March 25, 2025
While Kilauea is erupting on the Big Island, I’m on the mainland. So, I head over to my favorite 9 hole golf course in Mesa for a bit of golf!
Not quite Pebble Beach, but within my price range. I booked this course from an online website for $11.99 After the website fees and taxes, I paid about $16.50 for 9 holes.
The amenities are sparce, – no restaurant, the restroom is a port-a-potty, and the clubhouse is a portable trailer!
Behind the “clubhouse”/office there is a driving range. There IS grass where you hit the balls from, so it isn’t all bad!
They have recently added these electric golf carts. The course is so compact, that I would think the carts would be more of a nuisance! To each their own!
The first tee is elevated about fifteen feet above the fairway, and the green and flag are about 130 yards away. This is a par three hole, and I am glad when I can get a score of four on this hole. Rarely do I get par. One of the only two ball-wash stations is located here at the first tee. Right in front of the green, there is a depression that possibly once was a small sand trap in better days for this course.
The second fairway extends back in the opposite direction and right next to the fairway for the first hole. The tee is slightly elevated above the fairway and is a little longer than the first at 140 yards. There are two depressions about 20 yards apart right before the green that also might have been sand traps at some point in the past. A par three hole, and I typically score 4. . . many times five!
The third fairway is adjascent to the second and abuts the hotel property to the west of the golf course. The tee has two different elevated locations. The black (longer) tees (160 yards) are about ten or fifteen feet higher than the gold tees (120 yards). This hole is also a par three. I have had more success with a constant score of 4 on this hole than on either one, or two.
The first , second, and third fairways are oriented north and south. The fairway for the fourth hole is oriented from the south west corner of the golf course towards the east, and follows the fence line next to the rainwater retention / drainage canal that runs along the side of interstate 60. The fairway is a dogleg around a hill on the right,
with the end of the lake at the left of the green. The total distance for this hole is about 270 yards, and is listed as a par 4. It’s a good day if I can score a five.
The fifth hole and fairway is a 155 yard shot over the corner of the lake and is located in the south east corner of the property.
A shot too long would end up over the block fence behind this hole and into the traffic on a fairly well traveled major road. Thankfully, I cannot drive a golf ball that far.
There usially are a few waterfowlout on the course or in the lake. Today, there are two ducks.
The sixth hole is one of the shortest on the course,
It too goes over a portion of the lake, with a large net behind the hole that separates it from the driving range.
This is the only hole I have ever been under par. I have gotten a score of two on this hole with a birdie, but like most of these holes I am usually one over at 4.
The seventh hole is a straight shot back towards the clubhouse along side the driving range.
Playing eight, sends me back away from the clubhouse area and towards the far bend in the lake towards the fith hole across the lake. This one is shorter than seven at 140 yards.
It too is a straight shot down the fairway!
While it is not the longest fairway on the course, at 255 yards, it just seem to be – at least it does to me.
The tee is located on a sort of a peninsula protruding into the far bend of the lake. The tall trees between this hole and the eighth on the right seem to pull my ball into them.
I try to hit across and next to the edge of the lake and into the fairway that jogs off to the right towards the elevated green.
Like most of the greens on this course, the ninth is a patchwork of grass and dirt, creating difficult putting results.
Par for this course is listed as 29, but I have yet to be able to score anything under 40.
A few days later, I received an email from the USGS regarding Kiklauea. Eposide 15 of the current eruption has slowed to almost nothing. During the 15th episode, they had fountaining that reached 800 to 1,000 feet in the air above the floor of the caldera, and covered a good portion of the caldera with molten lava.
And I missed it!
April 2, 2025
Using the same website, I booked a different cource on the west side of the valley. The cost was $13.99 plus fees that brought it to around $18.00 As I have never been here before, I didn’t know what to expect.
The gofl course is a part of a rather large municipal park complex with a large lake in the park. The golf course is not on or around the lake.
The clubhouse is quite impressive, especially when compared to the clubhouse at the course in Mesa I usually play. The grounds are much greener and the greens are much better and smoother. While there are trees here, they do not over shadow much of the fairways like the huge gum trees at the course in Mesa.
The grounds are extremely green and well maintained with no visible dead or brown spots on the greens or the fairways. There are two courses here. One is an 18 hole course, and the one I have signed up for is a nine hole course comprised of all 3 par holes.
The first hole is a short 103 yard chip shot, at the edge of the golf course adjascent to the entry road on the left that separates the park from the golf course.
The second hole is also a straight shot – a bit longer than the 1st – of 174 yards.
If the flag were at the other end of the green, the third hole would have a slight dogleg to the right. It is listed as 91 yards.
Another relatively short and straight fairway is the forth at 118 yards.
The fifth comes back towards the first and second fairways and has a sand trap just before the green. I found a golfing buddy waiting for me on the 5th.
Possibly the shortest of all the holes, this one is only 66 yards.
The 6th is a straight line of 141 yards back in the direction of the 1st tee.
At 93 yards, 7 points us away from the clubhouse and the 1st tee, along side the 6th fairway.
Eight directs us back towards the clubhouse but at 88 yards, it only takes us a part of the way.
Running adjascent to the tee area for the driving range for 165 yards, and with the 1st and second fairways on the right, the 9th hole completes the circle and gets us back in the vicinity of the clubhouse.
Between the green for 9 and the fairway for 1, we find a small lake.
OK, maybe it is just a water hazard instead of a lake!
From the ninth hole, we can see the tees for the driving range.
The driving range is also well watered and has green grass.
And today, there were quite a few other golfer taking advantage of the range!
At par 3 for each hole, this course totals a par 27. My score was a little bit more at 37!
Meanwhile, back on the Big Island –
KILAUEA (VNUM #332010)
19°25’16” N 155°17’13” W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Activity Summary:
Episode 17 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at 10:15 p.m. HST on April 7, 2025 with the start of lava overflowing from the south vent.
Episode 17 was preceded by glow from the south vent that increased at about 9:20 p.m. HST on April 7 indicating the gradual rise of lava in the vent prior to the start of the eruption. Lava continues to overflow the vent spreading across the floor of Halema’uma’u and is being fed by low spatter fountains 15-30 feet high (5-10 meters) as of 2:50 a.m. HST on April 8. Each of the prior 16 episodes ultimately involved significant lava fountaining, with the fountains of episode 16 exceeding 1,000 feet (305 meters) in height. High lava fountains are likely to follow the current low fountaining and lava flows.
TTFN
TropicalCastaway 