Wailea is a Hawaiian resort and residential community in south Maui. It is home to three 18-hole golf courses and a collection of luxury beachfront hotels that offer stay-and-play Hawaii golf packages. Among the brands that are partners with the Wailea Golf Club are the Destination Resorts Hawaii, Fairmont Kea Lani Maui, Four Seasons Resort Maui,…
Ka'anapali is a resort development in the west Maui town of Lahaina. It is home to two golf courses, Royal Ka'anapali and Ka'anapali Kai, as well as a number of beachfront hotel and condominium properties that offer stay-and-play golf packages. Ka'anapali is a three-mile stretch of beach with 13 places to stay and 45 restaurants. Hotel brands…
Kapalua is a resort community on the northwest side of Maui that is home to a collection of luxury resorts and 36 holes of golf. Options include the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Montague Kapalua, and The Kapalua VIllas, which offer one-, two- and three-bedroom vacation villas with ocean or golf views. Kapalua also has tennis and pickleball as well as a…
Four Seasons Resort Lanai is located on a 90,000-acre, sparsely populated island. It is one of three resorts here, but the only one with a golf course, the oceanfront Manele Golf Course. Guests can access Lanai either by ferry from Maui's port city of Lanai, or by charter flight. This is the quietest of the islands (besides Molokai) and features…
If you come to Maui for golf don't dare miss Wailea Golf Club's Gold Course. Distraction will be a factor all day on this signature layout. There's the ocean backdrop, the topography, the lava rock walls, 200 feet of elevation changes, tall native grasses, 92 difficult bunkers and just enough doglegs to make you carve some shots. David R. Holland has more from Wailea.
If you are a fan of old-style golf and architecture, the Old Blue Course at Wailea Golf Club on Maui is a must-play. That's without even considering the spectacular views, lush foliage, strategic ponds and coral sand bunkers. Today, Wailea is also home to the Wailea Gold and Emerald Courses, five stunning white crescent beaches, five-star resorts, the Shops at Wailea, Wailea Tennis Club, panoramic vistas with the occasional whale pod breaching out in the channel and a warm spirit of aloha.
If you're going to go to Maui to play golf, don't limit yourself to the resort courses. Mike Bailey provides a look at five of the best stand-alone courses on the island.
King Kamehameha Golf Club delivers on many fronts. First is the superlative Ted Robinson Sr. design. Second are the views. Third, King Kamehameha is a history lesson in Hawaiian culture and an architectural wonderland.
A look into the brief history of King Kamehameha Golf Club in Maui reads like a Hollywood screenplay, featuring Marilyn Monroe, Arthur Miller and Frank Lloyd Wright. At now it appears the story is nearing a happy ending. Thanks to new owner Makoto Kaneko, who revived the property in 2005, King Kamehameha G.C. is finally filling up. And the club's member-for-a-day green fee beckons the Hawaiian golf traveler, Brandon Tucker writes.
If you've traveled to Maui, you can't miss King Kamehameha Golf Club's rose-colored clubhouse perched high atop the West Maui Mountains. A winding road rising up the mountain leads players to a golf course that is filled with challenges -- and dramatic views. It's a private club, but players can enjoy all the amenities the club has to offer with its member-for-a-day program.
The Kai course at Ka'anapali Golf Resort in Lahaina, Hawaii serves up the same top quality conditions and scenery as Royal Ka'anapali, it just comes in a bit shorter and at a slightly lower price tag. While lower handicaps can still get their fix of good hole variety and some tough shots, the Kai is meant to be enjoyed by those who don't want big numbers to ruin their day in paradise. The Kai is every bit as scenic as the Royal but presents some unique characteristics, like the Sugar Cane Train tracks.
Royal Course at Ka'anapali Golf Resort on Maui gets the majority of the rave reviews. But players need to remember its sister Kai Course is also a tremendous challenge. From breathtaking views and scenery to enough rolling fairways and undulating greens, it's a course that will leave you wanting more, especially in the wake of recent renovations by Robin Nelson.
Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course is one of only two Robert Trent Jones Sr. designs on Maui. Since Bing Crosby opened the course with a tee shot in 1962, Royal Ka'anapali hasn't missed a beat. From start to finish -- the 18th is one of the most challenging finishing holes in golf -- you'll enjoy Royal Ka'anapali, David R. Holland writes.
Royal Ka'anapali dates back long before many of Maui's championship golf courses opened, and it continues to pass the test of time. The Robert Trent Jones Sr. design is the most consistent blend of championship-caliber, resort friendly golf that can be found in Maui, Brandon Tucker writes from Hawaii.
When you're staying at a five-star golf resort, it's pretty easy to find good food. Most people who travel to Maui, however, don't want to eat every single meal at the resort, so Mike Bailey offers up a few good choices for those looking for a little adventure off the golf course.
Kapalua Resort not only features two terrific golf courses (Plantation and Bay) but also the Kapalua Golf Academy. Operated by Troon Golf, golfers can use the Academy for a one-time lesson, half-day golf school or three-day golf school. Best of all, it all takes place at one of the best settings in the world.
