Located on the west side of Hawaii (Big) Island on the Kohala Coast, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is an iconic Hawaiian golf resort, founded by Laurence S. Rockafeller, and a member of the historic hotels of America. Robert Trent Jones Sr. built the iconic Mauna Kea Golf Course in 1964 which set the standard for Hawaiian golf at the time and remains…
The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii (Big) Island is a sister property of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. The resort features 249 guest rooms and suites and its own spa and fitness center. It also has its own 18-hole golf course, Hapuna Golf Course, opened in 1992 and was designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay. Amenities of the…
Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection, is located on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii Island's west coast north of Kailua-Kona. The resort is home to two 18-hole championship golf courses at Mauna Lani, the North and South courses, as well as a WikiWiki short course for casual rounds. The Auberge completed a $200-million reimagination of the property…
Waikoloa Beach is a 1,350-acre master-planned resort community on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii (Big) Island. It offers multiple hotels, plus additional condominium and villa units. It is home to a wealth of water sports, restaurants and nightlife, as well as three 18-hole golf courses. Accommodations include the Hilton Waikoloa Village, Hilton Grand…
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai is located on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii Island along the famous Kona coastline. The resort is located just 15 minutes by car north of Kona International Airport. The Four Seasons Hualalai is a luxury resort within the Hualalai residential development that features two 18-hole courses, one by Jack Nicklaus that is…
True to form, golfers will play through anything. Even the news of a possible volcanic eruption hasn't scared golfers away from making tee times at the Volcano Golf Course near the now closed Volcanoes National Park.
As the largest of the Hawaiian islands, the Big Island has the most climate zones. But there's one climate, in particular, that seems made for golf -- the Kohala Coast. The Kohala Coast is where the resorts are, which means it's also where the best golf courses are. But which ones are the best? Mike Bailey offers up a list of five must-play, public-access golf courses on the Big Island.
Jason Scott Deegan rates three luxurious golf-and-beach resorts along the Kona-Kohala Coast of the Big Island: the Waikoloa Beach Marriott, Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, and Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.
The 15th on the South Course at Mauna Lani Resort is one of the most photographed holes in the world, but it isn't the only reason to visit this golf course on the Big Island. There are other ocean holes on this Hawaii favorite, and the inland holes here are fairly memorable as well, Mike Bailey writes.
It's been 50 magical years of "lava golf" on Hawaii Island. The best way to trace the history of lava golf is a decade by decade approach. Each one contributed mightily to create one of the world's best golf destinations.
The golf is pretty good in Hawaii, that's no secret. But few people, especially couples, go to Hawaii just to play golf. That's why staying at a nice, centrally located resort can be paramount. The Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay is one of those resorts. Centrally located on the Kona Coast between several great golf courses, it's also a perfect launching point for many other wonderful activities. Mike Bailey has more from the Big Island.
There are two golf courses at Kona Country Club on Hawaii's Big Island -- the Ocean and the Mountain. But if you want cool ocean views, the Mountain -- not the Ocean -- is where you'll want to play. The course, as its name would imply, certainly has a mountain feel, but it also has a mountain viewpoint, meaning that the best seats in the house are often the highest.
Mauna Kea, a top-100 golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1964, remains the king of golf on Hawaii's Big Island. Across the street, Hapuna Golf Course, an Arnold Palmer-Ed Seay design built in the 1990s, should no longer be considered just a secondary, more-affordable sister course, however. Hapuna has star power, too. A commitment to better conditioning and the cutting back of rough and long grasses continues to help Hapuna rise in the eyes of golfers.
Mauna Kea Golf Course will celebrate its 50th anniversary as the undisputed king of resort golf on the Big Island in December 2014. The Robert Trent Jones Sr. design, which was refreshed by Rees Jones in 2008, is a thrilling oceanfront challenge, highlighted by a thrilling third hole that trumps all but a handful of the world's best par 3s.
There are moments on the golf courses of Hawaii that overshadow the game. When a whale surfaces offshore or a crashing wave splashes up some spray, it's hard to concentrate on just golf. The island of Hawaii (called "the Big Island" by many tourists) provides an ocean backdrop as good as any in the world.
The North Course at Mauna Lani Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii plays considerably tougher than the prettier and more player-friendly South Course. The North's elevation changes through a Kiawe forest provide plenty of twists of fate on the scorecard, and its moments of beauty are masked by difficult golf holes.
There are no ocean views on the Kings' Course at the Waikoloa Beach Resort in Hawaii. Once golfers get over that fact, they can enjoy one of the most affordable rounds of golf along the Kohala Coast. Designed by Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf, the Kings' Course won't blow you away. Rest assured, though, a round rarely disappoints.
The oceanfront par-3 seventh hole on the Francis H. I'i Brown South Course at Mauna Lani Resort is beautiful, but it's far from the only spectacular view at this former home of the Senior Skins Game. Golfweek ranked the South Course No. 15 on its list of the best public courses on the Hawaiian islands. Jason Scott Deegan shows why in this photo gallery.
Every January, the Champions Tour honors its recent winners and major champions with an invitation to start their season on the Nicklaus Course at Hualalai Golf Club on Hawaii's Big Island. Here, wide fairways cut through black lava rock and mostly subtle greens keep the course playable for those of us who bring rusty winter swings from the mainland. The whole round comes to a crescendo at the final three holes on the ocean.
An ailing economy kept Rees Jones' 7,329-yard layout at Kohanaiki from opening until May 2013, but it was certainly worth the wait. Kohanaiki will be the private playground of property owners, although there is limited public access on Monday for Hawaii residents.