Turtle Bay: Palmer Course
The PGA Tour conducts its first full-field event of the calendar year with the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club on Oahu in Honolulu. The longest running PGA Tour event has been staged at this private club since 1966. Waialae is a Seth Raynor design that goes back to 1927. It’s hard to watch this event and not yearn for a trip to golf paradise — Hawaii.
So if you ever get the chance to play Waialae CC, by all means take it. But if not, no worries; there are approximately 75 golf courses on Hawaii’s four main islands and Lanai. Almost all are good, most are better than good, and a disproportionate amount them are spectacular with the Pacific Ocean and lush green mountains as their backdrops
Each island has its own vibe and weather. Oahu and Maui have denser populations and are probably a bit more touristy, while the Big Island of Hawaii and Kauai are less crowded. Let’s take a look at each island and what they have to offer. With that said, island hopping is always a good option, too, if you have the time and money.
Waialae Country Club
Golf on Oahu
If this is your first trip to Hawaii, Oahu is a great option for various reasons. First, there are more direct flights from the mainland to Honolulu than any other destination, and while there are some directs to the other islands, you often have to come through Honolulu first if you connect.Â
Secondly, there are so many great tourist attractions on Oahu, like Diamond Head, the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, Waikiki Beach and all the wonderful dining and shopping opportunities in Honolulu. And while there isn’t as much resort golf on Oahu as there is on the other islands, Oahu has the most golf courses with around 40, and the most variety of any of the islands.
You could start by staying on the North Shore at the famed Turtle Bay Resort. The backdrop here is one of the world’s greatest surfing spots, and there are two excellent golf courses — The Palmer Course, which used to host a PGA Tour Champions event, and the easier and perhaps even more picturesque George Fazio Course, which has several ocean views.Â
One of the most fun courses on the island is Ko’Olina Golf Club, a Ted Robinson design that has waterfalls, fountains and plenty of interesting holes with mountainous scenery in the background. Ko’Olina Golf Club is near the new Four Seasons Resort Oahu as well as Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa and the Mariott’s Ko Olina Beach Club. The course has played host to both PGA Tour Champions and LPGA Tour events.Â
Pearl Country Club, former host site of the Pearl Open, is another favorite. Located near Honolulu in Aiea, Pearl C.C. is open to the public. And Hawaii Prince Golf Club (A Nine, B Nine, C Nine), which is connected to the Prince Waikiki Hotel, offers 27 holes designed by Ed Seay and Arnold Palmer overlooking the Ewa Plains.
Other memorable courses open to the public include a couple of Robin Nelson designs — Ewa Beach Golf Club and Royal Kunia Country Club, the latter of which has great views of Pearl Harbor. And speaking of Pearl Harbor, be sure to check out the military courses on the island if you can gain access, especially the William Bell-designed Navy-Marine Course.Â
Ko’Olina Golf Club
Big golf on the Big Island
Hawaii’s most reliable golf climate is certainly on the Big Island of Hawaii, which lives up to its namesake as it’s twice as big as the other islands combined.Â
Because of dominant volcanoes Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, the Big Island actually has 10 microclimates. Some areas on the east coast can receive more than 200 inches of precipitation in a year, while the northwest side along the Koala Coast get just a few inches annually. This is also where you can find, sample and purchase the world-famous Kona coffee.
It’s in this Kona region that you can discover some of the best golf in Hawaii and most reliable, arid weather. Among the best is the Mauna Kea Resort’s Mauna Kea Golf Course, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design restored to perfection by son Rees Jones. Opened in 1964, it has one of the most picturesque par 3s in the world, the 272-yard third, which plays over black lava rocks and deep blue Pacific Ocean to a peninsula green. It’s a must-play for any serious golfer who visits the Big Island.
Nearby Mauna Lani is impressive as well, with two terrific layouts, including the Nelson-designed South Course with its iconic 15th, another jaw-dropping par 3 that jets into the ocean. And then there’s also the Kings Course and Beach Course at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.Â
Other courses you’ll definitely want to consider include Mauna Kea’s sister course, Hapuna, and the Jack Nicklaus-designed Hualalai Golf Course at the Four Seasons Resort. The latter is the host course of the PGA Tour Champions Mitsubishi Electric Championship, played in late January. Hualalai, with its incredible views and challenging design, is certainly one of the premier courses in Hawaii.
A little further down the coast is Kona’s Ocean Course, a classic William Bell ocean layout that opened in 1964, as well as the Ali’i Mountain Course.Â
Mauna Kena
‘Wow’ to golf on Maui
As the second most populated island in Hawaii, Maui has plenty of great resorts, interesting towns, spectacular beaches and stellar golf, of course.
