The Kohala Coast is the warmer dry side of The Big Island of Hawaii, and offers one of the best collections of resort golf anywhere in the Hawaiian Islands. Just north of the Kona International Airport and spread across 20 miles of the Kohala Coast are 6 beautiful lush green resort golf courses carved out of the contrasting black lava fields. These courses are in 4 different resort areas, serviced by 7 full service resort hotels that fit a wide variety of budgets.
Heading north from the airport are the following:
The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai:
Hualalai is a stunning example of the ultimate Hawaiian resort golf experience. Unfortunately, you will have to book a stay at the resort to play the Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, which is a private resort golf club and home to the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. The course is exclusively available to registered hotel and rental guests, or Hualalai Club Members. The coastal resort exemplifies casual elegance and all of the luxury amenities one might expect from a Four Seasons property, and offers a complete golf experience, including a 9 acre practice / instruction facility and their Hualalai Golf Hale. The Golf Hale offers an entertainment, instruction and performance center featuring cutting edge technology like Trackman bays and even an indoor TopGolf® Swing Suite®. While Hualalai might be out of reach of those on a budget, it is truly a bucket list experience for the golf and resort enthusiast. Unlimited golf packages are available.
The Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort:
The Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort is the ultimate family resort area and home to the Waikoloa Beach Resort Golf Course. Featuring a 27-hole golf experience, that lets guests mix and match three distinct 9-hole offerings to design their own golf experience each day, or for the hard core golf enthusiast that will simply play all three for extended 27-hole rounds. The course is serviced by two full service resort hotels within a larger resort village with an abundance of restaurants, shops and entertainment options. There are also many other lodging options in the resort including private vacation rentals and time-share rentals. The Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort is a vast 62 acre oceanfront resort hotel complex built around a four-acre ocean fed lagoon and beach, amazing ocean front pool areas and even a Dolphin Quest complex which is a dolphin learning experience. A tram and electric boats move guests around the resort and to it’s restaurants, bars and extensive spa facilities. The Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa is another beautiful oceanfront full service resort here, and features a variety of restaurants and pools, along with fitness and spa facilities, and offers wonderful views of Anaeho’omalu Bay.
Mauna Lani Resort:
Mauna Lani Resort is spread out over 3,200 acres and over 3 miles of ocean frontage on the Kohala Coast and has an understated elegance and historical significance with ancient fish ponds and prehistoric petroglyphs. The resort is home to two luxury ocean front hotels including The Mauna Lani Resort Hotel and The Fairmont Orchid Hotel (Golf Special Available). Each of these offer all of the amenities you would expect at a luxury oceanfront resort hotel, including fine oceanfront dining experiences, multiple restaurants and some of the best beach and waterfront pool areas on the island. The resort area also has it’s own shopping center with a market, shops and several restaurants outside of the resort hotels. For the avid golfer, Mauna Lani Resort features two championship courses managed by Troon Golf. The South Course is a bit more scenic with holes along the ocean and was the past home of the famous PGA Senior Skins game. It offers the signature par 3 15th hole that requires a lengthy carry over the water, and is one of the most photographed holes in Hawaii. The North Course is a bit more challenging and features it’s iconic par 3 17th hole featuring a full amphitheater of lava that encircles the green. The golf offerings don’t stop there, and also features the “WikiWiki Course”, which is a separate nine-hole short course that’s perfect for the whole family.
Mauna Kea Resort / Westin Hapuna Beach Resort
The Mauna Kea Resort is home to two resorts. The iconic Mauna Kea Beach Hotel was the first resort hotel on the island. Developed by Laurance Rockefeller and sitting over a spectacular beach, it has stood as the original premier luxury beach resort on The Big Island for over 50 years and welcoming generations of travelers to Hawaii. Featuring a true bucket list worthy golf course, the legendary Mauna Kea Golf Course was created in 1964 by Robert Trent Jones Sr., with lush fairways along seaside cliffs and offering incredible ocean and coastal views. It’s signature 3rd hole (featured image) is an epic over-the-ocean hole demanding accuracy. The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort is the second resort in this special area of the Kohala Coast, however, it is no less spectacular. The resort stretches across the coast above it’s namesake white-sand beach and all guest rooms are ocean facing with their own lanai. The Hapuna Golf Course is a links-style Arnold Palmer / Ed Seay design course with dramatic elevation changes going from sea level up to 750 feet, and providing majestic ocean and island views from much of the course.
This writer has traveled extensively around the Hawaiian islands, and has had the opportunity to play all of these courses with the exception of Hualalai. I have also stayed at several of these resorts as well as visiting all of those listed many times. I can’t recommend this area of the Kohala Coast enough for golf enthusiasts and non-golfers alike. Over the last 20 years it has really exploded in popularity, but due to the size of the island and vast geography, it has kept much of its charm and character. The golf courses highlighted above and their associated resorts all have different characteristics, and most avid golfers could spend weeks here every year vacationing and not get tired of the variety and quality of these courses and resort communities.