[Mark Johnson]

Has anyone been?    Did a search and havent seen much on the island.

Looks like there are two top courses ---The Challenge at Manele  and Experience on Koele.

Looking to see if it is worth a few days on our next Hawaii trip.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Lanai is awesome.  Two completely different golf and lodging experiences half an hour apart.  Koele is in the mountains.  I don't remember the elevation but it is much cooler than at sea level.  The Norman course is quite good but the golf experience is terrific.  The lodge has been remodeled by the Four Seasons about five or six years ago.  The signature hole is the 17th where the tee ball descends some two hundred feet. 

The Challenge at Manele is cliff-side golf and it is spectacular.  Nicklaus did a wonderful job routing the course.  It is great fun with a couple of holes along the cliff-tops.  If you are in Maui the ferry ride is the beginning and ending of a great day. 

[Mark Johnson]

Lanai is awesome.  Two completely different golf and lodging experiences half an hour apart.  Koele is in the mountains.  I don't remember the elevation but it is much cooler than at sea level.  The Norman course is quite good but the golf experience is terrific.  The lodge has been remodeled by the Four Seasons about five or six years ago.  The signature hole is the 17th where the tee ball descends some two hundred feet. 

The Challenge at Manele is cliff-side golf and it is spectacular.  Nicklaus did a wonderful job routing the course.  It is great fun with a couple of holes along the cliff-tops.  If you are in Maui the ferry ride is the beginning and ending of a great day. 

Thanks Tommy.

I thought you had to stay at the resort to play the courses.   Can you ferry in and play them?   We usually stay in Kauai but are looking for something different

[Brad Wilbur]

We ferried over from Maui and played both in one day.  I would rate the Nicklaus course more highly, but it makes an interesting pairing, with the contrasting settings for the courses.  Make sure if you park a car by the ferry, you get enough hours for your parking pass.  They have no problem giving out parking tickets.

[Mark Johnson]

thanks Brad.

Very interesting since the 4 season brochure says the course is only available to people staying at the hotel

[Brad Isaacs]

I really enjoyed the Arthur Hills designed (Greg Norman) course up in Koele. A lot of good holes. I admit to not liking holes with huge drops so the signature hole is not a favorite of mine at the Experience. It is a beautiful hole though.

Manège Bay is one of Nicklaus best designs.  It is certainly worth a trip over.

Drawbacks would be probably the most expensive golf in HA, and Difficulty in getting there. It is among the least crowded of golf in HA.

 I do not know about requirements for playing there as they have changed time and time again.
The experience on Lanai is a very slow older style classic HA.  I would never be able to go without my wife(she does not golf)

[Joe_Tucholski]

thanks Brad.

Very interesting since the 4 season brochure says the course is only available to people staying at the hotel

I was in Maui two months ago and considered going over to Lanai for a day and also looked at spending a few nights on Lanai.  I didn't end up going to Lanai but my wife told me next trip out to HI we'll go to Lanai.  Some of what I found out may save you some time.

For the day trip from Maui I found that golf-maui.com offered a pretty darn good deal for a two round package including ferry transportation from Maui @ $309.

We were also looking at staying on Lanai for a little while.  I think there are only three hotels on the island in addition to some B&B's.  The two Four Seasons and then a smaller place in town called Hotel Lana'i.  The Four Seasons website indicates that they charge hotel guests $210 for unlimited golf, including transportation between the courses and that non-resort guests are charged $225 per round and have to pay for transportation between the courses.  When I contacted the other lodging on the island, Hotel Lana'i, which is a small inn they indicated they had a discounted price for guests that I can't recall but I think it was something like $150 and then a discounted replay that was something like $75.

At those prices the two rounds would have been cheaper than the two rounds I played at Kapalua and Wailea and I would have gotten the boat trip.

[Brett Waters]

I have played the Challenge at Manele and must say it is magnificent. It is pricey, but for my money, I'd choose it over any other. Like previously stated, if you are in fact taking a boat over from Lahaina, Maui, watch where you park. There is a lot just south of the harbor that you can park in and be okay for the day. However, most of the lots are 2 hours max and they will get you if you are there any longer!

