Kapalua Resort Temporarily Closes Amidst Water Crisis
The prestigious Kapalua Resort, traditional host of the start of each PGA Tour season since 1999, is in a critical situation. The resort has announced a two-month closure, starting September 2, for its Plantation and Bay courses, due to the water scarcity affecting its golf courses.
This measure is taken amid a dispute over the management of a century-old water system in Maui, which puts at risk the celebration of The Sentry, a tournament that kicks off the 2026 season of the tour.
“The golf course has suffered damage due to the lack of water for months. I proposed to the owner that we close the course to increase our chances of saving it and saving the tournament,” stated Alex Nakajima, general manager of Kapalua Golf and Tennis.
Alex Nakajima
Nakajima explained that the main strategy involves using the little available water to apply slow-release fertilizers and avoid customer traffic while staff removes the dead grass.The image of Kapalua, once characterized by its lush green fairways contrasting with the blue of the Pacific, now presents a mix of yellow and brown tones, due to the death of the grass. According to Nakajima, the course has not received water since July 25th.
The owner of Kapalua, Japanese billionaire Tadashi Yanai, founder of the Uniqlo clothing brand, along with homeowners in Kapalua and Hua Momona Farms, filed a lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple. The lawsuit alleges that the company has not adequately maintained the water supply system.
The conflict centers on the 11-mile-long Honokohau Stream and Ditch system, which extends from the West Maui mountains and provides irrigation water to the Kapalua area.
The lawsuit accuses Maui Land & Pineapple of allowing “the demonstrable deterioration of the canal system.”
Maui Land & Pineapple responded that it has made “certain repairs and improvements to the canal system” according to the instructions of the Commission on Water Resource Management, and that all its actions are “consistent with the agreements between MLP and the golf courses”.
The company argues that the problem lies in low flow rates, not in the inefficiency of the system.
In a statement, Maui Land & Pineapple CEO Race Randle emphasized the need for collaboration rather than litigation to address West Maui’s water needs.
The lawsuit alleges that Yanai signed “water supply agreements” that would guarantee the good condition of the golf courses. These agreements would stipulate that Maui Land “shall at all times use commercially reasonable efforts to manage, repair, and maintain” the canal system for a reliable delivery of irrigation water.
The PGA Tour is monitoring “the ongoing water conservation requirements affecting Kapalua Resort”.
The tournament, valued at 20 million dollars, is scheduled for January 8-11. Yanai’s company, TY Management, claims that The Sentry generates about 50 million dollars in economic benefits, in addition to the charitable component of the tour and Sentry.
The lawsuit, filed in a Maui state court, seeks to have Maui Land & Pineapple comply with the agreements and take reasonable steps to repair and maintain the canal system to ensure a constant water supply.
The lawsuit states that the current drought is not the cause of the problem, citing data from the U.S. Geological Survey indicating that the West Maui mountain basin receives more annual rainfall than Portland and Seattle.
Meanwhile, the Kapalua Resort, managed by Troon, had been offering discounts to its customers due to the deterioration of the conditions of its golf courses.
Nakajima reiterated the need to close the course to have any hope of holding The Sentry. “We have to do it immediately,” he stated. “Every day the golf course is dying.”
