Played in the ABMC Scramble Event on Tuesday, October 27, and the golf course is in very good condition. Most importantly, I’d consider the greens fully recovered from the aeration process, which was completed exactly four weeks ago, with the only blemish being a few remnants of old ball marks that weren’t attended to in a timely manner.

From a performance perspective,... » More

Played in the ABMC Scramble Event on Tuesday, October 27, and the golf course is in very good condition. Most importantly, I’d consider the greens fully recovered from the aeration process, which was completed exactly four weeks ago, with the only blemish being a few remnants of old ball marks that weren’t attended to in a timely manner.

From a performance perspective, the speeds were a consistent medium-quick pace and rolled fairly true and smooth. While our team missed some makable putts, it would be unfair to pin the blame on the greens. Putts that lacked enough speed broke quite a bit near the cup while those hit just a bit too firm refused to take the break.

With regard to approach shots, I thought the surfaces tended to play on the firm side. Shots hit with a good amount of spin rolled out more than anticipated, whether it was a full iron shot or greenside pitch. For what it’s worth, I was told they’ve been doing a lot of mowing and rolling of the greens over the past couple of weeks, which may explain this.

Fairways were healthy, offered full coverage, and were uniformly cut. As a result, having a good lie to play from was a given. While you may find a few patches of ‘rogue’ turf on a couple of holes, I didn’t notice any bare spots on the course this time around.

We weren’t forced to play out of any bunkers but they were meticulously presented. Fringe areas were in solid shape and tightly mown, which basically eliminated flop shots from around the green, unless the ball happened to be in the rough.

Speaking of the rough, in my view, it’s the great equalizer…or punisher…whether it be along the fairway or surrounding the green. The turf is thick, wiry, and fluffy at the same time, so every shot varies and is determined by the lie. My advice? Avoid at all costs if possible…your scorecard will thank you.

Tee boxes were in good shape, including the Par-3s. I didn’t detect any unevenness but that’s based on where I happened to be hitting from. Didn’t hear of any issues with my playing partners either.

Overall, I give the course a worthy thumbs-up as we head into the latter part of the year. It checked off just about every box as far as conditioning and playability are concerned so now is a good time to get out there.

Rates were increased $3.00 across the board on October 1 but the Per Person Cart Fees remained stable at $22.00 Military and $24.00 Civilian. It’s still a great value compared to other courses in the area, which is further enhanced by the option to walk. Combine all the above with a solid layout that offers a variety of challenges…what’s not to like?
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Played 10-24-26 afternoon riding as a single, and finishing in about 2 1/2 hours. Overall course is in real good condition. Fairways are mostly green with great lies and decent roll out. Rough was very lush and playing 2-3 inches. Was in one greenside bunker that had a good layer of nice white sand. A few of the tee boxes were a little thin, but still playable and level. Greens... » More

Played 10-24-26 afternoon riding as a single, and finishing in about 2 1/2 hours. Overall course is in real good condition. Fairways are mostly green with great lies and decent roll out. Rough was very lush and playing 2-3 inches. Was in one greenside bunker that had a good layer of nice white sand. A few of the tee boxes were a little thin, but still playable and level. Greens were in great shape, rolling smooth and fast and playing a little on the soft side. Fun course to play. Would not hesitate to play here.
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I ran a golf event and played Wood Ranch Golf Club on Monday 10/26.

There are around 20 courses that host my golf events and Wood Ranch GC is easily in the top 5 at providing a fantastic experience.

First: It is an incredibly fun, challenging and beautiful golf course to play. The back nine is hard to top other than maybe the back nine at The Saticoy Club. Se... » More

I ran a golf event and played Wood Ranch Golf Club on Monday 10/26.

There are around 20 courses that host my golf events and Wood Ranch GC is easily in the top 5 at providing a fantastic experience.

First: It is an incredibly fun, challenging and beautiful golf course to play. The back nine is hard to top other than maybe the back nine at The Saticoy Club. Second, it’s always in great shape when we play and Monday, other than the fairways not as lush as our past experiences, it was spot on. Third: It’s a perfect place to stage a golf event with large conveniently located practice facilities, snack bar, bathrooms and 1st/10th tees close to the clubhouse. Fourth: Excellent Service. Fifth: I’ve run over a dozen events at Wood Ranch GC and ALL have been sell-outs.

Take a look at the photos I just posted and please read GDR23’s review below mine for added details.

Thank You EVERYONE that came out to play, Wood Ranch Golf Club and GKers rgm2525, barkydog1, GDR23 for helping run the event.

