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WAIMEA, Hawaii Island - The sun rises over Mauna Kea, America's only active volcano.
I'm in a tranquil state of being, floating on the Pacific Ocean in a traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoe. The Kainalu waterman guide for our Sunrise Canoe Paddle is chanting in a native tongue I don't understand. No matter. It's easy to feel the spiritual gravitas of the moment.
Be present. Appreciate life. Find joy. Every new day is a blessing. It's not a guarantee.
If only each of us could wake up every day to such a serene and sublime setting accompanied by such a simple and inspiring message. A golf trip to Hawaii Island was the reset I didn't realize I needed.
No matter what side of the political aisle you sit, these are unsettling times. The daily grind of bills, kids and jobs can feel, well, overwhelming. What two things quell outside distractions better than golf and the ocean? Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection, delivers both as well as anywhere in Hawaii.
We've already named the island's Kohala Coast where Mauna Lani resides as America's best golf weather destination. Visitors really don't even need to look at the forecast - it's sunny and mild, between 65 and 80, all year round.
If playing two of Hawaii's best oceanfront golf courses in perfect weather doesn't convince you to visit, then maybe the food or my other water adventures will. GolfPass sells a golf package to make it easy.
Playing golf at Mauna Lani
Scenic and strategic.
That's the simplest way to describe Mauna Lani golf. Both the North and South courses visit the ocean and wind through the region's dangerous black lava rock, providing two very different golf experiences.
Mauna Lani's South and North courses finished 1-2, respectively, in Hawaii's Golfers' Choice 2024 rankings. In 2023, the South climbed all the way to No. 1 nationally. Both are a part of the Troon Golf family.
This 6,924-yard South layout is the showstopper every mainlander comes to see, thanks to its trio of epic ocean holes. The par-3 15th hole might very well be the most photographed hole in Hawaii. The scenery really pops as you tee off over the crashing waves. Resort-friendly, wide fairways allow rusty winter swings the room to spray it and still score.
"People are just giddy when they come off the golf course," says Ross Birch, the general manager of Mauna Lani Golf.
The 6,913-yard North, meanwhile, is the more strategic of the two 18s. It's harder, too, especially if your ball comes to rest under the random trees that sit in the middle or along the edges of the fairways of multiple holes (1, 3, 4, 6, 13 and 16). They sucked my tee shots in like tractor beams.
Mauna Lani actually hosted the Senior Skins Game from 1990-2000 on its original routing that included holes from each course. Struggling to navigate some of the North's tighter holes, Jack Nicklaus plucked a young Birch out of the gallery as a caddie to guide him through the maze of trees and lava rock.
If the Golden Bear needed a little help of his own, you needn't be ashamed if your North scorecard adds up to 6-9 shots higher than the South. The North briefly visits the ocean at the second and ninth greens, but its signature moment comes via the 17th, a 132-yard par 3 cut from a bowl of black rock.
The good news for hotel guests is the resort's WikiWiki Short Course and driving range recently became free to use (as part of the resort fee). The tiny greens are severely sloped, so shooting par is unlikely for even the most grizzled veteran. It's meant to be played in just over an hour. Birch hopes to eventually redesign it more like the popular par 3s that are taking off at other top resorts. But for now, it serves as a fun diversion for all skill levels.
Staying in modern luxury at Mauna Lani
When I first visited Mauna Lani about a decade ago, the 300-room hotel looked like it was stuck in the 1970s. It was incredible to see how modern and classy it shows today, thanks to a $200-million renovation that finished in January 2020.
The view from our sixth floor oceanfront room was spellbinding. My wife and I watched the sun set over the ocean one evening. A few whales were spouting and breaching just for show.
Your hardest choices will be where to eat among five different restaurants. We ate multiple times at the open-air HaLani. If you fall in love with the daily breakfast buffet there, Sunday brunch takes it to another level, combining morning favorites with fresh seafood, sushi, fire-roasted fish and enough sweets to require an immediate dental cleaning.
Oceanfront dinners at CanoeHouse are a must. As the sun fades, the tiki torches flicker to create a special ambiance. Lobster Tempura ($42), Sugar Snap Peas ($22) and Poke ($34) ended up being our favorites.
During down time between rounds of golf or lounging at the three pools and swimmable beach, we walked along the shore to the Fairmont Orchid resort to see protected sea turtles nesting on a black sand beach and rented complimentary bikes to explore the nearby outdoor shopping center, home to a market and Tommy Bahama bar and restaurant.
One last ocean adventure made the whole trip. We had been warned that recent waves had stirred up the water. The resort's guided snorkeling might potentially be too cloudy to see anything spectacular. We went anyway when no one else did. We had Jade, a fantastic guide, all to ourselves.
The three of us paddled beyond the resort's protected cove to a nearby reef. While my wife and I followed a sea turtle and other colorful fish riding the currents, Jade dove down deep looking for bigger creatures.
I've never felt more connected to the ocean than at that moment. Perhaps the best part? I didn't care one bit what might be happening above the water.
Bogeys, tariff talk, car payments, inflation...the gentle waves were washing it all away.
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