Turtle Bay Resort (Oahu)
About Turtle Bay Resort (Oahu)
Turtle Bay Resort is located on Oahu's North Shore, about 45 miles from Waikiki in Honolulu. This resort features 410 guest rooms and suites plus a small collection of larger cottages and villas. Its north shore location makes it accessible to many hiking and biking trails on this rugged section of Oahu. Among the most popular off-course activities are a "Surf's up with some pups" excursion where you can cruise waves with energetic pups, horseback riding and take surfing lessons with a professional. The golf club features two 18-hole courses and a putting course.Facts
Amenities
Services
Rules
Golf courses at Turtle Bay Resort (Oahu)
Images from Turtle Bay Resort (Oahu)
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
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17th green view Photo submitted by u000004255925 on 01/03/2026
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Don’t blink, a single ocean view. Photo submitted by RDG3 on 11/18/2025
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Photo submitted by u000001907849 on 04/23/2025
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Photo submitted by cherub2187 on 02/28/2022
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Photo submitted by cherub2187 on 02/28/2022
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Photo submitted by u510087104 on 07/05/2021
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Photo submitted by u510087104 on 07/05/2021
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Photo submitted by u510087104 on 07/05/2021
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Photo submitted by u510087104 on 07/05/2021
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Photo submitted by u7326787 on 11/17/2019
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Photo submitted by ChuyGomez on 01/04/2013
San Framcisco
Fun course, greens were a little rough the day I played. All skill levels would have fun playing. Very open layout.
GREAT location and VIEWS!
Always in decent shape. Can play long if it's a windy day!! Bunkers and BLIND water hazards can make it challenging so be sure to take a guide or study your map on the back nine! Rarely crowded on weekdays.
Not what i expected.
I was disappointed with the " normal style"of this golf course, for the price, the name, ....average! one hole on the water, foe a better price play the Hawaiian prince!
No Ka Oi
If you hav not had the pleasurable experience of playing a round of golf at the Palmer course at Turtle Bay, you have not truly experinced the joy of golf on the North Shore. Awesome fairways and greens, play for fun on the white or lower tees OR challenge yourself and friends from the blue or black. Either way you will enjoy your round thoroughly.
Palmer Course
I played this course twice last year and it was a wonderful golf experience. Course conditioning was excellent and scenery was spectacular. A fair course with wide fairways and demanding second shots. Look forward to playing again in the future.
Palmer Course: Always a Pleasure
Play the Palmer at Turtle Bay? No doubt about it, the Palmer never fails to please. Anticipation rises on the drive to the course, and from the first tee to holing out at 18, it doesn't let you down. It's a golfing challenge for all skill levels surrounded by the natural beauty of the North Shore. Then, there's Lele's!
Bad Condition
This course is in terrible condition. They don't even have real tee boxes. The fairways don't have grass, the bunkers are concrete. Greens are in rough shape but they do place the pins to the better areas. If you are within 10 fee with ur approach you should be okay. Not worth the money.
I Expected More
Being from the Island, Turtle Bay has always been a place, which in my mind, that was supposed to be really nice. I was disappointed with the condition of the course. The greens on the front nine had many bare patches and the bunkers throughout the entire course had very little sand. My drive rolled out of one the fairway bunkers! Caught a break there, but the course got it back in the next green side bunker.
The layout is fun though. Par 3's are fun. Short par 5's.
Only paid $35 so not too bad. Wouldn't pay regular day rate though. The course needs some love.
Beautiful Course
Nice course, a little too pricey for a course that isn't that close to the Ocean. You see the Pacific on Only 3 of the holes. No ball washers, no refreshment carts, no marshall, we got lost twice.The staff was Awesome and we rented their clubs. Super helpful, but kinda lazy. The grass in the course was not ideal, super hard greens and sand was not giving. Lots of Hawaiian Crabtree grass in and off fairways. HOLE 17 IS AMAXING, LOOKS LIKE NORMANDY
Tough FRICKIN course and I would definitely go back...with a Discount coupon ofcourse!
Not a Resort Facility
This course has no ball wash facilities at any tee box.
The only drinking water on the course are one on each nine- dispensing hot/warm water. The sand traps lack sand and maintenance. Fairways on the front are patchy and burnt out and there are no marshals to maintain the pace of play.
Don't go to Fazio
Greens were concrete and ground had no consistency. Maybe just the time of year but I would not play for free
wharrison13
This course is the jewel of Oahu. It runs along the North Shore coastline and the views are spectacular! There are challenges galore at each of the four tees. My honey and I played from the gold and the red. The fairways are pristine and the greens fast. The afternoon wind keeps you thinking and the "risk/reward" holes are plentiful! After the round stop by Lei Lei's and have a home made chocolate cookie! All around, this course is well worth the money!
