Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (Hawaii Island)

A lot of money for no services. No food no drink no cart girl no changing room. Just over priced and unfriendly personnel.

Course was in great shape and there were fabulous views on multiple holes.

For a high end resort course in Hawaii, the course conditon was only fair, and the condition of the bunkers was mediocre. Many definitely need refreshing (some sand would be nice) and rebuilding.

Sanded greens bad. Paid lots of money for crappy greens. Should have been told ahead of time

Quite challenging, lots of sand, raised greens on most holes. Great views and wide fairways. Pick the right tee box for your game, shorter is still tough

I picked up a deal the day before and teed off at 9:36 with 3 other men. "List price" is $295, but there are several ways to play for significantly less. By consensus our group played the tournament tees (approx 6800 yards), though the resort tees (6350) would have been more appropriate for me - and probably the rest of us, too. Nevertheless we got around in about 3.5 hours, despite going up to the black tees on #3 for photos and futile swings with old balls, and one or two other little diversions. The course was in excellent condition. It features many elevated tees and expansive ocean views. Surrounding homes frequently come into view, but rarely come into play. Visually this is one of the more attractive courses I've played. Fairways are generally wide. There is not a lot of rollout off the tee shots, but some fairways feature side slopes that will kick your ball off the ideal line and towards trouble if you don't play them strategically. In contrast to it's sister course, Hapuna, Mauna Kea will not repeatedly exact a lost ball penalty for off target shots. Covid regulations meant no rakes lying around the bunkers, but unlike most places I've played recently, we each had our own rake attached to our golf cart. Therefore the sand was in fine shape. No one can accuse this course of being inadequately bunkered. The course is very hilly. I didn't count, but it seems like many more than half of the greens were elevated to some degree. The greens are defended with large steep-lipped bunkers, some rough, and some closely-mown collection areas,. My sense is that weaker golfers and those who struggle to get the ball airborne may be in for a frustrating round, as there are several holes where "rolling it on" doesn't seem like a viable option. Putting surfaces are mostly moderately contoured. There are several tiered greens with more severe internal breaks. Overall I thought the greens were entertaining. Service and pro shop merchandise are as expected in a high-end resort.

very challenging and not a course for higher handicappers, but the course has it all

Traps were not in very good condition and very often hard pan. Drink cart didn’t have any mixers for adult beverages on a Wednesday in February (high season). Overall demeanor of employees is poor. Teach them to wave, smile & maybe say hello to their customers!

A very challenging course, but location and course layout are great, but you really better be able to hit the ball well