[Lance Rieber]

I am going to the Big Island in November and wondering which of the new or older courses I should play.  I am PGA member so access is usually pretty good at the courses I have played so far. I am thinking of calling one of these,Nanea, Hokuila and the new Weiskopf course at Hualalai.  I have played Mauna Lani South, Hapuna, and Nicklaus at Hualalai.  I looked at Makalei, Waikoloa Kings an Waimea, which all looked interesting when we last visited.  I really want to play Mauna Kea, but heard some mixed reviews. We are staying for 10 days and rooming on the Kona CC. Any thoughts from those who have played would be greatly appreciated.  
Thanks
Lance

[Tim Taylor]

Lance, I just returned from the Big Island. I played Mauna Lani North and South plus Hapuna and Mauna Kea.

Mauna Lani North is not as scenic as South but it is a better golf course. Some good par 5s and some good short par 4s too. My only issue is that all of the par threes are pretty short. I don't remember hitting more than an 8 iron from the blue tees (65xx yards).

Two holes on the North, #3 and #13, were closed. They have two real substitute holes, although they are nowhere near as good as the closed holes. The normal holes should be open by the time you go there.

Go play Mauna Kea. You won't regret it. I know I'm not the connoisseur that some on here are but I thought there was more to Mauna Kea than #3 and #11.

All the courses were in great shape during my stay. Firm fairways and greens. Now, if I could just putt those damn Bermuda greens!

Highlight of the trip - I parred both all the ocean par 3s: Mauna Lani South 7 and 15 and Mauna Kea 3 and 11.

TimT

[Wayne Freeman]

Lance-  the top 3 you mentioned should be your top priorities - we'd like to hear what you thought of them-  they are I think tough to get on, especially Nanea which is Charlie Schwab's 60 million dollar course for himself and a few buddies, so I'm told.  Last year I played Hapuna which is a lot of fun, and I've always thought Mauna Kea was very classy.  But this time, I noticed that they are doing a lot  more building both in the center and around the outskirts of the course which really detracts from its beauty. Mauna Lani was a waste of time-  the north course was in poor shape and the staff there had a bad attitude in general. I don't think I'd play it again.  I've never thought much of Waikaloa, but it's been several years since I played there and maybe it's better.  
   Big Island CC is also a lot of fun, up the mountain. It's a Dye collaboration and has some very good holes. It's neat to see snow on 2 peaks as well as the ocean. The 17th is an island green par 3 like TPC Sawgrass and is pretty cool.
       Report back when you're back.

[Thomas_Brown]

I played the first nine at "new Weiskopf course at Hualalai" and thought the terrain a difficult site for Weiskopf - very hilly.  Makes the wonderful Forest Highlands-Canyon look flat.

[Forrest Richardson]

Nanea is likely off limits to you...unless you are close friends with Charles Schwab or one of his 99 members. Best of luck.

An oft overlooked venue is Volcano G & CC. Jack Snyder remodeled it in the early 1970s and added 9-holes. It is almost always rough conditioned, remote, cheap and quirky.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Forrest - another thing about Volcano that people are often surprised with is that it can be wet and cold there, especially in the winter.  JC

[Forrest Richardson]

Yes. In fact, Jack often remarked that the course could be rainy on one nine (I cannot recall which one) and dry on the other. I believe they still have a wide difference in rainfall — as much as 20-in. per year.

[Don Dinkmeyer]

Volcano is the ONE course i have played on the big island (I am working from the top down, altitude wise)...its certainly fun and you can see the volcanoes park right there. There is an active flow that's been going on for months and is likely to continue when you are there.

[Russell Lo]

I will be playing Mauna Kea on Thursday and Hapuna on Friday. I'll let you know of the conditions. Big Island CC and Makalei are where a lot of locals play. BICC, as mentioned above has some really fun holes. Makalei should be played with someone that has experience there. Some of the holes become very tight when you're not sure of the line.

Another course of interest is Kukio, if you can get on. Like Nanea it is supposed to be ultra-private.

Russell

[Lance Rieber]

Thanks for the comments.  I think I am going to try to play Mauna Kea for sure and one of the first three I wrote about.Big Island looks like fun and Kings course I will try to play(weiskopf). I might have a better chance if I play by myself at those other three(if any chance) but it is kinda hard to get away from the family. I do have another question tho. Is kukio the same course just south of Kona CC that is a nicklaus?  There is another course Nicklaus course south of town named Hokulia.  Are these the same or two different?  I have heard of both of them and just wondering.
Thanks
Lance

[Evan_Green]

Kukio and Hokulia are different

Kukio is a Fazio

Hokulia is a Nickalus

2 separate communities/courses

Hope you have fun there

[Russell Lo]

Played Mauna Kea on Thursday in an unusual wind condition. The breeze was a Kona breeze, coming in from the south and opposite of the prevalent Tradewinds. What a difference. The last time I played there the wind was blowing 15-30 mph and holding greens, much less hitting fairways was quite a challenge. Thursday allowed you to score a bit easier and for many in the group who have played the course frequently, the course was playing as easy as it gets.

The layout is so straightforward. What you see off the tee is pretty much what you get. The second hole, a short downhill dogleg left is much more interesting when the wind is blowing behind you. RTJ designed three of the downhill holes (2, 6 and 9) as downwind holes. Although they are shorter, the approaches and tee shots make you think about where you want the second shot to come from and what you need to hit from the tee.

The 7th is an uphill par 3 that plays to 185 that day. When the trades are blowing it can play like it is 220. That day it played like 150. It really kind of took the challenge out of it.

One of my favorite holes is the 10th. It is a par 5 dogleg right with the outside of the dogleg coming in to play around 295 from the tee. The fariway drops around 320 from the tee leaving long drivers with a downhill lie. The hole plays around 520 and after the downhill the green elevates around 30 feet. The green is two tiered with the back half of the green dropping away leaving a possible 8o foot putt on a from pin placement. Great hole.

The conditions of the course were very good. Greens were a bit slow and still recovering from aeration done a couple of months ago. Strategically a really fun course. The only hole I didn't care for was the 17th a long par 5. The second shot is blind with the landing area either sloping off to the left into the rough leaving you an awkward sidehill lie from 100-120 out or a fairway bunker on the right. There really was no where to safely play your shot.

This course is always a strong recommend!

Played the Hapuna Prince on Friday. Can't remember a single hole. Go play Mauna Kea again or go the the Big Island Country Club.

Aloha,
Russell

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