Maui Hawaii golf vacation packages at Wailea should include its Gold and Emerald (pictured) courses, not the Blue.
Here’s the latest example of why you need an unbiased golf vacation advisor in your corner.
The other day, I received a press release touting, “the ultimate golf vacation experience” for Maui, Hawaii golf vacations.
It described a “world class” Hawaii golf package at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa that included golf on the “legendary” Wailea Blue Golf Course, the “grand lady of Wailea golf courses.” The price seemed pretty attractive, too.
Now, I recalled reading a review of Maui, Hawaii golf vacations in a recent issue of Golf Odyssey, so I logged into the members-only library and brought up the story.
I’m glad I did, because Golf Odyssey had quite a different perspective on the Wailea Blue Golf Course. Read more →
The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai is the best place to stay on Big Island of Hawaii golf vacations
Today’s tip explains how to get a deep discount at the best place to stay on Big Island of Hawaii golf vacations.
You’re probably already aware that the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai is the primo place to stay on the Big Island. In fact, it reportedly enjoys the highest occupancy rate of any Four Seasons hotel in the world. Its 243 rooms and suites start at $725 per night.
But, if you’re traveling with a group of friends and/or family on a Hawaii golf vacation, you’ll be interested to know that you can stay in elegant homes and villas within the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai development, and the cost works out to be much less (assuming you’re sharing it). Read more →
The Kapalua Plantation Course is one of the best Hawaii golf courses you can play.
Why is this week the one in which you’ll likely have more in common with the guys on tour than at any other time of the year? For one thing, they, too, are getting back to work after some much needed holiday rest and relaxation. For another, they’re kicking off the 2009 PGA Tour season this Thursday on a spectacular golf course that you can play on your very own Hawaii golf vacation: the Kapalua Plantation Course in Maui, Hawaii.
Unlike some PGA Tour courses, selected more because of deals with the sponsor or the availability of parking than on merit, the Ben Crenshaw/Bill Coore-designed Kapalua Plantation Course lives up to every expectation. It is, hands down, the best of the Maui golf courses you can play, and some would say it’s the best among all Hawaii golf courses. Read more →
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I sure hope president-elect Barack Obama’s future cabinet members advise him better than the person who recommended the Hawaii golf courses to play on his Oahu, Hawaii golf vacation.
On December 21, Obama played at Olomana Golf Links (olomanagolflinks.com), followed by two rounds at the private Mid Pacific Country Club (mpcchi.org); one on Christmas Eve and one yesterday. If you haven’t seen the photos, you can view them here and here.
These two Hawaii golf courses have some appeal — Olomana is a fun, but short, sporty course, and Mid Pac’s first eight holes were designed by Seth Raynor in the late 1920s — and Obama most likely played them because of their proximity to his rented house in Kailua on Oahu’s southeast coast, but there are better options not much farther away. Read more →
Amazing Hawaii golf courses, like Lanai's Challenge at Manele, are only a short ferry ride away from Maui.
Two of the best courses you can play on a Maui, Hawaii golf vacation aren’t on Maui at all, but on the nearby island of Lanai.
We’re talking, of course, about the Jack Nicklaus-designed Challenge at Manele (on the coast) and the Ted Robinson/Greg Norman-designed Experience at Koele (in the island’s mountainous interior). Getting to them from Maui is an easier day trip than you might think. Read more →
Q: My wife and I are planning a Maui golf vacation. What are your picks for golf in the Makena and Wailea areas, and which other Maui golf courses are worth seeking out if we rent a car or taxi?
Wailea's Gold layout is one of the Maui golf courses we wholeheartedly recommend.
A: If you have to choose between playing the Maui golf courses at Wailea or Makena, we recommend Wailea (waileagolf.com). And, of its three layouts, Gold, Emerald, and Old Blue, the Gold and Emerald courses are the best bets.
As Golf Odyssey readers will be advised in the upcoming April issue:
“Don’t waste your time or money playing Old Blue…It’s neither well designed nor scenic. The course, on par with many a well-maintained muni, is littered with condominiums. At $155 for Wailea Resort guests [$185 for the general public] Old Blue may well be one of the most overpriced courses in the United States.”
The two Maui golf courses at Makena (makenagolf.com) are good, too, and offer more “serious” golf, but, based on our multiple visits, the course conditions are not as consistently good as they are at Wailea. Read more →
Make this card your business if you
You probably don’t think of Hawaii golf courses when you’re looking for discount golf vacations, but deals do exist. There are, of course, the everyday and deeply reduced kama’aina (pronounced, “ka-muh-EYE-nah) rates, but you had better be able to prove that you’re a local if you ask for them.
Aside from that, some of the best deals we’ve found are available through the Golf Hawaii Card (hawaiigolfdeals.com).
The Golf Hawaii Card works like other golf passes you may have seen, except for three big differences: Read more →
Kapalua Plantation Course
If your handicap index is anything like mine, we’re likely to have more in common with PGA Tour pros this week than any other time of the year. Like the rest of us, they’re getting back to work after some much needed holiday rest and relaxation. And, more importantly, they’re kicking off their 2007 season tomorrow on a spectacular golf course that we can play on our very own Hawaii golf vacations. Read more →
