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4.3
425 Reviews (425)
5 Stars
168
4 Stars
163
3 Stars
63
2 Stars
20
1 Stars
11
Conditions
4.2
Value
3.9
Layout
4.3
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.6
Amenities
3.9
90.2%
Recommend this course
359 out of 425 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.2
31 Reviews (31)
5 Stars
16
4 Stars
9
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
1
Conditions
3.9
Value
3.8
Layout
4.5
Pace
4.6
Amenities
3.9
StaffFriendliness
4.7
83.9%
Recommend this course
26 out of 31 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.3
91 Reviews (91)
5 Stars
42
4 Stars
36
3 Stars
8
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.2
Value
3.8
Layout
4.3
Pace
4.6
Amenities
3.7
StaffFriendliness
4.6
87.9%
Recommend this course
80 out of 91 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Par 70
Length 6388 yards
Slope 136
Rating 71.6

The Ka'anapali Resort on Maui is home to two championship golf courses, set on 1,200 acres of land home to ancient Hawaiian royalty. The Ka'anapali Kai course is an Arthur Jack Snyder design from 1976 that received an extensive renovation in 2005. The golf course is shorter and has a lower slope/rating compared to its sister Royal Ka'anapali course, but also plays narrower in most spots. Many holes are tucked into the West Maui Mountains The golf course is women-friendly with a forward set of "Hibiscus" tees at 4,522 yards, and also less expensive to resort guests and visitors compared to Royal Ka'anapali, which has played host to numerous professional events.

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Kaanapali Kai Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1976
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Jack Snyder (1976) Robin Nelson (2005)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code Proper golf attire must be worn at all times

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Accolades

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Reviews

4.3
425 Reviews (425)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Great course

Got a good deal on green fees because greens had been areated. There were only 4 greens where work was noticeable and it did not affect play. Well maintained course, great views. No pressure to play faster and cart showed we were consistently ahead of pace. Overall, a great round of golf.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Previously Played

I get it

First off yes the course was punched but that wasn’t even the issue. They seemed to take advantage of other course closing. The greens were really bad. The weeds you had to putt through was insane. I felt like I wasted money on just that only.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Not worth the hype

For the amount of money we paid for to play here, we were expecting a better experience. The greens were not good at all! They were bumpy, patchy, they were dried out, so it was hard to keep your putts on line. We have played less expensive courses on Maui that had exceptional greens. The fairways were also uneven and had patches of dryness at times. We really wanted to enjoy our experience here, but it was a somewhat of a letdown. Now… if the greens and fairways were in better conditions, it would have been an excellent course.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 10
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Greens patchy

A lot of greens patchy with poa like grass. Bunkers need sand and to be worked on. This is the little sister to the main, Royal course, and it feels like it is kept that way (as an afterthought).

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Plan ahead

The guy at check-in told us that the Royal had been punched, which we appreciated, so we played the Kia which is up in the foothills not along ocean. Course was in fair shape. Green on few holes terrible.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 54
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Nice course with great views

The course was in great shape with nice greens. The views are spectacular from a lot of the holes. Great value for the area.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Solid Track

Kaanapali Kai is a very solid track, with enjoyable holes throughout. It’s pretty open, so there are not a lot of penalties for errant drives. Tee boxes and fairways are in good shape, but some of the greens have bald areas. Sand traps are very well-maintained and fair. All in all, I’d call it a solid 4 star course that is slightly overpriced, but considering location, it’s worth your time.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great Value

Friendly staff, nice layout for a 20 HC; some of the island courses are too difficult unless you’re a scratch golfer. The condition I rated 4 because of areas of burned, or no grass in some of the fairways, but the greens were ok. Very nice views from the holes on the upper elevations.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Staff

Clubhouse staff ,range staff and starter were friendly and awesome but cart attendant acted like this was the last place in the world he wanted to be

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 29
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Good Day, No Tourists

You have to catch the Kai on a slow biz day, it’s a known course for tourists that haven’t played golf before and are looking for an activity.

It’s a nice course to play when you can play at a normal pace.

No beer sales offered, I haven’t figured this out yet. You buy beer at the restaurant next door and they have you buy some mandatory chips. Even Utah has evolved on beer policies past this.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Friendly service, fun course, great views

The views are spectacular the courses of challenge. The people that worked there are very friendly and very helpful. I’d play here again.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Save ur cash

The golf course sucks. It’s short, the greens were extremely slow and grainy. Extremely overpriced for conditions. Course offers zero alcohol, the course has one bathroom. The tee boxes are not flat. Brown dead spots all over. Save ur cash

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Fair
Pace Fair
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Overall enjoyable experience

I had a good time on this course because it’s a little bit shorter and more reasonable for a high handicap player. The staff was very nice and handled everything very quickly. Golf carts were top notch with good GPS tracking. The only criticism I have is that the greens are very bumpy. There are a lot of weeds on the greens that make it very impossible to make any putt over 15 feet. Other than that, it was great.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
2.0
First Time Playing

Muni conditions at resort prices

The Kai course is simply not worth the price of admission. Nearly every green was sanded, yet no one on staff made us aware of it, nor were any discounts offered. There is no food at the turn, and you will be lucky if you see the cart girl more than once — so beware. Pack your own lunch and drinks. Or better yet, avoid the Kaanapali courses altogether and head down to Wailea Emerald or Gold (Blue not recommended) or up to Kapalua. Yes those courses are expensive, but you will get what you pay for.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Amazing views on a fun course

The Kai course reminded me a lot of the Alabama RTJ trail - it’s a very open course with drastic elevation changes. Found an online rate discount of $83 for a 6:30 tee time, and it was fantastic. The course was in great shape, and there were a few holes with amazing views. Opted to play Kai over Royal due to price, and it was worth it. The Kai course gets a 10/10 from me

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Anonymous
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
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Golf Packages

Ka'anapali Stay & Play Package

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MAUI | Enjoy lodging accommodations at either The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali or the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa and golf at Ka'anapali Kai Golf Course & Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course.
Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course

Ka'anapali Stay & Play Package

CLICK BELOW
MAUI | Enjoy lodging accommodations at either The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali or the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa and golf at Ka'anapali Kai Golf Course & Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course.

Maui Golf Around Package

FROM $557 (USD)
MAUI | Enjoy 4 nights' accommodations at Napili Kai Beach Resort and 3 rounds of golf at Kapalua Resort Plantation Course, Kapalua Resort Bay Course & King Kamehameha Golf Club.

Best of Maui Golf Package

FROM $797 (USD)
MAUI | Enjoy 4 nights' accommodations at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua and 3 rounds of golf at the newly refined Kapalua Resort Plantation Course, Kapalua Resort Bay Course, and King Kamehameha Golf Club.

Best of Hawaii Island Hopper Golf Package

FROM $657 (USD)
Enjoy 9 nights' accommodations at The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Mauna Lani Auberge Resorts Collection, and Timbers Kauai Ocean Club & Residences and 7 rounds of golf at Kapalua Golf Club (Plantation and Bay courses), Princeville Makai Golf Club, the Ocean Course at Hokuala and Mauna Lani Golf Club (North and South courses).
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