Woods Course

Hawaii's North Shore of Kauai is among the most dramatic settings in American golf. Princeville sits on a plateau above Hanalei Bay, where the Na Pali cliffs rise to the west and the jagged green peaks of the interior catch clouds that roll in off the Pacific. It's a landscape that turns even a routine round into something visually overwhelming — and Princeville has long been one of the resort destinations that defines what golf in Hawaii can be at its best.

The name "Woods Course" doesn't match either of Princeville's 2 best-known layouts in my records, so I won't speculate on its architect or specific design details. What's certain is that courses in this part of Kauai contend with the terrain's natural generosity and its real demands: elevation changes, persistent trade winds, and lush vegetation that makes recovery from the rough genuinely punishing.

Princeville draws golfers from around the world largely because nowhere else pairs this caliber of mountain-and-ocean scenery with resort-quality infrastructure. A round here is as much about where you are as how you score.