Turtle Bay Resort - Arnold Palmer Course
About
The Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort gives you a taste of Scotland and a splash of jungle, all wrapped in a beautiful Hawaiian beach-front package.
With five miles of beaches, Turtle Bay Resort is the perfect place to gaze at Kawela Bay, Bay View Beach Lawn and Turtle Bay, itself. Only 45 minutes from Honolulu, the resort immerses guests in the natural beauty of Oahu. In fact, ocean views are the norm in every one of the resort's 443 rooms.
The Palmer Course was designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay and is the home to an annual event on the LPGA Tour. The golf course surrounds a wetland preserve known as the Punaho'olapa Marsh, which is home to many endangered Hawaiian birds.
The distinctive 18-hole championship course features a front nine that plays like Scottish Links with sand, water and rolling terrain and a back nine that rolls through a jungle forest of pine. The 17th hole, its signature, has nine bunkers leading up to a green that sits on a plateau 100 feet from the ocean.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 72 | 7199 yards | 75.2 | 134 |
| Blue (W) | 72 | 6795 yards | 80.7 | 143 |
| Blue | 72 | 6795 yards | 72.3 | 130 |
| Gold | 72 | 6215 yards | 69.9 | 127 |
| Gold (W) | 72 | 6215 yards | 76.7 | 134 |
| White | 72 | 5574 yards | 67.1 | 120 |
| White (W) | 72 | 5574 yards | 72.5 | 130 |
| Red | 72 | 4851 yards | 63.8 | 109 |
| Red (W) | 72 | 4851 yards | 68.7 | 119 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black M: 75.2/134 | 412 | 390 | 543 | 224 | 414 | 433 | 394 | 177 | 574 | 3561 | 416 | 457 | 529 | 201 | 379 | 177 | 450 | 452 | 577 | 3638 | 7199 |
| Blue M: 72.3/130 W: 80.7/143 | 383 | 376 | 530 | 204 | 389 | 405 | 388 | 168 | 535 | 3378 | 391 | 433 | 493 | 190 | 373 | 162 | 428 | 408 | 539 | 3417 | 6795 |
| Gold M: 69.9/127 W: 76.7/134 | 340 | 338 | 452 | 181 | 381 | 357 | 337 | 155 | 511 | 3052 | 359 | 396 | 442 | 175 | 364 | 149 | 397 | 375 | 506 | 3163 | 6215 |
| White M: 67.1/120 W: 72.5/130 | 244 | 296 | 388 | 162 | 343 | 327 | 317 | 142 | 478 | 2697 | 311 | 350 | 400 | 152 | 345 | 136 | 378 | 338 | 467 | 2877 | 5574 |
| Red M: 63.8/109 W: 68.7/119 | 220 | 250 | 352 | 137 | 279 | 312 | 297 | 129 | 397 | 2373 | 268 | 304 | 370 | 94 | 299 | 93 | 321 | 289 | 440 | 2478 | 4851 |
| Handicap | 15 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 4 | 8 | |||
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 15 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 2 |
Course Details
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Available Facilities
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Reviewer Photos
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17th green view Photo submitted by u000004255925 on 01/03/2026
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Don’t blink, a single ocean view. Photo submitted by RDG3 on 11/18/2025
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Photo submitted by u000001907849 on 04/23/2025
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Photo submitted by cherub2187 on 02/28/2022
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Photo submitted by cherub2187 on 02/28/2022
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Photo submitted by u510087104 on 07/05/2021
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Photo submitted by u510087104 on 07/05/2021
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Photo submitted by u510087104 on 07/05/2021
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Photo submitted by u510087104 on 07/05/2021
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Photo submitted by ChuyGomez on 01/04/2013
Deception...
After playing in Maui’s golf course, i expected the same here in Turtle bay. I must admit, the course is in a great condition. Greens are in good shape. I found this course more like the courses we can play on the main land, nothing else, no “Wow”s, but the 17th hole. Also, i wonder why the is no ball cleaners at all on the course. Pricing is overated, you can get as much for lot less.
Classic course
Great layout but on the pricey side. Greens rolled true but were not in as good of shape as previous rounds.
Palmer Course Disappointing
Travelled up from KoOlina where we are staying. Decided to head to North Shore and Turtle Bay. Had heard some pretty good recommendations for the Palmer course.
Several fairways burnt... staff said they had some issues and were aerating a few.??!
