The Front Nine

A QUICK SWING THROUGH THE LATEST NEWS, VIEWS, AND HAPPENINGS AT HUALĀLAI

1) VARIED TREASURES

Since its inception, Hualālai Resort has celebrated local artisans, from farmers to fashion designers, and many of their products are found at the Hualālai Trading Company. Centrally located on the resort’s grounds, the upscale general store—also home to the Hualālai Coffee Company—offers a wide array of gifts and grab-and-go items, including Hualālai resort wear to take home and custom-made salads and smoothies to enjoy on the lānai. The most prized offerings, of course, are those made on Hawai‘i Island—etched glass by Heather Mettler, paintings by Alexander Rokoff, ceramics by Suzanne Wang, gourds (above) by Winnie Logan, honey from Kevin O’Connor of Bee Boys and Kailin Kim of Hoʻōla, and 100 percent Kona coffee from Vikram and Melanie at Pele Plantations. 808.325.8515

2) Perfect Match

Pros offering expert guidance at the Hualālai Tennis Club include (from left) Gannon Nicoll, Gene Macion.

Photo: Anna Pacheco

Beginning and advanced players alike will find tailored instruction at the Hualālai Tennis Club. Led by head tennis pro Mark Willman, the coaches offer all-court instruction for adults and juniors in clinics and private lessons, but each has specific skills that allow for personalized teaching. Jim Murray, who has been at Hualālai since it opened 24 years ago, is an outstanding singles player. Gene Macion is great with keiki (children) in clinics and one-on-one lessons, and Melissa Rodriquez-Penart exudes calm and patience, making her an ideal choice for beginners. Willman says he and David Bryner are all-around players who offer doubles and singles strategy and can help players improve their serve, volley, footwork, and backhand. Rounding out the team is Gannon Nicoll, Hawai‘i Island’s top male player and, Willman says, “the strongest player among us, making him another target for our ‘Play the Pro’ program.” 808.325.8460

3) STROKES OF LUCK

Photo: Anna Pacheco

Love ocean swimming? Those Members and guests of Hualālai who answer yes will find Wednesdays are their lucky days—or rather, their lucky mornings. Promptly at 7:30 a.m., Trent Fischer, director of the resort’s Alaka‘i Nalu (“Leaders of the Waves”), leads a 1,000-yard round-trip Ocean Swim from the beach fronting the Hualālai Canoe Club. Participants of all ages are welcome, but they must be experienced in, and comfortable with, openocean swimming. “This is not a lesson in ocean swimming; rather, the program is designed for those who already enjoy it, especially with a group of buddies along,” says Fischer. He reminds swimmers to bring goggles, or a mask and swim fins, if preferred, and to apply plenty of coral-safe sunscreen. 808.325.8490

4 Good to Grow

Erin Lee

Photo: Anna Pacheco

Members of Hualālai Resort who enjoy gardening recently formed the Garden Committee, an enthusiastic group that works alongside mentor Erin Lee (above), Hualālai’s director of landscaping. They meet at the bountiful Ke‘olu Clubhouse garden each Thursday at 8 a.m. to weed, mulch, groom plantings, and harvest crops (followed by 9 a.m. tours for new Members). In the spring, Lee says, Members can pick tomatoes, cucumbers, and yellow peppers, among other veggies, fruits, and herbs. Member events are also on tap, including future dinners and activities. A recent “Garden to Glass” mixology class led by Ke‘olu Clubhouse bartender Jeff Barrett incorporated fresh fruits and herbs from the garden. 808.325.8453

In addition to dazzling desserts, chef Michael Haren’s weekly dinners feature entrées that celebrate the flavors of global locales.

