Kapolei GC was built by Ted Robinson in 1995 and hosted the LPGA Hawaiian Open for several years till 2001. It's a solid test of golf with immaculate conditioning and a number of man made lakes and water features. The layout is very reminiscent of a Florida golf course. Fairly flat, lots of water and sand and palm trees. I wouldn't say it's an extremely memorable golf course, but it won't disappoint. There's wonderful practice facilities and a full service clubhouse.

The course was built within a housing community and the lack of elevation changes means there is no feeling of being near the ocean, except for the inevitable winds. The course is sort of in between Honolulu and Pearl Harbor, so it is pretty conveniently located to the urban areas of the island. Overall, Kapolei isn't the "ideal" Hawaii course to play on vacation, but if you're just looking for a nice place to play while on Oahu, Kapolei fits the bill.

Kapolei Golf Course Review
Oahu Hawaii Golf Course Reviews

I played here years ago, but I still think about the shots and views from my round at Ko'Olau all the time. You'll find the course listed annually as one of the toughest courses in the USA. Lots of forced carries, elevation changes and well protected greens & fairways. Check your ego at the door and pick the right set of tees for your game. Be sure to bring plenty of golf balls too.

The course is inland on the island of Oahu at the base of the Ko'Olau mountains. The course is carved out of the rain forest and the routing isolates each hole unto itself. You'll rarely run into other golfers and you won't come across holes running adjacent to each other. The views along the mountain base and the forest are stunning. The holes are framed beautifully by the natural features in addition to some dramatic bunkering. Every aspect of your game will be tested. The demanding shot values remind me of playing La Purisima out in Lompoc, CA.

You won't mind losing a dozen balls at such a beautiful and unique golf course. The experience is certainly worth the toll on your game. If you're on Oahu, make a point to play Ko'Olau. You won't forget it.

Ko'Olau Golf Club Course Review
Oahu Hawaii Golf Course Reviews

The Ocean Course at Kona Country Club provides a pleasant, Island golfing experience. You got holes along the ocean, fine conditioning and challenges from wind and terrain. It's a nice starter for golf on the Big Island or simply an enjoyable, recreational round. A good example of "resort" golf, perfect for the novice or infrequent golfer.

I would say the courses along the Kohala Coast north of Kona provide a more challenging, memorable and robust golf experience. The courses up north are certainly more popular, so you should be able to find some good deals at Kona CC. Be sure to check on the internet for deals on any Big Island course, but especially for Kona Country Club.

Kona Country Club Course Review
Big Island Hawaii Golf Course Reviews

The South Course at Mauna Lani Resort is a must play for any golfer visiting the Big Island. Sure, it's gonna cost ya (though you can certainly find some deals on the internet), but as in most things in life, you get what you pay for. You have the stunning ocean holes (par 3 #15 is their signature hole and is one of the most beautiful holes you will ever play), the beautiful green fairways carved out of the volcanic rock and immaculate conditions. This is what golf in Hawaii is all about. The wind can be a challenge, but if the course is very fair with no gimmicks. Just great views and a unique golf experience that you won't find anywhere else but in Hawaii.

Mauna Lani Resort Golf Course Review
Hawaii Golf Course Reviews

While Hapuna does not have holes along the ocean like many of the bigger name courses on the Big Island, the significant elevation changes provide a different type of challenge and beatuiful views of the island and ocean from above. The first few holes take you up into the hills that gently rise away from the ocean. The bulk of the remaining holes play atop the hills and provide numerous panoramic views of the island and the ocean. The last few holes take you back down the hills to the clubhouse.

The golf course is essentially right across the street (inland) from the Mauna Kea resort. Greens fees are a little less expensive than some of the other courses nearby largely due to its distance from the ocean. However, all the elevation changes provide a nice contrast in playability. The fairways are generous and the greens are more undulating than other island courses due to all the elevation changes. The conditioning was great as well.

I played here at the end of March and I saw one other person on the course during my entire round. I would highly recommend playing Hapuna, especially in between rounds at the bigger name courses (Mauna Lani, Mauna Kea, Hualalai). You'll enjoy it just as much as the other courses and will pay a lot less. Great value.

Hapuna Golf Course Review
Hawaii Golf Course Reviews

Run by the Oregon Golf Association, the OGA golf course is a fun, playable and challenging course with great amenities to serve all your pre- & post-round needs. The practice facilities are top notch with chipping & putting greens and grass driving range. I did not eat at the course, but I've heard wonderful things about the food offerings. The OGA hosts a number of events at the course, so all the amenities are designed to best serve large groups as well as individuals.

