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Rating Index Rating
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4.3
453 Reviews (453)
5 Stars
175
4 Stars
203
3 Stars
53
2 Stars
12
1 Stars
10
Conditions
4.2
Value
4.3
Layout
4.6
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.5
Amenities
4.1
92.9%
Recommend this course
419 out of 453 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.1
17 Reviews (17)
5 Stars
7
4 Stars
7
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.1
Value
4.3
Layout
4.3
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.2
StaffFriendliness
4.7
94.1%
Recommend this course
16 out of 17 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
42 Reviews (42)
5 Stars
23
4 Stars
15
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
2
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.4
Layout
4.6
Pace
4.4
Amenities
4.2
StaffFriendliness
4.7
95.2%
Recommend this course
40 out of 42 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Puakea's varied, challenging layout delivers beautiful mountain views and consistently solid conditions at an outstanding value compared to other Kauai courses. Exceptionally friendly staff and a smooth pace of play make every round an enjoyable island experience.

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6954 yards
Slope 130
Rating 73.1

Ranked the 13th Best Golf Course You Can Play in Hawaii by Golfweek Magazine in 2009, Puakea is a one of Hawaii's best kept golf secrets. Designed by Robin Nelson, Puakea is a fun golf experience for the recreational golfer while still a challenge for the better player when played from the back tees. Located in Lihue across from the Kukui Grove Shopping Center, Puakea is easy to get to no matter where you are staying on Kauai. With its fully stocked pro shop, large grass driving range and practice bunkers and practice green Puakea is a great place to spend the day working on your game. Be sure to visit the Grille for a burger, salad, sandwich or cold beer.

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Puakea Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1997
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Robin Nelson (2003) Robin Nelson (1997) Mark Miller (1997)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
GPS No
Caddies No
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code Appropriate golf attire.

Food & Beverage

Bar, Grill, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Accolades

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Reviews

4.3
453 Reviews (453)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 23
Brunch 10
19th Hole Specials 7
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 50
Elevation Changes 40
Water Hazards 37
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 38
Locals 29
Seniors 29
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 53
Near the Airport 51
Near Local Attractions 13

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great Time

Nice course with great views. Well kept grounds and a friendly staff. A "must play" on Kauai. Probably the best course for the money on the island.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Good course, great value for the money

Course was seemed well set up to give enjoyment to all levels of golfers. The course was well maintained although not country club level. Staff was friendly. Good all around experience

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great layout, very nice look and feel, greens a little slow.

i played as a single and had the place to myself. Worked on my game and loved the course. Lots of traps, and it has its share of the wind in the afternoon. Very nice track with lots a room in the fairway. Yardage is easier with a gps or laser. Bring a buddy, you will have a great time.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Lots of sand, some water, challenging

Have played this course 3 times over past 5 years and would come back again

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

The course has many photo opportunities! .

We thoroughly enjoyed the course. The staff went out of their way to make us feel welcome, pointing out features to look for. Many wonderful views. Being from Florida we especially enjoyed the mountain backdrop and the course elevation changes. The only problem we had was the speed of the greens. To us the greens were tremendously slow. We are used to fast greens so never really adjusted , our problem, no fault of the course! We really enjoyed the course and highly recommend it, especially for the price - the very least we paid while golfing in Kauai!

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

The course has some nice scenery and a spectacular par 3 that drops about 100 feet and is usually into the wind.

The greens were very slow and it took a while to get used to them. Because they were so slow, any break in the put was accentuated. The bunkers needed help as many were muddy and appeared not to be raked recently. The fairways were in average to good shape and generous width to most of the fairways. Playing from the tips can require some course management. Play in the early morning as the late morning and mid afternoon winds will exercise your club selection and shot making skills.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Very Poor Greens, Sub par front 9, No customers

Overall I was very disappointed by this course. After reading the reviews, I expected a nice course, but instead found the worst greens I have played all year any where in the US. No speed consistency from green to green and some greens where inconsistent from foot to foot with different grasses growing on several greens. If you are used to playing muni courses this course might be enjoyable to you, but if you play any course that is kept in quality playing condition, you will regret playing here. The other strange thing was there was nobody there. Locals must know how bad of shape the course is in. My opinion, don't waste a day in beautiful Kauai by spending any time at this course.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great views from this beautiful Course.

This is a real challenge particularly in the wind. The views are worth it.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 29
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great views and great golf course

Really good golf course near downtown Lihue. Best 18 hole value on Kauai. Interesting course with some tough holes. Great views of the surrounding mountains. Course condition was very good. Good friendly service.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course, beautiful scenery, good value.

Challenging terrain, with beautiful scenery. Extremely friendly staff. The addition of GPS would be nice.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great bang for the money

We were greeted to the course by a very friendly staff. The starter, a man named Richard, was extremely helpful and gave us numerous tips on the course. The course was in beautiful condition, but beware, stay in the fairways. The rough wasn't very long, but the Bermuda grass really catches the club! It had some amazing views of the mountains. A very challenging course and well worth the money. Highly recommend it to anybody in Kauai.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 64
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
First Time Playing

Fantastic views

The views on this course were excellent, the course is in great condition and we enjoyed playing here. Golf in Hawaii is better than anything I've ever experienced.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Some very interesting holes

This course was a lot of fun to play. The course was in excellent condition. The greens are a bit slow but consitent. Hole #6 is an experience. 180 yards with a 300 foot drop over a lake to the green. Bunkers are suprisingly soft. Not much of a clubhouse but everything else is first rate.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great Bargain, Pristine Views, Very Well-Kept

My threesome had an 11:24 tee time and if it wasn't for a slow foursome in front of us, we probably would have finished in about 3.5 hours. The course is very well maintained with a great view on almost every hole. The greens played extremely slow and took a few holes to get used to, but they stayed consistent throughout the round. I would recommend this to anyone on the island looking to play a round on a beautiful course for about half the price of many other courses on the island. Will play again!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

The course was reasonable and a good value for the money.

For a course so close to the Marriott, we found it both reasonable and interesting. It is definitely not Kauai Lagoons, but then the fees weren't comparable either.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

urban surprise

Although some holes are next to Costco, etc., this is a welcome surprise. It's a moderately challenging layout, with some unexpected deep terrain on a couple of holes. With a mountain ridge line as backdrop, it's every bit as nice as the more pricey courses. There are quite a few holes that require your camera as well as your most accurate shots.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Nice course

We played in the early afternoon. No one in front or behind us! Can't do that on the mainland anywhere.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Beautiful green mountain vistas.

I play Pukea every time I return to Kauai. The course is beautiful and the price is fair. Everyone working at the course is super friendly and helpful.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great course, great price

It's not a Hawaii beach course, but it is a very beautiful course with views of the mountains and lots of water. It's very well maintained, and the pace of place was very quick. Not crowded at all. For the money, it's a great find.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good, but...

Puakea has been my favorite course for value over the past 5-7 years. However, I see evidence of decline in service . For example, they no longer have a cart with food and drinks out on the course.
The course is in good condition but not quite as good as past years.
Try Kiahuna as a comparable course with slightly better greens and some very interesting holes.
I still like Puakea and consider Puakea and Kiahuna as the two best values on Kauai!

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
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