Tee Off on Hawaii Island
Makalei Golf Clulb is an upland course in Kailua-Kona with staggering views and challenging holes-so much you'll forget your handicap and just relish the stunning scenery.
It incorporates native forest and volcanic features such as lava tubes and cindercones. Golfers here enjoy panoramic vistas as they travel just shy of 3,000 vertical feet and eight miles in distance. Prancing peacocks, turkey, wild pheasants and nene liven up the course’s landscape.
Multiple tees can extend the course from 5,242 yards to a championship length of 7,091. Bent grass, unusual in Hawai‘i, is featured on all greens. Renovations have improved the course’s playability.
The signature hole is the par 3 eighth with trouble on the left and right. The ideal shot is a mid-iron to the front portion of the green, though leaving it short of the green has resulted in par made with a one-putt. This hole is your best shot for a hole-in-one—in fact two consecutive golfers achieved that feat in 2006; one used a six-iron, the other a seven-iron.
Makalei has a pro shop, club rentals and driving range. The course has repeatedly been voted “Best of West Hawai‘i” in local newspaper readers’ polls.
Makalei.com
Choose from a variety of golfing experiences on the Big Island from the mountain to the sea. Each course has its varied landscapes, challenges and attributes so plan a game on at least one! We feature two, moderately priced courses that delight golfers of all skill sets.
The Village Course at Waikoloa is located at a comfortable 1,000-foot elevation in Waikoloa Village overlooking the famed Kohala Coast and affords golfers views of several Hawaiian volcanoes, including offshore Maui’s Haleakala. The course partners with the DNLR to provide a safe breeding habitat for Hawai‘i’s endangered state bird, the nene (pronounced nay-nay) goose. During the winter breeding season, the course hosts multiple adult birds and their goslings.
An original Robert Trent Jones II design, the inland course offers wide, forgiving landing areas, undulating greens and uniquely filled bunkers.
According to Hilo native and the Village’s PGA Director of Golf Kevin Hayashi, the course is friendly, without a lot of bushes and can yield a lot of birdies. “Wind conditions can make it challenging; there’s some rough around the fairways.”
The signature holes are the par 3 third, which plays over water, and the 18th par 5. “The 18th is a risk-reward type of hole,” he adds.
The Village Course has a driving range, pro shop, club rentals, golf lessons and Johnny’s, a full-service restaurant/bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. TheVillageCourse.com
Banner Image: Makalei Golf Course at sunset
