World's 10 toughest golf courses.
Ko'olau Golf Club is known as one of the toughest courses in the country. Courtesy of Ko'olau G.C. A deep bunker runs up the left side of the eighth green at Ko'olau Golf Club on Oahu.
KANEOHE, Oahu, Hawaii -- Carved from a tropical rain forest in the shadow of majestic mountains, Ko'olau Golf Club remains one of the most difficult golf courses in the world. Ko'olau's sheer beauty -- and challenge -- attracts just as many players as it repels.
To enjoy the day, come for the scenery -- not a score. Ko'olau Golf Club's first hole, a tight and winding downhill par 5, and the demanding 18th hole, a par 4 highlighted by epic carries on the tee and approach shots, combine to form arguably the toughest bookends in golf.
The Ocean Course is one of the world's most famous courses. Top on our list has to be the Pete Dye-designed Ocean Course. Dye designs golf courses so difficult and torturous that he's earned the nickname "The Marquis de Sod."
Big IslandNO CONTEST—Hawaii's Big Island (aka Hawaii Island). With six readily accessible resort courses and four daily fee venues on the Kona/Kohala Coast side of the island, a comparison to the other three major islands leaves the others coming up way short.
The South Course At Torrey Pines Golf Course — San Diego, California. While all the courses on the U.S. Open rotation are challenging, the South Course at Torrey Pines is among the most demanding.
Nanea is perhaps Hawaii's most architecturally renowned course.
OahuOahu. With more golf courses than any other island, golfers of every skill level from around the world flock to Oahu.
Toughest Courses (Season)RankingCourseYardage1Southern Hills CC75562Augusta National Golf Club75103Bay Hill Club & Lodge74664TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm716033 more rows
Spyglass Hill Golf CourseSpyglass Hill Golf Course is rated one of the toughest courses in the world from the Championship tees, boasting a course rating of 75.5 and a slope rating of 144.
Maui, HawaiiKapalua Golf - Golf Course in Maui, Hawaii.
The Plantation CourseThe Plantation Course is the site of the PGA TOUR's Sentry Tournament of Champions each January featuring an elite field of previous year's PGA TOUR winners.
WaialaeWaialae subsequently over seven decades has hosted major golfing events and since 1965 has been the prime and only venue for the annual official Hawaiian PGA TOUR tournament.
Golf on Maui is that memorable. Choose from 14 courses (several of which are ranked at or near the top of the “world's best” lists) designed by noted course architects and golfing luminaries such as Arnold Palmer and Ben Crenshaw.
16 golf clubsBig Island. The island of Hawaii has 16 golf clubs: Big Island Country Club, Kailua-Kona. Hamakua Country Club, Hamakua (9 Hole)
MolokaiNickname: The Friendly Isle, ʻĀina MomonaSatellite image of MolokaʻiLocation in the state of HawaiʻiGeographyCoordinates21°08′06″N 157°00′36″W15 more rows
Turtle Bay Palmer – This course on Oahu’s North Shore is highly regarded and considered the best golf course on Oahu and one of the best on all of the islands. Turtle Bay Palmer, an Arnold Palmer signature design, was aptly named as one of the Top 100 courses by Golf Digest.
Hapuna Golf Course – This spectacular course is set on Hawaii Island’s northwest Kohala Coast. It’s a favorite with guests, as well as with the residents of the island. The course, located amidst a lava field, has set the standard in Hawaii for the best design that integrates a golf course within natural environments.
Riddled with fiendish pot bunkers the course has even become part of a phrase in 21st century warfare -- the Carnoustie effect meaning the "psychic shock experienced on collision with reality by those whose expectations are founded on false assumptions.".
Yes, 967 bunkers on one course. That's an average of almost 54 per hole. Some of them are so small there's barely room for golfer and ball. Some of them are barely recognizable as bunkers, as Dustin Johnson found to his cost playing the final hole at the 2010 US PGA Championship with a one shot lead.
Matt Turner/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images. The Palm Course at Saujana is so tough it's been nicknamed "The Cobra" and its fangs have tested many of the world's top golfers as it's hosted six of the last 13 Malaysian Opens, a co-sanctioned European/Asian Tour event.
Courtesy Doug Knuth/Creative Commons/Flickr. The longest golf course in the world at 8,548 yards, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain includes a 711-yard par-five (and two more that measure over 680 yards), a 525-yard par-four and a 270-yard par-three.
The Ocean Course is one of the world's most famous courses. Andrew Redington/Getty Images North America/Getty Images. Top on our list has to be the Pete Dye-designed Ocean Course. Dye designs golf courses so difficult and torturous that he's earned the nickname "The Marquis de Sod.".
Bethpage Black, New York, United States . For the "highly skilled," or foolhardy, only. This course, one of five at Bethpage State Park in Long Island, New York, is so tough it has a sign by the first tee that reads "The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.".
