Ko'olau Golf Club

One of the few courses in the world with such incredible scenery. Course needs attention however. Very very slow greens, unkept chipping areas and fairways are spotty at times. No one above a 10 handicap should attempt this course due to forced carries and severe penalties for shots not in the fairway. Friendly course staff.

loved it. lost 8 balls, found 10. 17 & 18 are some divine joke. but hey im in natures beauty

Unless you can hit the ball straight just about every time, you better bring ATLEAST 1 dozen balls. The course was fairly well kept, greens were soso, conditiontions were a little muggy. It's basically target golf, but some of the holes are actually pretty long and still require target golf which is what makes this course rediculously hard. I'm a consistent 8 hadicap and shot 88 that day, and i'd say i played pretty good... Take it how you'd like :)

It is NOT for the faint-hearted.....lots of difficult forced carries over ravines.... be sure to hit the fairway, if not, be prepared to drop another ball.... it was definitely worth playing and you would be much more at ease the 2nd time around. I played Aug. 21, and it was hot & humid.... ball seemed to not carry as far with the wet air condition.... plus the greens are very deep from front to back, pay attention to the pin position.
Nick in the shop was super friendly and the starter was very helpful as well, can't remember his name but he was left handed and was from Tyler, TX.

The course is in really good shape. The staff is always friendly and accommodating. We played 36 holes today and couldn't have asked for a better day. It is as challenging as it always so which makes for a fun and competitive round with your buddies.

Will come back and play again and will tell my golf buddies

A must for folders who think they are good don't for get to bring a lot of extra balls!!!

First time I played at Ko'olau. The staff could not have been more helpful or friendlier. Every single staff member I met (7 total) each went out of their way to explain the course, give advice on how to play the course, ask if I was enjoying myself, etc. The level of service was beyond my expectations. The course itself was definitely the most difficult I have ever played and yet it was so much fun. A real shot maker's paradise. The course was in fantastic condition and made for a wonderful day. The cart was clean and in excellent shape. There was ice in the on cart ice chest, towels in the cart, extra tees, etc. What a great experience. I would highly recommend this course to everyone.

Ko'Olau earned its "most challenging course in the nation" rating honestly. This mountain/jungle course is a beauty, but very tough. I loved the elevation changes, dogleg holes, hazards, etc., but it is definitely a course you would need to play a few times to fully understand what landing areas you need to aim for and what angles you need to attack the greens from. If you like a challenge, don't pass this course up.

I played here 15 yrs ago with my Dad and now 15 yrs later with my son who just turned 15. What life time of memories for both of us!
Even better than I remember.

Recently stopped by to get a round in on a course I hadn't played for a while. Met by friendly staff and starter, the round was very enjoyable as the pace was rather quick, and the weather was really nice. This course tests you in every way but is in no way overly brutal. Aim toward the 150 yard stakes and you'll be fine. The views are surreal, easily making it one of the most beautiful courses ever. Worth the price as you get great service at an awesome venue to test your game! I'll be back!

Greens were quite slow and sticky. Certain area of course need to be cut and maintained better.

This was one beautiful course. Very well maintained, lush and green with excellent views. Tough but not ridiculously frustrating. Had to be focused on hit good golf shots. The only down side is that it gets quite a bit of rain, so no roll. Everything is carry. 90 degree rule because of the moisture so be ready to grab a few clubs and walk back and forth to the cart.
Can't wait to play it again.

great course! very tough! We had a horrible weather the day we played. Hope to come back again sometime.

This course was difficult. After reading the reviews about lost balls, I ran to Walmart and got 2 bags of used balls. Each with 48 balls in them. Turns out, that was a bit excessive.... but between my partner and I we went through 50 or so.

Definitely look closely at the yardage guide (well worth the 3 bucks in my opinion). More than once we felt we would have played a hole differently if we were more knowledgeable of the layout near the green.

Fantastic challenge and great beauty. Be sure to focus on the good shots when reflecting throughout your game, because there will be enough bad shots to ruin your day if you let them.

It is hard to describe how beautiful this course is. It is literally in a rain forest!!! I took about 25 pictures while trying to play in between shots. We got rain on about five different occasions for a short period of time. The course is extremely tight but fair. I found myself trying to steer the ball on many holes which did not work out too well. The downside is if you hit your ball off the fairway six inches it is lost. The greens on this day were in fine shape but extremely slow. We were all short of the hole all day long. The staff was great and even brought some extra balls to our group after watching us searching in the jungle. It was a great experience even though I got my butt kicked.

A very challenging course, but for the price it was enjoyable

Course is difficult but fair. If you focus on the scenery and not on your score then you will have an awesome experience. Greens were on the slow side, and some of the fairways were soggy. Paid $145 for golf and got free transportation from my hotel through HiGolfGuide. Well worth the money and a golf course you will never forget. You've got to play it at least once.

One of the most scenic views of the mountains, that you can only see from playing the course.
Great condition, although overcast most of the time.

One of the most scenic courses you will see. However, the greens need a ton of work and the rough is muddy and deep which makes it easy to lose balls in the 2nd cut. This makes it easy to lose a ton of balls because anything missing primary rough is likely gone forever. Tough course, tight, reasonably long, and muddy.