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(Editor's note: Although the PGA Tour's 2026 Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua was canceled, golf in Hawaii is very much alive and well. All week long, Golfweek will highlight some of the state's incredible courses and views. Here's Monday's story about Hualalai and Tuesday's story about Kauai.)
MAUI, Hawaii — Joseph A. Schilling loved to flash the famous shaka to guests at Ka'anapali Golf Courses.
Extending the pinkie and thumb while curling the three middle fingers, Uncle Joe, as everyone called the longtime starter at the resort, wore out Hawaii’s official sign for Aloha in one of his expressions of his infectious positive energy and boundless sense of humor.
“He made an impression,” said Karl Reul, general manager of the 36-hole facility. “He was the guy people really remembered.”
'Uncle Joe' one of 102 who died in Hawaii fire
Today, he’s remembered for his selfless heroism at the resort’s starter shack with a framed photo, one of his faded orange Callaway golf balls and a lei of purple vandals. In addition to early morning stints as a starter, Uncle Joe managed property at a Lahaina senior center, where he looked after eight widows. On Aug. 8, 2023, sparks from broken power lines ignited dry vegetation, and the combination of hurricane-force winds and a spell of drought-like conditions resulted in one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in at least 100 years. When it spread and reached Uncle Joe’s complex, he had hardly any time to react.
“He had minutes,” Reul recalled. “He got them out, carrying some of them who were unable to walk themselves. But he went back in for one last person, and he didn’t make it.”
Uncle Joe was 67.
All told, 102 people died from the fires that raged through the historic former whaling town of Lahaina, destroying or damaging more than 2,200 structures. Based on insurance claims, losses are estimated to total more than $3.35 billion. Though 98 percent of the island carries no visible signs of the fire, most of Front Street, Lahaina’s commercial backbone that once generated about $2.7 million in daily revenue, is no more. The city’s iconic banyan tree, damaged but recuperating, is off-limits. Much of Lahaina remains behind roadblocks, a wasteland stuck between the transition from cleanup to reconstruction and a prisoner to the politics at play. Sadly, little remains to remind a visitor that this was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in the early 19th century under King Kamehameha II.
The island is still healing and there’s much work to be done, but it’s important to know that West Maui is open for business and continues to greet visitors with warm smiles, mai tais and fresh flower leis.
It's easy to fall in love with Maui
My affection for the island – known for its sparkling coastline, fertile green interior and high-end resorts – runs deeper than my love of warm temperatures, awe-inspiring views of whales breaching, poke bowls and the Hawaiian culture. The island’s Aloha spirit is contagious, and that’s why the wildfires in August of 2023 hit home for so many, including me.
I returned for the first time since the fires for a working vacation on Christmas Day with my wife and 3-year-old daughter. I stayed more than two weeks through The Sentry, what has previously served as the annual kickoff to the PGA Tour season, which served as a priceless four-day infomercial for Kapalua Resort and West Maui. Shortly before we flew, I called Mark Rolfing, the NBC Sports golf commentator and Mr. Hawaii, to discuss the recovery from the tragic fires. He didn’t bother to sugarcoat it. “You’re going to be surprised how little progress has been made,” he said. “Tourism has not rebounded the way we thought it would.”
Indeed, the wildfires continue to have a rippling effect on tourism. Maui experienced a 10.1 percent decrease in visitors for the first 10 months of 2024, according to state Chief Economist Eugene Tian, who heads the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, dipping from 2.1 million visitors for the same period in 2023 to 1.9 million.
He also noted that approximately 32.5 percent of Maui’s visitors also stay on a different island, and a decision not to visit Maui has had a ripple effect elsewhere, too. The only Hawaiian island that hadn’t shown a decrease in visitor numbers is Oahu, with an increase of 3.5 percent credited to a strong flow of Japanese visitors.
Rolfing lamented the loss of Lahaina, calling it what made West Maui unique. While the destruction to Lahaina represented a fraction of visitor accommodations on Maui, the publicity has had a negative impact on bookings island-wide.
“People are nervous to travel here,” Rolfing said.
Rolfing found Kapalua in the 1970s
In 1977, Rolfing and his wife, Debi, discovered Kapalua’s Bay Course on their first trip to Maui, before the resort’s residences were even built. Rolfing started to work at Kapalua in the cart barn, and Debi took a position at the Sheraton Maui.
“We felt the spirituality and aloha of this remote end of the road on West Maui. We were kids and knew Maui would have opportunities for us,” she said.
All these years later, this is still their home. “Rolf,” the voice of the Hawaiian Swing on Golf Channel and unofficial mayor of Kapalua, vocalizes his concern that there’s no sugarcane and pineapple industry anymore. The local economy depends on tourism. Thousands of jobs have vanished, rental prices have soared and employees have fled to Nevada and Utah, where the cost of living is more reasonable and jobs are more plentiful.
Maui will come back, with time
Blessed with some of the best beaches – and weather – on the planet, Maui should come back stronger than ever, but it may take a decade to do so. Don’t delay visiting because paradise still beckons. While we missed Front Street – the scenic seafront main street for endless shopping, dining, nightlife and people-watching, and regarded as the jewel in the crown of Maui – there’s still so much to explore, so many activities, so little time. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, which is located along nearly three miles of sun-kissed beach. It’s a short walk to Whalers Village, a posh shopping center with more than 50 stores and restaurants, and some Front Street vibes.
Sitting on Ka’anapali Beach, I felt as if I had been plucked from everyday life and dropped into a postcard showing off the sunny skies, cerulean waters and golden sands of Maui. Steps into the ocean and I was snorkeling with scores of colorful fish. Much of our days were spent bouncing among pools galore, especially the splash pad, with our little one, who occasionally took a break for a Hawaiian shaved ice or to see the feeding of the penguins in the open-air lobby. She also loved going to a luau, which is part meal, part show and all fun. Drums of the Pacific, the luau under the stars at the Hyatt Regency, is a tasty way to experience a time-honored island tradition.