Paradise is abundant in Hawaii, but it's a very personal thing, particularly on Maui. Do you want amenities or seclusion? Lavish amenities or a little nightlife? Maui is small but diverse enough that it's all here, you just need to know where to go. So which corner of Maui is right for your vacation? Here's a primer on what to expect, from Kapalua on the north shore to Makena in the south.
Taking your girlfriend or spouse on a golf vacation to Maui is a win-win for the both of you. She gets to enjoy a little fun in the sun. And you won't have fine china hurled at your head when you walk out the door for the airport alone. When selecting courses to play, forget how they would rank on a top 100 list. Instead, consider how playable they are for her and whether the atmosphere of the club is intimidating or not. If both of you can walk off the 18th green and a smile is still on her face, it's a successful afternoon. And that's easy to find on Maui.
You're on vacation in Maui, so obviously you are going to tee it up. But there is more to this Hawaiian island paradise than fantastic golf courses. Bill Bowman helps guide you through a typical day on Maui, combining golf with a myriad of other activities that this island paradise has to offer.
Under normal circumstances it's not easy to pick at top 5 list of anything. Then make it about golf courses -- golf courses on Maui in particular -- and the task is really difficult. But that's what we asked Bill Bowman to do following his recent trip to Hawaii. Here there are his picks for Maui's five best courses. Do you agree?
A reader asked Jason Scott Deegan about "not-so-obvious" choices for golf on Maui besides Kapalua's famed Plantation Course. From Challenge at Manele Bay to Kahili Golf Club, here are his picks for Maui and Lana'i, its sister island.
Few courses in the world give you views like Kapalua's Plantation Course, host to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the PGA Tour's first event of the 2014 season. The West Maui Mountains are behind you, and the Pacific is seen from just about every shot. But upon even closer inspection you might be lucky enough to see a whale breaching and surfers.
The Emerald Course at Wailea Golf Club is one of three 18-hole courses at the south Maui golf course and resort development, and it's undeniably the most scenic of the trio. The Emerald, despite being overshadowed by the Gold Course in most rankings, is also the most played of trio.
Maui is scenic at every turn, whether you're on the beach or teeing it up on one of this Hawaiian island's golf courses. Here are some of Brandon Tucker's favorite shots on the golf course and off during his recent Maui golf trip.
Set on the slopes of the West Maui Mountains in Wailuku, Kahili Golf Course is considered one of the top daily-fee golf courses in Hawaii. The course sits just below private King Kamehameha Golf Club, but it features quite different vegetation and scenery. Brandon Tucker shows us more of Kahili G.C. in this photo gallery.
The road up Mt. Haleakala -- Haleakala Highway -- will soon lead you to the small town of Pukalani, home to about 8,000 residents and Pukalani Country Club. Pukalani is Hawaiian for "hole in the heavens" and the town is set at 1,100 feet of altitude. The golf course, which opened in 1979, plays on the lush slopes of the volcano. It welcomes a mix of local golfers and tourists, and has a green fee that is one of the island's more affordable.
Located in Wailuku up into the foothills of the West Maui mountains is King Kamehameha Golf Club, one of Hawaii's most exclusive golf experiences. The club has an interesting history. Brandon Tucker has more on King Kamehameha in this photo gallery.
Visit Kahului on the island of Maui for a taste of links-style golf in the middle of the Pacific. The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course offers a unique Hawaiian golfing experience. Designed by Robin Nelson to sit between two volcanoes in Maui's central valley, the course features rolling dunesland, small pot bunkers and an often fierce wind.
The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course is located just outside Maui's main port city of Kahului. The club opened in 1999 and was designed by Hawaii-based architect Robin Nelson, who has a collection of credits throughout the islands. Brandon Tucker gives us a closer look at The Dunes at Maui Lani with this photo gallery.
The Kai Course might be the easier of the two layouts at the Kaanapali Resort on Maui. But it's by no means the less popular. The Kai might seem short at 6,388 yards, but because some of the holes play uphill, into the wind or both, there is plenty of challenge. It's also replete with great views, both of the West Maui Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Located just a few miles north of Lahaina on Maui's west side, Kapalua Resort is home to two 18-hole golf courses that are a stark contrast to one another. The Bay Course winds through the resort community, while the Plantation Course plays on the lush, jungly slopes high above the ocean.
The first of the resorts to come to Ka'anapali on the west side of Maui is the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, located near the historic beach town of Lahaina. After major expansion in 1997, today the resort features 508 guest rooms in six towers, including presidential and luxury suites. The resort also recently added the boutique Black Rock Spa.
The par-73, 7,411-yard Plantation Course, the jewel of Kapalua located on Maui's northwest shore, is one big golf course. Big slopes, big holes and really big views make the Plantation one of the most visually stunning golf courses in the world. The change of elevation is akin to some of the biggest mountain courses in the world, with spectacular Pacific Ocean views throughout the course.