Kapalua Golf has made the painful but necessary decision to close the Bay Course indefinitely and concentrate all available water on the Plantation Course.

While Maui receives some of the highest rainfall in the nation, poor infrastructure, limited storage, and lack of reuse leave communities facing avoidable shortages. It's problematic that more than 70% of water distribution on Maui is controlled by private entities. True resiliency comes from managing our abundant water resources wisely: capturing rain, maintaining delivery systems, and investing in storage for dry periods. The outcome we face today was preventable. This crisis is not the result of drought alone, but of years of inadequate maintenance of the Honokōhau Ditch system by its owner, Maui Land & Pineapple (MLP). MLP has deepened the crisis by refusing to collaborate on solutions, rejecting TY Management’s repeated offers to finance and support critical repairs and improvements. The result is recurring water cutoffs, unhealthy turf, and now the painful loss of a beloved course.

Allowing the Bay Course to go out of play was the only responsible option left. Splitting limited water between two courses would have guaranteed the collapse of both. By directing all available resources to the Plantation Course, we are giving Maui its best chance to retain the PGA TOUR’s season-opening event, which generates nearly $50 million in annual economic impact, supports hundreds of jobs, and contributes to local nonprofits.

We recognize this decision is painful for residents and visitors who enjoyed the course and for our ʻohana who cared for the Bay Course with pride. But the responsibility for this loss lies with MLP’s failure to steward the water infrastructure it owns and monopolizes. TY remains committed to pushing for transparent, accountable management of West Maui’s water so that residents, farmers, and businesses can rely on the resources they need.