Heli-Golf
February - March 2010
Travel to your favorite Hawaii golf sites with a new helicopter service
Hawaii boasts some of the most beautiful and challenging golf courses in the world. Whether visiting the Islands for annual tournaments such as the Sony Open, or simply sneaking in a round of 18 holes on vacation, professional golfers, celebrities and the elite continue to travel here for the incomparable experience of teeing off on skill-testing greens that stretch endlessly into the sea and sky.
Taking that priceless amenity one step further is Bob Yeager, the man behind Heli-Golf Hawaii. Founded in 1999, Heli-Golf offers private chopper transportation to exclusive clubs on Maui, Lanai, Oahu and the Big Island, and takes care of all your golfing needs on the course.
“In Vietnam, I commanded a helicopter unit. I’ve always been very involved in helicopters and interested in golf, so I put the two together,” Yeager says.
The Heli-Golf package begins with a limousine pick-up from a client’s hotel. Heli-Golf has working relationships with some of Hawaii’s most prestigious accommodations – Trump Tower and The Kahala on Oahu, the Ritz Carlton Kapalua on Maui and Four Seasons Resorts on Lanai, for example. Arrangements can be made through various travel agents and concierge services to work with any location and itinerary.
Guests will ride in style to the helicopter site and board their choice of two choppers: the WhisperSTAR EC 130 B4, which has been billed as the “most technologically advanced sightseeing copter” or the Astar AC 350 BA “black beauty.”
Both can seat up to six passengers, depending on weight and balance. (Pricing on the Heli-Golf package will vary based on the copter of choice.)
The copter takes guests through Hawaii’s scenic mountains and above its windswept coastlines, ultimately arriving at or near the desired course. There, upon arrival, will be all the clubs, equipment, food and beverages ready for a day on the links. A PGA pro guide also travels with every Heli-Golf party.
Currently, Heli-Golf offers tours to the following locations: Turtle Bay on Oahu; The Challenge at Manele and The Experience at Koele on Lanai; Maui’s King Kamehameha Golf Club and Kapalua Plantation Course; and the Big Island’s Mauna Kea and Hapuna courses.
Prices for a Heli-Golf jaunt range from about $6,000 to a little over $20,000 for a four-person group, depending on the selected course.
It’s a pretty penny to spend, but as Yeager has seen, Heli-Golf offers a “once in a lifetime experience” for everyone, from couples on honeymoon to billionaires from Asia, Australia, Southern California and all over the world.
“Everybody loves the service,” Yeager says. “The response has been very positive.”
As PGA pro Mark Rolfing said of Heli-Golf in the TV series The Wandering Golfer, “It’s a bit of an indulgence, but well-worth it.”
For more information, visit www.heligolf.com.
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