Kukui'ula Golf Course

The 7,013-yard course, opened in 2006, is quintessential Tom Weiskopf. It’s very playable and enjoyable. It feels very much like a resort course with wide fairways and sensible but bold bunkering. The rolling topography makes it play longer than the tees you choose. For example, the three-hole stretch from holes 3-5 all play uphill, a nice par 3-5-4 combination that ends with the no. 1 handicap. The 452-yard climb at no. 5 is rewarded with a panoramic view from an elevated tee box on the downhill 493-yard sixth. Two comfort stations keep the cooler stocked with any sort of drinks or snacks you crave. The front nine is a mere appetizer for the fireworks on the back. Starting with no. 11 – a 314-yard drivable par 4 – the design never takes the foot off the gas. Its holes range from the sacred (a cultural site on the par-3 12th) to the stunning (magnificent ocean views on the par-5 13th and drivable 14th) and the stout, a four-hole finish that derailed a solid round for me. As my playing partner and I drove down the 14th fairway toward the ocean, a whale breached off in the distance. What an experience.

This course and experience was absolutely spectacular. The staff treated me and my wife (who rode along) like royalty. We stayed at the Lodge in one of the villas so I was able to carry my clubs the short walk to the clubhouse. When they saw me coming, they ran out to greet & meet me and took it from there. They loaded my clubs, filled up the cooler and had 3 attendants waiting on me to make sure all my needs were met. Even the driving range attendant was top notch as I warmed up…keeping me informed how many were ahead of me. The hospitality facility was FULLY stocked with beverages of all kinds, pre packaged snacks and even homemade musubis!! The course was spectacular. After getting past the first few pedestrian holes, the landscape and scenic views were on par with any course I’ve played ever. I plan on playing again in December as the experience was like no other.

Golf staff couldn't have been less helpful. I came for a 5-day stay at the Lodge and a 30-day stay at a house on the property. Somehow the latter doesn't give me access to play even though it's in our back yard, so I tried to play as much as I could while a guest at the Lodge. Because of their restrictions and the fact that they're closed on Mondays, that meant 9-holes during the rain. They told me I could play the same 9 the next day after I had re-arranged my schedule to accommodate their non-sense policies.

Moreover, I'm guessing all the amazing reviews about the course were paid advertising (or it gets better in the 9 holes I couldn't play). It's ok, but just an average golf course. Difficult only because it's long, not because it's well done. I have no respect for courses that are "better for carts" to begin with. They aggressively encouraged me to take one (a sign of bad golf culture), which wasn't necessary as it was walkable, just poorly laid out. I think the 'water holes' to which they're referring are also distant views.

In short, no one's missing out; don't be fooled by the mirage of exclusivity.