Our next event at Wood Ranch GC will be January 25th :)

Highly Recommended
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5/5 Stars – A High-Handicapper's Take on Pure Hawaiian Golf

Played the Emerald Course today and it completely lives up to the reputation. As a 20-handicapper from Southern California, I found the course conditions to be absolutely immaculate. The fairways were pristine and wide enough to keep me in play, though the greens were definitely rolling a bit faster than what ... » More

5/5 Stars – A High-Handicapper's Take on Pure Hawaiian Golf

Played the Emerald Course today and it completely lives up to the reputation. As a 20-handicapper from Southern California, I found the course conditions to be absolutely immaculate. The fairways were pristine and wide enough to keep me in play, though the greens were definitely rolling a bit faster than what I am used to back home in SoCal.

The service here is phenomenal. The entire staff was incredibly warm and welcoming right from the start, and our starter, Duncan, was particularly helpful. Since it was our first time playing the Emerald, he took the time to give us some valuable course gouge before we teed off. The pace of play was excellent because they were actively sending players out as twosomes. We finished all 18 holes in a brisk 3.5 hours, keeping the course completely uncrowded and allowing us to move at a great pace while soaking in the ocean views.

The operations here are incredibly dialed in, starting with a unique quirk at the practice facilities. They have dedicated driving range carts that they transfer your clubs into so you can go practice. The range was hitting off real grass today, though mats are an option on other days. The facility also features a massive, two-tiered practice putting green with plenty of target pins instead of traditional holes, plus a dedicated chipping and bunker area. Once you finish warming up, the staff seamlessly transfers your clubs right back into your regular course cart.
For a quick bite beforehand or at the turn, there is a convenient pop-up grill serving fresh grilled Wagyu hot dogs, cheeseburgers, chips, and drinks.

The cart experience itself deserves a shout-out. One thing that absolutely irritates me at other courses is an overly sensitive GPS geofence that locks up your cart the second you step out of line. Whoever programmed the boundaries at the Emerald took the time to do it correctly. It keeps you out of places you shouldn't be going without being overly sensitive and annoying.

As for the course layout, it features some truly memorable holes. It starts right away at Hole 1—a downhill par-4 playing straight into a jaw-dropping view of the Pacific Ocean. On the back nine, you get to play a massive, highly unique double green shared by the 10th and 17th holes.

For my fellow high-handicappers, keep two major things in mind:
First, watch out for the elevated, up-sloping greens. If you don't take enough club to get all the way up onto the surface, you will easily bleed strokes watching your ball trickle right back down the hill to your feet. Second, the greens have a strange break to them. This happened not only to me but also my golf partner—we both had multiple putts that looked dead-on line for the cup, but they would somehow "just miss" at the very end when the exact same putt would normally drop in on any other course.

On the value side, they treat you right by handing you a premium metal Wailea Golf water bottle to keep. You can fill it throughout the course with fresh drinking water, which cuts down heavily on plastic waste and leaves you with an excellent souvenir.

If you are renting, they set you up with a brand new Callaway Quantum set, and the rental package nicely includes a Wailea golf ball pouch along with 6 logoed balls to keep. If you want to skip rentals and just grab an extra souvenir, the pro shop has a massive variety of Wailea gear to commemorate your trip. Just be forewarned on the pricing: a single sleeve of Wailea-logoed Titleist Pro V1 golf balls will run you a steep $29.

Even with the tricky greens and premium gift shop pricing, it is a phenomenal experience and an absolute must-visit on Maui.

Just keeping it in play,
The Late Starter
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Played Native Oaks on 10/27. Last week of Cart Path Only.

Course is in really nice shape. Greens do have a bump here and there, but coverage is good, and I suspect after the maintenance month ends they will cut them smooth. Greens are soft as well.

Fairways are very plush. Rough is thick and nasty. A bit too nasty for casual golf, as the group in front of us s... » More

Played Native Oaks on 10/27. Last week of Cart Path Only.

Course is in really nice shape. Greens do have a bump here and there, but coverage is good, and I suspect after the maintenance month ends they will cut them smooth. Greens are soft as well.

Fairways are very plush. Rough is thick and nasty. A bit too nasty for casual golf, as the group in front of us spent a LOT of time searching in the rough for a ball. Then they'd find it, and hack it forward 50 yards only to have to search again. Made for a long 5 hour round, but it was a gorgeous day and I did not mind hanging out and enjoying the sun.

Thumbs up for Native Oaks, they have made remarkable improvements in recent years.

Drove back by Castle Creek (reopening in 2027 as Mossy Creek GC), and you could see the greens were sanded and being worked on. Let's hope they work some magic there and get that course back to playable.
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