The best known, in part because of the PGA Tour’s Sentry Tournament of Champions (which actually precedes the Sony, but only includes the previous season’s champions), is the Plantation Course at Kapalua, located on the island’s northwest shore. Designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, this par-73 layout covers nearly 7,600 yards from the back tees, punctuated by the 677-yard par-5 18th that tour pros routinely reach in two with an iron approach shot because of the extreme downhill elevation. Most of all, the views of the mountainous terrain and ocean are incredible. The other course at Kapalua, the Bay Course, isn’t too shabby either. With scenery as good as any on the island, the Bay Course has hosted numerous pro events over the years as well, including the World Cup of Golf and the Kapalua LPGA Classic. As for the resort, it matches the course with a variety of luxury accommodations, pristine beaches and spas and great dining.
Wailea Golf Resort, with its half dozen luxury hotels and five white sand beaches, offers a trio of stellar golf courses. The Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed Gold Course is the former home of the Champions Skins game, while the Emerald Course has ocean views on most every hole. The resort’s original course, Wailea’s Old Blue, is a classic Hawaiian layout that first opened in 1972.
One of the island’s golf cornerstones, the Ka’anapali Golf Resort features two golf courses. The Robert Trent Jones-designed Royal Ka’anapali history includes a number of tour events over the years, while the Kai Course is a 1962 Jack Snyder classic ideal for novice golfers with its large fairways and greens.
Other courses on Maui certainly worth playing include the Dunes at Maui Lani, a links-style layout designed by Nelson; the Makena Golf and Beach Club’s North and South courses, both designed by RTJ Jr.; Kahili Golf Course, located just 20 minutes from the Kahului Airport; and the private King Kamehameha G.C. The last on the list is a superb mountain course with limited public access.
If you’re looking for a fun round at a great value, look no further than Maui Nui Golf Club located on the western side of Maui. The fun layout and vibe created here makes for an enjoyable round for both skilled players and more novice golfers who are looking to enjoy the serene setting as much as a well struck 7-iron.
Maui is actually part of a much larger land mass that also includes the islands of Lanai, Kahoolawe and Molokai. So it’s worth mentioning here that you can take an easy ferry to Lanai to the Four Seasons Resort Lanai and the Manele Golf Course. This Jack Nicklaus-signature design, with several holes perched on cliffs overlooking the Pacific, rivals anything in Hawaii.
Dunes at Maui Lani
Kauai’s lush setting
Known as the Garden Isle because of its verdant landscapes, Hawaii’s northernmost island is rich in golf, though there are just nine courses on the island. It’s hard to go wrong with any of the choices, but the most spectacular might be the Princeville Makai Golf Club. The Makai Course is Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s first solo design. It was completely renovated in 2009 with seashore paspalum, and it’s always in flawless condition. Even more impressive are the views from the signature par-3 seventh hole to the many holes on the back nine that bump up against oceanside cliffs. It’s one of two courses at the incredible Princeville Resort, the other the Woods Nine.
Poipu Bay is another golf course with a special setting. The former home of the PGA of America’s Grand Slam of Golf, this course was also renovated in recent years. Its finishing stretch that runs parallel to the Pacific is incredibly memorable. Tied to the Grand Hyatt Golf Resort & Spa, it’s also a must-play for golfers visiting Kauai.
And if you want even more incredible vistas, check out the Ocean Course at Hokuala. Another course that has undergone changes over the years, this incredible Jack Nicklaus design has the longest continuous stretch of ocean holes of any course in Hawaii (holes 13 through 16). Located just minutes from the Lihue Airport, the course (formerly known as Kauai Lagoons) is part of Timbers Kauai, one of Hawaii’s newest luxury resorts and developments.
And finally, Kauai has a couple of great public courses that are a little more affordable than your average resort course. Puakea Golf Course, which is set on a sugar cane field at the base of Mt. Haupu, is a Nelson design with some ocean views as well as a background that was used for the filming of the movie Jurassic Park. And Wailua Golf Course in Lihue is one of the most memorable municipals in the United States. The course goes back to the 1930s, has played host to several high-profile USGA events in its history and has several holes with ocean views. Combine that with an unpretentious golf shop and grill, and you have a golf experience uniquely Hawaiian.
Poipu Bay
Recommendation
Luckily for us golfers, there are more flights than ever into all the islands, many of them direct from the mainland, but the vast majority of them certainly go through Honolulu. We love all of the islands here for a golf adventure, but Maui and Oahu tend to be the leaders in the clubhouse for most golfers due to the wide variety of top-level golf available on each island.
But really, you can’t go wrong on any of the islands. They all have a different flavor, both in terms of golf and dining. Hawaii really is paradise for all tourists, especially golfers.Â