Save the golf for the rainy days on that dream Hawaii trip

Tim Hurja of Hawaii Golf Central - a golf and hotel packaging service for the islands - tells me that unlike with other destinations he books, a majority of Hawaii vacationers who call him aren’t just looking for a golf trip. In Hawaii, golf is just one of the many activities they want to work in.

Sometimes it’s a honeymoon vacation. Many times it’s two or three couples going to hang out, enjoy the sun, the beaches and the fairways - often in that order.

When that’s the case, you want to save your golf for the rainy days.

And Hawaii gets more rainy days than you probably expect this time of year. The last three days of my trip saw Maui pounded by storms. Which makes it perfect weather to get in your golf. This sounds nonsensical at first - until you’re actually here and experience it.

It’s tough to really enjoy the beach when it’s raining. No matter how warm the rain is - and Hawaii’s rains are near bath warm. Going on a boat in the middle of a storm is even dicier (forget that whale watching). But being out on the fairways in a Hawaii rain is no big thing. It’s sort of a pleasure. For one thing, you’re kept cool. For another, it drives a lot of the golf wimps indoors, giving you much less congested courses than you usually find.

That’s one of the good things about Hawaii: Most of the people who golf here are complete wusses, giving anyone with a little weather gumption a huge advantage. Golfing in the Hawaii rain is not anything like golfing in the Scottish rain either.

You’re not cold. The rain usually comes and goes, giving you a fair share of holes in good conditions. Heck, you really don’t even need rain gear. I played two Hawaii rain rounds without anything besides a polo shirt and a hat to protect me and it was no survival test.

So golf when it rains. And work all your other activities into the sunny days.

Just don’t believe those Hawaii tourism official myths that claim if it’s raining on one side of the island, you can drive to the other side and be basking in sunshine. In my experience, that just takes you from rainy place to rainy place after a rainy drive.

It is Hawaii rain though. Nothing to sweat.