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. Between the North and South courses here, we recommend the South. Even though some of the holes are a little hokey, its rugged back nine is probably the most thrilling of all at Makena.
As for courses that are worth renting a car to play, we’d first have to go with the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort (kapalua.com). Aside from offering sheer beauty and a true, championship golf experience, you’ll relive your round again and again when you see the PGA Tour playing there on TV each year at the season-opening Mercedes Championship.
For something really different, you may also want to check out the Dunes at Maui Lani (dunesatmauilani.com). It’s more of a linksy course like those in the UK and Ireland, and, like them, it winds through a series of ancient sand dunes, which are rare in lava-based Hawaii.
Another option is to take the short ferry ride across to Lanai to play either the Challenge at Manele or the Experience at Koele, both unforgettably dramatic (and recently renovated) courses. Details on making the journey coming soon in a tip devoted entirely to this topic.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
On the plantations for the price not always in good condition, I would ask or even try to find out from locals condition before playing. That has been my experience. Thanks M Lyons
You may want to check with the Makena course pro shop. I was there about 3 months ago and they were under a major renovation. The South course was closed for construction.
I’ve played in Maui about 25 times and have written course reviews on almost all the public courses. Best value for money is Kahili. Wailea Emerald is stunning. Kapalua is overpriced. Ka’anapali had good deals, Dunes was fun challenge… Check out all my reviews here: http://www.golfgal-blog.com/search/label/Maui%20Golf
Make it a point to take the Ferry to Lanai, it is the best golf that I have found and you can get specials that include Ferry fee out of Lahina Harbor, Maui, green fees in the morning at The Challenge at Manele, then hit the Experience at Koele’ in the afternoon, Ferry back to Maui in the evening watch the Sun set on the boat…Great days experience and you won’t find anywhere on the Islands greens as nice as these. Del
Hey Del! Thanks so much for that suggestion. I often wondered what it was like golfing on Lanai – our condo overlooks it. I will try it in Nov when I am there again. Thanks! Gayle http://www.golfgal.ca
We have a tip on playing the Lanai courses when staying on Maui, complete with how to get there, departure points, travel time, prices, etc. Just type “Lanai” into our search box and it’ll come up.