Nanea, a private club on the Big Island, tops Golf Digest’s 2025-26 Hawaii ranking, and most of the rest of the top ten is private too. Of the best golf courses in Hawaii you can actually get on, start with Manele on Lanai (resort guests only, about $550), Kapalua’s Plantation Course on Maui ($475) and Mauna Kea on the Big Island.
Here’s the thing nobody tells you before you land: Hawaii golf is expensive for visitors and cheap for locals, and the gap is huge. The same municipal course that charges a Honolulu resident $28 charges a visitor $86. The resort courses on the Kohala Coast and in Wailea run $200 to $375, and there are no winter bargains of the kind Arizona has in July, because Hawaii’s season never really ends. So you need a plan. Pick one island, play the one or two courses that justify a big green fee, and fill the rest of the week with the good-value rounds that locals play.
How we built this. The rankings come from Golf Digest’s Best in State list for Hawaii (2025-26), its America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses (2025-26) and GOLF’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play (2024-25). We compare those national lists in our guide to every major national ranking. Green fees come from each course’s own rate page and are dated September 2026. Where a course doesn’t publish a rate and the only figure we could find is from a third party, we give it and say “reported”. Golf Digest’s own page blocks automated reading, so we only give a Best in State position where we could confirm it. We haven’t played every course here. Where a note leans on the rankings, published data and the architecture rather than our own scorecards, we say so.
At a glance
- Best golf course in Hawaii: Nanea Golf Club, a private club near Kailua-Kona, No. 1 on Golf Digest’s Hawaii list every edition since 2013 and No. 59 in America
- Best course you can play: Manele on Lanai, No. 2 in the state and No. 22 on Golf Digest’s public list, reported at $550, for guests of the island’s two Four Seasons-run hotels only
- Best course anyone can book: Kapalua’s Plantation Course on Maui, $475, or $445 for resort guests
- Best value resort-quality round: Kona Country Club’s Ocean Course, $199, or $139 from noon
- Cheapest good round for visitors: Wailua on Kauai, $80 on weekdays, and Ala Wai in Honolulu, $86
- Biggest resident discount: Waiehu on Maui, $66 on weekdays for visitors and $17 for Maui County residents
- Best island for golf: Maui for choice, the Big Island for dramatic lava-coast golf, Kauai for scenery per dollar
- Closures to know in 2026: Manele is closed September 21 to 28 for aeration; Kapalua’s Bay Course and Turtle Bay’s Fazio Course are closed indefinitely
The best golf courses in Hawaii at a glance
The table puts the ranked private clubs first, then the courses you can play, island by island. “Access” is what a golfer without a membership can expect: private means members and their guests only; resort guests means you need a room at the hotel; resort/public means anyone can book, usually with a better rate for hotel guests; public means anyone can book; and “muni” marks a county-owned course.
| Course | Island | Access | Architect (year) | Visitor green fee (Sept 2026) | Ranking or note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanea | Big Island | Private | Not verified | Members’ guests only | Golf Digest HI No. 1; U.S. No. 59 |
| Manele | Lanai | Resort guests | Jack Nicklaus (1993) | About $550 (reported) | Golf Digest HI No. 2; public No. 22 |
| Kapalua (Plantation) | Maui | Resort/public | Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw (1991) | $475 ($445 resort guests) | Golf Digest public No. 23 |
| Mauna Kea | Big Island | Resort/public | Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1964) | About $185-$295 (reported) | Golf Digest public No. 43 |
| Waialae Country Club | Oahu | Private | Seth Raynor (1927) | Members’ guests only | Golf Digest HI No. 9; Sony Open |
| Kohanaiki | Big Island | Private | Rees Jones | Members’ guests only | Golf Digest HI No. 10 |
| Poipu Bay | Kauai | Resort/public | Robert Trent Jones Jr. (1991) | $245-$295 | Golf Digest HI No. 12 |
| Princeville Makai | Kauai | Public | Robert Trent Jones Jr. (1971) | $375 | On Golf Digest’s HI list |
| Wailea (Gold and Emerald) | Maui | Public | Robert Trent Jones Jr. | About $285 (reported) | Book 45 days ahead |
| Mauna Lani (South) | Big Island | Resort/public | Homer Flint and Robert Cain (1981) | About $205-$375 (reported) | Lava-field golf |
| Hapuna | Big Island | Resort/public | Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay (1992) | Not published | Mauna Kea’s sister course |
| Waikoloa Beach | Big Island | Resort/public | Robert Trent Jones Jr. (Beach, 1981) | $119-$215 | Resort guests $175 |
| Kona Country Club (Ocean) | Big Island | Public | William F. Bell (1966) | $139-$199 | Best Kona value |
| Turtle Bay (Palmer) | Oahu | Resort/public | Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay (1992) | $250 ($220 resort guests) | North Shore |
| Ko Olina | Oahu | Resort/public | Ted Robinson (1990) | $275 ($245 resort guests) | Former LPGA venue |
| Royal Hawaiian | Oahu | Public | Pete and Perry Dye (1993) | $200 ($80-$90 residents) | Windward rainforest |
| Kapolei | Oahu | Public | Ted Robinson | $155-$210 | 90-day booking |
| Ala Wai | Oahu | Public (muni) | Not verified | $86 ($28-$32 residents) | Honolulu’s city course |
| Ka’anapali (Royal) | Maui | Resort/public | Robert Trent Jones Sr. | $150-$228 | West Maui |
| The Dunes at Maui Lani | Maui | Public | Robin Nelson (1999) | $69-$129 ($49-$55 kama’aina) | Best Maui value |
| Waiehu | Maui | Public (muni) | Not verified | $66-$86 ($17-$22 Maui residents) | Maui County course |
| Wailua | Kauai | Public (muni) | Not verified | $80-$100 ($18-$23 residents) | Kauai County course |
Rankings: Golf Digest Best in State, Hawaii (2025-26); Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses (2025-26); GOLF Top 100 Courses You Can Play (2024-25). Green fees from each course’s rate page, checked September 2026, except where marked “reported”. Resident rates need Hawaii ID.
