Makalei Golf Club

Park-like setting in an upland forest of mostly silver oaks. No houses adjacent to course. Bunkers were being renovated and were considered ground under repair. Great views. Long hilly course with long cart rides between holes. Gas golf golf carts. Take extra water as there appeared to be no water fountains or coolers on course. They give you 16 oz of bottled water. Beverage cart was circulating on course though. Course maintenance was 7 on 1-10 scale and similar to a nice municipal course. Thoroughly enjoyed the round and the course.

traps unplayable,fairways and tees need a lot of love.greens and layout good.the worst course I played from golf now

Arrive early, the 1st tee is a long distance from the clubhouse. Definitely not walkable. Bring lots of golf balls; you won’t find too many that miss the fairway. Greens are the best part of this course.

Fun course with lots of interesting holes. Every hole is either uphill or downhill, nothing is flat except a few of the greens. Cooler than playing near the beach. We’ll play again before we leave.

Our foursome was looking for a reasonably priced course to golf while on the Big Island. We went there with a bit of trepidation as it was rsonably priced compared to other offerings. We were pleasantly surprised!! We. Checked in and went to get rental clubs, Cobra golf set that was quite nice. Starter and other staff were very friendly, gave us the lay of the land and a few tips! The sand raps are under repair, seal of them are GUR. Our round was good, enjoyable, a bit slow with folks ahead of us (4.5 hours). Course was in good condition except tee boxes could use some care and attention. Overall were were pleased, great views, challenging greens, and a lot of up and down. This is not a course to try walking! Five minute cart ride up the mountain to the driving range and first tee box. A few hidden areas hard to see golfers in front at times. Overall we had a great time, and scored reasonably. I know I will be playing this again while we are here!! Oh, and yes their are peacocks everywhere, loud at times,and fairly bold, but no bother to us at all!!! They were very beautiful in addition to surrounding sites.

Played here on and off over 20 yrs. Worst conditions I can recall. Tee boxes awful, fairways patchy, greens okay. Supposedly redoing all bunkers but no evidence of such. Have to play all bunkers as ground under repair. Wouldn't go back until conditions are improved.

The course is in a come back mode. Fairways were hard some places and rewarded the players with extra yards and other time the ball just rolled down a steep hill. Greens were good shape and rolled a little slower than I am use to.

Overall it was an enjoyable day. The starter matched us up with two players who play the course often. They were a great help. Thanks Mel and Tony.

I just finished(?) my round of golf @ Makalei. The question mark is because I was only allowed to play 15 holes. When I made my tee time and when I arrived for golf @ 1:30 I wasn't told that I had to be done by 5:30 because they close the course. Normally, of course this wouldn't be a problem as I often play 18 in less than 3 hrs. However, even after complaining to the Marshal at least twice about the pace of play I was informed that hole 15 was the last one I would be able to play because they were closing. This is incredibly upsetting. I can put up with the poor conditions of the bunkers as I was aware of that before I made the tee time but very poor management to allow slow play and then penalize me again by not being able to finish. Beware of this course; not consumer friendly.

Great layout. Lots of birds. Don’t even think of walking. Great views. Great value for Hawaii. Unfortunately sand traps need a lot of work. Currently considered ground under repair

Maybe not the most luxurious course in Kona but very challenging. You really have to put some thought into your shot. Enjoyed it a lot and have booked there again.

I have been playing Makalei for fifteen years, and I love the new changes. The greens are in excellent shape.

all Sandtraps not in use (did not know)

Tee Boxes and fairways have not been touched in months. Greens were satisfactory.

$50. for at least 5 year old Cobra rentals.

Carts were old and almost brakeless.

Total course appearance was disgraceful.

Layout was reasonable with possibilities but course was worst maintained I have ever played in fifty years.

i was ashamed as I brought guests.

This course should be off your list as your reputation has been tarnished.

Course needs serious maintenance. Traps were all under repair. Fun course.

Played this course a few times over the years. It is built high up on the side of a mountain next to Kona. The course is very hilly, with not one flat hole. Virtually every hole has a blind shot due to the elevation gains and losses. For the money, the course is in good shape and their is lots of wild life around and ON the course, mainly peacocks and turkeys. It is also about 5 - 10 degrees cooler because of the elevation of the course and a few more clouds move in, which make the playing temperature about perfect.

I played this course 30 years ago when it was a tough beautiful track. It’s been allowed to get pretty rough

The greens had just been sanded too that would have been nice to know- in advance!!

It’s hard to justify any more than $50 for this course, in spite of a beautiful layout and just overall poor conditions. The views cannot be matched anywhere on the island.

The good news is it is obvious the new managers are working to make the course playable again.

I’ll come back The high rating speaks for itsel, a good test.

Great course layout. The hilly terrain keeps the course interesting and challenging. The only downside is that the sand traps have not been maintained, apparently for years. I understand the course is under new management, so I expect that the traps will be refurbished soon.