The 2011 Maui Open at The Dunes—presented by Maui Toyota—concluded with event sponsors Dave Gleason and Damian Farias donating $1000 to Maui Junior Golf (photo above). Wire-to-wire leader, and Maui pro, Sam Cyr won the event. Dick McClean, a former multiple winner, won the Senior Division. Longtime Kapalua pro Dean Prince won the Super Seniors Division, and Allan Souza won the A-Flight.

Architect Robin Nelson left the topography of the unspoiled dunes terrain alone when crafting this links which plays, from the Black tees, to a USGA Slope Rating of 141; Maui’s strongest!

Much of the success enjoyed by The Dunes is directly attributable to design of the course, or in some ways, the lack thereof. Whereas some designers are bent on melding the land to fit their eye, not so with The Dunes, which was built on old dunes that were never cultivated or farmed. The genius lies in routing, which left well enough alone and let nature take its course, much as it was done 600 years ago. Only at The Dunes, they didn’t need sheep to ferret out the sand bunkers—77 in all, by some estimates. If you’ve played links golf, you’ll find The Dunes is a bit softer in the fairways, because golfers love it green, and the bunkers aren’t revetted like in the British Isles (they were, but the isle crew has since forbade that tradition), and there aren’t fescue grasses…. But what you will find is Hawaii’s version, and it’s as authentic as it gets. Anywhere.

…Maui Toyota. “Discover the Difference.” Mahalos to Maui Toyota, who joins the Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course as the 2011 Maui Open presenting sponsor.

MultiDayPlay: The more you play, the more you save. Buy a 2-day pass for $200 and save $24; buy a 3-day pass for $275 and save $61; or buy a 10-day pass for $800 and save $320!

Golf Digest named the Dunes at Maui Lani one of the four “Best-Kept Secret” golf courses in America when it opened in late 1989. Don’t miss your chance to play golf over Maui’s ancient sand dunes.