Three things stand out. First, the best golf in Hawaii is split between private clubs on the Big Island’s Kona-Kohala coast and a handful of resort courses on Maui, Lanai and the Big Island. Second, almost every course you can book is a resort course, so a round under $150 for a visitor is rare, and the few that exist are worth knowing about. Third, the islands differ more than most people expect. Oahu has the most courses and the most locals on them, Maui has the most choice at resort level, and Lanai has one course that matters and you have to stay on the island to play it.
What is the best golf course in Hawaii?
Nanea Golf Club, a private club north of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, is No. 1 on Golf Digest’s 2025-26 Hawaii ranking, a position it has held since 2013. It’s also No. 59 in America. The best course a visitor can play is Manele on Lanai, No. 2 in the state, open to hotel guests.
The top of Hawaii’s rankings is mostly private, and nearly all of it sits on one stretch of coast. The notes below lean on the rankings and the clubs’ published information, not on our own rounds. None of these clubs sells tee times or publishes rates, so there are no fees or ratings here.
Nanea Golf Club
Kailua-Kona, Big Island · private · Golf Digest Hawaii No. 1 (2025-26) · America’s 100 Greatest No. 59 · members and their guests only
Nanea is the club Charles Schwab and a small group of partners built on the slopes of Hualalai, above the Kona coast, and it is private in the old-fashioned sense: a tiny membership, very few rounds, and no public access of any kind. It is so rarely played that it took Golf Digest more than a decade to collect enough panellist ballots to put it on the national list, which tells you how hard it is to get on. It has been No. 1 in Hawaii on every edition since 2013. If you know a member, say yes.
Kukio, Hokuli’a and Kohanaiki
Big Island · private · Kukio: Tom Fazio · Hokuli’a: Jack Nicklaus · Kohanaiki: Rees Jones (Golf Digest Hawaii No. 10) · members and their guests only
These three private residential clubs on the Kona side of the Big Island all appear on Golf Digest’s Hawaii list. Kukio, Fazio’s course next door to the Four Seasons at Hualalai, and Kohanaiki, the Rees Jones course just north of Kona airport, both play along the lava coast. Hokuli’a, south of Kona, is Nicklaus’s course on the hillside above Kealakekua Bay. All three are private golf course communities as much as golf clubs. For a visitor they matter only as a reminder that the best stretch of golf coast in Hawaii is largely behind gates.
Waialae Country Club
Honolulu, Oahu · private · Seth Raynor (1927) · Golf Digest Hawaii No. 9 · long-time host of the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii, which the Tour was reported in April 2026 to be dropping for 2027 · members and their guests only
Waialae is the one old course near the top of Hawaii golf. Seth Raynor, the architect who built many of Charles Blair Macdonald’s “template” courses (copies of famous British holes, such as a Redan, where the green angles away from the golfer), designed it in the 1920s on flat ground next to the ocean east of Diamond Head. Most golfers know it from television, as the home of the Sony Open, which opened the PGA Tour’s 2026 season after the Sentry at Kapalua was cancelled. In April 2026, the Washington Post reported that the Tour would not play in Hawaii in 2027, the first year in 56 without a Tour event in the islands. It is private, and there’s no public tee time.
Elsewhere on the islands, Kukui’ula on Kauai’s south shore, a Tom Weiskopf design, is also on Golf Digest’s list, and Hualalai, the Jack Nicklaus course at the Four Seasons Hualalai, is open only to members and hotel guests. Maui’s Makena course, once a well-known resort course, is now a private club too.
Which Hawaiian island is best for golf?
Maui is best for choice: Kapalua, Wailea and Ka’anapali give you six resort-quality courses within an hour. The Big Island has the most dramatic lava-coast golf. Kauai has the best scenery for the money, from $80 at Wailua. Lanai has Manele, and Oahu has the most courses but the most crowded tee sheets.
Picking an island matters more than picking a course, because flying between islands eats a day and a round rarely justifies the trip. Here’s how the five islands with golf compare for a visitor:
| Island | Best course you can play | Resort-level rounds (visitor, Sept 2026) | Best value | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maui | Kapalua Plantation, $475 | Wailea about $285 (reported); Ka’anapali Royal $228 | Dunes at Maui Lani, $69-$129 | Anyone wanting three or four good courses in a week |
| Big Island | Mauna Kea, about $185-$295 (reported) | Mauna Lani and Hapuna; Waikoloa $119-$215 | Kona Country Club, $139-$199 | Golfers who want the most dramatic settings |
| Lanai | Manele, about $550 (reported) | None; Manele is the only 18 | Cavendish, a free nine-hole course | Four Seasons guests willing to pay for one great round |
| Kauai | Princeville Makai, $375 | Poipu Bay $245-$295; Puakea $149-$179 | Wailua muni, $80-$100 | Scenery lovers on a budget |
| Oahu | Turtle Bay Palmer, $250 | Ko Olina $275; Kapolei $210; Royal Hawaiian $200 | Ala Wai muni, $86 | Honolulu stays; locals and military |
Our short answer: if golf is the main reason for the trip, go to Maui or the Big Island. If golf is one of several things you want to do, Kauai gives you the best mix. Oahu is where you play because you’re already in Honolulu, not where you fly to play golf.
The sections below take each island in turn. Every course with its own heading gets a data line: location, who can play, architect and year, par and yardage, course rating and slope from a named tee where one is published, the visitor green fee with the date we checked it, and booking details. Course rating is what a scratch golfer is expected to shoot. Slope measures how much harder the course plays for a bogey golfer, on a scale where 113 is average. The USGA explains both.
Maui: Kapalua, Wailea and Ka’anapali
Maui has the deepest line-up of resort golf in Hawaii, in three clusters: Kapalua in the far northwest, Ka’anapali just south of it, and Wailea on the dry south coast. Central Maui, around the airport at Kahului, has the best-value courses. Two names you may remember are no longer options. Kapalua’s Bay Course is closed indefinitely, according to Kapalua’s own rate page, and the old Makena resort course is now private. Maui’s courses get a fuller treatment in our guide to the best golf courses on Maui.