Another Pete Dye-designed exercise in masochism, Whistling Straits is suitably located on the site of an abandoned artillery range on the shores of Lake Michigan. When current world No. 3 Lee Westwood first saw the course he said, "I'd been told there are 10 difficult holes and eight impossible ones.
On the stunning Kona Coast near the beach town of Kailua-Kona sits the Club at Hokulia. Opened in 2002, the exclusive Hokulia is the only private oceanside golf club on the Big Island. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course spans three miles and 1,550 acres of prime Hawaii real estate with panoramic ocean views.
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Kaupulehu 100 Kaupulehu Dr. Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel 62-100 Mauna Kea Beach Drive Kohala Coast, Hawaii 96743
Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele 1 Keomoku Hwy., Lanai City, HI 96763
Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay 1 Manele Rd. Lanai City, HI 96763
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea 100 Wailea Golf Club Dr. Wailea, HI 96753
Tee off like Tiger and enjoy pristine ocean-side turf at the home of the PGA Tour's Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Maui. Set on a 22,000-acre, historic pineapple plantation and flanked by both the Pacific Ocean and the West Maui mountains, the public, par-73 Kapalua Plantation Course offers a stunning setting for a day on the green.
Mauna Kea Golf Course will always be dear to my heart because of its incredible ocean vistas, splendid Robert Trent Jones Sr. design and the fact that it's the first course I ever played in Hawaii. It really set the bar high. It also has a wonderful history and terrific restoration story. Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player hit the first shots there in 1963 on the signature hole, the breathtaking par-3 third that plays over an ocean so blue you'll think you're looking at a painting. The hole can play as long as 272 yards, and the course is some 300 yards longer than it used to be thanks to a renovation by RTJ's youngest son, Rees Jones, in 2008. With its new greens, turf and bunkers, it's still in incredible shape, and you can still see the ocean from the majority of holes. You also get first-class service along the way, including two comfort stations stocked with complimentary snacks and sodas and an impeccable range and short-game area and great weather on the Kona Coast. And for a double bonus, stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Resort. With its private beach, great dining and wonderful rooms (the bathrooms are incredible), it's one of the most romantic spots in Hawaii.
Unlike the other islands, public golf on Oahu isn't replete with ocean views. In fact, my favorite course on Hawaii's most populated island, the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, has only one ocean view -- the 17th -- but it's more than worth the wait. Meanwhile, the rest of the course is more than interesting. The former home of both Champions and LPGA tour events works its way around the Punaho'olapa Marsh, a 100-acre preserve that is home to many endangered species of Hawaiian birds. But the Palmer Course is really two golf courses in one. The front nine has sort of a links feel; the back nine has plenty of majestic trees, many of them tall ironwoods that can definitely influence your shot making. There is also water on all but one hole, and if the wind is up, be prepared to dunk a few golf balls. And the 17th is beautiful and difficult with length, bunkers and an incredible view of the ocean.
Oahu is widely considered to be Hawaii’s best spot for golf, with exceptional courses dotted across the island. Among the finest is Turtle Bay Resort, featuring two distinguished courses – one Arnold Palmer and another George Fazio-designed – to accompany its world class resort facilities including sumptuous accommodation, gourmet dining and an indulgent spa. Back to the golf itself, both courses offer different challenges. The Palmer course is considered a major challenge while the Fazio course is generally more forgiving, with a walker-friendly layout that meanders among traditional Hawaiian Palms while skirting the North Shore. Visitors can also make use of equipment hire, a well-equipped shop, and even an on-site golfing academy.
Poised amid 32 tropical acres on the Kohala Coast on Hawaii’s Big Island, Fairmont Orchid’s golf facilities invite visitors to enjoy a game in the vicinity of cascading waterfalls and a tranquil white sand beach and lagoon. Part of the Fairmont Orchid resort, the 36-hole Francis H. I’i Brown Golf Club features holes edged with dramatic volcanic rock formations, while alongside it is an award-winning 45-hole championship course designed with two distinct 18-hole complexes, each capturing unique characteristics of the local landscape. If you’re not staying at the resort, day passes are available for use of its fabulous amenities that include an award-winning Spa, a 10,000 square foot oceanfront pool, Hui Holokai Beach Club offering ocean and cultural activities, six restaurants, year-round children’s program, fitness centre and tennis pavilion.
Home to three award-winning courses, consistent sunshine, and postcard-worthy vistas of Mount Haleakala and the Pacific Ocean from every hole, Wailea Golf Club is perched on Maui’s west coast in Wailea, adjacent to Wailea Beach. Part of the Waldorf Astoria-owned and operated Grand Wailea Resort, the club is considered ideal for golfers of all levels, with delicately manicured fairways. Among the courses is a Blue Course located on the lower slopes of Mount Haleakala, offering lush green landscapes. There’s a Golf Academy inviting you to perfect your game with world class golf instruction, while the resort itself has eight restaurants and bars, a water complex with nine interconnected saltwater pools, and a state-of-the-art health club.
