The PGA Tour canceled its Sentry event. Here’s what the course looks like now

Just before sunrise, in the warm Hawaiian half-light, I hopped into a cart and drove up to the 17th tee (the highest point on the course) at Maui’s famed Plantation course in Kapalua. As I strolled up to the back box to watch, brilliant low-angle light began to pour across the course.

As the stretch had recently suffered from a significant water crisis, it was closed for several months and it had just reopenedI expected to see stressed, sun-baked ground, dead spots, and ugly scars from malnutrition. Instead? Green majesty in every direction. Wall to wall perfection. No flaws in sight.

The Plantation Course, located on the northwest tip of Maui, is one of Hawaii’s premier courses; one of the best public places not only in the state, but in the entire country; a longtime staple to host and kick off the PGA Tour’s January schedule with The Sentry (formerly the Tournament of Champions).

The stunning waterfront course, which opened in 1992, is also considered an early masterpiece by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and the site that truly launched the careers of arguably the greatest architectural duo of all time. Although famous for its closing drive—which features a devilish downhill par-4 followed by a stunning, accessible 660-yard par-5—the Plantation Course is filled with wild, one-of-a-kind golf holes that simply cannot be replicated anywhere else.

So given her status and history, naturally, the golf world was stunned when The PGA Tour announced the cancellation of the 2026 Sentry on the Plantation course (scheduled for January 8-11) due to drought conditions and logistical challenges. And even more shocking were the images that began to emerge of a brown, water-starved road that seemed to be on the verge of an eternal exit.

But it was September. Come mid-December when I tested it here and another song was being sung. The speech has turned into a dance. Hula, that is.

“I’m still amazed at how our agronomy team was able to restore the Plantation Course,” says Kevin Kammien, a senior marketing manager at Kapalua Resort. “Tirni was walking that thin line between life and death.”

The problems at the Troon-managed Kapalua Resort began when the Maui Land & Pineapple Company, which owns the water rights to the area, essentially turned off the faucets at the golf resort in September. (A lawsuit between the parties is still pending.) Partial water flow — still 60 percent restricted — has since been restored, but not enough to keep the resort’s two courses (Plantation and Bay) operating at an acceptable standard. A decision had to be made.

“We had to move all of our water sharing from The Bay Course to The Plantation Course or we would have lost both courses of course,” says Kammien. “None of the staff or other industry experts knew whether Plantation would recover or not until we tried. There is no playbook for this type of recovery. Our team had to rely on their vast experience and make numerous decisions on the fly as we moved forward with this ambitious recovery plan.”

Kammien said they even lost the 1st and 8th greens on the Plantation Course and had to replant them with thousands of plugs from their nursery. And while the Bay Course remains closed, he said the conditions at the Plantation Course are “fantastic.”

Undoubtedly, drought-tolerant Celebration bermudagrass (top, curb and rough) and TifEagle Bermudagrass (green) also proved to be a major factor in the recovery.

“We converted to these bars in 2019,” says Kammien. “And over the last six years they developed deep root systems. These strains really proved their worth, especially during the period of 100 percent water restrictions.”

While field sustainability was absolutely critical in Plantation’s recovery, their scientific-grade weather stations, soil moisture meters and crop sensors that have the ability to adjust rainfall rates for each individual head on the property also contributed significantly.

And, of course, the main people behind the whole project – director of agronomy Andrew Rebman and superintendent Bryan Pierce – have done a great job. Interestingly, during the closure, the entire grounds team remained on staff (43 people), and many projects—such as cart path renovations, new guardrails throughout, brush removal, and extensive tree trimming—were improved.

But what I quickly noticed during my last round (December 15, 2025), in addition to the uniformity and consistency of the terrain, was the absence of ball marks, divots, and other signs of play wear. Clearly, even though the course reopened in mid-November, very few people have played. (On the day I played, approximately 50 golfers were booked on the golf sheet; $475 per player.)

As it was my first trip around the Plantation Course, I was also keen to experience the fairytale finish. I was tickled pink to run a ball down the hill on the 18th and give the green a drive in two. No bird, but, hey, given how much fun I was having – and these changing course conditions – I still felt like hula dancing the whole way.

Andrew Penner is a freelance writer and photographer based in Calgary, Alberta. You can follow him on Instagram at @andrewpennerphotography.