Kapalua (Plantation Course)
Kapalua, Maui · resort/public · Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw (1991) · Par 73, 7,596 yards · Regular tees 72.8/134 · Green fee $475 standard and $445 for resort guests, cart included (2026 rates, official) · public bookings 30 days ahead; resort guests 60 days
The Plantation Course is the most famous public course in Hawaii, and the reason is television: the PGA Tour’s winners-only season opener was played here from 1999 to 2025. That run has ended. Drought and water restrictions on West Maui led the Tour to cancel the 2026 event, and in April 2026 it was reported that the Tour won’t play in Hawaii in 2027. The course itself has recovered and is open to the public as usual. It was built on the old pineapple plantation slopes of west Maui, and it’s unlike anything else Coore and Crenshaw have done. It is enormous, with fairways 60 and 70 yards wide, huge elevation changes, and a trade wind that blows straight down the hill toward the ocean. The famous finish is the 18th, a downhill par 5 of more than 650 yards from the back tees that ordinary golfers can sometimes reach in two with the wind behind them.
Golf Digest has it at No. 23 on its public list and GOLF at No. 33 on its list of courses you can play. The par of 73 and slope of 134 from the Regular tees tell you it’s long but not brutal, because the width forgives almost any tee shot. The real test is the greens, which are big and full of grain, and putts break toward the ocean more than they appear to.
Which tees: the wind decides. Into the wind, the uphill holes play enormous; downwind, the ball runs forever. A 10-handicap will enjoy the Regular tees. An 18 should move forward one set to about 6,000 yards, and a 25 should play the forward tees and accept that the uphill par 4s will still take three shots.
Verdict: worth it once for anyone who grew up watching the Tour’s January event here, and the best course in Hawaii anyone can book without a hotel stay. At $475 it’s expensive, but the course is a genuine experience, not a TV hole with ordinary golf around it, and with the tournament gone, early January is open for play. For a detailed look at the rates, forecaddies and booking windows, see our Kapalua Plantation Course green fee guide.
Wailea Golf Club (Gold and Emerald Courses)
Wailea, Maui · public · Robert Trent Jones Jr. · Gold: par 72, 7,078 yards, 73.0/139 (tee not stated); Emerald: par 72, 6,825 yards, 71.7/130 · Green fee about $285 for visitors (reported, September 2026) · book up to 45 days ahead with no booking fee
Wailea is on Maui’s leeward south coast, the driest and sunniest part of the island, and its two courses climb the lower slopes of Haleakala above the resort hotels, with the ocean and the islands of Kaho’olawe and Molokini below. The Gold is the harder of the two, with lava-rock walls, more bunkering and a slope of 139. The Emerald is more open, more colourful and friendlier, with a slope of 130. Both are resort golf done well: great views, good conditioning, and fairways wide enough that most golfers keep the ball in play.
Which tees: on the Gold, a 10-handicap should be around 6,500 yards, an 18 around 6,000 and a 25 on the forward tees. On the Emerald you can play one set longer.
Verdict: the best all-round choice for golfers staying in Wailea or Kihei. Play the Emerald if you’re there for fun and the Gold if you want a test. We couldn’t confirm the rate on Wailea’s own site, so check the price when you book.
Ka’anapali Golf Courses (Royal Ka’anapali)
Ka’anapali, Maui · resort/public · Royal: Robert Trent Jones Sr. · Par 71, 6,700 yards · Blue tees 74.2/131 · Green fee $228 standard and $150 twilight (2026, official) · book through the pro shop or online
Ka’anapali has two courses, the Royal and the Kai, running between the beach hotels and the West Maui Mountains. The Royal is the championship course, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design with big greens, water and bunkers, and it’s harder than its 6,700 yards suggests: a rating of 74.2 from the Blue tees is high for a par 71 of that length. The Kai is the shorter, easier course. Ka’anapali’s site didn’t show a current Kai rate when we checked.
Verdict: a convenient, fair-value resort round if you’re staying in Ka’anapali, and $150 at twilight is one of the better resort deals on Maui. It isn’t a course to drive across the island for.
The Dunes at Maui Lani
Kahului, Maui · public · Robin Nelson (1999) · Par 72, 6,841 yards · 73.6/139 (tee not stated) · Green fee for visitors $129, $89 or $69 depending on tee time; kama’aina $55 or $49; same-day replay $42 (September 2026, official)
Maui Lani is the course Maui golfers recommend to each other, and it’s the one visitors skip because it isn’t on the ocean. It sits on old sand dunes near the airport in Kahului, and Robin Nelson built a links-style course, with rolling fairways, native grasses and firm ground, that plays in the same trade wind as the coast. The slope of 139 says it’s a real test.
Verdict: the best value on Maui by a distance. A morning round at $129 costs less than half of Kapalua, and the $42 replay makes a 36-hole day easy. Play it on the day you land or the day you leave.
Waiehu Golf Course
Wailuku, Maui · public (County of Maui) · Par, yardage and ratings not published on the course’s rate page · Green fee for non-residents $66 on weekdays and $86 at weekends; Maui County residents $17 and $22; other Hawaii residents $29 and $36 (rates effective July 1, 2024, official)
Waiehu is Maui County’s municipal course, on the coast north of Wailuku, and it’s plain, windy, honest golf at a price no resort can touch. It’s where Maui’s locals play, and the resident rates show it: a Maui resident pays about a quarter of the visitor’s weekday fee.
Verdict: a good, cheap round with local character. Don’t expect resort conditioning. If you want a second round without spending another $250, this or Maui Lani is the answer. We cover the best-value courses statewide in our guide to the best public golf courses in Hawaii.
Lanai: Manele and the smallest golf island
Lanai is a small, quiet island a short ferry ride from west Maui, and nearly all of it is owned by Larry Ellison. It had two resort courses. The Experience at Koele, the Greg Norman course in the island’s cool upland pines, has closed permanently. That leaves Manele, the Nicklaus course by the Four Seasons at Manele Bay, plus the Cavendish course in Lanai City, a nine-hole community course that is free to play. We cover the island in more detail in our guide to Lanai’s golf courses.
