Maui's Central valley however, known as the Kahului isthmus, rests between two separate volcano mountain ranges. Over tens of thousands of years, as the volcanoes rose, and the sea receded from the Isthmus, sand dunes formed where The Dunes at Maui Lani is today. Settlers over the past two centuries cultivated much of the land, but the site where The Dunes lies was mostly left untouched. It is one of the few spots in Hawaii where true dunes exist.

Minimal earth-moving occurred when The Dunes was designed and built six years ago; a departure from the modern-day American course architecture that has ruled for much of the last century.

Its layout routes up, down, over, and around the course’s ancient alluvial sand dunes (not through them). These dunes, which were shaped by the winds over a million-year time span, are where the holes weave and turn. Golf shots must be played through these gaps formed by nature, much like they are in the greatest links courses on earth.

Like many classic links courses, the front nine heads out, and the back nine heads in. According to Nelson, “Anyone who has seen Ballybunion, Wild Dunes, or Shinnecock Hills will recognize a similar look and feel at The Dunes.