[William_G]

FWIW  I have stayed with my family on Lanai while we also have ferried over for the day...both have pluses and minuses

message me if you want more info, thanks

[Bart Bradley]

The golf is okay.  The hotel is great.  The snorkeling is a Cousteau 10.

Im me for more info.

Bart

[Mark Provenzano]

thanks Brad.

Very interesting since the 4 season brochure says the course is only available to people staying at the hotel

I was in Maui two months ago and considered going over to Lanai for a day and also looked at spending a few nights on Lanai.  I didn't end up going to Lanai but my wife told me next trip out to HI we'll go to Lanai.  Some of what I found out may save you some time.

For the day trip from Maui I found that golf-maui.com offered a pretty darn good deal for a two round package including ferry transportation from Maui @ $309.

Thanks for the tip, the deal above (offered through the Maui Golf Shop in Kahului or their website above) worked out perfectly. The only other expense was $10 for the all-day shuttle pass. A great day of golf, and a good value for Hawaii.

The shuttles make things interesting. You'd think that a ferry arriving at 7:30 would make an 8:30 tee time a breeze, but with 25-30 other golfers on the boat the shuttle and pro shop lines moved slowly. We wound up teeing off stone-cold at Koele at 8:35. Groups behind us ended their round early to stay on schedule, as you have to shuttle first to the lodge at Koele then to the Challenge. The Koele-Manele shuttle only runs at :00/:30, and it made stops along the way, so all of our tee times got rearranged upon arrival at Manale.

One other note if you're doing the Lanal double--Koele has a small grill hidden away just to the right of the pro shop counter. They have pre-made sandwiches and will prep to-go orders off the menu if you call from 8 or 17. (Cell service on Lanai is fine.) There is no food or beverage service on the course, and no water other than the 2 bottles in the cart cooler. You probably need to eat there, at least when the days are short, as the restaurant at Manale is dine-in only and will take some time. They do have a food/beverage cart at Manale, which we were told was the only speedy option for hungry golfers. The cart came by at the 5th hole, and they only had two sandwiches left for the three of us...which was going to leave the the foursome behind us hungry as well. She promised to re-stock and catch up with us later. That was the last we ever saw of her. Seemed pretty unprofessional for such a high-end place.  

[Rob Rigg]

Rich Choi (I think) did a great photo tour on The Experience and The Challenge - you should be able to find the thread in the search function.

I have seen The Challenge from a dive location just off the coast of Lanai - it looks UNREAL. If I ever get to Lanai (usually stay in Maui) I definitely plan on playing both courses - The Challenge if I only have a day and need to pick one.

[Jim Eder]

We have been there often.  I really like the Challenge, it is very scenic, it is a good challenge (no pun intended), it tends to be pretty quiet so one can get around quickly, and it is in ok condition usually. The weather tends to be wonderful as it is protected, very Wailea like that.  The dolphins come into the bay which is always very cool.   It is a great place to reduce and eliminate any stress. We'll keep going back again and again in the future.

We have been here about 10 times over the years. It is very isolated. Which can be good and can be bad.  For the spouse who might be a non-golfer and for kids it can be a bit too boring. It is not Wailea.

The hotel is fantastic, the people are terrific.  It is a getaway from it all.

Koele is not my fave.  The weather tends to be a bit iffy, the golf course is a bit boring to me, it is like being in the Pac Northwest or something with the pine trees.  I haven't been back up there in years.

Make sure your spouse/family are prepared to be limited in activity while over there but as a golf focused individual it is awfully wonderful. The beach is a bit of a hike but not too bad and it is gorgeous while the pool is very nice.  The service is great.  It is pretty isolated so make sure you think about that.  You may want to try it for 2 nights or something and see for next time if you like the isolation.

The golf at the Challenge offers some amazing shot like those on 12 and 17.  Some great cliffside golf!!  And the views from almost all of the course are just amazing.

Hope this helps, shoot me a message if you have any more questions.

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