Princeville Makai Golf Club - Makai Course

The Princeville Makai lives up to its name on Kauai's north shore. It is ocean royalty.
The ocean holes are gorgeous. The 338-yard 14th over an ocean cove might be the best short par 4 ever designed by RTJII. Even after a successful tee shot, the second is a daunting flip wedge over a front bunker to a cliffside green.
Lost is the greatness of the ocean holes is the dramatic 3rd, a par 3 that plummets from an elevated tee to a green protected by a pond. The water-logged 18th is equally compelling, playing over a pond twice as a risk-reward par 5.
Lots of great holes and scenery for days out here. If your spouse or family don't play, it might be worth signing them up for a "sunset" tour around the course. It's a chance to share a special place with those who are special to you.

loved the course
staff were all rude, very disappointing

The only flaws at the course are due to Covid restrictions and reduced staffing. The personal attention, beverages and snacks, and bag handling have all been restricted. I phoned to clear up a tee time problem and was on hold for 32 minutes.
The course is in great condition though, and surprisingly sparse participation resulted in great pace of play. As always here, the round was a pleasure.

Course really hasn’t aged well. For $200+ per person would choose Poipu over this most days. A few holes along the Ocean are amazing views but the overall condition of the course was disappointing

Played today with my wife and son. Course conditions were excellent. Beautiful layout. Great ocean views. Challenging holes from blue tees. Worth the $ to play. Very friendly staff and patrons

The course over all was amazing! At the price point tho the rentals should be included for out of state players… especially because the green keeper told us they were last seasons rentals and they had not broken out the new seasons clubs they had available yet.

New greens keeper is doing an amazing job! Course was in great shape and the staff was very friendly. Definitely a great course and a fun time.

I like this course. Not thrilled that they charged my wife to ride along with me even though I played as a single and they give you a cart.
Course is gorgeous and in great shape. Played it in 3 hours so pace of play was great considering there is some travel between more than a few holes

Saw some albatrosses which was cool.

Understanding that Hawaii is less than one month from reopening due to Covid-19 I think they are doing a great job.

Princeville Makai is a must-play golf course when visiting the beautiful island of Kauai! Makai checks all the boxes when detailing my experience playing this course for the first time. For starters, the staff was incredibly helpful and friendly. They were very welcoming to my wife and I, gave a great overview of the course and some of the holes to take note of, set us up with great Callaway rentals, and checked in with us throughout the round. Everyone from the starter to the ranger to the bev cart server to the management treated us like members for the day.

As for the course, a quick Google Image search should be all you need to know about the views and conditions of this Top #100 course. There are multiple vistas overlooking the Pacific, with a few breath-taking holes right along the coast (see my upload of hole #14). Greens, fairways, and tee-boxes were in excellent shape. The layout is spectacular as both 9's will bring you towards the ocean and provide you some tough tests along the way. As you approach the water, the wind can certainly impact your club decisions but we were lucky to have relatively calm conditions. The carts all have GPS so even as a first time visitor I was able to navigate the course with ease. Pace of play was great as well.

All in all it was a perfect day at the links, highly recommended!!

Played the course today. In very good shape. Fantastic views

What's not to like about the Makai course? It has some of the best ocean views in Hawaii, is always in good shape and most of all, it's interesting. But it's not just the ocean holes that make this a great golf experience. The inland holes are pretty special, too. For example, the par-3 third, which mimics the mountains and water in the background, is truly memorable with its near 100-foot drop. And the 18th, with the tee shot and approach over water, is as good a risk-reward par 5 as you will find anywhere. And then, of course, there are those ocean holes - more than half dozen of them, split between the front and back nines. Each are unique and all of them are memorable.

A near perfect resort course with generous fairways and manageable rough, this course offers a very enjoyable experience on all 18 holes. The course conditions were near perfect and I would expect that year round with the turf they have selected. Jaw Dropping views of mountain ranges and the ocean frame the majority of holes, the other holes feel like North Carolina, playing through tall pines. The course is far from a push over but you can definitely put up a good score. The most difficult holes are the Par 3s in my opinion which a few played a touch long with shallow greens. The staff was friendly and helpful and the rangers were some of the best I have ever been around.

Princeville Makai Golf Club is in no uncertain terms, golf in Paradise. #1 Reason: You're in Kauii...the weather is a lot better than where you came from to play. #2 Reason: The golf course is always immaculate. When I play here, I am usually in the first group out (07:30). Even then, the tee boxes, fairways, bunkers and greens are ALWAYS ready for the days play. Depending on your skill level, you can be as challenged as you want to be (remember, though, you are on vacation!) from whichever tees you decide to play. The Course is fun to play, but you have to hit good shots to score well at Makaii. #3 Reason: The views are unforgettable. Starting with the Par 3 3rd hole overlooking the St. Regis Resort & Hanalei Bay, to #6 with you first look at the Pacific, which starts a 3 hole Ocean view stretch. Hole 12 begins another Ocean view for 3 holes. A reminder to all--even on the other holes, the Ocean isn't far out of the sight. #4 Reason: Staff is exceptionally friendly! From the front desk to the bag attendants to the starters...Excellent. If you make it to the Garden Isle of Kauii and you've packed your clubs, Princeville Makaii is a MUST PLAY! It's Bucket-list Golf. Thank you and Mahalo.