Manele Golf Course
Manele Bay, Lanai · resort guests (Four Seasons Resort Lanai and Sensei Lanai) · Jack Nicklaus (1993) · Par, yardage and ratings not published · Green fee about $550 for 18 holes and $275 for nine (reported, September 2026) · closed for aeration September 21 to 28, 2026
Manele is the best course in Hawaii that a visitor can play, No. 2 on Golf Digest’s Hawaii list, No. 22 on its public list and No. 47 on GOLF’s list of courses you can play. It used to be called the Challenge at Manele, and the name fits. Nicklaus laid it across the lava cliffs above Hulopo’e Bay, and the back nine is the famous part: the 12th and 17th are the clifftop holes everyone photographs, with the Pacific crashing below the tees and, in winter, humpback whales offshore. The front nine climbs away from the sea through kiawe scrub and dry gullies, and it’s good golf in its own right, not just a walk to the cliffs.
The catch is access. Manele is reported as open only to guests of the island’s two hotels, and the rate is among the highest in Hawaii. That makes a round at Manele part of a stay on Lanai rather than a day trip from Maui.
Which tees: the carries on the cliff holes are the issue, not the length. A 10-handicap should play around 6,300 yards; an 18 and a 25 should play forward enough that the ocean carries are comfortable, even if that means the front tees on the 12th and 17th.
Verdict: worth it if you’re already staying on Lanai, and the cliff holes are among the best in America. It is not worth building a $1,000-a-night stay around unless you want the island for other reasons too. Check that your dates avoid the September 21 to 28 aeration closure.
The Big Island: Mauna Kea, Mauna Lani and the Kohala Coast
The Big Island’s resort golf runs along the Kohala Coast north of Kona, where developers cut fairways through the black lava fields of old eruptions and planted them with grass. The contrast of green turf, black rock and blue water is the most striking setting in Hawaiian golf, and the island’s dry leeward side means it rarely rains. Our guide to the best golf courses on the Big Island has the full list, including the upcountry courses.
Mauna Kea Golf Course
Kohala Coast, Big Island · resort/public · Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1964); later renovated by Rees Jones · About 7,370 yards from the back tees · Rating and slope not published · Green fee not published on the resort’s site; reported at about $185 to $295 depending on season and hotel status (September 2026) · closed for aeration September 8 and 9, 2026
Mauna Kea is where Hawaiian resort golf started. Laurance Rockefeller built the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in the 1960s, and Robert Trent Jones Sr. built the course on a lava field that everyone said couldn’t be grassed. The famous hole is the 3rd, a par 3 played across a cove of open ocean to a green on the far headland; from the back tee it’s a long, all-carry shot over the surf. It’s No. 43 on Golf Digest’s public list and No. 49 on GOLF’s.
The rest of the course is classic Trent Jones: big, sloping greens, deep bunkers and long par 4s, with the snow-capped summit of Mauna Kea behind the course in winter.
Which tees: the 3rd decides it. A 10-handicap should play about 6,300 yards, which keeps the cove carry reasonable. An 18 should be around 5,800 and a 25 on the forward tees. There’s no shame in it; Jones built the hole to scare people.
Verdict: the best course you can book on the Big Island and one of the most historically important resort courses in America. Ask for the hotel-guest rate if you’re staying at the Mauna Kea or Westin Hapuna, and confirm the price when you book, because the resort doesn’t publish one.
Hapuna Golf Course
Kohala Coast, Big Island · resort/public · Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay (1992) · Par 72, 6,895 yards · Championship tees 73.3/136 · Green fee not published (September 2026)
Hapuna is Mauna Kea’s sister course, built up the hill above the Westin Hapuna Beach. It’s a links-inspired design, with narrow fairways through native grass and lava, and it plays higher and windier than Mauna Kea. It is the less famous of the two and the more fun for a player who likes shot-making.
Verdict: a good second round on a Mauna Kea stay, and usually the cheaper one. Not a course to plan a trip around.
Mauna Lani (South and North Courses)
Kohala Coast, Big Island · resort/public · Homer Flint and Robert Cain (1981) · South: par 72, 6,924 yards, 73.3/127; North: 6,601 yards · Green fee not published on the official site; reported at about $205 to $375 (September 2026)
Mauna Lani’s golf began with one course, named for Francis H. I’i Brown, and grew into today’s South and North courses. The South is the showpiece, with holes carved through a rough ‘a’a lava flow and a par 3 across the surf that’s one of the most photographed holes in Hawaii. The North runs inland through older, smoother lava and kiawe trees.
Which tees: a slope of 127 on the South means this is the most playable of the Kohala Coast’s top courses for a mid-handicapper. A 10 can play the full course; an 18 about 6,200; a 25 about 5,500.
Verdict: worth it for the lava-field setting and the South’s ocean holes, especially if the rate you’re quoted is toward the bottom of the reported range. At the top of it, Mauna Kea is the better course.
Waikoloa Beach Golf Club
Waikoloa, Big Island · resort/public · Beach Course: Robert Trent Jones Jr. (1981) · Ratings not published · Green fee for players staying off the resort $215 in the morning, $150 midday and $119 in the afternoon; resort guests $175 in the morning (September 2026, official)
Waikoloa is the more affordable end of the Kohala Coast. The club’s current rate page prices its golf as 27 holes, played as combinations of nines, which reflects a reworked layout; confirm which nines you’re booked on. The courses play through lava fields and along the resort’s lagoons, and the afternoon rate of $119 is the cheapest resort golf on this coast.
Verdict: good value for a lava-coast round, especially after noon. The golf is a step below Mauna Kea and Mauna Lani, and so is the price.
