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Download Maui’s Plantation Course

Whether we’re hacking our way around the local municipal track or playing one of the virtual layouts in Links 2004, we all want to hit the ball like the world’s elite players. Now, we can’t guarantee you’ll always hit the ball and score like the players on the PGA Tour, but Links can put you on the same course as golf’s brightest stars.

On January 7, 2004, you will be able to download the spectacular Plantation Course at Maui’s internationally renowned Kapalua Resort for $4.99 via Xbox Live, one day before the PGA Tour’s season-opening Mercedes Championship. The 72-hole event is limited to players who won PGA Tour events in 2003. Among the 31 players expected to be on the greens are Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk (the 2003 U.S. Open Champion), Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Mike Weir, and Shigeki Maruyama. Of course, Ernie Els, the defending Mercedes Champion, will be back. He finished eight shots ahead of runners-up Rocco Mediate and K.J. Choi in 2003 and was rewarded with a brand new Mercedes-Benz SL500 and a check for $1 million.

Kapalua comes to life on the Xbox.

The par-73 Plantation Course, which measures 7,263 yards in length, opened in 1991. It was designed by two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, and the Links 2004version is almost as impressive as the real thing. The course’s most famous holes—the first and the eighteenth—are as scenic as they are challenging. Take the time to check out the scenery by pressing the black button to unlock the camera during your first round or two. From the first tee, you’ll see the island of Molokai floating peacefully in the Pacific, and if you’ve ever played golf in Hawaii, you’ll notice how closely the course mimics playing conditions in the islands. The wind has to be considered on every shot, and balls will roll a long way on the firm fairways.

Scenic and challenging.

Adding the Plantation Course to Links 2004 will give you a total of 10 courses to choose from. The others are Aviara, Greywolf, Mauna Lani, Superstition Mountain, New South Wales, Oakmont, Loch Lomond, St. Andrews, and Ocean Mills.

By Keith Procter