Timeless Magic, 1965 - 2015
44 TIMELESS MAGIC ROUTING AND CONSTRUCTION Given the lush stunning paradise that Mauna Kea is these days its difficult to imagine how barren and harsh the original site had been Jones Jr remembers the early days having stopped by for a quick visit while on his honeymoon in late December 1961 and early January 1962 before coming to apprentice with his dad on a more permanent basis as the course was being constructed My earliest memory he says was looking at a dry dusty rocky site full of brown aa lava with wild goats running around It didnt look like golf to me In short order it became apparent that getting grass to grow was the least of the construction problems The younger Jones recalls conditions being primitive and at times dangerous You have to remember that this region was pretty desolate in those days he says Hawai i had just become a state and there no was commercial air service to the Big Island This was Parker Ranch we saw a lot of cowboys and cattle Wed sleep in the mountains where it was cool and work down on the site during the day To route the course we had to walk the terrain feeling it in our feet so to speak Walking wasnt easy though We would get scratched walking through the kiawe trees which have spikes on them and every day it seemed one of us turned an ankle on the lava rock Plus it wasnt easy getting the grass we wanted We had test grasses brought in from Tifton Georgia a hybrid 328 Bermuda for the greens Theres no way they would have gotten past the strict U S Agricultural Station in Hawai i but the Pan Am ABOVE With its treacherous bunkers sloped fairways tabletop putting surfaces and reliable tradewinds Mauna Kea can be a challenge to play but it is highly ranked in the world for its natural beauty and masterful design
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