Played the North course on a family vacation on the Big Island. Went out on the twilight tee times with a group of seven. Check in was quick and easy considering none of us brought clubs. Proceeded to... Continue »

Played the North course on a family vacation on the Big Island. Went out on the twilight tee times with a group of seven. Check in was quick and easy considering none of us brought clubs. Proceeded to the starter and they set us up with Taylor Made or Titleist clubs. Starter was in a weird mood and was really little help.
Course is very stunning with the fairways surrounded by lava rock formations. Quite a few tee boxes were on a slant but had little divot damage. Fairways were immaculate and rough was tough. Ball would sit up in the rough but would grab your club head. Traps had great sand and were well groomed. Greens had good coverage with about half of the greens had small ant hills throughout the greens. Greens were firm and a little on the slow side.
Nobody on the course and the trade winds were blowing pretty good. POP was a little over four hours. Very fun day playing a friendly family day of golf.

Played 9-4-17
Great layout. Much more than a resort course. Minus the ocean views this course was more challenging than the south course.

Tees - perfect
Fairways - perfect
Greens - not as go... Continue »

Played 9-4-17
Great layout. Much more than a resort course. Minus the ocean views this course was more challenging than the south course.

Tees - perfect
Fairways - perfect
Greens - not as good as south course

Watch for the herd of goats on the 5th hole.

Played July 28th. If you compare this with the Mauna Kea then the Mauna Lani North is a step down in ambience, conditions and fun-to-playability. But, it is still a nice course with the North not havi... Continue »

Played July 28th. If you compare this with the Mauna Kea then the Mauna Lani North is a step down in ambience, conditions and fun-to-playability. But, it is still a nice course with the North not having a par 3 hit over the gorgeous ocean. This course is built on lava with thorny Kiawe trees (Manzanita) protecting much of the course. Nice layout but lacks that ocean shot that tourists seek. When I said conditions were a step below Mauna Kea, don't get me wrong. It is still gorgeous and much cheaper than the aforementioned MK. Good thing I am a resident because the normal rate is $225.00. This course can get windy as the Waikoloa area is known as Waikoblowa to the locals.

Played both courses Sat June 18. Teed off North 11:30 for $185. Played by myself in 3 hours. Replayed on South for $69. Played by myself in 3:15. Hot day, mild to moderate wind.

North course is... Continue »

Played both courses Sat June 18. Teed off North 11:30 for $185. Played by myself in 3 hours. Replayed on South for $69. Played by myself in 3:15. Hot day, mild to moderate wind.

North course is away from the ocean, but is a great layout, with very excellent use of the lava rock features throughout the course. #17 par 3 features an amphitheatre of lava rock that is fun to look at.

The course punched a few weeks ago. The greens are mostly healed, but both courses' greens were equally unbearably slow (8-9). And it seemed they were doing some work on the course on various fairways. Cart girl came around a few times. I'd say dollar for dollar, the mauna lani resort is a bit steep for what you get, especially the slow greens. However, I had a good golf time.

The North course is a nice counterpoint to the South. While the South takes advantage of the ocean side location with some wonderfully scenic holes, the non ocean holes are a mix. The North course, ho... Continue »

The North course is a nice counterpoint to the South. While the South takes advantage of the ocean side location with some wonderfully scenic holes, the non ocean holes are a mix. The North course, however, throws a more varied and challenging course at you. The holes have more shape and require more strategic thinking, and although they lack the drama of holes like the South #15, they give you a better balanced golf experience. If visiting the Mauna Lani or Orchid and only time for one course I'd play the South just for the ocean views. Playing twice? Then do North and South. Playing 3 times? I'd play South once and the North twice.

Today's conditions were excellent overall. Greens play quite slow, but that seems common in Hawaii, and they weren't as slow as the South course or Mauna Kea. They are very smooth, though, with no blemishes on the greens, and roll exactly where your stroke your putt. Bunkers were excellent except for 2 where I experienced little sand over the soil (the rest were in great shape). Fairways are nearly perfect, and the rough presents a nice challenge.

Downsides? Pace of play was a little slow with a number of foursomes out ahead of me, but they moved at a pretty good pace. The range is OK but not great - balls were of so-so quality, and the practice green is faster than the real greens. And the restaurant at the course just closed, so your 19th hole requires getting in a car.

I played here yesterday after having played the South course(see that review for general review) in th emorning. Conditions were pristine everywhere. This course is generally inland, only coming down... Continue »

I played here yesterday after having played the South course(see that review for general review) in th emorning. Conditions were pristine everywhere. This course is generally inland, only coming down to the water a few times, so you don't get the killer views like on the South course. But it's pretty. It winds through lava fields and the contrast with the black lava, green grass, white sand traps, and bright blue sky is very pleasing. There are houses lining a number of holes, but they are not a distraction because they are set far enough back, and most seemed to be vacant vacation homes so no one was around (it must be nice to own a multi million dollar home on a golf course in Hawaii and be able to afford leaving in empty). The layout is more challenging than the South course and plays quite a bit longer. The long par fours are a challenge to reach in two with the light breeze we had. If I played here all the time I would probably play this one about as much as the South course, but if I was on vacation and only played one, it would definitely be the South course.