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3.4
301 Reviews (301)
5 Stars
65
4 Stars
104
3 Stars
58
2 Stars
34
1 Stars
40
Conditions
2.7
Value
3.3
Layout
4.3
Friendliness
4.3
Pace
4.0
Amenities
3.4
68.8%
Recommend this course
207 out of 301 reviews
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2 Stars
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1 Stars
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Conditions
0
Value
0
Layout
0
Friendliness
0
Pace
0
Amenities
0
0%
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0
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Recommend this course
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About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 7310 yards
Slope 153
Rating 78.2

Editor's Note: Course closed for business in 2020.

Course Details

Year Built 1992
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Seashore Paspalum Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Dick Nugent (1992) Brad Bartell

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
Clubs Yes
GPS No

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover, JCB Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Most Improved U.S. Golf Courses (2017 #2)

Reviews

3.4
301 Reviews (301)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
19th Hole Scenic Views 8
Drinks 7
Course Challenges Include:
Forced Carries 37
Narrow Fairways 34
Elevation Changes 24
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 32
Advanced Golfers 29
A Bucket list/Top 100 Pick 19
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 19
Convenient to the City 17

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 28
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Challenging for Sure!

The only word I can use to describe this course is tough. It will challenge you physically and mentally. Take plenty of balls, you will need them. Overall, great experience.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Not Worth the Cost

Took my father-in-law for a round of golf on a scenic course only to be disappointed with the quality fairways, greens, etc.

Good thing we booked through GolfNow as regular price for a round of golf for non-residents is $160USD.

Would not recommend this course to anyone looking for a well maintained course.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/23/2020

Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We see you rated the course 2-stars and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit. We take customer feedback very serious at our course. Please reach out to our team in the golf shop and tell us what's on your mind. Thank you for playing Ko'olau Golf Club.

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Just wow

While my game wasn’t the greatest today, this course is absolutely gorgeous. Would definitely recommend and play here again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing

Beautiful setting. Tough course! Not in great shape

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/05/2020

Hello, lisaryan. Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are sorry to see that your overall experience was anything short of 5 stars, but we hope you'll give us another try in the near future.

Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Wet weather

My last visit to this course

This is my third time to this course, spanning the last 25-30 years. The backdrop of the golf course is stunning, that has not changed. Course condition however was most disappointing. The condition of the grass clearly shows little has been done in terms of maintenance of the fairway, green and honestly the whole course. Little wonder there were very few players. Poor condition of the course makes the course even more challenging....Unforgettable golf experience, I must say.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Extremely Easy
Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/15/2020

Extremely easy???? Uhhmmm this is one of the hardest courses on the planet. My buddy is +3.9 handicap and shot 83.

Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/05/2020

Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve, and we are working towards getting things up to par. Thank you for playing Ko'olau Golf Club. We hope to see you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Wet weather
Used cart

Challenging

Course very challenging. Conditions were wet. Greens were slow and rough.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 01/31/2020

Hello, timwhite. Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We see you rated the course 2-stars and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit. We take customer feedback very serious at our course. Please reach out to our team in the golf shop and tell us what's on your mind. Thank you for playing Ko'olau Golf Club.

Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Very beautiful

We love this course for the views. Great golf course and beautiful scenery! Lost many balls though!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 5
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Beautiful course but poorly maintained

With rental clubs, it was about $200. I wouldn’t golf it for free. The fairways were not mowed and you lost balls in the fairway often.
It does have a nice, challenging layout, and surrounded by beautiful mountains. If maintained, would be great.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/05/2020

Hello u000005460956. Thanks for the review. We see you rated the course 1-star and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit. We take single star feedback very serious at our course. Please reach out to our team in the golf shop. We always appreciate the feedback. Thank you for playing Ko'olau Golf Club.

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
First Time Playing

Unfortunate

This course could be beautiful. The mountain range that runs along the course is absolutely amazing.... it’s the same mountain range you see in the movie Jurassic park. There was no grass except for the greens.... the course was soaking wet. I wouldn’t recommend playing this course unless you have knee length water proof boots and a decent golf game

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 01/21/2020

Hello, Caleb. Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. Your feedback about the course is important to us. With the recent rain we are working to get everything up to par. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve. We are going to escalate your feedback to our team so we can make improvements before your next game. We will continue to work towards an excellent experience by using your comment for guidance. Thank you for playing Ko'olau Golf Club. We hope to see you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 28
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Great Experience

Great experience. Extremely challenging. Worth playing at least once.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
First Time Playing

Great Views

Played there with a Golf Now Hot deal. It rained last night and this morning so the course was soaked. Cart path only and the back nine was closed due to water. The course is challenging and very different than what I play in Texas. The staff was super nice. The snack bar never opened so no food. :(. For the money I would not have played if I had know how rough the course was going to be.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 03/05/2020

Hello, Jamson1806. Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. Your feedback about the course is important to us. With the recent rain were working to get everything up to par. We will continue to work towards an excellent experience by using your comment for guidance. Thank you for playing Ko'olau Golf Club. We hope to see you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing

I can’t recommend

Upon arriving at the course we were told the back 9 was closed due to excess water. They should have advised before hand. Without other options we decided to play 1-9 twice. They had excess water too. Standing water in a couple of fairways. Slippery conditions as I slipped a few times landing on my rear once. The sand traps were flooded. Honestly they should have closed the course. One of the few days I did not have fun on the golf course.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 01/21/2020

Hi Davdchapman. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We apologize for any confusion or misunderstanding regarding your recent reservation. We see you rated the course 1-star and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit. We take single star feedback very serious at our course. You are welcome to comment further or reach out to our team in the golf shop. We always appreciate the feedback. Thank you for playing Ko'olau Golf Club.