The course winds through farmland, an adjacent housing development and a grove of hazelnut trees. There's a good variety of tight and open holes that require good strategy off the tee and provide opportunities to play conservative and aggressive. There are a few quirky holes that are more "target" oriented and put a very high demand on accuracy and hitting to a certain yardage. However, these quirky holes do not detract from the quality of the course. The greens are normally in very good condition and are challenging, but fair. The variety in layout of the holes is carried on to the green structures. Some have significant slopes and ridges, while others are relatively flat and straightforward.

Overall, the course strikes a great balance between challenging and playable. The better player will need to make solid strategic decisions and hit quality golf shots to score, while the average player will enjoy the challenge without feeling beaten up or lose a dozen balls. The holes that are away from the housing development are especially pleasing to the eye. The course is very walkable and the staff and amenities are stellar.

Oregon Golf Association Golf Course Review
Oregon Golf Course Reviews

The newest course at Bandon Dunes Resort has quickly become many people's favorite of all the 4 courses. Built as an homage to famed golf course architect C.B. MacDonald (credited with first introducing and popularizing the game in the USA), the course highlights his signature holes and features. The "Redan" par 3 has a green that slopes from the front right to the back left. The "Biarritz" par 3 has an enormous green divided by a giant valley running perpendicular to the line of play. The "Alps" hole is a risk/reward par 4 where the second shot is played over or around a giant hillside peak that blocks your view of the green.

I think Old Mac is the most user friendly of all the 4 courses which might be why it's so popular. It has all the hallmarks of a true links course and strikes the perfect balance between challenging and fun. There are always options to play the ball in the air or along the ground as well as options to play conservatively or aggressively. The first 2 and last 2 holes play more "inland" in the sand dunes, while the rest of the course is routed in a valley adjacent to the ocean and a huge ridge of sand dunes. There aren't many ocean views, and there isn't quite as much gorse on Old Mac as on Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes, which adds to the playability.

Overall, Old Mac is a huge success and serves as another prime example of true links golf. It celebrates the history of golf coming to America as it was passed from Great Britain. If you are visiting Bandon Dunes for the first time, I'd suggest playing Old Mac first (after spending a few hours at the practice facility) to hone the skills you'll need to play links golf. Then play the other 3 courses and finish off with one more round at Old Mac. The course serves as a great introduction and celebration of all that is great about links golf.

Bandon Dunes Resort Review
Bandon Oregon Golf Course Reviews

Out of the 4 amazing courses at Bandon Dunes Resort, most people will say that Bandon Trails is their least favorite. That's more of a testament to the greatness of the other 3 courses than a real slight to "Trails". The course winds its way in and around the coastal forest. None of the holes play along the ocean, but you certainly will hear the ocean sounds on all the holes. There are a few holes that are exposed to the wind, but many holes are sheltered by the forest.

All of the characteristics of links golf are found at Trails (firm sand-based turf, deep & penal bunkers, strategic options from tee to green), so you'll use the same shots here as the other 3 true link courses at the resort. With all of the trees, you have to be more precise off the tee than the other courses. Also the routing or lines of the holes are a little more straightforward since most of the holes are carved out of the forest.

Bandon Trails is more of a "players" course where shotmaking is more of a premium from tee to green. It's a little less "user friendly" than the others. I think better players will appreciate Trails a lot more than the higher handicap player. The look of Trails and the challenge is a great contrast and change of pace compared to the other 3 layouts. It sort of rounds out the entire Bandon Dunes experience.

Overall, it's very hard to beat playing any of the courses at Bandon Dunes, but Trails appears to be the ignored step-child of the bunch. After playing it I can see why, but it's definitely worth playing, especially if you're planning on playing multiple rounds at the resort. I would recommend playing Trails after playing 1 or 2 rounds at the other courses. You'll need to hit the ball well to really enjoy Trails and you'll need to have your "sea legs" under you as well.

Bandon Dunes Resort Golf Course Review
Bandon Oregon Golf Course Reviews

Built in 1931, Broadmoor GC is an old, quirky layout bordering the Portland Airport. It starts off with a drivable par 4 with 3 par 3s and 3 par 5s on the front nine. The back nine has just 1 par 3 and 1 par 5. There is a wide variety of par 4s on the course. Several holes have approach shots played severely uphill to shallow greens. Several are short and straight-away. And several are very demanding due to length or trees. The rates are very affordable, but the conditions can be spotty at times.

The course hosted the 2011 Oregon Amateur Public Links event. The greens were lightning fast for the event, but that's not normally the case. There might be better courses to play in the area, but Broadmoor offers a no-frills golf experience and it's usually not too crowded. Proximity to the airport means you will likely see/hear planes buzzing overhead. Be aware that there is no driving range at the course.

