What does Kapalua look like in a January with no tournament? Residents found out this year, and they will see it again in 2027. The difference this time is that pro golf has a new date on the resort calendar. The LPGA Tour's LOTTE Championship comes to the Plantation Course in mid-March. That gives the resort its first pro event since The Sentry ran there from 1999 to 2025.
The Plantation is in shape to host it because the course next door gave up its water. The Bay Course has been closed since September 2025. The water dispute behind all of this is set for trial on March 29, 2027, eight days after the LPGA's final round.
January is gone. March is the new tournament week.
On April 20, 2026, the PGA Tour confirmed plans to end its tournament presence in Maui. It also said it was looking at moving the Sony Open in Hawaii to the PGA Tour Champions schedule. That followed two decisions in the fall of 2025. On September 16, the Tour pulled The Sentry from Kapalua because the drought had damaged the Plantation Course. On October 22, it canceled the event entirely for 2026.
On October 5, 2026, Kapalua Golf announced the replacement. Here is how the 2027 calendar looks next to the old one:
| Event | Venue | 2027 dates | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Sentry, PGA Tour | Plantation Course | None | Tour ended its Maui event in April 2026 |
| Nanea Cup, LPGA | Nanea Golf Club, Kailua-Kona | March 11–14 | New event, $4 million purse, 95 LPGA players and 25 college players |
| LOTTE Championship, LPGA | Plantation Course, Kapalua | Event week March 15–21, four rounds March 18–21 | 120 players, $3 million purse |
The LPGA's announcement calls the two events a back-to-back swing through Hawaiʻi. The 2027 tournament will be the 15th LOTTE Championship. It started at Ko Olina Golf Club in 2012 and has been played at Hoakalei Country Club on Oʻahu since 2022. Kapalua last hosted the LPGA in 2008, when the Kapalua LPGA Classic was played on the Bay Course.
Ticket and volunteer details for Kapalua have not been posted yet. The tournament's own website still shows the 2026 event at Hoakalei. In Kapalua Golf's release, General Manager Alex Nakajima said the tournament would generate "thousands of room nights and millions of dollars in spending at hotels, restaurants, shops and other local businesses" as part of West Maui's recovery.
How the Plantation recovered
The Plantation and Bay courses both closed on September 2, 2025, after long irrigation restrictions damaged the turf. That included a period of Tier 4 restrictions, which allowed no irrigation at all. When the Plantation reopened on November 10, 2025, Kapalua Golf said the Bay would stay closed until further notice.
Golfweek's April 2026 report explains how the recovery worked. Once restrictions eased to 40 percent of normal use, all the water that would have gone to the Bay Course was sent to the Plantation. Bay Course staff moved over to the Plantation, and rain in the fall helped too. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported the same thing in November 2025. It said owner Tadashi Yanai's company got the Plantation back to playable condition partly by not watering the Bay Course.
Golfweek also made a point about timing. The Sentry used to take a week out of the turf during the resort's busiest stretch of play. Without that event in January 2026, the grounds crew could keep pushing the recovery through the winter. The LOTTE Championship lands in March instead, after the January peak.
Other details from the same Golfweek report:
- A Bay Course renovation by architect David McLay Kidd is on hold.
- Much of the Bay's play has moved to Royal Kaʻanapali and Kaʻanapali Kai. Troon, which runs Kapalua Golf, also manages those two courses.
- The Bay's driving range and pro shop stayed open.
In January 2025, before the drought shut both courses, Golfweek had reported that the renovation would take about 18 months, pending approvals, and would include a new irrigation system. No reopening date has been announced. The Bay Course page still says the course remains closed, while Taverna, the driving range and the golf shop are open. In its October 7 story, Maui Now described Taverna as overlooking the Bay Course.
What's open to residents this fall
With one course open, every Kapalua tee time this fall is on the Plantation. Here is what's posted for residents and regular players:
- Kamaʻāina tee times. Kapalua Golf requires a REAL ID-compliant Hawaiʻi driver's license or state ID at check-in. Residents can book up to seven days ahead. The kamaʻāina rate isn't listed online, so call reservations for it.
- Posted green fees. The rates page lists $475 plus tax for the standard Plantation rate and $445 plus tax for the Kapalua Resort rate. The current rate sheet runs from December 15, 2025, through December 13, 2026, so expect new pricing in mid-December.
- Driving range. It's open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with grass tees closing at 3 p.m. On Tuesdays it closes at 2 p.m. for maintenance. A 100-ball bucket on the mats is $25 plus tax, and unlimited balls on grass are $50 plus tax per person.
- Lessons. Kapalua Golf offers private instruction through a partnership with Ben Hongo Golf. Call for rates.
- Taverna. According to Taverna's website, the restaurant serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., happy hour from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Edgar Ortiz is the executive chef.
The trial date eight days after the final round
The LOTTE Championship ends on March 21. The water lawsuit is scheduled for trial in 2nd Circuit Court on March 29, according to Maui Now's October 7 report.
TY Management owns both courses. In August 2025 it sued Maui Land & Pineapple Co., joined by three homeowners' associations and Hua Momona Farms. The suit claims the company failed to maintain the Honokōhau ditch system. Maui Land & Pineapple says the cause was the lack of rain. It has also claimed that the golf courses used water meant for fire suppression while restrictions were in effect. These are allegations from both sides, and the court has not ruled on them.
Each side told Maui Now how it sees the course today. TY Management General Manager Kenji Yui said, "We do not have a comment about the lawsuit, but The Plantation Course is currently in fantastic shape and we are excited and focused on bringing this event to Kapalua." Maui Land & Pineapple CEO Race Randle said the company had not changed anything "because the system was never the problem," and added:
"Following the increased rainfall this year, stream flow and reservoir levels have improved, and there are currently no irrigation restrictions in place on the Kapalua system."
Kapalua homeowners will see the same picture on their own water service. Hawaiʻi Water Service ended Tier 1 conservation on the Kapalua non-potable system starting August 28, 2026, because of continuing rain. It warned that restrictions could come back if demand exceeds supply or stream flows drop below state standards. Under a tentative agreement announced in May, Maui Land & Pineapple is selling its West Maui water system to Maui County, and the company says due diligence and appraisals are underway. The state water commission says the company plans to have the U.S. Geological Survey install a stream gauge below one of its diversions on October 26.
When The Sentry was canceled in 2025, Yanai gave $750,000 to Maui nonprofits. The recipients included Scouting America Aloha Council, Hale Makua Health Services, J. Walter Cameron Center, Ka Lima O Maui, Lahainaluna High School Foundation and Lahaina Junior Golf. No charity partner has been announced for the 2027 tournament yet.
The LOTTE Championship tees off on March 18 on the Plantation Course, while the Bay Course next to Taverna stays closed with no reopening date.
If you're watching how tournament week and the Bay Course's future could shape life on the resort's west end, Chaston Marcos follows Kapalua closely and is happy to talk it through over coffee or a range session before March. Let's Connect.
