Best Big Island Golf Courses to Play & Book | Hawaii Tee Times
Planning a golf trip to the Big Island of Hawaii?
You picked one of the most distinctive golf destinations in the Hawaiian Islands.
Golf on the Big Island is different. Here you'll find emerald-green fairways cutting through ancient black lava fields, spectacular Pacific Ocean views, mountain scenery and golf holes built along Hawaii's rugged coastline.
Some of the island's courses feature unforgettable ocean holes, while others wind through dramatic lava landscapes that simply don't exist in most golf destinations.
For 25 years, Hawaii Tee Times has been helping visitors book discounted golf throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
We are a local Hawaii golf company. Our staff knows the courses we sell and can help you decide where to play based on where you're staying, your budget, your handicap and the type of golf experience you're looking for.
Book your Big Island golf online with Hawaii Tee Times or call us and let our local Hawaii staff help plan your golf.
Big Island Golf Courses You Can Book with Hawaii Tee Times
Whether you're staying in Kona, Waikoloa, Mauna Lani, the Kohala Coast or elsewhere on the Big Island, Hawaii Tee Times offers a wide selection of golf courses at different price points.
Here are the Big Island golf courses you can book through Hawaii Tee Times.
Mauna Kea Golf Course
Mauna Kea Golf Course is one of the most famous golf courses in Hawaii.
The Robert Trent Jones Sr. design is known for spectacular coastal scenery and one of Hawaii golf's most recognizable holes — the famous par-3 third hole playing across an ocean inlet.
This is the type of golf course many visitors imagine when they think about playing golf in Hawaii: ocean, lava, elevation changes and unforgettable views.
Best for: Premium resort golf, ocean scenery and golfers looking for a signature Big Island round.
Hapuna Golf Course
Hapuna Golf Course offers a different perspective of the Kohala Coast.
Designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay, the course climbs into the terrain above the coastline and provides expansive views of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding landscape.
Hapuna is an excellent choice for golfers looking for a championship-style course with beautiful scenery and a slightly different feel from the courses sitting directly beside the ocean.
Best for: Ocean views, Kohala Coast golf and an excellent resort-golf experience.
Mauna Lani South Course
Mauna Lani South Course is one of the Big Island's most memorable combinations of ocean and lava golf.
The course features several holes beside the Pacific, including its famous par-3 15th hole. Black lava surrounding the green and the blue Pacific beyond create exactly the type of scenery golfers travel to Hawaii to experience.
During the winter months, golfers may even spot humpback whales offshore while playing the ocean-side holes.
Best for: Ocean holes, lava scenery and a premium Hawaii golf experience.
Mauna Lani North Course
Mauna Lani North Course offers another outstanding Big Island golf experience, but it has a different character from the South Course.
The North Course moves through rolling terrain and ancient lava fields. Its signature par-3 17th is set inside a dramatic natural lava amphitheater.
If you're staying at Mauna Lani or elsewhere on the Kohala Coast and have time for two rounds, playing both the North and South courses gives you two very different golf experiences at the same resort.
Best for: Lava landscapes, resort golf and golfers planning multiple Big Island rounds.
Kona Country Club — Ocean Course
If you're staying in the Kona or Keauhou area, Kona Country Club should be on your list.
The William Bell-designed Ocean Course features genuine oceanfront golf and some spectacular views of the Pacific.
Its signature holes include the par-3 third and par-4 13th, and the course gives visitors a chance to experience golf immediately beside Hawaii's rugged coastline.
Best for: Kona visitors, ocean holes and golfers looking for coastal Hawaii golf.
Makalei Golf Club
Makalei Golf Club gives golfers a completely different Big Island experience.
Located above the Kona Coast, Makalei offers elevation changes, cooler conditions, tropical vegetation and expansive views toward the ocean.
It can also offer excellent value compared with some of the island's premium resort courses, making it worth considering if you're planning several rounds.
Best for: Value, elevation changes, Kona-area visitors and golfers looking beyond the major resorts.
Makani Golf Club
Makani Golf Club is another course that shows how diverse Big Island golf can be.
Designed by Perry Dye, Makani is an inland course with lakes, wide views and mountain scenery rather than an oceanfront resort layout.
It's an excellent course to mix into a golf vacation if you've already played several rounds along the Kohala or Kona coastline.
Best for: Value, inland scenery and golfers looking for a different style of Big Island golf.
Waikoloa Golf — Three Different 18-Hole Combinations
Waikoloa offers 27 holes divided into the Beach, Lakes and Kings' nines.
That allows golfers to book three different 18-hole combinations through Hawaii Tee Times.
