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The Best Golf Courses
Oahu is golf country, with 5 municipal, 9 military, and 20 private courses to choose from. The courses range from 9-hole municipals, perfect for beginners, to championship courses that stump even the pros.
Ko Olina Golf Club (tel. 808/676-5309): Golf Digest named this beautiful 6,867-yard, par-72 course one of "America's Top 75 Resort Courses" when it opened in 1992. The rolling fairways and elevated tees and a few too many water features (always where you don't want them) will definitely improve your game or humble your attitude.
Turtle Bay Resort (tel. 808/293-8574): Of the two courses to choose from here, we recommend the 18-hole Arnold Palmer Course (formerly the Links at Kuilima), designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay. They never meant for golfers to get off too easy -- this is a challenging course. The front 9 holes, with rolling terrain, only a few trees, and lots of wind, play like a course on the British Isles. The back 9 holes have narrower, tree-lined fairways and water. In addition to ocean views, the course circles Punahoolapa Marsh, a protected wetland for endangered Hawaiian waterfowl.
Makaha Resort Golf Club (tel. 808/695-7111 or 808/695-5239): Readers of Honolulu named this challenging course Oahu's best, and in 2002 the readers of Golfweek rated it in Hawaii's top 10. An hour's drive from the crowds of Honolulu, this William Bell-designed course is in Makaha Valley on the island's leeward side. Incredibly beautiful, sheer, 1,500-foot volcanic walls tower over the course, and swaying palm trees and bright bougainvillea surround it; an occasional peacock even struts across the fairways. "I was distracted by the beauty" is a great excuse for your score at day's end.
Olomana Golf Links (tel. 808/259-7926): This gorgeous course in Waimanalo is on the other side of the island from Waikiki. The low-handicap golfer may not find this course difficult, but the striking views of the craggy Koolau mountain ridges are worth the greens fees alone. The par-72, 6,326-yard course is popular with local residents and visitors. The course starts off a bit hilly on the front 9, but flattens out by the back 9. The back 9 have their own special surprises, including tricky water hazards.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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