The famed Prince Course at the Princeville resort: Folks, I have to tell you, this is not a course for beginners or high handicappers. It's probably one of the top 5 most difficult courses in the US. The Prince truly is one of Robert Trent Jones Junior's masterpieces. The scenery is spectacular, the design lavish and, on a difficulty scale of 1 -10, it must easily rate a 10. Tight fairways, small greens, and the trade winds that seem to blow constantly in from the ocean are just a few of the challenges you'll have to contend with.
It all begins here at the 448-yard, par four 1st and never stops: The drive is downhill some 250 yards to a point where the fairway bottlenecks to about 25 yards with heavy rough on either side. From there, if you still have your ball, the second, shot to the green is fraught with danger to the front and both sides. You'll either lay up and hope to get up and down, or you'll go for the green with a long iron shot that has to be absolutely spot on. The first at the Prince is, in my opinion, one of the toughest opening holes in golf. There may be tougher, but I have no idea where. Having said all that, I also have to tell you that the Prince is a delight to play: scenic vistas, beautifully manicured greens and fairways, and lots of sunshine. Every tee is new adventure, every shot is a leap into the unknown, and every green a challenge.