Located on the island of Lanai, the Jack Nicklaus-designed Manele Golf Course is quite simply luxurious charm personified. Set within the grounds of the Four Seasons resort, the course’s spectacular natural setting – featuring three holes perched on cliffs, enlisting the Pacific Ocean as a water hazard, along with tee shots over natural gorges and ravines – assures jaw-dropping views and challenging play for players of every aptitude. Services and amenities include a golf shop, private instruction and beginners programs, and access to the latest performance-tracking golf technology. Course access is exclusively available to Resort guests.
One of the world’s most stunning golf and resort locations, Princeville Makai Golf Course – part of the upscale Princeville resort on the rugged Na Pali coast in the north of Kauai – features immaculate course conditions and six ocean front holes. With something for both the casual golfer seeking a leisurely 9-hole round with family and friends through to seasoned players wanting to test themselves on the challenging 18-hole course, the resort is a sheer delight. Among the venue’s outstanding facilities are a driving range, clubhouse, locker rooms, pro shop and Makai Grill restaurant, while other services include clubs and electrified buggies for hire and golf tuition.
Situated adjacent to the Grand Hyatt Resort and Spa on the island of Kauai’s sun-kissed south shoreline, the acclaimed Poipu Bay Golf Course enjoys an idyllic setting complete with expansive ocean views and seashore paspalum greens. The course is also home to a number of significant historical sites, including ancient Hawaiian heiau (places of worship) and handmade stone walls dating back over 500 years. As for the golf, the ocean-links style course plays host to the annual PGA Grand Slam of Golf, one of the world’s most prestigious golfing tournaments. On-site amenities include a large clubhouse with a restaurant and lounge, a golf shop, and comfortable locker room facilities.
Many of its courses are part of luxury resorts and are set against a backdrop of beautiful beaches, rocky shorelines and lush green mountains, while the onshore breezes that are typical of links courses create challenging conditions for seasoned golfers keen to really test their mettle amid the gorgeous panoramic views.
Panelists were also free to write in courses that they felt should have been included on the ballot (we had fewer than a handful of such additions in the U.S. vote). Points were assigned to each bucket; to arrive at an average score for each course, we divide its aggregate score by the number of votes.
Best golf courses in Hawaii, according to GOLF Magazine’s expert course raters. Nanea Golf Club is No. 1 in Hawaii, according to our course raters. For every great course that made GOLF’s 2020-21 ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S., dozens of more must-plays were left on the outside looking in — including at least a handful in your home ...
Count members of the local high school team among the lucky few who enjoy access to this private Shangri-La, which was designed by David McLay Kidd on behalf of Charles Schwab and investment giant George Roberts. Working on a hardened-lava site that commands an ocean panoramic, McLay Kidd threaded fairways along the black-rock flows, and fringed them with fountain grasses that call to mind the fescue of a British links. The rest of the place is pure Hawaii. Five copper domes on the low-slung clubhouse mimic the island’s five volcanos, while the short par-4 14th has a split fairway that invites you to play over or around a mini-crater’s dormant rim.
The first splashy golf development on the Big Island was Mauna Kea, a landmark Robert Trent Jones Sr. resort course that opened for play in 1965. In more recent decades, other big-name projects have come in waves, a number of them private, including this oasis on the Kona Coast. Sheltered from the strongest winds but kissed by ocean breezes, Hokuli’a sweeps along gentle slopes, with ocean views from nearly every tee box. Several fairways skirt protected cultural sites, while an understated Polynesian-style clubhouse adds to the sense of a property in tasteful sync with its surroundings.
Stretched against the stark, dark canvas is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design that makes a striking study in contrasting shades and textures, all ebony and emerald, framed by the ocean. It’s a composition of rare beauty that doubles as a fair, compelling test.
Formerly known as Kauai Lagoons, this daily-fee resort course, near Lihue Airport, began as a 36-hole extravaganza, only to shrink, under different ownerships, to 27 holes and, more recently, to 18. Jack Nicklaus, the original designer, seized upon the strengths of the coastal setting by taking the best of what was left.
For any golfer huddled in a winterized home — or for pretty much any golfer, anywhere — the imagery of palm trees swaying in the trade wind while large aquatic mammals frolic in the background is a form of torture and temptation. Ah, Hawaii.
Manele Golf Course, Lanai. In 2012, tech billionaire Larry Ellison bought the entire island of Lanai, but Manele still owns the southern coast. From its commanding perch over Hulopoe Bay, with start-to-finish views of white sands and turquoise waters, this Jack Nicklaus Signature design could get by on looks alone.
Kukui’ula, Kauai. A few groups on the course count as a crowded morning at Kukui’ula, the only private golf club on Hawaii’s Garden Island. But even when it’s “busy,” the sheer scale of the property is apt to make you feel like you’ve got the whole joint to yourself.
In Hawaii, you can play through lush rain forests and over hardened landscapes of black lava. There are courses in the sky-piercing mountains and lagoon-dotted lowlands. There are dunes-y layouts, tucked along the water, that could almost pass for Scottish links.