The Kai Course is the second of Ka'anapali's two courses on Maui's west shore, the companion to the Royal Ka'anapali. Arthur Jack Snyder designed it in 1976, first as an executive course, and Robin Nelson redesigned it in 2005 into a full par-70 layout of about 6,400 yards. The course is built for strategy over length, with natural canals and lava rock in play. Rounds begin makai, by the ocean, then climb into the foothills of the West Maui Mountains, with views of the coastline and the neighboring islands. The resort says this land was once a retreat of the royal chiefs of Maui, who played games here, including a form of lawn bowling with stones, on what are now its fairways.