Golf courses in Kohala Coast, HI.

Kohala Coast, HI

Mauna Kea on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii opened in 1964 as a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design commissioned by Laurance Rockefeller. It was built directly on hardened lava, which had to be crushed and covered with soil before grass would grow. The par-3 third is the hole the course is known for, playing from a cliff tee across an ocean inlet to a green on the far side, with no bailout. Elsewhere the golf is long, exposed to trade winds, and framed by white sand bunkers against black rock. Rees Jones completed a renovation in 2008, rebuilding greens and bunkers while keeping his father's routing. The course is open to resort guests and public play.

Kohala Coast, HI

The North Course at Mauna Lani is an 18-hole, par-72 course on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii Island, designed by Homer Flint and opened in 1981. It plays 6,913 yards from the back tees to a rating of 74.4 and slope of 136. The routing runs through a kiawe forest and past a 230-acre protected archaeological area near the northern boundary. The par-3 17th, roughly 140 yards, plays from an elevated tee to a green set in a natural lava amphitheater. The course was built on lava with imported topsoil and is the companion to Mauna Lani's South Course.

Kohala Coast, HI

Hapuna Golf Course occupies high ground above the Kohala Coast on Hawaii Island, part of the Mauna Kea Resort. Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay designed the par-72, 6,875-yard course, which opened in 1992 across a lava-strewn, desert-style landscape well removed from the shoreline. The layout climbs and descends through native kiawe and volcanic terrain, with exaggerated bunkering and wide fairways typical of Palmer's resort work. Ocean and mountain views open up across several holes as the course rises above the coast. It operates as a resort course open to hotel guests and the public.

Kohala Coast, HI

Kohala Coast lava flows and the iconic ocean par-3 15th: the Big Island's most dramatic resort layout.