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Kupuohi Park reviews
21
0
Good 9-hole taste of Oahu Disc Golf drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jul 22, 2022
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
- permanent (baskets, not object targets) and public (not military) course on Oahu - NOT A TRIVIAL FEAT!
- good baskets and logical navigation & course flow
- mandatory arrows painted on many trees prevent crossing fairways and promote course safety
- terrain, trees, and wind contribute to challenge and give a great flavor of tropical/Hawaii disc golf
- beautiful views of the southern coast of Oahu and toward Honolulu
- good baskets and logical navigation & course flow
- mandatory arrows painted on many trees prevent crossing fairways and promote course safety
- terrain, trees, and wind contribute to challenge and give a great flavor of tropical/Hawaii disc golf
- beautiful views of the southern coast of Oahu and toward Honolulu
Cons:
- only 9 holes
- dirt/natural tees
- very dusty in dry summer time; probably muddy in rain
- wind
- no park-specific parking lot
- dirt/natural tees
- very dusty in dry summer time; probably muddy in rain
- wind
- no park-specific parking lot
Other Thoughts:
I visited this course on three separate days while on Oahu for vacation in July 2022. This is a public park, and disc golf is its main (only?) feature. It appears well used by local disc golfers. On my two weekdays and one Saturday here, I saw at least 10 groups of disc golfers (solo and groups of 2-4) and no non-DG park users. Although well-used, there were no significant backups or slowdowns in play.
After some initial scouting for this trip, and after finding some of the object courses previously reviewed by Olorin and JR Stengele, I was very happy to see this permanent and publicly available course! You can bet I took the first opportunity on my vacation to head to Kupuohi.
Access/Location:
Access is easy, with the park being near central Waipahu. The course is less than 20 minutes from Honolulu airport by car, and it also happens to be very accessible via Oahu's public transit system. [Less than half a mile from a major bus stop, with local buses stopping directly in front of the course.] If driving, it's near a shopping center, including a Walmart and some food. For parking, it makes sense that disc golfers should park in the Walmart lot rather than in the residential areas to avoid stirring up trouble with the local community.
Amenities:
Other than at least one trash can near Hole 1's tee (along the street), there are really no amenities. The park has no restrooms, benches/seats, water fountains, or additional trash cans. Thankfully, broad trees provide some shade year round. Bring water and consider throwing on some sunscreen before you play.
Terrain:
Overall, the course space is a portion of land that gently slopes down from Kupuohi Street (and #1's tee) towards #4's basket (see map). Several gentle ridges and humps provide interesting golf, and trees provide some challenge though this is far from wooded golf. On some photos, the course appears lush and grassy. However, the grass was very yellow/dry and the course very dusty when I played due to little rain at the time. (Our conditions were similar to photos from VeGates from June 2020.) I was constantly wiping dust off my discs and hands, and discs and hands needed a good wash after the round. With the summer sun, we came to appreciate the tropical "umbrella" trees through the course. These, the characteristic red dirt, the wind, and beautiful views of the coast gave me my first and representative impression of central Oahu disc golf in July.
Course Flow & Navigation:
Flow is very logical but I recommend having the map handy for your first time here. Tee areas are easily recognizable but also not that easy to spot if more than about 50 feet away. My first time here, I mistakenly played hole #7 after #4, having not looked at the map and not realizing this course had a >600' par 4. It's certainly easy to throw on the wrong basket on the longer holes, though the design prevents this quite effectively.
Design/challenge:
The holes are good quality and the designer has maximized use of the available space. About half of the holes use some ridges and up-and-down terrain (e.g. #1's elevated tee, #2's elevated green, #5's shot-limiting fairway slope, #4's & #9's gentle uphill or downhill). Another important design feature is the use of mandatories painted on trees. Since the course is rather narrow, the longest holes play parallel to one another. #5 and #6 are the two longest holes on the course, and their fairways are also parallel to #3 and #8. A combination of mandatories and the ridges in the terrain help keep straying into other fairways to a minimum. The design for hole #5 (the only par 4) was particularly memorable as a mandatory forces a somewhat awkward tee shot over the crest of a hill. Another mid-fairway mandatory protects #6's tee and further separates the two adjacent fairways. We never had issues throwing onto the wrong fairway, but I'm sure it still happens with thrower error and/or wind.
In addition to challenges presented by the designer and trees/terrain, the wind can be formidable. For at least two of my rounds here, there was a stiff east-west wind up the slope of the hill. This factored into almost every shot and, in my limited experience, was very representative of Hawaii disc golf. There is some OB along the outside edge of the park (especially relevant on hole #3), but there's no real rough and it's hard to get into too much trouble.
As for scoring, there are some definite must-get holes and all are "gettable." Holes #1, #2, #7, and #8 are in this category even for MA1 or MA2 players, though head/tail/crosswind management can make this difficult. With a small (though appropriate) travel bag, I basically played par golf for my 3 rounds here. It's not worth bringing your whole bag, but this is also far from a pitch-and-putt 9-hole.
As the first reviewer mentioned, safari golf is a natural option in these settings when the course isn't busy. I played as the map shows, but there's also a very natural "tenth hole" throwing from an elevated area above #9's basket to #2's basket. If you parked near the Walmart, this is on your way home. My group couldn't resist throwing this shot at the end of our rounds.