Stone Creek GC is a Peter Jacobson/Jim Hardy design in Oregon City, OR. It has become one of the top public facilities in the area based on its reasonable green fee ($36 - $42), great conditioning, top-notch practice facilities and playability. In addition, the course is hands-down the best course in the area to play in the wet, winter months. Kudos to modern drainage.

The front 9 is relatively flat with a few lakes that come into play on 2 holes. The layout is pretty straightforward, the greens are mostly elevated and in the medium-large size category with some gentle slopes. The fairways are pretty generous and there's lots of bunkers protecting most of the greens. Play aggressive on the front because the back will be a tougher test.

The back 9 has much more elevation change than the front and you'll need to be much more precise off the tee to score well. All the par 4s are demanding. 2 are long with well protected greens and 2 have blind tee shots down into a valley with the approach played steeply uphill to the green. The 12th hole is definitely one of the best holes in Oregon. It plays downhill from tee to green (so you can see the entire hole in front of you), framed beautifully by a hillside and trees down the right side of the landing area and a natural grassland hazard down the entire left hand side. The fairway narrows at the 150 yard mark so you can layup to the wider part of the fairway or play aggressive past the bottleneck to have a short iron into the green. The hillside on the right gives players a bailout area that can bounce the ball back into the fairway. The approach is played into a right-to-left sloping green protected by bunkers on the right and the hazard on the left. It's a tough, fair hole that epitomizes golf in Oregon.

The condition of the course is always superb, especially when you consider how much play the course gets year-round. Play can be slow at times due to a crowded course and a high number of tournaments/outings hosted at the course, but pace of play is certainly above average when compared to other public courses in the Portland area. The greens are always in good shape, but I'd say it's rarely in great shape. That might be due to the heavy traffic on the course and the speed stays in the medium range pretty much all year round. For the most part, they are normally pretty true.

Overall, Stone Creek is a regular part of my rotation and is my primary place to play in the Winter. The practice facility is excellent with a large grass range, pitching/bunker area and a large putting green. The staff is always friendly and helpful. The course is usually full with good reason. Call ahead, but you'll be happy with what you'll find when you're out there.

Redtail is a Portland muni that was redesigned maybe 6 or 7 years ago. In my mind it's a Championship layout that suffers from slow play and spotty conditioning. While the rates are fairly affordable, they are slightly higher than the other Portland muni's. The course's proximity to Beaverton means the course gets a lot of play by a lot of novice golfers.

The greens at Redtail are pretty large and very undulating. I think this aspect is a big contributor to the pace of play. It's very challenging for the skilled player, but punishing for the novice. To combat this, the greens tend to generally be slower than other courses (and unfortunately bumpier). As a single digit handicap player, the condition of the greens is a major strike against the course. Of course if the greens were smooth and quick, the majority of golfers would have an even harder time.

The course starts off with a few easy par 4s and builds from there. The back 9 is much more demanding, especially off the tee. There are no "easy" par 4s on the back 9 as most play pretty long with well protected greens and several water hazards coming into play.

Redtail does do a very good job of promoting golf in the community. They have a number of teaching programs for kids and adults and the pro shop has a very large inventory of everything a golfer needs. Also, the course was recognized as one of the best club fitting facilities in the country. The driving range is covered and is one of the better facilities in the area, despite that it's mats only.

While Redtail has a lot to offer, the course design really serves the better golfer rather than offering playability for its mostly novice clientele. Most better players or serious golfers will avoid Redtail because of slow play and conditioning. For me, the course would be a great test of golf if the conditions were better. I play Redtail sparingly and try to avoid "peak" times. The course is very muddy in the winter time so I only play the course in the drier months.

Forest Hills GC is a beautiful little gem located between Portland and the Oregon Coast. Set amidst the foothills and farmland, the course feels far removed from the complications of modern life both in design and in location. It's a little course out in the country that is interesting, challenging and fun. It was designed by William Bell (Riviera CC, Bel Air CC, Los Angeles CC) in the 1920s and offers a great variety of demanding holes and birdie opportunities.

The course's primary defense are the greens. They are very undulating with substantial back-to-front slopes. You want to keep the ball below the hole to score and missing long is normally big trouble. Also, you want to take advantage of the par 5s where 3 out of 4 of them are reachable in 2 by most skilled players. Being in the foothills, there's a rolling nature to the terrain. Not overly hilly, but enough elevation change to keep you guessing.

The condition of the course is definitely in the above average category. It feels like a Muni with modest amenities, but it's a very pure golf experience. You will be challenged and you will have plenty of opportunites for pars, birdies, and maybe eagles. It's a secluded setting absent of any pretense and the perfect spot for a round of golf played as a "walk in the park". It's a perfect place to play between rounds at Pumpkin Ridge and The Reserve. A friendly reminder that golf doesn't have to have all the bells and whistles to be memorable and enjoyable.