Kona Country Club (Ocean Course)
Kailua-Kona, Big Island · public · William F. Bell (1966) · Ratings not published · Green fee $199 for visitors, $139 from noon and $108 for nine holes after 3 pm (September 2026, official) · book up to 30 days ahead
Kona Country Club’s Ocean Course runs along the Keauhou coast south of town, with several holes right on the lava shoreline, where waves blow through the rock and spray over the fairways. It’s older, shorter and simpler than the Kohala Coast courses, but the ocean holes are the real thing.
Verdict: the best-value ocean round on the Big Island, and at $139 from noon, a good deal anywhere in Hawaii. If you’re staying in Kona rather than on the Kohala Coast, start here.
Upcountry, Makalei, a par-72 course on the slopes of Hualalai above Kona, is cooler and cheaper still; its green fee wasn’t published on a source we could verify.
Oahu: Honolulu, Ko Olina and the North Shore
Oahu has more golf courses than any other island, but most of them are built for residents and the military, and the best tee times go to locals. A visitor staying in Waikiki has three realistic choices: drive west to Ko Olina and Kapolei, drive north to Turtle Bay, or drive over the Pali to Royal Hawaiian. Waialae, the best course on the island, is private. Oahu’s courses get their own guide to the best golf courses on Oahu, and Honolulu’s city-run courses have a separate page too.
Turtle Bay (Arnold Palmer Course)
Kahuku, Oahu · resort/public · Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay (1992) · Par 72, 7,199 yards · 75.0/141 (back tees) · Green fee $250 for the public and $220 for resort guests; nine holes $140 (September 2026, official) · the Fazio Course is closed indefinitely
Turtle Bay is on Oahu’s North Shore, an hour from Waikiki, and the Palmer Course is the best course a visitor can book on the island. It’s a course of two halves: the front nine runs across open, windy ground with wetlands and water, and the back nine goes into a forest of ironwood trees before coming back toward the ocean. Despite the resort’s beachfront setting, you see the sea from only a few holes. The rating of 75.0 and slope of 141 from the back make it the hardest resort course on the island.
Which tees: the North Shore trade wind makes 7,199 yards play like 7,500. A 10-handicap should play about 6,300, an 18 about 5,900 and a 25 the forward tees.
Verdict: the best public golf on Oahu and worth the drive. The Fazio Course, the easier of the two, is closed, so don’t book a stay expecting both.
Ko Olina Golf Club
Kapolei, Oahu · resort/public · Ted Robinson (1990) · Par 72, 6,867 yards · 72.8/137 (tee not stated) · Green fee $275 for players staying off the resort, $245 for resort guests, $210 twilight; cart, range balls and a tumbler included (September 2026, official)
Ko Olina, on Oahu’s dry west coast next to the Disney Aulani and Four Seasons hotels, is polished resort golf in the Ted Robinson style: water features, waterfalls, palms and big, well-kept greens. It hosted the LPGA Tour for several years. It isn’t on the ocean, and it isn’t a hard course, but everything about it is well run.
Verdict: convenient and pleasant if you’re staying at Ko Olina, but at $275 it’s expensive for what it is. Kapolei, next door, is a better course for less.
Kapolei Golf Course
Kapolei, Oahu · public · Ted Robinson · Ratings not published on the rate page · Green fee for visitors $210 and $155 twilight from 1:30 pm (September 2026, official) · book up to 90 days ahead
Kapolei is Ko Olina’s neighbour, a few minutes inland, and another Ted Robinson course, with more water, more length and fewer resort frills. It’s where plenty of west Oahu’s regular golfers play, and kama’aina rates are published on a separate page.
Verdict: a solid course for $65 less than Ko Olina, and the 90-day booking window makes it easy to plan around. The twilight rate is the deal.
Nearby in Ewa Beach, Hawaii Prince Golf Club is a 27-hole Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay design, flat and watery, at $179 for visitors through December 31, 2026, with kama’aina summer rates reported at $52 to $62.
Royal Hawaiian Golf Club
Kailua (Maunawili), Oahu · public · Pete and Perry Dye (1993) · Par 72, 6,595 yards · 73.1/138 (tee not stated) · Green fee for visitors $200; Hawaii residents and military $80 on weekdays and $90 at weekends, with ID (September 2026, official)
Royal Hawaiian, still known to many as Luana Hills, is on the windward side of the Ko’olau Mountains, 30 minutes from Waikiki, in a rainforest valley. It’s a narrow, dramatic course, with tight fairways through the jungle, forced carries over ravines and the fluted green cliffs of the Ko’olaus overhead. It’s short, but a 73.1 rating on a 6,595-yard course tells you how demanding it is.
Which tees: play shorter than you think. A 10-handicap should be around 6,000 yards, an 18 around 5,500 and a 25 on the forward tees. Bring extra balls.
Verdict: the most memorable round on Oahu, if you’re a straight hitter. A wild 20-handicap will lose a dozen balls and not enjoy it.
Ala Wai Golf Course
Honolulu, Oahu · public (City and County of Honolulu) · Par 70, 6,208 yards · Ratings not published on the fee page · Green fee $86 for visitors; residents $28 on weekdays and $32 at weekends with a city golf ID (September 2026, official)
Ala Wai is the city course next to Waikiki, across the canal from the hotels, and it’s often described as one of the busiest courses in America. It’s flat and plain, and residents get the best tee times, but it’s the only course you can walk to from a Waikiki hotel.
Verdict: fine for a quick round if you’re in Waikiki, but at $86 for a visitor it’s poor value against Royal Hawaiian’s quality for $114 more, or the drive to Kapolei’s twilight rate. It’s a great deal for residents.
Kauai: Princeville and Poipu
Kauai is the greenest and wettest of the islands, and its courses are split between the north shore at Princeville, with its mountain and ocean views, and the sunnier south shore at Poipu. The north shore gets far more rain, especially in winter. Our guide to the best golf courses on Kauai covers all of them, including the smaller courses around Lihue.
