The first tee shot of the PGA Tour season has long sounded like a postcard: sun rays spilling across Kapalua’s Plantation Course, whales breaching off the coast, and players easing into January with a champions-only field (Signature event) and the island breeze at their backs. That chapter is paused for 2026 after the PGA Tour announced that the Plantation Course will not host The Sentry because of drought-related water restrictions and agronomic concerns, forcing the Plantation and Bay courses into recovery measures and prompting the Tour to look elsewhere in Hawaii.
The tournament’s island identity matters: fans, broadcasters, and players expect a Hawaiian backdrop. With Kapalua unavailable, the Tour’s most credible alternatives are courses that have already staged professional tournaments, possess broadcast and resort infrastructure, and can meet TOUR standards for course conditioning and spectator operations. Below are five such venues, each described with verifiable course data and tournament pedigree.
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1. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hawaii – Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, PGA Tour Champions
Hualālai is a Jack Nicklaus signature course on Hawai‘i Island that plays as a par-72 and measures 7,107 yards from the championship tees according to PGA TOUR Champions course stats and the course’s own materials. The routing mixes lava flows, inland kipuka, and an oceanfront finishing stretch, and the property explicitly lists Paspalum turf and championship tee yardages on its official scorecards.
Hualālai has hosted the Mitsubishi Electric Championship (PGA TOUR Champions) annually since the late 1990s, giving it a long history of broadcast operations, sponsor activation, and player accommodations during the January window. The Champions event has produced very low winning totals in recent editions, illustrating the course’s ability to be set up for scoring while still offering a championship challenge, which supports Hualālai’s credibility as a possible Sentry replacement.
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2. Hoakalei Country Club, Oʻahu – LOTTE Championship, LPGA Tour
Hoakalei Country Club in Ewa Beach is an Ernie Els design that the LOTTE Championship has used in the LPGA rota; official LPGA event pages list the course as a par-72 with championship yardages that vary by tee but are within the 6,700–7,400-yard spectrum depending on setup and year. Hoakalei’s course materials and the LOTTE Championship information confirm its role as the current host venue for the LPGA event.
Hoakalei’s location on Oʻahu is roughly 20 miles from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, plus the recent LPGA-level staging experience, makes it a logistically practical choice. Its length and water features allow tournament officials to set up a challenging test for elite fields, and its recent use for a significant LPGA event demonstrates the club’s capability to host televised professional golf.
3. Turtle Bay Resort (Arnold Palmer Course), Oʻahu – Turtle Bay Championship (formerly EMC Kaanapali Classic), Champions Tour
The Arnold Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort is a resort/public course whose official site lists it as an 18-hole, par-72 layout with 7,218 yards from the Palmer (black) tees and shorter yardages from other tees; course descriptions note water hazards in play on 14 holes. The routing’s mix of more open, links-style holes and wetland/forested back nine makes it visually strong for television.
Turtle Bay hosted the Champions Tour’s Turtle Bay Championship (the event ran at the resort from 2001–2008), giving it past experience with professional tournament operations and spectator flow. The resort’s existing infrastructure and public-facing operations (multiple tee sets, resort lodging, and event facilities) make it a realistic staging ground should the Tour want a North Shore setting with surf culture on display.
4. Kapolei Golf Club, Oʻahu – Ladies Hawaiian Open, Pacific Links, Championship LPGA Tour, Champions Tour
Kapolei Golf Club, designed by Ted Robinson, is listed by the club and tournament records as a par-72 track around 7,001 yards (tournament setups vary). Course features commonly referenced in official descriptions include Seashore Paspalum greens, multiple lakes, and a large number of bunkers; Kapolei has been used for Champions Tour and LPGA events, including the Pacific Links Hawai‘i Championship (Champions Tour) during the 2012–2014 stretch.
Kapolei’s history of staging professional tournaments and its spectator-friendly routing are on record, and the venue has proven it can host televised competition. The course’s accessibility from Oʻahu’s population centers and its tournament history make it a logical, pragmatic candidate for a winners-only PGA TOUR event if Kapalua cannot be used.
5. Royal Kaʻanapali Course, Maui – EMC Kaanapali, Classic Champions Tour
The Royal Kaʻanapali Course on Maui is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design that official course information lists as a par-71 championship layout of roughly 6,700 yards. The course’s seaside holes, contoured greens, and classic routing have been documented in multiple official course descriptions and visitor guides.
Historically, Royal Kaʻanapali hosted the Champions Tour’s EMC Kaanapali Classic for many years, giving it a genuine tournament pedigree on Maui. Choosing Kaʻanapali would allow the Tour to remain on Maui for continuity and local economic benefit, though any Maui site carries the same water-management concerns that affected Kapalua, an important operational caveat.
The PGA Tour’s 2026 Sentry needs a new home, and these five Hawaiian venues each have the credentials to host. Hualālai offers decades of Champions Tour experience, while Hoakalei and Kapolei provide Oʻahu convenience and LPGA/Champions-level setups. Turtle Bay adds a dramatic North Shore setting, and Royal Kaʻanapali keeps the tradition alive on Maui.
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Any of these courses would protect the tournament’s island identity and deliver a world-class test. By selecting one of them, the Tour can maintain the Sentry’s reputation as a vibrant Hawaiian season opener while giving players and fans a fresh competitive stage.