Question:
I’m going to be in Hawaii in November and have researched a few courses on Oahu, but I would welcome anyone’s input on the following courses: Hawaii Prince, Coral Creek, Ko Olina, Sheraton Makaha, Mililani, and Hawaii Kai. Feedback on other courses not listed here is certainly welcome, too. I play to a 7, and I will probably be a single looking to join others for my tee times. Thanks in advance for your response!
Response:
Hawaii Prince: good condition, but surprisingly boring – 27 holes. By Arnold Palmer. Coral Creek: Enjoyable and good condition, but quite short. Passpallum fairways and greens – a grass variety that will stop your club if you hit fat. Ko Olina: Excellent condition, pricey. Ted Robinson course … sort of artifical-pretty. Makaha Golf Club (Sheraton no longer): Excellent course, long and challenging, pretty good condition. Do not confuse this with Makaha Valley CC, its sister course which is pretty junk. Mililani: Skip this one, o.k. but mediocre Hawaii Kai: Skip this one, also o.k. but mediocre. Other Recommendations: Links at Kuilima: Excellent course by Arnold Palmer – also passpallum fairways. As a 7, you should make a visit to Ko`olau. Slope 154 from regular mens, with two more difficult tees behind those. Take your camera … probably the most spectacular vistas in all the Islands, right at the base of the Koolau Mountain Range. Take what the course gives you, don’t try to take more than it offers, you will not win. Bent greens that hold. Luana Hills: Sort of a mini-Ko`olau by Pete Dye. Same amount of danger off the tees, but if you hit the fairway only a short iron to bent greens that hold. Also very spectacular views … back nine referred to as "Jurassic Park".
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m going to be in Hawaii in November and have researched a few courses on Oahu, but I would welcome anyone’s input on the following courses: Hawaii Prince, Coral Creek, Ko Olina, Sheraton Makaha, Mililani, and Hawaii Kai. Feedback on other courses not listed here is certainly welcome, too. I play to a 7, and I will probably be a single looking to join others for my tee times. Thanks in advance for your response!
Response:
I highly recommend Pearl Country Club. Just a mile or so uphill from Aiea. Built mostly for the benefit of locals but it is a great parkland type layout built on challenging sloping terrain. Also it’s not ordinarily that difficult to get on. Good view of Pearl Harbor too! As a 7, you should make a visit to Ko`olau. Slope 154 from regular mens, with two more difficult tees behind those. Take your camera … probably the most spectacular vistas in all the Islands, right at the base of the Koolau Mountain Range. Take what the course gives you, don’t try to take more than it offers, you will not win. Bent greens that hold.
I’d be skipping Koolau nowadays. It is in poor condition. 4 years ago it was great. The course doesn’t drain well, the fairways are always on the shaggy side, the greens have weeds, and so on. The jungle is winning. I don’t think that they can continue to keep Koolau open without completely reworking the drainage system and converting the greens to bermuda. That would cost millions of dollars, which would never be made up by play (it’s not terribly conveniently located) and so my prediction is that it will close and never reopen within 10 years. Luana Hills: Sort of a mini-Ko`olau by Pete Dye. Same amount of danger off the tees, but if you hit the fairway only a short iron to bent greens that hold. Also very spectacular views … back nine referred to as "Jurassic Park".
I would eschew Luana Hills because of all the bad juju associated with its construction. It was featured prominently in a Frontline episode called "The Fixers," about Nora and Gene Lum, two political fixers who were involved in various corrupt enterprises including the construction of this golf course–which involved the bulldozing of many small farms and horrible ecological damage. Plus, it’s not a great golf course. -joseph