Maui's Plantation Course a true test of game management

It was, as they say, an offer too good to pass up.

After all, if you're a golf fanatic/lowly paid media type and the chance comes to play one of the top golf courses in Hawaii the day after the PGA TOUR left the premises, with the same tee boxes and pin placements, believe me you're going to jump on it with both feet - regardless of the time you have to roll out of bed.

I had the opportunity to play the wonderful, spacious, intimidating Plantation Course on Maui less than 18 hours after Patrick Reed defeated Jimmy Walker in a playoff for the 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions title. While it's now over a year since then, I'm still on a high from the experience.
Oh, did I mention it was free? That's a win/win in my books.

Now don't get me wrong. I know I'm nowhere good enough to play this track from the tips which sit at 7,411 yards. Believe me, the tees anywhere in front of that are challenging enough.

Continually seen as the No. 1 course in all of Hawaii, not only is the golf great on this track designed by the team of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, but the ocean views from up high on the slopes of the West Maui Mountains are magnificent.

Off the Regular blocks, you're faced with almost 6,700 yards of challenges starting on the opening hole, a 434-yard downhill, right to left sloping beauty where your second shot is the key. By the way, if you want to play it like the pros, this becomes a 520-yard par 4 behemoth.

Things don't necessarily get much easier from that point on, but the second, third and fourth holes, again from the Regular tees, do give you a bit of a break, playing to 196, 352 and 317 yards respectively. After that though, the real test of both your game, and your composure, begins in earnest.

The par 5 fifth is one of the narrower fairways at Plantation - although it is still wide - but if you stray too far sideways you're in big trouble with jungle left and a huge canyon right. The third shot is decision time on this hole, especially if you find yourself on the right-hand side of the fairway as you need to fly the edge of the canyon into a large green guarded by steep walls.

The sixth is perhaps the neatest hole on the front nine, another par 4 and "only" 378 yards (398 from the tips; 362 from the Resort tees) with a blind tee shot and approach into a green that slopes severely from left to right. The trick here is to hit and stick because if your ball is rolling when it gets to the green, chances are it is going to scoot right off and bury itself on a steep slope in some nasty Bermuda grass up to 50 feet below the putting surface.

When you swing over to the back nine, you again get a bit of a break with the relatively easy par 4 10th, the dramatic par 3 11th where you hit directly at the ocean in the background and the par 4 12th where as long as you don't get a downhill lie off your drive, you can set yourself up for a good run at birdie.

Turning back into the mountains after that hole, you come to the short par 4 14th, an uphill hole where  the pros like to let it rip as they attempt to reach the putting surface in one. Again though, any kind of wayward shot here puts you in a world of trouble from deep, steep-faced bunkers to OB areas.

The 15th hole, the par 5 510 yard assignment from the Regular blocks is all about club selection. The third shot on the hole is uphill and if you choose the wrong club, and catch the false front, your ball is coming to rest right from where it started if not even farther back.

Then you hit the two big holes on this track, Nos. 17 and 18, where good games can go astray in a big hurry.

The 17th is a big par 4 that for the pros plays anywhere from 508 to 549 yards. While there's plenty of room to drop your opening salvo into, again it's the approach shot where you earn your money. From the Regular tees the hole tops out at 467 yards while from the Resort blocks it's a challenge at 428 yards.

Unless you choose to play cautious and lay up, your approach shot is again key to the hole. You must clear yet another huge canyon, this one protecting the left side of this green and truthfully that hazard is likely the graveyard for thousands of golf balls. Convert on that shot though and you'll walk away with par and be in the right frame of mind for the final test of the day - the dramatic, jaw-dropping par 5 18th.

From the back deck - and really, if you're here you've got to play from the spot where the pros do - your duty is to let out all the shaft you can. Aim at the chimney on the clubhouse and let 'er fly. If you judge properly, the trajectory of your ball, combined with the right to left downhill slope of the fairway will undoubtedly give you one of the longest, if not the longest drives of your life and one that you'll be talking about for years to come.

This hole isn't just all about the drive though. You need to play smart to stay out of yet another canyon down the left side that is definitely in play on the second  shot. Coming into the green you need to stay above the hole as anything below it is going to roll off and into a bunker.

The keys to scoring well here are relatively simple - play the right tee box; learn how to read the greens and don't step outside your comfort zone by attempting to make impossible shots. The thing is, no matter what you score this is one golf course you'll relive playing and once a year can compare your results on each and every hole with those carded by the pros. Also, remember you're playing at close to sea level so club distances can vary greatly.

Overall, no matter how you fare in your round and where you play from, a round on the Plantation Course is one you'll always remember given its challenges and beautiful ocean views.

So even if you don't put on your big boy pants to take on this monster, do give it a go. It's definitely one of those bucket list courses and one you'll truly enjoy - even if unlike this lucky guy, you do have to pay the going rate for admission.