Jayden Alonzo-Estrada and Adriana Lynn Volpe made history this past week when they were the first to tee off at the Volcano Golf Course after two years of the course being closed.
With a swish of their clubs and the strength of their powerful swings, the two members of the 2021-2022 Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i Golf Team wowed the crowd who gathered on March 31 for the blessing and reopening ceremonies for the 100-year-old golf course located on ‘Ᾱina Pauahi in Keauhou, Ka‘ū, on Hawai‘i Island.
“I feel really honored to be part of this,” said junior Alonzo-Estrade. “It’s a great view to see all these people come together to see this golf course reopen.
Volpe said her participation in the ceremony made her feel proud to be part of the team and proud to be a student at Kamehameha Schools. “The time that I put in to be a golfer has paid off because to be here and experience this and to meet all these people, I felt honored,” said Volpe, a freshman.
Both Alonzo-Estrada and Volpe have golfed at the Volcano course in the past and they said that the course is special. “I just love this golf course. The atmosphere is so chilly and is so calming,” Alonzo-Estrada said.
The two golf team members joined Kahu Kaunaloa Boshard KSK’77 for the blessing ceremony, untying two maile wrapped together that signified the course was ready for play. Known as a gathering place for the community, the Volcano Golf Course’s reopening date is tied to the muku, or new moon phase of the Hawaiian lunar calendar, a day which symbolizes new beginnings.
KS stewards its lands to be resilient and to continue to provide the physical, economic, educational, spiritual, and cultural connections that are inherent to Native Hawaiian identity in perpetuity. On February 25, a private ceremony grounded in Hawaiian and Christian values was held, paving the way for the work to begin to ramp up the start of operations.
“We are excited to welcome the community back to play golf at Volcano Golf Course,” said Kilohana Hirano, KS Hawai‘i Island community strategist, who spoke during the ceremony. “We invite the community to celebrate this momentous milestone with us. E holomua kākou. Let us move ahead.”
The Volcano Golf Course is Hawai’i Island’s first and oldest golf course. The 18-hole, par 72 course spans 156 acres and is located adjacent to the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
KS has retained Indigo Sports to manage day-to-day operations, including managing the logistics necessary to open the course for play. Indigo Sports has maintained the golf course landscaping since KS regained possession of Volcano Golf Course from its previous lessee in 2020. Securitas will continue to monitor security on and around the golf course property.
Planning is underway to explore different options to construct a new clubhouse facility. Until the facility is completed, Indigo Sports will conduct operations from an on-site, temporary mobile office.
Along with the KS Hawai‘i golf team, the coaches and Kahu Boshard, other special guests included Trustee Lance Wilhelm KSK’83, CEO Jack Wong, members of the KS Executive Leadership team, Hawai‘i
Island Mayor Mitch Roth, State Sen. Joy San Buenaventura, who represents the district, State Sen. Lorraine Inouye, who has a home near the course and was a frequent golfer there before it closed, and community residents.
The Volcano Golf Course is now open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Kama‘āina rates for a walking round of golf are $36 on weekdays and $40 on weekends (Friday – Sunday). Clubs and push carts are available for rent.
“It was great to see golfers again enjoying the unique golf experience that this course has to offer,” Volcano Course General Manager Dawn Crozier of Indigo Sports, the course’s management company.
Golf course staff will provide refreshments to golfers from a grab-n-go snack and drink stand. Payment for golf and snacks will be by credit card only and the course recommends booking tee times in advance online at www.volcanogc.com.
Along with the KS Hawai‘i golf team, their coaches and Kahu Boshard, other special guests at the reopening included Trustee Lance Wilhelm KSK’83, CEO Jack Wong, members of the KS Executive Leadership team, Hawai‘i Island Mayor Mitch Roth, State Sen. Joy San Buenaventura and State Sen. Lorraine Inouye.
The Volcano Golf Course is Hawai’i Island’s first and oldest golf course. The 18-hole, par 72 course spans 156 acres and is located adjacent to the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
KS Hawai‘i Golf Team member Adriana Lynn Volpe was one of the first golfers to tee off at the newly opened course.
TAGS
volcano golf course,ʻāina pauahi,commercial real estate,cred,ks hawaii
CATEGORIES
Kaipuolono Article, Regions, West Hawai’i, East Hawai’i, Themes, Culture, Community, Hawaii Newsroom, KS Hawaii Home, KS Announcements, Newsroom, Campus Programs, Hawaii, Community Events, Department News, Commercial real estate news, Hawaii campus, Kapalama campus, Maui campus
Print with photos Print text only