Going Hawaiian: The 2019 International Pro-Am
An exotic palm-studded setting, jaw-dropping gorgeous golf courses, fantastic food and luxurious accommodations dominated a memorable week on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.
“Our 10th Anniversary Pro-Am was fabulous,” said Ann Mabry, managing director of Premier Golf, who hosted the trip from May 5th to May 11th. “I had several people tell me it was absolutely the best pro-am they’d ever played in.”
For a visual journey of the Pro-Am week in Hawaii, click to the 2019 Pro-Am on Kauai Facebook Photo Album.
The opening night dinner at the Kauai Marriott Resort’s lush, tropical Luau Gardens instantly put everyone in a celebratory mood. Situated a few steps from the shoreline on the golden sands of Kalapaki Bay, the setting was enhanced by colorful flower centerpieces and Tiki torches.
The lavish buffet dinner was a culinary masterpiece with appetizers like bacon wrapped scallops and pesto shrimp sticks and entrees like black pepper chicken and salt encrusted ribeye steaks. Arguably, the star of the show, though, was the oh-so-delicious macadamia nut banana cream pie.
With sufficient carbos and energy food, the golfers hit the fairways on the first day for a practice round at Pukea Golf Club. It was a superb setting to prepare for the next three rounds of competition.
The second day of golf, the first day of the tournament, when the shots started to count, was at Princeville Makai Golf Club, where panoramic views of towering mountains offered lots of photo opportunities.
“The entire group were very energized by the spectacular surroundings,” Mabry said. “Golf courses on Kauai are just so unbelievably beautiful.”
It was time to put away the sticks on day three and everyone scattered in different directions to pursue their favorite recreation activity.
Helicopter tours, snorkeling on the Napali Coast and deep-sea fishing were some of the more popular choices.
“A couple of guys caught some Opah and Ono fish on their deep sea fishing excursion and the chef made some appetizers from their catch for our farewell dinner,” Mabry said. “That was a really nice touch enjoyed by all.”
The second day of the tournament took place at the Hokuala Golf Club’s “Ocean Course”, a stunning beauty with fairways framed by mango and guava trees and four holes set on a half mile of unobstructed waterfront.
A links-style layout, the Poipu Bay Golf Course, was the setting for the final day of competition. It’s set between beautiful coastline and lush, green mountains.
“Picturesque, well-maintained courses provided the perfect venues for our spirited, fun and friendly competition,” said Mabry, who has coordinated all ten Premier Pro-Ams around the world at destinations in England, Scotland, Ireland, Spain and Portugal.
The 2019 winning team was comprised of pro Andrew Rilling and amateurs Ron Parks, Andrew Meyer and Omar Medina.
Prizes and awards to the Rilling group and others were presented at a farewell event, a lavish, sit-down dinner at the hotel’s open air Puna Courtyard.
On a starry night with melodic island music wafting through the salty air, everyone enjoyed a wonderful dinner highlighted by pepper-crusted tenderloin with roasted garlic sauce and grilled salmon.
“Kauai was the perfect destination to celebrate a decade of pro-ams,” Mabry said. “We had so many laughs and good times and the beautiful island of Kauai just put everyone in a fabulous mood all week.”
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