Ka'anapali Kai

About
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.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lava | 70 | 6388 yards | 71.6 | 136 |
Sand | 70 | 6010 yards | 69.4 | 133 |
Sand (W) | 70 | 6010 yards | 76.0 | 133 |
Fern | 70 | 5563 yards | 67.3 | 127 |
Fern (W) | 70 | 5563 yards | 73.0 | 124 |
Hibiscus | 70 | 4522 yards | 62.3 | 110 |
Hibiscus (W) | 70 | 4522 yards | 66.7 | 113 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lava M: 71.6/136 | 376 | 370 | 225 | 308 | 390 | 193 | 395 | 541 | 373 | 3171 | 384 | 182 | 558 | 391 | 220 | 360 | 402 | 372 | 348 | 3217 | 6388 |
Sand M: 69.3/133 W: 76.0/133 | 358 | 351 | 213 | 300 | 357 | 177 | 365 | 510 | 352 | 2983 | 361 | 155 | 536 | 368 | 194 | 340 | 387 | 353 | 333 | 3027 | 6010 |
Fern M: 67.3/127 W: 73.0/124 | 323 | 332 | 189 | 259 | 331 | 159 | 327 | 486 | 334 | 2740 | 335 | 139 | 509 | 340 | 176 | 319 | 373 | 319 | 313 | 2823 | 5563 |
Hibiscus M: 62.3/110 W: 66.7/113 | 293 | 246 | 142 | 233 | 254 | 140 | 186 | 414 | 319 | 2227 | 251 | 119 | 372 | 279 | 160 | 275 | 262 | 306 | 271 | 2295 | 4522 |
Handicap | 9 | 7 | 15 | 13 | 3 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 4 | |||
Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 70 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Bar, RestaurantAvailable Facilities
ClubhouseReviews
Reviewer Photos
-
Photo submitted by joechaffin on 08/23/2025
-
Photo submitted by jewillia on 07/21/2025
-
Photo submitted by jewillia on 07/21/2025
-
Photo submitted by jewillia on 07/21/2025
-
Photo submitted by jewillia on 07/21/2025
-
Photo submitted by Ztucker on 06/18/2025
-
Photo submitted by Ztucker on 06/18/2025
-
Photo submitted by mrz7700 on 02/16/2025
-
Photo submitted by mrz7700 on 02/16/2025
-
Photo submitted by mrz7700 on 02/16/2025
-
Photo submitted by mrz7700 on 02/16/2025
-
Photo submitted by mrz7700 on 02/16/2025
-
Photo submitted by mrz7700 on 02/16/2025
-
Photo submitted by u314159718295 on 04/23/2023
-
Photo submitted by GolferGalWI on 01/31/2023
-
Photo submitted by GolferGalWI on 01/31/2023
-
Photo submitted by Cole9341965 on 08/09/2022
-
Photo submitted by Cole9341965 on 08/09/2022
-
Photo submitted by Cole9341965 on 08/09/2022
-
Photo submitted by u314162083697 on 06/27/2022
-
Photo submitted by u314162045954 on 08/18/2021
-
Photo submitted by Tavo64 on 06/15/2021
-
Photo submitted by Tavo64 on 06/15/2021
-
Photo submitted by Tavo64 on 06/15/2021
-
Photo submitted by u504884013 on 12/18/2019
-
There are some nice views on the Kaanapali Kaui course on Oahu. Photo submitted by JasonDeeganGA on 01/29/2014
-
Photo submitted by Tom4559001 on 11/22/2013
-
25mph cross wind Photo submitted by u000005546095 on 02/17/2013
-
Maui beaches! Photo submitted by u000005546095 on 02/17/2013
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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

Ka'anapali Stay & Play Package
