KAPALUA
Two of the best courses in the state are found at Kapalua, on Maui’s northwestern shore.
The Kapalua Bay Course is an Arnold Palmer design which opened in 1975. You’ll find this course in immaculate shape, as you’ll find the two Kapalua courses. The Bay Course features one spectacular hole…the par-3 fifth…that is built with the tee on one side of a Pacific inlet and the green on the other.
The Kapalua Plantation Course is the newest of the two, having opened for play in 1991. A Ben Crenshaw/Bill Coore design, this course plays into the rolling foothills of the West Maui mountains on land that was formerly pineapple fields. It features numerous hills, valleys and gorges and will challenge any level of golfer.
KAANAPALAI
The resort area of Ka‘anapali features two 18-hole championship layouts.
The Royal Course is a 1962 Robert Trent Jones, Sr., design, the North Course climbs into the heights behind Ka‘anapali before re-emerging down at the ocean on the 16th, the beginning of a trio of great finishing holes. The 18th requires a drive and an approach shot over water, and is rated by many to be among the toughest holes in the state.
The Kai Course is also a beautiful and challenging layout. Originally an executive course, it was redesigned by Arthur Jack Snyder in 1977 to a full par 71. This tract plays a bit shorter than the North and the greens are not as tricky, making the South perfect for all levels of resort play. At the top of the course, golfers are treated to delightful views of the Pacific and the mid-Hawaiian islands.
WAIKAPU
Waikapu is centrally located and features two fine golf courses (with one being private for members only) and both with great group
function facilities.
The Kahili Course is believed by many to be one of the finest courses in Hawaii. This 6,000 yard, 18 hole layout designed by Robin Nelson and Rodney Wright is built in the foothills of the West Maui Mountains with great views from the highest holes.
The clubhouse was built from a Frank Lloyd Wright design, originally intended as a large country home in Connecticut for Marilyn Monroe and husband, Arthur Miller. The separate Men and Women Spa Facilities are spacious, well appointed and very inviting after a round of golf.
The adjoining 6,000 yard Sandalwood Course is an 18 - Hole layout designed by Robin Nelson and Rodney Wright. Built into the foothills of the West Maui Mountains, Sandalwood features great views from the highest holes.
The Dunes at Maui Lani
More than one golf writer has described The Dunes at Maui Lani golf course as a "British Open Course on Maui." The Dunes is indeed
inspired by such great venues, with its clever hole designs and rugged terrain closely mimicking the "birthplace of golf".
A million years ago, The Dunes was submerged beneath the sea. Most classic links courses in Ireland and Scotland are by the water. But in Hawaii it is a little different because many of the shorelines are of lava. there are few real dunes in the islands
Its layout routes up, down, over and around the course's ancient alluvial sand dunes (not through them). These dunes, which were shaped by the winds over a million-year time span, are where the holes weave and turn. Golf shots must be played through these gaps formed by nature, much like they are in the greatest links courses on earth.
Like many classic links courses, the front nine heads out, and the back nine heads in. According to Nelson, "anyone who has seen Ballybunion, Wind Dunes or Shinnecock Hills will recognize a similar look and feel at The Dunes."
WAILEA
The serene resort area of Wailea features three championship layouts.
The Wailea Blue Course, the Wailea Gold Course and the Wailea Emerald Course. The par-72 Blue, which served for many years as the site of the LPGA’s Women’s Kemper Open, winds its way up the lower foothills of Mt. Haleakala, the dormant volcano that shaped this side of Maui. The Blue offers panoramic ocean views from its highest holes.
The Gold Course opened on January 1, 1994. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., this 7,070-yard layout harks back to a more classic, pure style of golf. The course features exposed lava rock walls, kiawe trees and native Hawaiian grasses, as well as spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and offshore islands of Molokini and Kaho‘olawe.
Wailea’s new Emerald Course, also designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., opened in December of 1994 and replaced the old Orange Course. Stretching 6,825 yards from the back tees, this course was created to be fun for all levels of golfers and to take advantage of Wailea's majestic ocean and mountain views.
The Emerald Course was created to be fun for all levels of golfers and to take advantage of Wailea’s majestic ocean and mountain views. Makena Located down the coast beyond the resort areas of Kihei and Wailea, the charming.
MAKENA
The Makena Resort currently offers one championship golf course.
The North Course plays into the higher elevations of the foothills of Mount Haleakala and features a landscape of natural kiawe scrub. Its signature hole is the par-five 14th, where golfers shoot from a tee that overlooks a wide expanse of the Pacific and drops 200 feet to the fairway below.
