After nearly two years of closure, the Volcano Golf Course will reopen next month.
Kamehameha Schools, owner of the 18-hole course which spans 156 acres, announced Friday that it has retained the services of golf course management company Indigo Sports to maintain and operate the course, and that play will resume March 31.
“We’re very excited to welcome people back,” said Kilohana Hirano, Kamehameha Schools’ Hawaii Island community strategist.
Volcano Golf Course closed in early 2020 as the result of a legal dispute between Kamehameha Schools and the previous operator of the course. That owner, which was leasing the property from Kamehameha Schools, dissolved shortly after the first COVID emergency measures were imposed, terminated its contract, and threatened to destroy the course entirely rather than relinquish it to the trust.
After a legal dispute, the property was returned to Kamehameha Schools, which searched for a replacement operator.
“Indigo came in after we regained possession of the property,” said Kamehameha Schools spokeswoman Crystal Kua, explaining that the company has been maintaining the grounds ever since.
Although Kamehameha Schools had been seeking for another operator to lease the property, Kua said they ultimately decided that not leasing the course again was “the right thing for the property.”
When the golf course reopens, Hirano said golfers can expect the course itself to be the same as they remember, although there will be “pared-down” facilities available.
A temporary mobile office and bathroom facilities will be installed, and “grab-and-go” food and beverages will be available, but the lack of a usable clubhouse — the previous one was gutted by a fire in 2019 — means that only push-operated golf carts will be usable.
“People will still be able to walk on and golf freely,” Hirano said. “The course itself will be the same.” Kua said Kamehameha Schools is still considering options for a possible replacement of the clubhouse.
Kamehameha Schools accompanied their announcement Friday with a private ceremony, with stakeholders and community members walking across the course and reflecting on the Schools’ “Hawaiian and Christian values,” Hirano said.
The reopening on March 31 will be similarly muted, Kua said, explaining that Kamehameha Schools may hold a larger celebration after operations have fully resumed.
Until then, Kua said details about pricing will be made available at volcanogc.com.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