This is classic Big Island golf, with wide views, black lava fields and holes that bring the Pacific Ocean into the experience.
Waikoloa Beach / Kings
This combination pairs the Beach nine with the Kings' nine.
The Beach nine features one of Waikoloa's most memorable holes, where the fairway runs between black lava fields toward the ocean. The Kings' nine adds a more inland experience surrounded by extensive lava terrain.
Waikoloa Beach / Lakes
Combine Waikoloa's coastal Beach nine with the Lakes nine for another excellent 18-hole option.
This pairing gives golfers a mix of ocean scenery, lava, water features and resort golf.
Waikoloa Lakes / Kings
The Lakes / Kings combination moves away from the coastline and highlights another defining feature of golf on the Big Island — ancient lava fields.
The Kings' portion of the course is particularly striking, with fairways surrounded by vast areas of black lava and views toward Mauna Kea.
Volcano Golf Course
Want to experience something completely different?
Volcano Golf Course provides an opportunity to combine golf with a visit to the Volcano area of the Big Island.
This is not a quick trip from Kona or Waikoloa, so plan your day carefully. If you're staying on the west side of the island, travel time can be approximately 2.5 to 3 hours each way.
Important: Hawaii Tee Times currently lists only the back nine as open, with an 18-hole booking involving playing the same nine twice. Check the booking page or contact us for the latest course conditions before planning your day.
Best for: Golfers exploring the Volcano area and visitors looking for something completely different from resort golf.
VIEW VOLCANO GOLF COURSE TEE TIMES & CURRENT STATUS
Why Is Big Island Golf So Different?
The Big Island was built by volcanoes, and that geology is part of the golf experience.
On many Big Island golf courses, fairways and greens appear as ribbons of green surrounded by massive areas of black lava.
On the coastline, the contrast can be spectacular: green fairways, black lava and the deep blue Pacific Ocean all in the same view.
Courses such as Mauna Kea, Mauna Lani South and Kona Country Club bring golfers close to the ocean, while Waikoloa and Mauna Lani North highlight the island's dramatic lava landscape.
Then courses such as Makalei and Makani show an entirely different side of the island.
That's why the Big Island is such a good destination for golfers planning multiple rounds.
Where Should You Play on the Big Island?
There isn't one correct answer.
Where you're staying matters because the Big Island really is big.
If you're staying around Waikoloa, Mauna Lani or the Kohala Coast, courses such as Mauna Kea, Hapuna, Mauna Lani and Waikoloa are natural choices.
If you're staying around Kona, Kona Country Club, Makalei and Makani may fit your itinerary particularly well.
The best strategy is usually to combine one or two premium ocean or resort rounds with another course that gives you a different view of the island.
Call Hawaii Tee Times and tell us where you're staying, how many rounds you want to play and your approximate budget.
Our local staff can help you build a golf schedule that makes sense geographically as well as financially.
Save on Big Island Golf with Hawaii Tee Times
Golf on the Big Island can be expensive, especially at the major resort courses.
That's exactly why it makes sense to compare rates before you book.
Hawaii Tee Times has been selling discounted golf in Hawaii for 25 years.
We work with golf courses across the Big Island and the other Hawaiian Islands to help visitors find competitive tee-time rates.
Instead of searching every golf course individually, use Hawaii Tee Times to compare your options and book your golf in one place.
Why Book with Hawaii Tee Times?
Hawaii Tee Times is not a mainland company trying to sell Hawaii from thousands of miles away.
We're a local Hawaii golf company.
For 25 years, we've been helping visitors decide where to play and helping them save on Hawaii golf.
Our staff understands the courses, the islands and the travel distances involved.
If you're not sure whether you should play Mauna Kea or Mauna Lani, whether Waikoloa makes sense for your group, or which Kona course offers the experience you're looking for, call us and ask.
We'll help you choose based on your actual trip — not simply sell you the most expensive tee time.
Book Your Big Island Golf
The Big Island gives golfers something that's difficult to find anywhere else in the world.
Ocean holes. Black lava. Mountain views. Resort courses. Local courses. And golf in one of the most dramatic landscapes in Hawaii.
Play Mauna Kea, Hapuna, Mauna Lani North or South, Kona Country Club, Makalei, Makani, Waikoloa or Volcano.
Hawaii Tee Times has been helping golfers play Hawaii for 25 years.
Book online or call our local Hawaii staff and let us help plan your Big Island golf.
VIEW ALL BIG ISLAND GOLF COURSES & BOOK TEE TIMES
Local Hawaii knowledge. Discounted tee times. 25 years helping golfers play Hawaii.
