Living on the Greens
New Maui developments reflect a trend toward maintenance-free golf course living.
Sky Barnhart
Photography by Tony Novak-Clifford | Steve Brinkman
An unknown golf addict once said: “A golfer’s best diet is to live on greens as much as possible.”
It’s a healthy regime that increasingly seems to be the diet of choice—to the point where many Maui residents and part-time residents are making “living on the greens” a way of life.
Maui County has more than twenty golf courses, several of which are world-renowned for their challenge and beauty. Developers are capitalizing on that irresistible golf course appeal, and laying out their new developments as close as possible to those smooth expanses of closely cropped green.
Green Wherever You Look
Hokulani Golf Villas sits on forty acres, surrounded on all sides by the back nine of Elleair Maui Golf Club. The red-tile-roofed homes overlook a panoramic view of South Maui: Molokini to Kaho‘olawe to Ma‘alaea.
“We think this project really upscales Kïhei,” says developer Doug Peterson. “We’re trying to create a community here, and it’s really shaping up that way.”
Hokulani will be built to 60 percent of allowable density, with single-family, detached condominium homes ranged along landscaped boulevards. The front yards are planted with drought-resistant native groundcover, and the homes are equipped with energy-efficient fixtures.
From the street, the first thing you see is the house, not the garage. That’s intentional, says builder Bob Leistikow. “We wanted to create a nice streetscape, so we have the garages tucked into the courtyards, with recessed doors.”
Like many new developments, Hokulani is gated for security, with grounds maintained by the condominium association.
“Many of our buyers are baby boomers who have lived in their own home their whole life, and they’re getting tired of maintaining it,” Peterson says.
We step into the “100” model (for the “empty-nester,” according to Peterson), where the living room features twelve-foot, vaulted ceilings and eight-foot, transom-topped windows.
Walk out onto the back lanai, and you are almost on the green, separated only by a low bougainvillea hedge. A golf cart rolls up, and a couple hops out with putters in hand.
Do owners have to worry about getting an errant ball through their bedroom window? Not likely—the homes are carefully placed to avoid that hazard, Peterson says. “I’ve never even seen a golf ball over here!”
Hokulani residents can purchase 100 rounds of golf at a special reduced rate.
“We’re selling a golf-course lifestyle,” Leistikow says, “even if you don’t golf. We had one buyer who said, ‘It’s like having entertainment all the time!’”
We move on to the “220,” the second of six models. This is more of a family home, two-story with nine-foot ceilings and a roomy feeling. Extra-wide hallways and plenty of arches and windows give an added sense of luxury.
West Maui glows in the late afternoon sunlight as we look out from the home’s upstairs bedroom lanai, facing what will soon be private parkland.
“The County requires one acre of open space, and we put in four acres in addition to the fairways, just because we thought that much open space was needed for the kind of lifestyle we’re trying to convey,” Leistikow says. “Wherever you look, it’s going to be green.”
