Dec. 30 free event will feature UH players, swing lessons, games, shave ice and more

MAUI, Hawai‘i – Ahead of the 2025 edition of The Sentry, Kā‘anapali Golf Courses and First Tee – Hawai‘i will host a free interactive event for juniors aged 3 to 18 in support of First Tee – Hawai‘i. All are welcome on Dec. 30, 2024 from 2–4 p.m. on the Kā‘anapali driving range. Golf clubs for juniors will also be available for use. A Q&A will be hosted by NBC Sports/Golf Channel analyst, First Tee – Hawai‘i board member and longtime Maui resident, Mark Rolfing.

“Kā‘anapali embodies warm hospitality and a strong sense of community. The club has been a wonderful ally of junior golf in Hawai‘i for decades,” reflected Chris Noda, Executive Director of First Tee – Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i State Junior Golf Association. “We are thrilled to create this memorable experience for keiki and their ʻohanas ahead of the new year.”

First Tee – Hawai‘i integrates golf with a life skills curriculum to create active learning experiences for juniors that builds self-confidence and resiliency. Raised on Maui, First Tee – Hawai‘i recently welcomed its new program director, Joie Ruggiero.

During the Maui Junior Golf Kickoff on Kā‘anapali’s driving range, children can enjoy games to inflatable targets, discussions about First Tee – Hawai‘i programs and more. Short game drills will feature “chipping darts” to different yardage circles.

Family fun won’t be limited to golf. Maui Big Wave Shave Ice Company will provide free desserts, Maui Soda & Ice Works will pour beverages and guests can play corn hole and other lawn games.

Hawai‘i men’s golf team head coach and former U.S. Open champion, Scott Simpson, will be in attendance, as will prominent Rainbow Warriors Blaze Akana, Anson Cabello and Chris Salem.

Akana, who holds the No. 2 all-time scoring average in program history, has qualified for next month’s Sony Open in Hawai‘i for the second consecutive year.

Cabello, a Maui native and Kamehameha Schools–Maui graduate, won the 2024 Kaua‘i Amateur.

Salem, a 2025 UH golf team commit, was a key contributor on Maui Prep’s 2022 HHSAA Boys Golf Championship-winning team at Kā‘anapali, finishing T4 in the individual competition.

“I feel tremendous joy when interacting with children, parents and community members at one of Maui’s most enjoyable junior events,” recalled Rolfing after emceeing the 2023 Maui Junior Golf Kickoff. “Mahalo to First Tee – Hawai‘i, Kā‘anapali, Sentry and all volunteers for your heartfelt support again this year.”

Also noteworthy, Karl Reul, general manager of Kā‘anapali Golf Courses, will present two checks.

The first check of $5,000 will be donated to the Warrior Golf Booster Fund at the University of Hawai‘i. With travel funds being a critical need for student-athletes in Hawai‘i, Kā‘anapali is happy to support the state’s flagship university.

Stemming from the 2024 Kā‘anapali Classic, where monetary gifts were pledged by fans for each birdie and eagle made, a second check of $2,700 will be presented to Kā‘anapali Golf Courses’ employees who lost everything during the 2023 Maui Wildfires.

University of Hawai‘i men’s golf coach, Scott Simpson (left) and Kā‘anapali GM, Karl Reul (right), shake hands after Kā‘anapali gifted $5,000 to UH during the 2023 Maui Junior Golf Kickoff.

“Giving back to the communities in which we play is core to what the PGA TOUR and The Sentry are all about,” said Max Novena, Executive Director of The Sentry. “Since becoming title sponsor in 2018, and a proud trustee of the First Tee since 2021, Sentry Insurance has formed strong relationships with Maui community leaders, and alongside The Sentry, is deeply committed to advancing the accessibility of recreational golf across Hawai‘i.”

To register for the Maui Junior Golf Kickoff, visit this event page.

To learn more about the First Tee – Hawai‘i, visit www.firstteehawaii.org.

About Kā’anapali Golf Courses

Built on 300 acres of land once home to Hawaiian royalty, Kā‘anapali Golf Courses present golfers with pristine conditions and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and West Maui Mountains.

Opened in 1962 and designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., the par-71, 6,700-yard Royal Kā‘anapali Course features wide fairways and undulating greens which make it both distinctive and demanding.  The tournament-tested layout played host to the Champions Tour Kā‘anapali Classic for 14 years, Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, the Canada Cup and LPGA Kemper Open, welcoming Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Jan Stephenson, Betsy King and other legends.

Complementing the Royal Kā‘anapali Course is the modernized Kā‘anapali Kai Course, which hosted Golf Channel’s “Big Break Kā‘anapali” in 2008. Extensively renovated in 2005, the 6,400-yard, par-70 layout boasts an array of strategically placed bunkers, contoured fairways and resurfaced greens.

More information: www.kaanapaligolfcourses.com and 808-661-3691.

About Troon

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company providing services at 900-plus locations in 45-plus states and 35-plus countries, including operational responsibility for 575-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 600-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, ClubUp, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Peter Burwash International, True Club Solutions, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design, Casa Verde Golf, ICON Management and Eventive Sports. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, TroonMagazine.com or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.

About First Tee – Hawai‘i

First Tee — Hawai‘i, a youth development organization, is one of 150 First Tee chapters across the United States and in select international locations. Our mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through the game of golf at in-school and after-school programs. Learn more at FirstTeeHawaii.org.