Poipu Bay Golf Course
Koloa, Kauai · resort/public · Robert Trent Jones Jr. (1991) · Ratings not published on the rate page · Green fee $295 before noon and $245 after noon through December 15, 2026; second round $200 (September 2026, official)
Poipu Bay hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf for more than a decade, and it’s the south shore’s big resort course, next to the Grand Hyatt Kauai. It’s a links-style course along the cliffs, and the holes that run along the ocean cliffs late in the round are the reason to go. It’s No. 12 on Golf Digest’s Hawaii list.
Verdict: the most reliable-weather resort round on Kauai. The $245 afternoon rate is the one to book; you’ll get the same ocean holes and, usually, the same trade wind.
Princeville Makai Golf Club
Princeville, Kauai · public, with a resort-guest discount through the hotel concierge · Robert Trent Jones Jr. (1971) · Ratings not published on the rate page · Green fee $375 rack rate, including cart, GPS and range (September 2026, official)
Makai, on the bluffs of Princeville, is the north shore’s championship course and the most beautiful setting on Kauai, with the mountains above Hanalei Bay on one side and the ocean on the other. It was Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s first Hawaiian course, and it has since been renovated. Its famous holes run along the cliff edge. The neighbouring Prince Course has been closed since 2014.
Verdict: worth it for the setting on a dry day, but $375 is a lot for a course that isn’t as good as Kapalua. Check the forecast; the north shore rains far more than Poipu.
The Ocean Course at Hokuala
Lihue, Kauai · public · Jack Nicklaus · Rating, slope and green fee not published (call the course, September 2026)
The Ocean Course, the old Kauai Lagoons, is next to Lihue airport and runs along the cliffs of Nawiliwili Bay, with several holes on the ocean. It’s closer to the airport than to anything else, which makes it an easy first or last round.
Verdict: a strong ocean course with a convenient location. Ask for the price before you commit, because it isn’t published.
Wailua Golf Course
Lihue, Kauai · public (County of Kauai) · Ratings not published on the county page · Green fee for non-residents $80 on weekdays and $100 at weekends; residents $18 and $23 (September 2026, official) · reservations required; no walk-ons
Wailua is Kauai County’s municipal course, on the coast just north of Lihue, and it has long been regarded as one of the best municipal courses in the country. Several holes run beside the ocean, and the course is simple and honest, with ironwood trees and firm fairways.
Verdict: the best value in Hawaii for a visitor who wants ocean holes. At $80 on a weekday it’s a quarter of Princeville’s price. Book ahead; the county requires reservations.
Also on Kauai: Kiahuna in Poipu charges $163 for 18 holes and $93 for nine or twilight, and Puakea, a Robin Nelson course near Lihue, is $179, or $149 online. Both are good mid-priced options when you don’t want to pay for Poipu Bay or Makai.
How does golf in Hawaii play?
Hawaiian courses play in a steady trade wind, usually 10 to 20 mph from the northeast, on grainy greens and firm fairways, often with lava or ocean waiting beside the grass. Expect to take one or two extra clubs into the wind and to putt toward the ocean more than you read.
A few things surprise first-time visitors.
The trade wind. For most of the year, the wind blows from the northeast, and it blows all day. On leeward coasts like Kapalua and Wailea, it often comes down the mountain toward the sea. Into it, a 150-yard shot can need a 5-iron; downwind, a driver can run 300 yards. Play the wind, not the yardage.
Grain. Most Hawaiian greens are bermudagrass or seashore paspalum, and both have grain: the grass leans in the direction it grows, usually toward the setting sun, the ocean or downhill. A putt down-grain runs faster and breaks more; into the grain it slows and holds its line. Local pros say “everything breaks to the ocean”, and it’s a good starting rule.
Lava. On the Big Island’s Kohala Coast especially, anything that misses the fairway is on black lava rock, and a ball that lands there is usually gone or unplayable. Most courses mark lava as a penalty area. Don’t climb into it in golf shoes; ‘a’a lava is sharp enough to cut.
Rain. The windward and north shores, including Princeville, Turtle Bay and Royal Hawaiian, get far more rain than the leeward coasts. Afternoon showers are common, and they usually pass quickly.
Carts. Almost every resort course in Hawaii requires a cart, which is included in the green fee, and many keep carts on the path after rain. Walking is rare.
Which tees should you play in Hawaii?
One set forward from what you play at home. The wind adds a club or two on half the holes, and the ocean and lava carries punish a miss more than a tree-lined course does. On courses with a slope of 135 or more from the tees you’re considering (Turtle Bay’s Palmer, the Wailea Gold, Royal Hawaiian, the Dunes at Maui Lani), a 10-handicap should be at 6,000 to 6,400 yards, an 18 at 5,600 to 6,000 and a 25 at 5,000 to 5,400. On wide courses like Kapalua’s Plantation and Mauna Lani’s South, you can move back.
What are kama’aina golf rates in Hawaii?
Kama’aina rates are the discounted green fees Hawaii courses charge residents, who show a Hawaii driver’s licence or state ID. The gap is large: Wailua charges visitors $80 and residents $18; Ala Wai $86 and $28; the Dunes at Maui Lani $129 and $55. Some resorts offer smaller kama’aina discounts.
Kama’aina means “child of the land” in Hawaiian, and in everyday use it means a resident of Hawaii. Courses use it for a resident rate, and on the municipal courses it’s the whole point: the county courses are subsidised for the people who live there, and visitors pay closer to the full cost.
Here’s what the gap looks like on the courses in this guide:
| Course | Island | Visitor rate | Resident rate | Resident saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waiehu (muni) | Maui | $66 weekday / $86 weekend | $17 / $22 (Maui County); $29 / $36 (other Hawaii) | About 74% for Maui residents |
| Wailua (muni) | Kauai | $80 weekday / $100 weekend | $18 / $23 | About 77% |
| Ala Wai (muni) | Oahu | $86 | $28 weekday / $32 weekend | About 67% |
| Royal Hawaiian | Oahu | $200 | $80 weekday / $90 weekend (residents and military) | About 60% |
| The Dunes at Maui Lani | Maui | $69-$129 | $49-$55 | About 57% in the morning |
| Hawaii Prince | Oahu | $179 | $52-$62 in summer (reported) | About 65% |
Rates from each course’s own site, September 2026, except where marked “reported”.
