The Latest Golf and Spa Trends in Hawaii

Mar 16, 2015

Golf courses are broadening their offerings. // © 2015 Thinkstock 2

On an old-fashioned Hawaii vacation, the guys played golf while the women hit the spa. Not so these days. Golf courses and spas are adapting to new travel tendencies and appealing to a range of Hawaii visitors.

Here’s a look at the latest trends on the Hawaii golf and spa scene.

Golf
As visitors seek more diversity in their vacations, Hawaii’s golf courses are broadening offerings to keep the sport top-of-mind.

“Some courses are making the game more approachable with larger holes on the putting greens,” said Ted McAneeley, corporate golf director for Hawaii Prince Golf Club.

Hawaii Prince’s 27-hole course with three interchangeable nines lets clients choose between a quick nine-hole round or a full day of golf.

A growing number of guests with preteens or teenagers are making golf a family experience, according to Jennifer McNally of Maui’s Wailea Golf Club. Wailea is luring clans with the likes of junior rental clubs and reduced rates for twilight play.

On Kauai, trends show that clients want to try new and exciting things on the golf course, according to Doug Sutter of Princeville Makai Golf Club. The club is responding with innovations such as GolfBoards, a new spin on the golf cart that resembles a surfboard on wheels. For quick tune-ups, the club also offers one-hour clinics for $10 per person.

On Hawaii Island, Mauna Kea Beach hotel will soon introduce AeroGolf, a hybrid of archery and golf that coexists with conventional golf and the aforementioned GolfBoards.

“These new offerings are gaining momentum in the golf world,” said Josh Silliman, golf director of the hotel. “We believe they will attract new golfers, especially a younger demographic, and provide golf enthusiasts with a new way to experience the sport.”

Spas
As Hawaii’s spas evolve, they’re going back to basics by using locally grown ingredients. On Maui, Grand Wailea resort’s Spa Grande has dubbed this approach “farm to spa.”

“Guests come to Hawaii to be closer to nature,” said Sharon Ogawa, director of Spa Grande. “They want to have the best of that nature applied to them.”

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa’s Na Hoola Spa has also tapped this trend. The resort’s newest body treatment features Hawaiian salt and macadamia and kukui nut oils. On Maui, the Cocolicious Cocoon treatment at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua uses coconut oil and cocoa butter. Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa’s guests find balance and harmony during the Kauai Clay ritual.

Hawaii spa-goers are also more inclined toward wellness tourism, according to Megan Hardesty of The Fairmont Kea Lani Maui.

“Guests are booking results-oriented treatments and fitness programs, driven by the desire to look good and lead a healthier lifestyle,” she said.

Fairmont Kea Lani clients can book a K-Lift facial that uses red LED light and microcurrents to lift and firm skin and reduce lines and wrinkles, then tone up during a yoga class. Guests at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea can try I-Lipo, a laser body-shaping treatment that is followed by customized workouts.

Jennifer Linder, director of Halelea Spa at St. Regis Princeville Resort, is fielding more requests for personalized treatments. At The Fairmont Orchid Hawaii’s Spa Without Walls on Hawaii Island, guests are asking for detox wraps, lymphatic drainage and pregnancy massages.

“Typically, these treatments are offered at the beginning of their stay,” said Candy Lucas, manager at Spa Without Walls. “It’s a great way to prepare the body for a vacation in paradise.”