Makalei Golf Club
About
Malakei Golf Club wanders through a colorful landscape of indigenous flora and fauna, providing a home to a variety of wildlife including peacocks, pheasants, and wild turkey. Situated in the Kona region of Hawaii, which is widely renowned for its coffee farms, the course offers dramatic elevation changes that range from 1,800 to 2,850 feet. The golf course plays through lush forests accented with lava tubes, cinder cones, and an ancient stone wall that dates back over a century. The fast bentgrass greens, rolling fairways, and cooler climate are reminiscent of a course in northern California but the stunning panoramic views will definitely remind you that you are in Hawaii. Malakei Golf Club's 15h hole is a signature hole thanks to its memorable scenery. It not only offers an incredible view of Maui's 10,000-foot Mount Haleakala, it is also your best chance for a hole in one.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | 72 | 7091 yards | 74.3 | 144 |
| Blue | 72 | 6698 yards | 72.4 | 140 |
| White | 72 | 6161 yards | 68.7 | 134 |
| White (W) | 72 | 6161 yards | 75.0 | 133 |
| Red | 72 | 5242 yards | 65.6 | 118 |
| Red (W) | 72 | 5242 yards | 69.4 | 121 |
| Peacock (W) | 72 | 3582 yards | 60.3 | 103 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue M: 72.4/139 | 385 | 342 | 598 | 407 | 176 | 473 | 410 | 184 | 423 | 3398 | 404 | 565 | 290 | 222 | 392 | 502 | 193 | 321 | 411 | 3300 | 6698 |
| White M: 69.6/134 W: 75.3/127 | 350 | 293 | 580 | 388 | 154 | 435 | 351 | 164 | 391 | 3106 | 375 | 544 | 269 | 199 | 355 | 478 | 161 | 278 | 381 | 3040 | 6146 |
| White II M: 67.2/122 | 350 | 293 | 580 | 388 | 154 | 435 | 351 | 164 | 391 | 3106 | 375 | 544 | 269 | 199 | 355 | 478 | 127 | 278 | 381 | 3006 | 6112 |
| Red M: 65.6/118 W: 69.8/118 | 297 | 259 | 495 | 306 | 123 | 389 | 331 | 144 | 313 | 2657 | 352 | 441 | 209 | 157 | 308 | 425 | 110 | 234 | 349 | 2585 | 5242 |
| Handicap | 13 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 2 | |||
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 11 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 18 | 10 | 4 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Restaurant, Beverage CartsAccolades
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Golf Advisor: Top Courses in Hawaii (2016 #18)
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by u430456762 on 06/03/2025
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Photo submitted by u430456762 on 06/03/2025
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Photo submitted by u430456762 on 06/03/2025
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Photo submitted by u6887246 on 05/05/2025
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Photo submitted by jpsimon10 on 04/21/2025
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Photo submitted by dkang819 on 12/19/2024
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Gas carts climb the mountain! Photo submitted by oxiAZY6d6XHGgzHjMOaU on 11/18/2023
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peacocks every hole Photo submitted by Suzie4548328 on 05/25/2023
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Photo submitted by Suzie4548328 on 05/25/2023
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Marshall at work! Photo submitted by u235328896 on 01/04/2023
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Photo submitted by SHendricks01 on 12/30/2022
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Photo submitted by SHendricks01 on 12/30/2022
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Pretty boy. Photo submitted by ramonteleone on 11/09/2022
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Photo submitted by u000006193225 on 10/26/2022
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Photo submitted by mdiefend on 02/25/2022
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Photo submitted by DUBUTOR on 02/07/2022
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Really hard to beat this view! Photo submitted by fishmanjimmye on 01/08/2022
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Blood or jam Photo submitted by u00000701478 on 11/23/2021
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Bunker Photo submitted by u00000701478 on 11/23/2021
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Tee box Photo submitted by u00000701478 on 11/23/2021
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Photo submitted by u00000701478 on 11/23/2021
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Photo submitted by schaucarol on 11/09/2021
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Photo submitted by sckrause on 10/20/2021
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Photo submitted by sarguy on 08/10/2021
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Photo submitted by GlenHampton on 01/05/2021
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Photo submitted by GlenHampton on 01/05/2021
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Photo submitted by GlenHampton on 01/05/2021
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Photo submitted by GlenHampton on 01/05/2021
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Photo submitted by Bruce6093729 on 11/12/2019
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Photo submitted by coryno on 08/07/2015
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Photo submitted by coryno on 08/07/2015
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Photo submitted by coryno on 08/07/2015
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Photo submitted by coryno on 08/07/2015
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Photo submitted by coryno on 08/07/2015
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Photo submitted by coryno on 08/07/2015
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Beautiful approach on Par 5 Photo submitted by Pete1444216 on 11/10/2012
Awesome experience
Rained all the way to the course. Five minute cart right up the mountain to the first hole. First 3 holes in the clouds. Rained so hard on some holes had to stop to wait it out. Played last 4 holes in 1 under. Loved every minute.
Loveit
Great course to test your accuracy and stamina!!! Peacocks are the only noise as course is very quiet. Very friendly workers.
Thank you for the review and feedback. We are so happy you had a great time on the course and please come back and see us again!
Makalei Golf Club - Great track !!!
Makalei GC, great track, wonderful layout with a variety of elevation changes and wonderful views. Very challenging and a true test of you skills. Makalei - "I'll be back!"
Thank you WBHOGAN54 for your review and feedback. We are so thrilled you had a great time and we hope you will continue to golf with us on your next trip to the BIG ISLAND!