Rating discussion: This is a very respectable 9-hole, and I give it 2.5 for "Decent/Typical." Design is excellent for the space available, but this rating reflects the available space and limitation of having 9 holes. It's good and fun golf, and I can see why it's popular with locals. You can bet I'll be back next time I'm on Oahu, even if it's mainly to warm up for Hawaii Country Club! <Shameless plug for my enthusiastic review of the Hawaii Country Club - South course...>
I don't know what strings were pulled to get this course in the ground, but I know it's not a trivial feat for the disc golf community here. Thank you! And thanks to Waipahu. I can only hope there will be more courses this good when I return.
After some initial scouting for this trip, and after finding some of the object courses previously reviewed by Olorin and JR Stengele, I was very happy to see this permanent and publicly available course! You can bet I took the first opportunity on my vacation to head to Kupuohi.
Access/Location:
Access is easy, with the park being near central Waipahu. The course is less than 20 minutes from Honolulu airport by car, and it also happens to be very accessible via Oahu's public transit system. [Less than half a mile from a major bus stop, with local buses stopping directly in front of the course.] If driving, it's near a shopping center, including a Walmart and some food. For parking, it makes sense that disc golfers should park in the Walmart lot rather than in the residential areas to avoid stirring up trouble with the local community.
Amenities:
Other than at least one trash can near Hole 1's tee (along the street), there are really no amenities. The park has no restrooms, benches/seats, water fountains, or additional trash cans. Thankfully, broad trees provide some shade year round. Bring water and consider throwing on some sunscreen before you play.
Terrain:
Overall, the course space is a portion of land that gently slopes down from Kupuohi Street (and #1's tee) towards #4's basket (see map). Several gentle ridges and humps provide interesting golf, and trees provide some challenge though this is far from wooded golf. On some photos, the course appears lush and grassy. However, the grass was very yellow/dry and the course very dusty when I played due to little rain at the time. (Our conditions were similar to photos from VeGates from June 2020.) I was constantly wiping dust off my discs and hands, and discs and hands needed a good wash after the round. With the summer sun, we came to appreciate the tropical "umbrella" trees through the course. These, the characteristic red dirt, the wind, and beautiful views of the coast gave me my first and representative impression of central Oahu disc golf in July.
Course Flow & Navigation:
Flow is very logical but I recommend having the map handy for your first time here. Tee areas are easily recognizable but also not that easy to spot if more than about 50 feet away. My first time here, I mistakenly played hole #7 after #4, having not looked at the map and not realizing this course had a >600' par 4. It's certainly easy to throw on the wrong basket on the longer holes, though the design prevents this quite effectively.
Design/challenge:
The holes are good quality and the designer has maximized use of the available space. About half of the holes use some ridges and up-and-down terrain (e.g. #1's elevated tee, #2's elevated green, #5's shot-limiting fairway slope, #4's & #9's gentle uphill or downhill). Another important design feature is the use of mandatories painted on trees. Since the course is rather narrow, the longest holes play parallel to one another. #5 and #6 are the two longest holes on the course, and their fairways are also parallel to #3 and #8. A combination of mandatories and the ridges in the terrain help keep straying into other fairways to a minimum. The design for hole #5 (the only par 4) was particularly memorable as a mandatory forces a somewhat awkward tee shot over the crest of a hill. Another mid-fairway mandatory protects #6's tee and further separates the two adjacent fairways. We never had issues throwing onto the wrong fairway, but I'm sure it still happens with thrower error and/or wind.
In addition to challenges presented by the designer and trees/terrain, the wind can be formidable. For at least two of my rounds here, there was a stiff east-west wind up the slope of the hill. This factored into almost every shot and, in my limited experience, was very representative of Hawaii disc golf. There is some OB along the outside edge of the park (especially relevant on hole #3), but there's no real rough and it's hard to get into too much trouble.
As for scoring, there are some definite must-get holes and all are "gettable." Holes #1, #2, #7, and #8 are in this category even for MA1 or MA2 players, though head/tail/crosswind management can make this difficult. With a small (though appropriate) travel bag, I basically played par golf for my 3 rounds here. It's not worth bringing your whole bag, but this is also far from a pitch-and-putt 9-hole.
As the first reviewer mentioned, safari golf is a natural option in these settings when the course isn't busy. I played as the map shows, but there's also a very natural "tenth hole" throwing from an elevated area above #9's basket to #2's basket. If you parked near the Walmart, this is on your way home. My group couldn't resist throwing this shot at the end of our rounds.
Rating discussion: This is a very respectable 9-hole, and I give it 2.5 for "Decent/Typical." Design is excellent for the space available, but this rating reflects the available space and limitation of having 9 holes. It's good and fun golf, and I can see why it's popular with locals. You can bet I'll be back next time I'm on Oahu, even if it's mainly to warm up for Hawaii Country Club! <Shameless plug for my enthusiastic review of the Hawaii Country Club - South course...>
I don't know what strings were pulled to get this course in the ground, but I know it's not a trivial feat for the disc golf community here. Thank you! And thanks to Waipahu. I can only hope there will be more courses this good when I return.