What this means for a visitor is simple. Don’t expect local prices, and don’t feel cheated by them; the county courses are subsidised for the people who pay for them. But the resident rates tell you which courses locals think are worth playing, and for military families stationed on Oahu, the military rates at courses like Royal Hawaiian make Hawaii one of the best-value golf postings in the country. Our guide to kama’aina golf rates explains how to qualify and which courses offer them.
How much does it cost to play golf in Hawaii?
For a visitor, the best resort courses cost $250 to $550: Manele about $550 (reported), Kapalua Plantation $475, Princeville Makai $375 and Poipu Bay $245 to $295. Good mid-priced rounds run $139 to $210, and the county courses charge visitors $66 to $100.
Hawaii is one of the most expensive golf states in America. GOLF’s analysis of Supreme Golf booking data found that the average round booked in Hawaii cost more than $100, among the highest in the country, and our guide to how much a round of golf costs puts that in national context. Here’s what the courses in this guide charge a visitor:
| Price band | Courses (visitor rate, September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Over $400 | Manele, about $550 (reported, resort guests only); Kapalua Plantation $475 ($445 resort guests) |
| $250-$400 | Princeville Makai $375; Poipu Bay $245-$295; Wailea about $285 (reported); Ko Olina $275; Turtle Bay Palmer $250; Mauna Kea about $185-$295 (reported); Mauna Lani about $205-$375 (reported) |
| $150-$250 | Ka’anapali Royal $228 ($150 twilight); Waikoloa Beach $119-$215; Kapolei $210 ($155 twilight); Royal Hawaiian $200; Kona Country Club $199 ($139 from noon); Hawaii Prince $179; Puakea $149-$179; Kiahuna $163 |
| Under $150 | The Dunes at Maui Lani $69-$129; Ala Wai $86; Wailua $80-$100; Waiehu $66-$86; Cavendish on Lanai, free |
Three money rules hold across the islands. First, the twilight or afternoon rate is where the value is: Ka’anapali drops from $228 to $150, Kona Country Club from $199 to $139 and Waikoloa from $215 to $119. The trade wind often drops in the late afternoon too. Second, a hotel stay usually earns a discount at the resort’s own course (Kapalua $30, Ko Olina $30, Turtle Bay $30), but rarely enough to pick a hotel for it. Third, the replay rate is the bargain almost nobody uses: Poipu Bay’s second round is $200 and Maui Lani’s is $42.
When is the best time to play golf in Hawaii?
Any time of year works, because temperatures barely move. April to October is drier and sunnier, especially on Kauai’s north shore and Oahu’s windward side. December to March brings more rain and higher resort demand but also humpback whales off Manele and Kapalua. Check aeration closures in late summer and autumn.
Hawaii doesn’t have a golf season the way Arizona or Scotland does. Daytime temperatures sit in the 80s all year on the leeward coasts, and the courses are green in every month. What changes is rain, wind, crowds and price:
- Winter (December to March): the wettest months, especially on north- and east-facing coasts, and the busiest time for visitors, with resort courses at their fullest. The payoff is whale season: humpbacks are visible from the cliff holes at Manele and from Kapalua’s hillside.
- Spring (April to June): usually the best overall, with drier weather, steady trade winds, fewer visitors than winter and good course conditioning.
- Summer (July to September): hot and dry on the leeward coasts, with the most reliable trade winds. Some courses aerate their greens in late summer; Mauna Kea closed on September 8 and 9, 2026, and Manele closes from September 21 to 28, 2026.
- Autumn (October and November): the quietest months for visitors, and often the best chance of a short-notice tee time at a resort course.
Hawaii and California’s coast are the two American golf regions where the weather is good almost every day of the year. If you’re comparing them, see our guide to California’s best courses.
How do you book a tee time at Hawaii’s best courses?
Book directly on each course’s website or by phone. Kapalua opens 30 days ahead to the public and 60 to resort guests; Wailea opens 45 days ahead; Kapolei 90 days; Kona Country Club 30 days. Manele needs a stay at a Lanai hotel, and Kauai’s Wailua requires a reservation.
A simple way to get the rounds you want:
- Choose one island first. Inter-island flights take most of a day once you add airports and car hire. Plan your golf around where you’re staying.
- Decide which round is your big one. Kapalua, Manele, Mauna Kea or Princeville Makai. Book that one the day its window opens: 30 days out at Kapalua for the public, or 60 days if you’re a resort guest.
- Check whether you need a room. Manele and Hualalai are effectively closed to day visitors. At Kapalua, Ko Olina, Turtle Bay and Poipu Bay, a hotel stay earns a lower rate but isn’t required.
- Look for aeration and closures before you fly. Manele closes September 21 to 28, 2026; Kapalua’s Bay Course and Turtle Bay’s Fazio Course are closed indefinitely.
- Book the value rounds around the big one. Maui Lani, Kona Country Club at noon, Kapolei at twilight and Wailua on a weekday all cost less than half of a top resort round.
- Ask about twilight and replay rates. Almost every resort course has one, and they’re often better value than the headline rate.
- Bring your Hawaii ID if you live there. Resident rates require it, and some courses (Ala Wai among them) require a separate golf ID card.
How to choose which Hawaii course to play
Start with the kind of round you want, then check the price and access.
- For the best course you can play: Manele, if you’re staying on Lanai. Otherwise Kapalua’s Plantation Course.
- For history: Mauna Kea, the course that started Hawaiian resort golf.
- For the most dramatic setting: Mauna Lani’s South Course on the lava, or Princeville Makai on the north shore bluffs.
- For a Tour experience: Kapalua’s Plantation Course, home of the PGA Tour’s season opener from 1999 to 2025, where you can still play the holes you’ve seen on television.
- For value: the Dunes at Maui Lani, Kona Country Club after noon and Wailua on a weekday.
