Kapalua Golf, Bay Course, Maui

Opened in 1975, Kapalua’s Bay Course was the resort’s first championship layout and Arnold Palmer’s inaugural design in Hawaii. Created with Francis Duane, it introduced golf on Maui to an international audience and remains one of the island’s most scenic courses, highlighted by the iconic par-3 17th playing across Oneloa Bay.

I photographed the Bay Course in 2015 and again in 2019, and as a longtime admirer of Arnold Palmer’s work, it was a genuine joy to experience behind the camera. While its sister course garners most of the attention, the Bay’s intimate routing, coastal drama, and oceanfront holes make it a personal favorite—quietly so.