Great price for course
Course layout is great. Golf carts could use some updating, but overall a playable course if you hit it straight.
Very friendly staff. Played on Mother's Day so we had the course to ourselves. Will play again next time I'm in Kona.
Great course; terrific price!
Great bang for the buck. Challenging layout. Greens in good shape but a little slow and erratic.
Thank you kylesgampi1 for your review and feedback. We appreciate you taking the time and we hope you will continue to golf with us throughout the season. Please let us know if you ever need anything while you are here and we hope to see you again soon!
Great time again
Second time playing this course and we love it. It is sheltered from the wind nicely. It was nice and cool while Kona was hot and muggy. The peacocks were a lot of fun, there was at least 2 on every hole. We will come back again because we know this course is a guaranteed good time.
Thank you for your review and feedback of Makalei Golf Club. We are so happy you enjoyed the course and the wildlife. Please come back and see us again very soon!
Golfing with Aloha
A fun day. Cooler than I expected but a fun day nonetheless. Pace of play was slow at first but sped up on the back. The greens were in great shape. The fairways were good. The staff was super friendly and helpful. It was worth the trip up the hill.
Thank you Helodriver2000 for your review and feedback of Makalei Golf Club. Thank you for choosing our golf club to spend the day. Thank you for the kind words about the golf course and staff. We are so happy you enjoyed yourself while on the course and please come back and see us again when you get back to the big island.
Peacocks!
Peacocks abound this course. Picturesque par 3s. Great value using Golfnow deal, paid $11 18 holes with cart. They rearranged some of the hole #s. GPS may not reflect the current hole designation
There's a reason we have a peacock in our logo! Thanks for the review!
Very scenic and challenging course
Very fun course to play. If you're not used to playing holes on steep slopes both uphill and downhill this course is relatively challenging. The weather is very nice and cool being fairly high in the cloud forest area. There are lots of peacocks, turkeys, pheasants, and little yellow birds all over the course. Overall a very entertaining day of golf.
We are thrilled to hear you enjoyed yourself so much! Thanks for taking the time to fill out a review after your round.
Vacation Golf
Great course- very challenging!
Enjoyed the natural topography
Beverage cart non- existent and no water on the course
Thank you for the great review and we appreciate the feedback on the beverage cart.
Really happy I found this course
Drove by the course going to/from Mauna Kea. Loved it! Very unique. You head uphill quite a ways to get to the driving range and hole #1. Ended up going to over 3,000 ft elevation. Some incredible views down to the ocean, great holes with lava, palm trees, lots of birds, wildlife, peacocks, etc. Had a really great time. Grass was not in perfect shape but wasn't bad. I would golf this course every week if I lived here. Will definitely come again next time I am on the island.
Thank you so much for the great review. We LOVE the photos you have shared!
Come back and see us again soon!
Very wet.
Fun course if you stay on the fairway. Long grass off fairway. A lot of great holes but played in a downpour most of the round. Would play again in better weather.
We're sorry that you got stuck in the rain - we hope you have the chance to return to play on a nice sunny day. We appreciate the review!
Fun course
Tropical mountain course that really delivered. Every hole had amazing elevation changes that made you pick your club wisely. Wonderfully kept greens that played true. Front 9 warm and sunny, hit the back 9 and a tropical shower moved in... Got a little wet but that's what keeps this course green and lush. Overall it was a wonderful course to play when visiting the Big Island
Golf with Aloha
We stayed at Kohala Coast but temperatures around 90 Fahrenheit makes it unbearable to golf. I booked thru Golf Now on a hot deal as a single, and paid for my 9 year old when we arrived. Junior rates are $30 all in. We played 18 holes in 3 hours. Skipped the 10th hole past a couple of parties but backtracked at the end of the round and played 10 on the way down.
I liked exploring the course for its landscape and local animals. The temperatures was mild being so high up above 2,500 feet. It rained on this day on and off. It's more tropical here than Kohala, and luscious. We like exploring the landscape, and why not do that on a cart golfing? It's not the most pristine golf course compared to resort courses, but we like to play where the kamaaina play and the price is right. I recommend playing this golf course for extreme Eco experience.
In Canada, I'm a member at Hamptons private golf club in Calgary and play 100+ rounds per year, 8 -10 different courses per year.
Great value
This mountain course is quite challenging lots of elevation changes and scenic vistas . The new layout is phenomenal good job I will be back
Beautiful Course w/Peacocks!
Beautiful course, with lots of elevation change. Probably a little past its glory days, but still a lovely track. Had my best round of the year (so far), and the greens were GREAT!
Nice layout very scenic
Plenty of wild life to look at
only drawback was Layout of the greens very severe.
pin placements were put in some very poor locations
Nice track with great views
Good value for the money. Closest course to Kona on the Big Island.
Fun course
Makalei is an enjoyable and challenging course with lots of variation due to elevation changes and the remote setting of the course.
Be prepared to lose balls
This course has rough so long you cannot find your ball even 1 foot in. Course is not well maintained. For example weeds 6 inches high in fairway. It is tough course to play, but is much tougher with poor maintenance. Facilities don' t seem to be maintained or upgraded. It's a shame.
Mauna Lani Auberge Stay & Play Package
Ka'anapali Stay & Play Package
Ka'anapali Stay & Play Package
Best of Maui Golf Package
Thank you Mjperks for the review and 5-Stars. We are so happy you had a great time even though the rain was ever present. Come back and see us again on your next visit to the area!