Makalei Golf Club

Nice layout as mountainside courses go - cooler temps were appreciated - good variety, lots of elevation changes,challenging approaches and greens, interesting breaks - nice views, forests, bird life.

Best buy in Hawaii Livestock on course interesting. great photo

This is a very unique course on the hillside up above Kailua-Kona. I have played here both times I have been to Hawaii to play golf over the past three years. I love the wildlife especially the peacocks. The course is in excellent condition, the holes are unique but very playable with very little gimmickry. Many times the course is up in the clouds and mist. There is a lot of elevation gain and loss throughout the 18 holes. We always recommend this course to those golfing on Hawaii.

Nice track. Greens very slow, but overall is a good challenge. Get the yardage book, or you'll be guessing. Surprising location of a couple of ponds. Good value for Hawaii.

We loved the views and the cooler temperatures at the higher elevation .Great value.

Great mountain cse .with ocean views.Love lava rock retainiing walls of tee boxes.8th green is next to lava tube.Par-3 15th hole is a beauty.Peacocks are everywhere!!

Price right for playing conditions and good pric compared to resort courses. Fairways were much wider than I expected for a moutain course.

We are relative novices and the steep uphill holes were quite a challange, but the scenery was great, the fairways usually seemed wide, and the 2000+ ft elevation with partial overcast was a relief in mid-August. We were pretty slow, but the course wasn't very busy and nobody, including the Marshall, seemed to mind playing through us. Even the driving range was an experience with the 5 minute cart ride, although it would have been more appropriate for the range to extend uphill rather than downhill. The peacocks did seem to laugh at errant shots on latter holes, but it added to our fun.

This course is awesome. Besides some challenging holes and beautiful, scenic views, there are numerous peacocks, yellow finches, grouse and mongooses that add to the adventure. Definitely a course I will play again.

Good bargain for Big Island golf. Tight course in a jungle setting. Good condition.

Had fun and great value for the money. Challenging course. Friendly staff

Very challenging and up and down the mountains; It was a pleasure to play and in great shape for a public course. The people are super nice and wonderfully friendly. We played for $40 per person at 10:30am via Golf Now and at that rate this was a steal

Fairways need work, greens ran true. Staff attentive

I have played Makalei many times and it is in great shape.

Nice greens and real sand in the traps, although it seems no one repairs their ball marks or rakes sand traps. Warm-up was impossible as driving range was a mile away and range balls were not included, so plan extra travel time. No water was furnished in the carts or on the course, only from the drink cart, which we saw twice - very unusual for Hawaii. We finished at 2:00 PM and the restaurant had already closed, so bring food! Personal service does not exist, especially for out-of-towners.

Very up and down with some very challenging holes, even from the white tees. I don't get the opportunity to ply mountain courses in Texas so it was a complete joy. The peacocks were amazing.

Had a great time, got grouped with a couple of locals who play there regularly and they helped a lot, but the elevation changes were tough to manage at times. Course was in good condition and greens were great. I would definitely play Makalei again.

I NEVER EVER WRITE REVIEWS, BUT THIS DUMP DESERVED ONE BECAUSE OF THE TERRIBLE ATTITUDE OF THE STAFF, INCLUDING MANAGER AND RANGER. ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE.

Best and worst things about the course besides a very very poor staff attitude is the greens. I will circle back to this point at the end, and this review is worth a read. I am an 11.4 index and my game travels well. Looking for a challenge at a fair price before playing some of the nicer courses I came hear. We waited on every tee and every fairway shot and by hole 11 were three groups deep, one teeing off, us waiting on the tee and the group behind us pulling up while the group ahead of us was still on the tee. We called in twice and got the yeah yeah. When I asked for the owner's contact information, they finally sent out a ranger who told us there were no open holes which was a blatant, blatant lie, because we saw them. WORST WAS BESIDES SOME DIRT PATCHES IN THE FAIRWAYS, WE KEPT FINDING ABOUT A HALF DOZED OR SO FRESH BALL MARKS, AND DOZENS OF SCABS FROM WEDGES OR SOMETHING FROM ANGRY GOLFERS. THE RANGER SAID THE CLUB MANAGER WAS ACTUALLY PLAYING TWO GROUPS AHEAD OF US. SO HE KNEW THE GROUP AHEAD OF US LOST PACE AND HIS GROUP EITHER DIDN'T REPAIR BALL MARKS, OR OVERLOOKED THEM ON EVERY GREEN BECAUSE THERE WERE MORE THAN FOUR THAT COULD BE CAUSED BY THE GROUP AHEAD OF US. WHEN I SAY BALL MARKS I MEAN CRATERS BECAUSE THE GREENS ARE REALLY SOFT DUE TO MOUNTAIN RAINS. IN SUMMARY, VERY CHALLENGING COURSE, WITH A VERY POOR ATTITUDE AND CONDITIONS PRESUMABLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE OVERFLOW BUSINESS DUE TO KONA COUNTRY CLUB BEING SHUT DOWN FOR A YEAR. IF YOU WANT TO BE FRUSTRATED WHILE IN HAWAII AND GET A LESSON IN SMALL TOWN CIVICS, GET SERVED YEAH-YEAH ON A PLATE, THEN THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU.

We had a $45 GolfNow deal but would gladly have paid the normal $85 green fee ($65 if you tee off after 11). It's worth every cent. The course was in excellent condition. It slopes between 1800 and 2800 feet and that guarantees stunning views, a pleasant climate and the true challenge that fits a mountain course. The fairways were perfect, with dramatic lava features, beautiful flowers, dozens of magnificent peacocks (we've seen at least 4 of these amazing birds on every hole) and well maintained bunkers. And then there are the Bent Grass greens. Yummie! They are smooth, fast, undulating and every ball bites immediately: championship conditions. Everything here shows that maintenance is done with a lot of love for the course. It's a must play when you are on the Big Island.

This is a well maintained course, and had near perfect greens to putt on. Paid about $55 and was definitely by far the best value that we played on the big island.