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Turtle Bay Resort - Arnold Palmer Course
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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 |
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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
The golf course of choice on Oahu's north shore
The last time I played the Palmer course at Turtle Bay nearly two years ago, I got pummeled with rain and couldn't finish the round. My latest round was bathed in sunshine and the beauty of Oahu's north shore. The okay front nine eventually gives away to a fun and challenging back nine. Our foursome was test-driving a new 'Golf Skate Caddy', a cool cross between a motorized golf cart and skate board that made the day even more interesting. Golfers who drove the one-man machine gave mixed reviews. I enjoyed it and thought it was easy to use and a perfect way to add a little spice to the golf experience at Turtle Bay. Back to the course, the Palmer can be tamed if there's no wind. When the breeze kicks up, balls tend to find the bunkers and water that frame the target lines. It's as good as resort golf gets on Oahu.
Turtle Bay Resort's Palmer course provides a good reason to visit Oahu's North Shore
Turtle Bay's Arnold Palmer course hasn't hosted the PGA Tour like Kapalua's Plantation course on Maui, but it is one of the most celebrated tournament courses in the Hawaiian islands. It has hosted:
• The inaugural Champions Tour Skins Game (1988#
• The Champions Tour’s Turtle Bay Championship #2001-2008#
• The LPGA Tour’s SBS Open at Turtle Bay #2005-2009#
• The Turtle Bay Resort Hawaii State Open #2009-2011)
• The Golf Channel’s “Big Break”
Water takes center stage on the Palmer. Too bad that doesn't include the ocean often enough.The layout flirts with the fabled North Shore, but never ends up kissing it intimately. The excellent 17th hole, a sand-splashed par-4, ends at an elevated green overlooking the water. The green of the par-5 18th hole provides a glimpse of crashing waves between the trees. It's a good finish to a solid test of golf.
Flawless
I can't believe I almost missed out on playing this course because I didn't have a way to get there! Luckily I was able to find HiGolfGuide just in time, and they were able to give my wife and I a free ride. It does take a long time to get out there, but on the way you get a nice little tour of the island. We started early and actually played the Fazio Course in the morning and the Palmer Course right after lunch. The Fazio course was nice but the Palmer course was awesome. The greens were flawless and approach shots didn't even make a mark! The fairways were like carpet, but the rough was penalizing. The layout was great too, requiring a wide array of shots. This course fulfilled all of my expectations, and I look forward to playing here again. One of the nicest courses on the island.
Maui Golf Around Package
Maui Golf Around Package
Best of Maui Golf Package
Best of Maui Golf Package
