Hawaii Tips

[DFarron]

Headed to Hawaii on a cruise in January and need some help with course recommendations since it's my first trip. Doesn't have to be a big name but just looking for solid golf. We will be docking in:


Hilo
Kuai and
Kona.....






Any suggestions are greatly appreciated....




Have tried Nanea but they aren't available.......




Thanks!

[Jeff Evagues]

Headed to Hawaii on a cruise in January and need some help with course recommendations since it's my first trip. Doesn't have to be a big name but just looking for solid golf. We will be docking in:


Hilo
Kuai and
Kona.....
Hilo theres not much choice, Hilo Municipal. Kauai there is Hokuala which is very good and practically overlooks the pier. Kona the best choices would be Mauna Lani or Mauna Kea, both about 30 minutes up the road. Waikoloa is not bad and slightly closer.





Any suggestions are greatly appreciated....




Have tried Nanea but they aren't available.......




Thanks!

[Tommy Williamsen]

This might be helpful.


https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,66373.0.html

[Doug Bolls]

On the Big Island, Volcanos Golf Course is a little over 30 miles from Hilo...and about 2 miles from Volcanos National Park.
Volcanos GC is inland and I remember it being fun to play.  Lot's of Norfolk Pines lining the fairways...just a good golf experience.  And close to the volcano!


In Kona you have a couple of very good courses - Mauna Kea Beach GC and Mauna Lani.  Mauna Lani was the home of the Senior Skins game for 10 years and has as it's hazard plenty of lava.  Great mountain and ocean views.


Mauna Kea always rates as one of the top courses in Hawaii - I loved playing both of them.


On Kauai, I would go for one of two choices:


Princeville Makai - RTJ designed - solid golf course with plenty of ocean views
or
Wailua Municipal GC - right on the water.  Very highly rated. 


I have fond memories of both of them.


Hope this helps


Doug

[DFarron]

Thanks to all that gives me a good place to start!

[Tom_Doak]

There's nothing in Hilo.  Volcanoes GC is a solid 3 on the Doak Scale . . . only noteworthy because you will probably see a Nene goose and because it takes you close to Volcano NP which is a must see.


Pretty much everything in Kona is private except for Mauna Kea and Waikoloa; I don't know if they are restricted to resort play.  If you can find someone to let you on, I'd go to Kukio over Nana.


Nearly everything on Kauai is a resort / public course.  Some of them are good.  Princeville is the furthest away from where your ship will dock; Poipu Bay is the closest, and not bad.

[DFarron]

There's nothing in Hilo.  Volcanoes GC is a solid 3 on the Doak Scale . . . only noteworthy because you will probably see a Nene goose and because it takes you close to Volcano NP which is a must see.


Pretty much everything in Kona is private except for Mauna Kea and Waikoloa; I don't know if they are restricted to resort play.  If you can find someone to let you on, I'd go to Kukio over Nana.


Nearly everything on Kauai is a resort / public course.  Some of them are good.  Princeville is the furthest away from where your ship will dock; Poipu Bay is the closest, and not bad.

What do you think about Wailua Golf Course?


Surprised you liked Kukio over Nanea, Nanea was on my bucket list.


Lots to think about now ….

[mike_beene]

I second Mauna Kea. It is worth driving past Mauna Lani. The other course I like is the older course at the four seasons which maybe your ship has access to. It is closer to town but nowhere near Mauna Kea as a place to see and play. Kona is dry but reminds me of Wyoming if the ocean is not in view. No snakes but that lava will cut you and ruin a wedge.

[Bill Satterfield]

Hokuala is the closest course in Kauai to where the cruise ships dock; less than five minutes from the clubhouse.  In fact, when you are playing the closing stretch of coastal holes you will often see a cruise ship docked across the bay from the 16th hole.  The back nine is flat out gorgeous and worth the price of admission alone.

Mauna Kea is 45 minutes north of where the cruise ships dock in Kona and is well worth the drive to get there.  #3 could be considered the signature hole of all the islands and is very memorable.  If you are lucky, you may see a spinner dolphin jumping in the bay you hit over.  A closer option is 15 minutes south to Kona Country Club that went through a three year renovation.  They originally has 36 holes but reduced down to 18.  It is a William Bell design with quite a bit of movement in the terrain and a few holes exposed to the ocean.  It is about $100 cheaper than Mauna Kea.

As Tom said, Hilo offers little to get excited about for golf.  You can also plan on rain being your frequent companion on that side of the island.

[DFarron]

So Hokuala is that good? I  ask because I'm not a huge fan of Nicklaus courses....

[Jim Franklin]

So Hokuala is that good? I  ask because I'm not a huge fan of Nicklaus courses....

Not a Nicklaus fan either but Hokulia was decent. Mauna Kea was okay as well. Liked both Kukio and Nanea. Probably the two best on Big Island.

[Marty Bonnar]

We played Makalei and Hualalai when we visited the Dodds in Kona. Both quite good fun, cartball courses. Hualalai has all the Nicklaus ‘looks’ and plays through a wild lavascape on the coast. Makalei is up in the hills with a massive amount of elevation change - and hundreds of wild peacocks. Pretty impressive visually and aurally!
F.

[DFarron]

Ended up making the trip to Princeville and I’m glad I did.


Very simple clubhouse and golf shop yet quaint and useful. Golf shop had a ton of really nice stuff to buy and I did !


The course was one of those sleeper courses that doesn’t wow you until later that night when you realize that you have just played a really fine golf course. Holes 3, 6, 7, 14 and 14 are the “post card” holes but every hole was solid and required a wise strategy to score.


And the most surprising thing of the day was the food at the turn….delicious and the staff both at the shack and the golf shop were wonderful.


Thanks to all who made suggestions, it was a great time !

[Brad Tufts]

Glad you enjoyed...I was blown away by Princeville Makai too, I think it sits favorably in the T100 public.


Interested to see if/when they ever open the Prince again, sounds like it'll be ultra-private though so may have to fake like you are buying a house to see it!

[Rick Sides]

Mauna Lani...very pretty course but leave the driver in the bag.  Lava surrounds each fairway and a missed fairway equals dead ball.