The Hoakalei Country Club in West Oahu sold for $25 million, director of Golf Tad Fujimaki confirmed.
Reports that the Club, designed by golf pro and architect Ernie Els, was up for sale first surfaced in 2012. Hirakawa Shoji purchased the Country Club from previous owner Haseko Hawaii Inc. in October 2014, but the sale price was not disclosed at that time. The new owner officially took over operations on Dec. 1, 2014, Fujimaki said.
The 18-hole, par-72, 7,400-yard championship course spans 248-acres and is located at the Hoakalei Resort on the southwestern shore of O’ahu.
“The sale of the golf course has been a long-term goal for Haseko,” Haseko President Tom Sagawa said in a news release. “Our intention was to build an exceptional golf course that would complement our vision for Hoakalei Resort and eventually sell it to a buyer who shares our commitment to building upon the exceptional quality of play currently experienced at Hoakalei Country Club. We found that in Hirakawa Shoji Group.”
Hirakawa Shoji Group — an owner of golf courses, golf academies and resorts based in Japan — said it would rehire the majority of the Club’s 61 employees and preserve the previous membership of over 280 golfers.
Currently the Club has an interim clubhouse. The new owners have committed to building a permanent facility and dining options, with construction anticipated to begin within the next 20 months.
The Hoakalei Country Club was named Best New Private Course in 2009 by LINKS magazine.