- For a beginner or a 25-handicap: Kapalua’s Plantation for its width, Mauna Lani’s South for its low slope and Wailea’s Emerald for its forgiving layout. Avoid Royal Hawaiian.
- For Honolulu visitors without a car day to spare: Ala Wai for convenience, Royal Hawaiian for the round you’ll remember.
If you want the whole picture of America’s top resort and oceanfront courses, our list of bucket-list golf courses and our ranking of the best public golf courses in America put Hawaii’s best in national context. We also compare the best oceanfront golf courses in America and the best resort golf courses across the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best golf course in Hawaii?
Nanea Golf Club, a private club on the Big Island, is No. 1 on Golf Digest’s 2025-26 Hawaii ranking and No. 59 in America. The best course a visitor can play is Manele on Lanai, No. 2 in the state, open to guests of the island’s hotels. The best course anyone can book is Kapalua’s Plantation Course on Maui.
What is the best island in Hawaii for golf?
Maui, for choice: Kapalua, Wailea, Ka’anapali and the Dunes at Maui Lani give you six or seven good courses within an hour. The Big Island’s Kohala Coast has the most dramatic settings, Kauai has the best scenery for the money, and Lanai has Manele.
How much does it cost to play golf in Hawaii?
Visitors pay about $250 to $550 at the top resort courses, from Poipu Bay’s afternoon rate of $245 to a reported $550 at Manele. Mid-priced courses such as Kapolei, Royal Hawaiian and Kona Country Club charge $139 to $210, and the county courses charge visitors $66 to $100 (September 2026).
Can anyone play Kapalua’s Plantation Course?
Yes. The Plantation Course is open to the public, with bookings 30 days ahead, or 60 days for Kapalua resort guests. The 2026 rate is $475, or $445 for resort guests, with a cart included. Kapalua’s Bay Course is closed indefinitely.
Can you play Manele if you’re not staying on Lanai?
Manele is reported to be open only to guests of the Four Seasons Resort Lanai and Sensei Lanai, at about $550 for 18 holes and $275 for nine. That means a day trip on the ferry from Maui won’t get you a tee time. The course is closed for aeration from September 21 to 28, 2026.
What does kama’aina mean on a golf course?
It’s the resident rate for people who live in Hawaii and can show a Hawaii driver’s licence or state ID. The savings are largest on county-owned courses: Wailua on Kauai charges visitors $80 and residents $18, and Ala Wai in Honolulu charges $86 and $28.
What is the cheapest golf in Hawaii for visitors?
The county courses: Waiehu on Maui is $66 on weekdays, Wailua on Kauai is $80 and Ala Wai in Honolulu is $86. Lanai’s nine-hole Cavendish course is free. Among higher-quality courses, the Dunes at Maui Lani’s afternoon rate of $69 is the best deal.
Can you walk golf courses in Hawaii?
Rarely. Almost every resort course in Hawaii requires a cart, which is included in the green fee, and the distances between greens and tees on hillside courses such as Kapalua make walking impractical. Some municipal courses allow walking; ask when you book.
Why is golf so expensive in Hawaii?
Land, water, labour and shipping all cost more on the islands, and most of the best courses belong to resorts that price for hotel guests. There’s also no low season to speak of, so rates don’t fall the way they do in Arizona’s summer. The county courses keep low rates for residents only.
Our verdict
The best golf courses in Hawaii are split between private clubs you can’t get into and resort courses that charge like they know you’re on holiday. The trick is to spend big once and play smart the rest of the week.
If you can play only one course, make it Kapalua’s Plantation on Maui, or Manele if you’re staying on Lanai. If you want history and drama, play Mauna Kea. If you want value, play the Dunes at Maui Lani, Kona Country Club after noon or Wailua on a weekday. And whatever you book, check the twilight rate first: in Hawaii, the same ocean holes can cost $80 less after lunch.
Sources
- The best golf courses in Hawaii, Golf Digest, 2025-26
- The Best Golf Courses in Every State: 2025-’26, Golf Digest
- Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S., GOLF, 2024-25
- What exactly are Course Rating and Slope Rating?, USGA
- Golf rates, Kapalua Golf
- The Sentry canceled: PGA Tour announces annual event will not be played in 2026 due to drought in Hawaii, CBS Sports
- Aloha, PGA Tour. Hawaii will be without a tour event in 2027 for the first time in 56 years, Washington Post, April 20, 2026
- Wailea Golf Club
- Ka’anapali Golf Courses
- Rates, The Dunes at Maui Lani
- Rates, Waiehu Golf Course
- Golf, Four Seasons Resort Lanai
- Golf, Mauna Kea Resort
- Hapuna Golf Course, Mauna Kea Resort
- Golf, Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection
- Rates, Waikoloa Beach Golf Club
- Rates, Kona Country Club
- Golf, Turtle Bay Resort
- Tee times and rates, Ko Olina Golf Club
- Visitor rate, Kapolei Golf Course
- Rates, Royal Hawaiian Golf Club
- Golf course fees, City and County of Honolulu
- Hawaii Prince Golf Club
- Tee times and rates, Poipu Bay Golf Course
- Rates, Makai Golf Club
- Ocean Course at Hokuala
- Golf, County of Kauai
- Course rates, Kiahuna Golf Club
- Golf, Puakea Golf Course
- Golf courses, Hawaii Tourism Authority
Image credits
| Image | Photographer | Licence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manele Golf Course, Lanai, from the air (featured image) | Forest & Kim Starr | CC BY 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons |
| Wailea Gold Course, Maui | Ndavies2 at en.wikipedia | public domain | Wikimedia Commons |
| Ka’anapali golf course from the Beach Walk, Maui | Forest and Kim Starr | CC BY 3.0 us | Wikimedia Commons |
| Turtle Bay golf course, Oahu | Zach Dischner | CC BY 2.0 | Wikimedia Commons |
| Ko Olina resort and golf course from the air, Oahu | Alakea1100 | CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons |
| Poipu Bay Golf Course, Kauai | tdlucas5000 from Lakewood Ca., United States | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Wikimedia Commons |