Makani Golf Club

Tees set accurately for ability. Tee selection is important to enjoy the round. Course layout is challenging requiring a variety of shots and thoughtful course management. There are few level lies on fairways and require subtle swing adjustments. Beautiful scenery, interesting wildlife, challenging course with each hole very different... are sure to entertain for four hours.

The course could use a little maintenance and TLC but the course layout and views were awesome.

From tee to green , the course is in excellent shape and a real pleasure to play. My compliments to the greenskeeper. Would highly recommend to my fellow golfers. Don't pass this one up while visiting the Big Island

first time playing the course, thought it was a great value, great course some very challenging holes really enjoyed it.

Fantastic course and staff!! Lots of critters running around, love this course.

I have played this course for 13 years and every time I come through the gates----I look to see where the flag is on the 17th Island green. The 18th also sticks in the back of your mind as it is the hardest hole on the back nine.
And then you tee off on a easy dog-leg left par 4. The game is on. A typical Dye course on a beautiful setting at 1500ft elev. with fauna and wildlife galore. The staff is the best and the prices are affordable. It's a "Can't Miss"!!!

The course is tough but the employees are special.

Natural beauty beyond compare. I love this course and played it three times on this nine day trip.

Every hole a dream. Turkey's, nene, orange canaries, goats, every hole very challenging and beautiful. One of the best golf experiences ever- no matter the score.

I really enjoyed my round here despite the massive trade winds (20-30mph) during the day. Staff was very friendly and helpful and apologetic about the wind. :) Fairways and greens were ok but could use a bit of TLC but nothing to defer from the round. #17 is worth the price of admission alone. Would love to come back when the wind wasn't as crazy!

We got a very good deal through GolfNow/Hawaii, and the course was not crowded at all when we played.

Pretty much had course to myself. Not a busy day. Greens need trimming and a little love. Can't wait to get back

I am used to colder weather and heavier air, being from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, so I was amazed how much farther I was hitting the ball. The course was fun, yet challenging. Course knowledge would be a plus for some of the "blind shots". I really enjoyed it and took lots of photos. Price was right!

We have played here quite a few times over the years and conditions are slipping fast.
After playing Mauna Lani and Waikoloa Kings course the conditions here are deplorable.
There are large herds of sheep and flocks of turkeys running wild on the course. The sheep are visibly part of the course maintenance staff. They cut the grass. The turkeys and some Nenes provide pace of play monitoring. There are no human Marshalls to maintain pace of play or to allow faster groups to play ahead.
The "grass" on this course is sometimes weeds, and is wildly uneven. The bent grass greens
haven't been rolled, nor cut properly, and are bumpy and uneven just like the tees and fairways.
You will almost never find an even lie here. There are so many uphill, downhill, and sidehill lies.
You will be playing out of fairways that are deeper than rough should be. Other times the fairways are hardpan.
Sadly, this tract has some beautiful flowering trees, great views of many bird species, and is located in a cool temperate area of the high country.
This course is very popular with visitors because the rates are much lower than the Kohala coast
courses.
There is less of a difference in green fees here for locals.
The good news is that there are friendly ladies at the pro shop check in and Nick has it all together at the starter's post.

Course conditioning and pace of play control are pressing issues they need to deal with.

A nice inland parkland course of over gently rolling terrain. Each hole is unique with enough potential trouble to make the course challenging. A fair course, in good condition.

I have played most of the courses on the Big Island west side and tried this one for the first time. It was a gem and a great value compared to the resort courses down by the ocean. It is green and peaceful up there. I thought the course was in good shape and is very interesting and playable. The island green 17th is a bit quirky and out of place with the rest of the course design but still enjoyable. Visits by the beverage cart were frequent enough as you don't return to the clubhouse at the turn. Pace of play was glacial at just a few minutes under 5 hours but I didn't seem to mind too much as it was just a good day and place to play golf.

This is a very enjoyable course. Lots of wild life to see,

Very nice layout. Lots of fun to play. Course knowledge helps on many shots.

I'd like to address a few things first: 1) the staff is friendly enough, but I'd stop short of "super friendly." The rates are what you'd expect in Hawaii, and the course conditions could be better, although a lot of that has to do with the difficulty of getting enough water in that location, and with the general dryness of that part of the Big Island. If you are expecting perfect green grass everywhere, you'll be disappointed, but the conditions aren't poor, it's just how the land is around there.
That said, I really love the design and layout of the course. From the back tees, it is long long long, it plays every inch of 7000 yards plus, and I would venture that the rating/slope could both be slightly higher. When it's windy, the challenge is even greater, because it seems like every hole is into the wind. The final 3 holes are as challenging as you'll find on the island, including Mauna Kea. You can generally hit your tee shots poorly and find the ball, which is always a plus for wild-off-the-tee guys like me. I've played here about 10 times now and I like it more each time. As with most Big Island courses, there is wildlife all over the place, turkeys, goats, nenes, you name it.

Big Island Country Club is a good layout and pretty well maintained. Given the reduced rate through Golf Now it was priced OK. I've played it before and when the wind is blowing it's a bear. On this day the wind was down. Had a tournament that morning so the staff wasn't as friendly as before and there were no charged carts so we had to wait beyond our tee time. But overall the course was in good shape. Island green on 17 was good and not too difficult. Would play again.