Water for Generations – Protecting West Maui’s Lifeline

Damon Hack and Mark Rolfing discuss Kapalua's Plantation Course shutting down for 60 days and what that could mean for The Sentry.

The lawsuit argues that Kapalua’s water shortages are not simply the result of less rainfall in the area, but rather Maui Land & Pineapple’s failure to maintain its water system.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The latest battle in the Maui water wars is putting one of the most famous golf courses in the world at risk.

The billionaire owner of Kapalua Golf, and several homeowners’ associations, are accusing Maui Land & Pineapple Co. of mismanaging West Maui’s water supply, causing increased rates, water shortages and wildfire conditions that hurt residents and businesses.

Tadashi Yanai, the richest man in Japan, is leading a lawsuit against Maui Land & Pineapple, claiming the company failed to maintain the more than century old Honokōhau Ditch System, which has led to severe water shortages and restrictions in West Maui.

The owners of a famous golf course in West Maui say the company that controls its water is doing a terrible job.

The PGA Tour 2026 schedule has been announced and the world’s top golfers will gather to claim trophies, prize money, glory and the chance to make history.

The suit alleges that the company has failed to maintain its Honokōhau ditch system.

Kapalua Resort, the Hawaii course where the PGA Tour has started every year since 1999, is shutting down for two months as it tries to save its water-starved courses during a dispute over the handling of a century-old water system on Maui.

Kapalua Resort, the Hawaii course where the PGA Tour has started every year since 1999, is shutting down for two months as it tries to save its water-starved courses during a dispute over the handling of a century-old water system on Maui.

Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii – site of two courses and the annual home to the PGA Tour’s The Sentry to start each season – has announced it will close both courses for at least 60 days because the taps were shut off on irrigation water for nearly a month. 

Kapalua Golf faces a deadline as it shuts down its renowned courses, hoping to resurrect parched greens before a major PGA Tour event in January.

KAPALUA, Maui (KHON2) — The Kapalua Golf Course on Maui is doing all it can to be ready for the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions in January, a tournament that it has hosted for almost 30 years. But the course is shutting down for 60 days due to a lack of water.

A lawsuit filed Aug. 18 alleges that Maui Land & Pineapple Co., one of Hawaii’s biggest land developers, has been negligent in maintaining its Honokōhau ditch system, which supplies water to West Maui.

Kapalua Resort, the Hawaii course where the PGA Tour has started every year since 1999, is shutting down for two months as it tries to save its water-starved courses during a dispute over the handling of a century-old water system on Maui.

Right now, the Maui golf course that hosts the PGA Tour’s prestigious season opener every January for the past 27 years is unplayable at the elite level. Severe water restrictions in West Maui have resulted in brown fairways and dying grass on the greens.