Somehow, the “farm-to-fork” food matches the views at Merriman’s, the waterfront restaurant with Molokai island off in the distance. My go-to place showcases local ingredients, whether it’s chevre from upcountry goats or line-caught fish from nearby waters. At minimum, stop by for a drink. Perched on a scenic point between Kapalua Bay and Napili Bay, the tiki- and palm-dotted Point Bar on the lanai is a gorgeous (and romantic) place to unwind.
Golf on Maui is worth lugging your clubs. It’s all about the dramatic landscape, dynamic ocean and the difficult wind. I’m a big fan of Royal Ka’anapali, an old-school course regarded for its fast and consistent greens. When the wind blows, it will test all facets of your game. The layout takes you oceanside then brings you into the West Maui Mountain foothills, where the views are equally spectacular. The Robert Trent Jones Sr. design is the granddaddy of them all on the island, having opened in 1962. Short by today’s standards, the yardage is deceptive because the trade winds, which don’t discriminate but tend to kick up in the afternoon, have ensured it stands the test of time. It’s also home to the toughest finishing hole on the island. The Kai Course, which is a more traditional and forgiving resort, player-friendly layout, is underrated with a couple of testy par 4s in Nos. 16 and 18, a classic risk-and-reward finish. It was an enjoyable experience for the whole family.
Prior to the Lahaina fires, business was booming.
“We were getting the ‘revenge travel,’ and the hotels were running at 98 percent occupancy,” Reul said. “Then it came to a complete stop.”
With power out and cell service disabled, Reul drove to work early the morning after Lahaina burned to the ground, unaware of what had happened. Cars were parked everywhere, and families camped out on blankets on the golf course. He quickly sprang into action, making bathrooms available and providing water. One favorite Hawaiian saying on heavy rotation is “aloha kekahi i kekahi,” which translates to love one another. That aloha spirit was put to the test following the fires. Reul and Ka’anapali’s support was just one thread in the blanket of care that the local golf courses, hotels and restaurants wove for their neighbors. It was a total community effort. So many offered help to those impacted by the disaster, sharing their aloha with others in their time of need.
The week of The Sentry, we shifted our base north of Ka’anapali to Kapalua Resort – the name means “arms embracing the sea.” Kapalua has as its emblem a monarch butterfly with a pineapple in the center, symbolizing the metamorphosis from workaday pineapple plantation to elegant pleasure garden.
“Kapalua is like Camelot,” said Debi Rolfing. “It’s magical, spiritual and where love of ‘ohana’ (family) abounds.”
Ritz-Carlton was Sentry central
The Ritz-Carlton Maui has served as tournament central and where most of the players stayed. The resort is perched on a knoll above D.T. Fleming Beach, a sandy crescent that looks like an outpost from another era. In keeping with its Hawaiian nature, the beach is the domain of surfers.
The lobby opens to an expansive lanai with sweeping views of a three-tier pool and Honokahua Bay. A $100-million renovation was completed in late 2022. There are six dining experiences, including Banyan Tree, which features a menu rooted in Hawaiian coastal cuisine and an indoor garden setting. Order the seafood tower, a great way to taste the freshness the ocean has to offer.
Located in the newly renovated Aloha Garden Pavilion, Tales of the Kapa Moe is the Ritz’s version of a luau, serving up a magnificent spread of food while including chanting and hula, a Cirque de Soleil-style aerial performance and a dramatic fire knife dance that still leaves my daughter’s mouth ajar when we watch videos of it. From the nightly live music in the lobby to exquisite food and a world-class spa, this is good living.
TV coverage of the pros playing Kapalua Resort’s Plantation Course made it a bucket-list layout and, in my book, it lives up to the hype. From the 18th tee, the view is everything that is Hawaiian. The infinite Pacific churns in the distance. The landscape tumbles down the volcanic shoulders of the mountains. The Cook pines sway to the rhythm of the trade winds. The sun dances through the racing clouds. It’s one of the best views in golf – its fairway and green tumbling steeply down to Kapalua Bay and beyond to the Pailolo Channel and the island of Molokai. Wide fairways and an assortment of forward tees help us mere mortals.
It’s tough being the sister course to one of the most scenic golf layouts in the world, but Kapalua’s Bay Course delivers a solid 1-2 punch and will soon have an even better right cross. Arnold Palmer partnered with Francis Duane to design Kapalua’s first course in 1975, which is more forgiving than the Plantation. The Bay takes golfers right to the Pacific’s edge. The par-3 17th plays over a chasm with the water roiling up on the rocks below. Rolfing, whose home overlooks the green, is an avid fisherman, so don’t be surprised if you encounter him, rod and reel in hand, heading to or from one of his favorite casting perches on the cliff.
The permitting process has slowed groundbreaking, but course designer David McLay Kidd has been hired to give the Bay Course a facelift that is intended to make it as beloved as Plantation. “There’s so much potential at the Bay Course. We are going to open it up and unlock it,” said Alex Nakajima, general manager at Kapalua Golf and Tennis. “When it’s done, we’re going to have two great courses.”
Just another way that the island attractions will eventually be better than ever. One way visitors can keep supporting West Maui in the meantime is to enjoy the local amenities, which are as appealing as ever. Said Reul: “I have people call me all the time and they say, ‘Is this a good time to come back or should I wait another year?’ I say, ‘Why would you want to wait?’ ”
Especially if, like me, you want to see Maui rebound stronger than ever.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Hawaii: Recovery from devastating fire is slow, but Maui tourism is thriving again
Reporting by Adam Schupak, Golfweek / Golfweek
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