all her life , she was intrigued when Director of Golf Operations Tom Freestone proposed the project as a way to showcase Hawaiian culture . The black tees will be represented by a tiger shark , while other tees will be marked by a hump-

Hand-crafted from ironwood cut from around

back whale , manta ray , dolphin and sea turtle .

the property and designed with unique ocean-

Duncan said she got her first wooden easel as

themed figures , the new markers have been

an elementary school student and quickly came

created by local artist Makana Duncan . The daughter of Ocean Course Sales Manager

Hualani Duncan , she also painted murals of each sea creature on the cart paths as to easily

to love art in all its forms . That passion has stuck into adulthood , and she takes great joy in expressing herself through various styles of art .

“ As far as art goes , I like finding and learning new obsessions and working with new me-

To that end , she said that while the tee marker project at the Ocean Course may appear complete , she intends to continue working on it , as “ there is always room for expansion , new ideas

“ What I enjoyed

most about this

project was the

identify the teeing areas . The younger Duncan , 21 , said one of the goals of the

diums ,” she said . “ My most recent medium has been origami , and before that it was charcoal . Between those two came this project with the

and new perspectives .” Duncan said that the work she has done at the

Ocean Course has been a true passion project ,

learning that took

place . I was given

project was to connect visitors with the land and the sea , bringing them closer to the daily lifestyle of the people of Kauai .

“ We want people to care about our ‘ āina – in this case the moana kai ( ocean ) – and to care about our culture and our people ,” she said . “ Our goal is for them to expand their knowledge and perspective about what life is like in Hawaii .”

tee markers , which included wood burning .” There is no formula as to how Duncan approaches her work , which means each project she takes on is truly inspired by emotion .

“ I just love the idea of creating something out of feelings , then letting it go with the wind ,” she explained . “ That ’ s the beauty of this life – learning , growing , then letting it all go . It ’ s a cycle . You ’ ll never know all there is to know , and you

and she hopes the finished product brings something uniquely Hawaiian to the experience of playing the course , giving golfers an experience that goes beyond birdies and bogeys and instead immerses them in the unique island culture .

“ I really hope golfers ask questions and get involved with it all ,” she said . “ I would just appreciate it if golfers and visitors grew to have a deeper understanding of what lies within and

the opportunity to

learn about nature ,

people and art , and

I couldn ’ t have asked

for a better team to

do so with .”

Duncan was born and raised on Kauai . An artist

Kawena Hokuala | October-November 2022

won ’ t ever stop learning .”

beyond the Ocean Course at Hokuala .”

– MAKANA DUNCAN , pictured above