Golfers will enjoy not only the challenging play but the beautifully landscaped links. Strutting peacocks and well-placed ponds, palm trees, and bougainvillea provide constant visual delights. The course takes full advantage of the natural splendors of the Makaha Valley, following the valley's graceful contours, and winding past fern-covered glens. The jewel- like course is framed by the Waianae Mountain Range, with the awesome Mt. Kaala, which rises almost vertically for more than 5,000 feet above the valley floor, visible from every hole. Between rounds, players can refresh themselves at the 19TH Hole Snack Bar, which offers informal dining next to the fountain-fed pool. Or they can watch the sunset over cocktails in the Kanakapili Lobby Lounge. The Peacock Restaurant in the Kaala Dining Room, opens daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner that serves a wide range of continental favorites. But the championship golf course is the Resort's top attraction. A long par-72 that stretches 7,077 yards from the back tees, the course is acclaimed as one of the finest in Hawaii. The Makaha Resort Golf Club is one of only three resorts on Oahu with golf courses, and was the first to be built. William P. Bell designed the championship course layout, in 1966. Since the Makaha Resort Golf Club opened, some holes have been altered from Bell's design to accommodate new construction, but the resulting holes are considered at least as good as the originals. A large lake has been added in front of the number 16 green, and a state-of-the-art sprinkling system has been installed throughout. The artificial lakes are fed by a reservoir that also supplies the water for the fairways and greens. There are four par-three holes, ten par-four holes, and four par-five holes, and the course is studded with a proliferation of bunkers and nine small lakes. Today the layout is fully mature and the dense foliage and undergrowth that line the fairways reflects the care that has been lavished on it for decades. The par-four number 5 hole, which measures 427 yards from the middle tee, has fairly earned its number-one handicap rating. The undulating fairway presents a gradual incline from front to back, with a slight dogleg to the right. The tee shot must cross a creek, and the fairways are bordered by trees to the right and two bunkers. Two more bunkers guard the slightly elevated, two-tiered green. Adding to the challenge, the golfer is generally hitting into a crosswind. Five bunkers protect the green on the 9th hole, which features a kidney- shaped pond to the right that veers in front of the green. At 147 yards, this par-three hole is the shortest on the course. The 520-yard, par-five 14th is another tough hole. "You're hitting directly into the wind," says THE director of golf. "It's out-of- bounds on the left with a fairway bunker. On the right you have a water hazard waiting for any errant second shots. The green is small and medium-fast with two bunkers coming into play. The left out-of-bounds is relatively close." You will also find some strange phenomena on the course. The terrain appears to rise up when it's actually sloping down and players experience other visual disortions when standing on the greens. These anomalies may be contributed to "the slope of the valley, the mountain shadows, or even perhaps Makaha's ghost."