Played Mauna Lani North this morning, as the first round of my Big Island trip. The course is very nice, not too difficult, but it has enough going on to keep you on your toes. I bet it plays much tou... Continue »

Played Mauna Lani North this morning, as the first round of my Big Island trip. The course is very nice, not too difficult, but it has enough going on to keep you on your toes. I bet it plays much tougher when there's some wind, which thankfully I didn't have to deal with today. Conditions were excellent just about everywhere, the greens rolled very well, consistently quick without being over the top. Fairways were absolutely amazing to play from, rough wasn't too thick, and the ball often sat on top of it so it wasn't too much of a penalty to miss a fairway. Tee boxes and traps were all very nice as well.

I don't think the North gets as much play as the south, probably because it really doesn't have any holes running along the ocean. I was in the second group of the day, playing as a single, and got around incredibly fast, especially once I caught this foursome that was kind enough to let me play through. Essentially, I had the place to myself and really had a blast. Since I'm staying at the resort, I also got a little bit of a break on the price. Definitely worth it, I'd play it again in a heartbeat.