Fantastic greens
Great course, very friendly staff. The greens were amazing; super smooth and consistent. It's not along the coast, but the placement of trees and rocks make it a beautiful course. Not cheap though ( I'm used to military rates). The rental clubs are new Titleists and Scotty putter; sweet.
GREAT design. 17th green is amazing.
Clubhouse is like an old municipal, could use a refresh in a big way. Food and service are very good, though. Range is beat up and doesn't represent the quality of the golf course. VERY long drive to first tee. First 2 holes are bland but the strength of the course builds with every hole after that. By the 4th hole you can see that this is an outstanding design and the back nine is fantastic. Fairways were absolutely perfect carpet. Same with most tee boxes. Unfortunately, greens were very bumpy and beat up. Hopefully they will get that squared away and this will be a tremendous experience. The final 3 holes are spectacular. Standing on the 17th green is special. Great challenge from the 6,800 yd tees for this 8 hdcp.
For Full Effect Pick a Tradewinds Day
Beautiful but brutal golf course, long off the tees into a ferocious tradewind blowing from the Northeast. Your concentration is challenged by impossibly long holes and gorgeous oceanscapes. Good humbling experience.
The bunkers on the George Fazio course at Turtle Bay Resort need some TLC
Bunkers, by definition, are supposed to be hazards. But when those sand traps are virtually unplayable - as they were the day I played the George Fazio course at Turtle Bay Resort - that's a serious conditioning issue that needs immediate attention. Virtually every greenside bunker featured a thin layer of sand on top of a rock-hard bottom. Wedges would 'bounce' off of this hard pan, blading the ball across the green, often into the bunker on the other side. It wasn't just me. Every player in the group experienced this frustration. Finally about the 16th hole, I realized you had to bury your wedge deep into the hard stuff just to keep the ball on the green.
Beyond the bunkers, the Fazio is actually quite a fun 6,628-yard layout. Take advantage of the par 5s, several of which play short, because the par 3s are quite tough. The two par-3 tee shots on the front nine, No. 2 and No. 8, must carry water. And I have to rave about the 277-yard 14th hole, where I drove the green and made the eagle putt. If I can drive the green, it's doable for anybody. Take your shot.
The golf course of choice on Oahu's north shore
The last time I played the Palmer course at Turtle Bay nearly two years ago, I got pummeled with rain and couldn't finish the round. My latest round was bathed in sunshine and the beauty of Oahu's north shore. The okay front nine eventually gives away to a fun and challenging back nine. Our foursome was test-driving a new 'Golf Skate Caddy', a cool cross between a motorized golf cart and skate board that made the day even more interesting. Golfers who drove the one-man machine gave mixed reviews. I enjoyed it and thought it was easy to use and a perfect way to add a little spice to the golf experience at Turtle Bay. Back to the course, the Palmer can be tamed if there's no wind. When the breeze kicks up, balls tend to find the bunkers and water that frame the target lines. It's as good as resort golf gets on Oahu.
Turtle Bay Resort's Palmer course provides a good reason to visit Oahu's North Shore
Turtle Bay's Arnold Palmer course hasn't hosted the PGA Tour like Kapalua's Plantation course on Maui, but it is one of the most celebrated tournament courses in the Hawaiian islands. It has hosted:
• The inaugural Champions Tour Skins Game (1988#
• The Champions Tour’s Turtle Bay Championship #2001-2008#
• The LPGA Tour’s SBS Open at Turtle Bay #2005-2009#
• The Turtle Bay Resort Hawaii State Open #2009-2011)
• The Golf Channel’s “Big Break”
Water takes center stage on the Palmer. Too bad that doesn't include the ocean often enough.The layout flirts with the fabled North Shore, but never ends up kissing it intimately. The excellent 17th hole, a sand-splashed par-4, ends at an elevated green overlooking the water. The green of the par-5 18th hole provides a glimpse of crashing waves between the trees. It's a good finish to a solid test of golf.
Flawless
I can't believe I almost missed out on playing this course because I didn't have a way to get there! Luckily I was able to find HiGolfGuide just in time, and they were able to give my wife and I a free ride. It does take a long time to get out there, but on the way you get a nice little tour of the island. We started early and actually played the Fazio Course in the morning and the Palmer Course right after lunch. The Fazio course was nice but the Palmer course was awesome. The greens were flawless and approach shots didn't even make a mark! The fairways were like carpet, but the rough was penalizing. The layout was great too, requiring a wide array of shots. This course fulfilled all of my expectations, and I look forward to playing here again. One of the nicest courses on the island.