Didn’t play anywhere near the ocean... in fact saw the water just once during round. Lots of traps and dog legs and water everywhere, just not ocean. Disappointed with layout and conditions for $195. Better value elsewhere currently.
Excellent Resort Course
Despite the greens being recently cored, it’s a lovely course to play catering for all levels of player.
Good fairway widths and strategically placed pots.
Excellent opportunity to unleash the driver on many holes.
Will play again
A Very Nice North Shore Option
The Turtle Bay - Palmer Course is a top-notch golf course. The layout is very good and makes for an enjoyable round. The greens were close to immaculate, running true and fast without going over the top on the speed. There was some damage to a few of the fairways, which I surmise may have occurred as a result of the recent hurricane or other heavy rain (and which I imagine will be repaired with an upcoming aeration). The separate practice tee for the Palmer course is excellent, with very nice and well-maintained grass tees that are directly adjacent to the first tee box. The beverage cart (which may have been the coolest beverage cart I've ever seen, a 4x4 vehicle complete with doors) made frequent rounds without being intrusive. The lemon-scented cold towel at the end of the round was a nice touch. The greens fees are just a tad on the high side for Oahu, but the quality of the facility I believe merits the premium. I would not hesitate to recommend this course to visitors to Oahu.
Goose14
I played the Fazio course 1st then the Palmer Course in the late afternoon. It was a hike to get there from Koolina but well worth it. Since I played Fabio 1st $125 the replay to play Palner was only $75. Course is awesome. Plenty of water to bring enough balls to get by. Can’t wait to come back and do it again. Aloha.
One Ocean hole
If your into Palmer courses you will probably enjoy this course if your not you won’t like it. I was disappointed that there was only one real Ocean hole on a course everyone was saying was an Ocean side Course. Turf conditions were as close to perfection as you will ever find.
Good not great course.
We enjoyed the course and the ocean views. Difficult course and well designed. Played a bonus 18 at the Fazio course for $50 which was a bonus.
Thoroughly recommend turtle bay
Great natural layout
Challenging but fair holes
Wonderful friendly staff
Played 18 on the Palmer course in just over 3 hours
Already looking forward to the next time
Great golf course, plain scenery
This golf course is in great shape and while the fairways are generous, it can be pretty challenging. The key is to actually hit the fairway. The greens roll very nicely, though I found them a little slower than I expected.
I played with one other player and we got around in about 3:20, with the twosome behind us pushing us a bit. So the pace of play is excellent.
The bag drop staff and course Marshall were excellent and very friendly.
The only complaint I have, which has more to do with the location than the golf course itself is that the scenery was rather plain. It reminded me of a typical Florida resort course as it didn’t have the mountains and valleys in the background as some of the other cheaper courses on Oahu do. There is also only one hole that touches on the ocean.
The green fee of about $200 including cart is maybe a little on the high side, but overall it was a good golf experience.
Not the best value
I played this course 6 years ago while staying at Turtle Bay and loved it. Back on vacation in Oahu this week staying at the Disney Resort, I decided to make a tee time and drive 1 1/2 hours back to North Shore to play again. Round was $195 + $30 for a rider fee because my wife likes to ride along and is not a golfer. Course was in pretty good condition. Typical bad spots here and there, but nothing major. Just felt the amenities for playing a resort course could have been better. No GPS in the cart, no courtesy bottles of water in the cooler, no bag tag, etc. Will play somewhere else next time.
Turtle Bay - Palmer Course
The Palmer Course at Turtle Bay is one of the best courses in the country that anyone can play and actually book a tee time. The fairways are like carpet and the greens are consistent from hole to hole. The winds vary from hole to hole adding another level of difficulty. The course layout and pin placements make this a tough course for beginners. However if you know where your shots are going this course is very playable. There is no clubhouse once out on the course so get any snacks or beverages before you head to the first hole. We only saw the snack cart two times. The staff and employees were very helpful and friendly. The course does a great job of getting you lost in the wilderness of Oahu's North Shore after the third hole and there are a few holes where you see the ocean.
Perfect in every way
Just perfect. The only thing I can think of to criticise is all my terrible shots that sent balls in the water. Thank you Turtle Beach! And congratulations to the course superintendent or whatever he/she is called in the US; great job, with the course presentation.
Beautiful day on the course
Great course overall. The conditions were spectacular and the layout was fun. I was told it was going to be difficult but it didn't seem to be. It definitely doesn't play as long as the scorecard displays.
Would definitely recommend this course.
Maui Golf Around Package
Maui Golf Around Package