Pat Tobin

Your money is best spent elsewhere. I’ve played this course twice. My most recent experience will be the last here. Facts: I booked a tee time at 7:00 am via telephone for 2 days in a row. I was staying at Princeville Resort. I get there and the pro shop had failed to reserve my tee time. I pay for a 7:36 am tee time. They tell me I can goto the putting green while waiting. As I go to the putting green, the starter—a rather unprofessional chap—yells at me. I tell him I’m going to practice putting and he shuts up. Later I’m ready for my tee time, and the starter point blank yells at me again (unprovoked), “I can’t have you running all over the golf course!” Excuse me? You pay five star prices here, but don’t expect five star service. Expect some discriminatory behavior.

Btw the course is in average condition. Views are nice.

Wife and I played on a Sunday 9:45 AM tee time, Callaway rental clubs.

Greeted upon arrival in the pro shop like we were old friends (the old part is pretty correct). Ditto with the Starter who we were in touch with several times through the day.

Besides the tremendous views, cool and unique holes, magnificent course maintenance, the STAFF puts Princeville Makai at the top of the food chain. Over the decades, I have never encountered a more accommodating staff, from greens keepers to bag guys and everyone in between, anywhere. Certainly there are some probably as good, but I don't see how they can improve on the personnel side.

We love #17 and 18, had an extra bonus by making the putt of my life on 17. Even received applause from people walking nearby.

Greens slow, but they were everywhere on Kauai the past 2 weeks, plus on and off rain which was light and welcome.

course was wide open, seldom waited on a tee box, no pressure from behind.

Conclusion: Pay the $$, play this golf course and bring a camera. Tee of early if you can as the winds pick up later.

Very nice golf course but a few issues. (1) The posted schedule on GolfNow for punching the greens was September 19th. When we arrived on the 18th, they told us that they had been done "a week or ten days" earlier. Recovery was really slow. The greens were still rough and putting very difficult. (2) Most of the staff was friendly and helpful. However, I had an incident with a course marshal that will likely keep me from returning to Princeville.

While this was certainly not the day I expected on a quality resort course at another time the greens and the staff could be different.

I purchased the 3-day package which provided great value and played 6/15, 6/17,&6/18. The greens had recently been aerated(barely noticeable) which is the only reason for the 4/5. The staff was awesome and super accommodating from the pro shop staff to the starters. They really went out of their way to ensure that my group was having the best time possible. The pictures on the site are great but do no justice to seeing it person, absolutely breathtaking. From breathtaking views, to great imaginative golf holes, to all types of birds throughout the course, to finishing off the round with a cool cucumber water soaked towel everything was top notch. Bottom line is if you are in Kauai and are looking to play golf go see Dave at Makai you won't regret it.

This is my favorite course that I have played in Hawaii, and ranks among my most favorite rounds played anywhere.

I was sent out on the back nine first to avoid an outing that was taking place, so the course unfolded differently for me.

The spectacular scenic value of the ocean holes at Makai will give you pause. As will the shot value on these holes. To me, these holes are a poor man’s Cypress Point. The view you get playing the approach into the par-4 12th hole sets the stage. The par-3 13th hole played 223 yards into the wind toward the ocean. The par-4 14th is one of the finest designed short 4s you will find, playing around the barranca and ocean cliffs to a fairway littered with bunkers.

My back nine, or the course’s front, is marked by the par-3 third that plays 2-3 clubs downhill and downwind across a hazard. The view from the tee box with Hanalei Bay and the mist-shrouded mountains in the background was fantastic. The short par-4 fourth that plays up the hill offers another breathtaking view from behind its’ green. The sixth and seventh holes offer similar postcard-worthy views to the three-hole stretch on the inward nine.

The course plays a bit wet just because of its proximity on the island. The north shore gets a lot of rain, so mud balls were prevalent, although the fairways were not soggy.

The greens were still recovering from recent aeration, so the pro shop took $25 off the rate to accommodate for this. I found the greens to be excellent, with only 2 or 3 showing the signs of the aeration.

This course isn’t necessarily that exacting off the tee, but it demands that you hit precise iron shots. Often times there is no margin for error, particularly to the approaches on the short 4s, where pins were tucked behind bunkers. The par 3s require deft clubbing.

The staff was very helpful and accommodating.

In summary, Makai, is big on scenic and shot value and you will be sorry if you don’t include it on any trip to Kaua’i. It is one of the course’s where it is hard to narrow down the six pictures you want to include on the GA review because there are so many good ones to choose from.