our clubs. We want people to be a member of a club organization that embraces local people. We’re trying to be very open with that."

Pacific Links Hawaii was founded in 2009 by Pacific Links International, a Canadian golf corporation whose stated goal is to "acquire signature properties in select world markets" and offer reciprocal access. It has two courses in Nevada and one each in West Virginia and California, along with a 27-hole golf club in Tianjin, China, that it plans to open as a "six-star international golf resort" in 2015.

Kane’s dreams for Makaha West are so big they encompass the Leeward Coast. He grew up working in his family’s dive business there and envisions a property that helps in the area’s "resurgence." The Champions Tour event is also part of that. Its beneficiary is the PLH Foundation, whose mission is to "help cultivate and sustain programs that aid Hawaii’s ecosystem, keiki, and culture," particularly on the Leeward Coast.

"I have a dream that one day we will have an event in Kapolei and Makaha that, from a strategic standpoint, allows us the exposure to tell the story of that area," Kane said. "A lot of times we get overwhelmed by some challenges in the community by trying to bite off too much. We think there are lot of resources in that community and we can play a small role …in improving it."

The Makaha West redesign is 80 percent complete, Kane said. Groundbreaking is expected in March or April. The company is still looking to acquire more properties, particularly on Oahu and Maui. Kane said PLH will be patient, but when asked what he’d like to see in two years, his vision is vivid.

"I hope to be established on Maui and hope we’re in our fourth year on the Champions Tour and talking about a grand opening at Makaha West," he said. "And I’m hoping we’re seeing a tremendous excitement and life for the families at all our clubs, dispelling the exclusionary feeling that is around so much of our game."