5) WORLDLY DELIGHTS

Photo: Anna Pacheco

On Sunday evenings, chef Michael Haren (above) hosts his delectable Around the World Dinners at the Members-only Ke‘olu Clubhouse. With a passion for creating the delicacies of captivating destinations from Mexico City to Mumbai, Haren prepares diverse culinary treats for Hualālai Members and their accompanied guests. He highlights a different country each week, and his recent dishes have included classics from Mexico, India, China, and Thailand. The à la carte menus, which include a starter, salad, and entrée, feature such showstoppers as green papaya and cucumber Thai salad with jumbo shrimp, Indian chicken tikka masala, Mexican grilled corn panzanella salad, and Chinese hoisin glazed baby back ribs. “It’s an absolute joy,” says Haren, “to prepare some of my favorite dishes from around the world for our Members.” 808.325.8450

Photo: Anna Pacheco

Photo: Anna Pacheco

6) JUST FOR KIDS

Photo: Renata Johnson

The children, or keiki, of Hualālai’s Member families have long enjoyed a range of fun Junior Member Activities at the resort, and 2021 promises to continue this year-round tradition of exciting and enriching programs designed just for kids. This past festive season, Keiki Art Class with the renowned Hawai‘i Island artist Mary Spears took place at the Ke‘olu Clubhouse lawn, a Keiki Christmas Eve $500 Coin Dive made a splash at the Hualālai Canoe Club swimming pool, and a Junior Golf Challenge saw kids driving, chipping, and putting at the Hualālai Golf Course practice facility. Activities this year are likely to include such weekly favorites as the Junior Tennis Clinics and cultural activities at Aunty Kaulu’s Cultural Korner. 808.325.8424

7) Sound Effects

Photo: Anna Pacheco

If the idea of healing through sound—a global practice for thousands of years—resonates, consider the sonorous Sound Journeys treatments offered at Hualālai Spa. Recipients of the calming treatments sit or recline on mats while listening to soothing sounds produced by the creator of the spa’s Sound Journeys program, Maryann Rose Broyles. Tapping into age-old techniques, Broyles employs clear and rose quartz singing bowls, chimes, gongs, and tingsha bells during hour-long sessions that are designed to reduce tension, anxiety, and pain while increasing a sense of spiritual wellbeing. This special spa service is available only upon request. 808.325.8440

8) Swinging into Action

Brady Riggs

Photo: Anna Pacheco

One of Golf Magazine’s “Top 100 Teachers in America” for 13 years running, Brady Riggs has joined the Hualālai Golf Hale as director of instruction. Riggs, whose pupils have included LPGA Tour player Danielle Kang and 50-plus NCAA Division 1 golfers, comes to Hualālai Resort from the Hansen Dam Golf Course, in Pacoima, Calif., where his accomplishments ranged from the creation of a training facility to the crafting of inventive practice regimens for accelerating player development. In his new role, Riggs will lead operations at the resort’s new Golf Hale, the 3,000-square-foot facility for world-class instruction and recreation located at the driving range for the Hualālai Golf Course. “We’re thrilled to welcome Brady,” says Hualālai Resort’s director of golf, Brendan Moynahan. “His instruction expertise, with the capabilities of our golf academy, will bring many positive enhancements to Hualālai.” 808.325.8000

9) NATURAL 9 WONDERS

Photo: Dana Edmunds

SECTION BY MARGARET KEARNS

Anchialine ponds are part of Hawai‘i’s unique coastal environments, and during Hualālai’s Behind the Scenes Pond Tour, Members and guests can explore on-site examples with the help of the resort’s own marine-life specialists. These anchialine ponds—landlocked pools linked to larger tidal bodies via underground channels— include King’s Pond, where participants can feed Kainalu, an eagle ray, and Ho‘onanea Pond, where they might spot the resident grouper. It’s also possible to handle sea creatures in the touch tank at Hualālai’s new marine center, Kumu Kai. Fun for the entire family, the experiences also provide a window on the natural resources team’s many duties and diversions, among them maintaining the health of the resort’s 1,000-plus fish. The guided tour is offered four times a week. 808.325.8043