Played On
Reviews 2
1.0
First Time Playing

Definitely not worth $130

The worst course ever. Paid ~$130 only to be stuck in the mud for 5 hours.

Terrible drainage and poor course management. The course has so much potential with great views but is not managed at all.

Spoke to a staff after the round. Apparently a lot of people ask for a refund mid-round since the condition is so bad, and the management does not care for the course at all. What a shame.

You will be better off playing at any other courses. Avoid this course at all cost unless they offer $30 per round here.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/29/2019

Hello and thank you for taking the time to review the course. Please tell us more? The way you have provided your feedback does not offer us any room to grow or change. We encourage you to update your review to fit a more constructive form so we can use your experience to make changes. Thanks for playing Ko'olau Golf Club.

Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/29/2019

Hello and thank you for taking the time to review the course. Please tell us more? The way you have provided your feedback does not offer us any room to grow or change. We encourage you to update your review to fit a more constructive form so we can use your experience to make changes. Thanks for playing Ko'olau Golf Club.

Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/29/2019

Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve, and we are working towards getting things up to par. Thank you for playing Ko'olau Golf Club. We hope to see you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

This course has potential but save your money and go to Pali up the street

I was excited to play this course and arrived to a very friendly staff.
They warned us of the slow greens and difficulty of the course, which I was ready for a challenging course. My GHIN is 0.6 so the wife and I thought it would be fun standing on the first tee with all the beautiful Vistas.
Front nine was wet and very little grass in the fairways, no sand in the bunkers and the greens were probably a 4 on the stimp.
We finished the front nine and then the back nine started. I hit in the middle of the fairway on the first four holes on the back and it took 3 to 5 minutes to find my ball. After this and the course be torn up by the wild boars we finally decided to leave.
The condition of the fairways and the greens was so bad.
We travel around a lot and would not recommend Golf Now to advertise this course.
It has so much potential but falls short of expectations.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 12/12/2019

Hi Carynelson. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We see you rated the course 1-star and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit. We take single star feedback very serious at our course. You are welcome to comment further or reach out to our team in the golf shop. We always appreciate the feedback. Thank you for playing Ko'olau Golf Club.

Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

Very Challenging Course

I don't write reviews, but feel compelled to in this case. I really enjoy this course, but always leave a little disappointed because it could be so much better. The Overall Score is 4, but I would have preferred to mark it as a 3.5. Pace of Play: My experience is that pace is generally good. On our last round, we were behind 2 foursomes, who collectively lost 6 balls off the first tee. But, they let us play through after the 3rd and 4th holes. Course conditions: The conditions were not good even adjusted for the fact that it is on the wetter windward side of Oahu (compare this course to Pali--the municipal course next door--which is also subject to the same general weather conditions). The bunkers were almost like hardpan (maybe the biggest disappointment). The back nine was particularly wet, and appears to need an upgraded drainage system. Staff Friendliness. Scored it as a "3" b/c, although the staff we met were friendly, the place seems to be understaffed. Including the person in the snack bar, only saw 3 employees. Value for the money. Although I grew up in Hawaii, I am now a "non-resident". Given prevailing non-resident prices this is a good value, especially if you can find a deal online. Course Layout. Love the layout, its the main reason I keep coming back. The 18th hole--where you must carry a huge ravine on your drive, then carry the same ravine on your approach--is one of my favorite holes. The backdrop for the course is the Ko'olau range--stunning. Definitely take a drive to the back tee on #15. Off Course Amenities. Rated as "Poor" b/c the driving range was closed and the practice greens were much slower and unkempt relative to (most of) the course greens. The food is so-so. Seemed understaffed. High handicappers should bring lots of balls. I enjoy this course, but overall it almost feels like the owners don't really understand golf, and keep investment into it at a bare minimum.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Challenging layout

First time playing this course, course conditions not as good as I would have expected. Greens were sandy and tee boxes needed weeding.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0

Not Worth It

Great views, drainage is needed as it is constantly wet.

They are letting the golf course go, particularly on the back nine.

Sand traps haven’t been touched in ages.

Greens were too slow and needed to be rolled.

Number 1 rated course in OAHU maybe 10 to 15 years ago.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Good
Amenities Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/31/2019

Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve, and we are working towards getting things up to par. Thank you for playing Ko'olau Golf Club. We hope to see you again soon with noticeable improvements.

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