SPECIAL KONA ROOM RATES OFFERED FOR PARTICIPANTS OF 4TH ANNUAL MAKALEI AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP, NOVEMBER 14-15 Beneficiary: Special Olympics West Hawaii

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII— Registration is still open for the 4th Annual Makalei Amateur Championship, but the entry deadline is just around the corner—November 9. The event, hosted by Makalei Golf Club November 14-15 in upcountry Kona, is the only major Big Island-based amateur golf tournament that is open to golfers from across the state, the mainland, and beyond. Three resorts in Kailua-Kona are offering special room rates for participants in the event, as follows:

• King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel  - $109 per night (plus tax);
call 1-800-367-2111 or visit http://www.konabeachhotel.com/
• Royal Kona Resort - $95 per night (plus tax);
call 1-800-22 ALOHA or visit http://www.royalkona.com/
• Kona Seaside Hotel - $74 per night (plus tax);
Call 1-800-560-5558 or visit http://www.seasidehotelshawaii.com/
 
The Makalei Amateur Championship is a 36-hole individual stroke-play format with four flights, including a Championship flight. The low gross score in the Championship flight determines the overall tournament champion.  Male and female amateur golfers of all ages are invited to participate.

Entry fee for the Makalei Amateur Championship includes the two tournament rounds, daily tee prizes, Saturday night Players’ Party, Sunday Continental breakfast, and the Awards Luncheon. Entry deadline is November 9. Entry fee is $160, or for members of Makalei’s eClub the entry fee is $135.                                                             

Sponsorship opportunities are also available for the event. Makalei Golf Club is offering a new sponsorship category for this year’s tournament—a $300 package that includes entry fee into the two-day event and all event activities, a sponsorship tee sign, recognition on the tournament Sponsor Board, and one complimentary practice round at Makalei prior to the event.

A portion of the proceeds from this year’s event will benefit Special Olympics West Hawaii. Special Olympics is founded on the belief that people with intellectual disabilities can, with proper instruction and encouragement, learn, enjoy, and benefit from participation in individual and team sports, adapted as necessary to meet the needs of those with special mental and physical limitations. Special Olympics West Hawaii is one of eight area programs under Special Olympics Hawaii, which is part of the larger Special Olympics International. The West Hawaii organization serves the Kona side of the Big Island, from Waimea to Ka’u.

Makalei Golf Club is an 18-hole championship course overlooking the Kona-Kohala Coast from the lower slopes of Hualalai. Course elevations range from approximately 1,800 feet to 2,850 feet, offering challenging play, panoramic views, and abundant nesting areas for pheasants, turkeys, peacocks, and other wildlife. Makalei is one of only five courses in the state to feature “grainless” Bentgrass greens. The course received a four-star designation in the 2008/2009 rankings of Golf Digest’s “Best Places to Play” and was named West Hawaii’s “Best Golf Course” in the 2007 and 2008 Annual Readers’ Choice Awards sponsored by West Hawaii Today.

For more information on registration or sponsorship opportunities for the Makalei Amateur Championship, contact Kevin Ginoza, Director of Golf at Makalei Golf Club, at (808) 325-6625, email makaleigolf@hawaiiantel.com, or visit Makalei’s web site at http://www.makalei.com.