Big Island Golf Guide: Every Course from Kohala Coast to Volcano (2026)

Introduction

The Big Island has 18 golf courses currently operating, and visitors can book 13 of them — headlined by Mauna Kea ($345), Hapuna ($245), and the three nines of Waikoloa Beach Resort, with genuine bargains at Hilo Municipal ($42 weekday), Hamakua Country Club ($25 all day), and Volcano Golf Course ($100) at 4,000 feet.

Hawaii Island is bigger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined, and its golf is just as spread out: championship resort layouts stacked along the sunny Kohala Coast, underrated public courses above Kona, and a rainy-side Hilo muni where a round costs less than lunch. Below is every Big Island golf course by region, with current visitor rates (verified September 2026 — resort pricing is increasingly dynamic, so confirm when you book). Ready to play? Compare tee times on golfscape for live availability.

Big Island golf course fairway cut through black lava rock with Pacific Ocean views and Mauna Kea in the distance

Big Island Golf at a Glance

Region	Courses	Visitor Green Fees	Character
Kohala Coast (Waikoloa to Kapaau)	7	$17–$420	Hawaii's resort golf row
Kona (Keauhou to upcountry)	7	$59–$199	Town courses + private clubs
Hilo & Hamakua	3	$25–$50	Rainy-side bargains
Volcano & Ka'u	2	$75–$100	Golf at 4,000 feet

One Big Island course is not currently operating: Sea Mountain in Pahala (closed since 2018). Four Kona-area clubs are private, and Hualalai requires a Four Seasons stay — details below.

Kohala Coast: Hawaii's Resort Golf Row

Mauna Kea Golf Course — Resort · Par 72, 7,370 yds · $345; $270 after 12 PM
Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s 1964 masterpiece and the course that started Hawaiian resort golf. The par-3 3rd, playing across a crashing ocean cove, is one of Hawaii's most photographed holes. Tee times open 60 days out and winter mornings fill fast. Kama'aina pay $125 ($100 per person in groups of four or more).

Hapuna Golf Course — Resort · Par 72, 6,875 yds · $245; $185 after 12 PM
Mauna Kea Resort's quieter second course, by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay (1992): a links-style climb from sea level to about 700 feet, ocean visible from every hole, and the most consequential wind on the coast. Fresh off a greens-and-fairways renovation. Kama'aina $80; seniors $65; $55 after noon.

Mauna Lani Resort Golf (North & South) — Resort · Par 72, 6,938 yds · Rates no longer published
Two championship layouts cut through black lava and kiawe forest: the forgiving South (over-the-water 15th, Senior Skins Game host 1990–2000) and the sterner North (par-3 17th in a natural lava amphitheater). Rates are quoted only inside the booking system — recent visitor rounds ran about $325 ($225 after 1 PM); public tee times open 14 days out.

Hualalai Golf Club — Private/Resort · Par 72, 7,100 yds · Four Seasons guests & members only (~$420)
Jack Nicklaus's lava-flow design at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai — there is no public tee time. Qualified players pay about $420 for the day ($300 after 2 PM). Hualalai hosts the PGA Tour Champions' Mitsubishi Electric Championship each January through 2030 and closes to other play that week.

Waikoloa Beach Resort Golf — Resort · 27 holes · $215 morning; $150 midday; $119 after 1 PM
Waikoloa now runs three nines — Beach, Lakes, and the links-style Kings' Nine — and any two make your 18. One rate card covers all 27: $215 morning, $150 from 11 AM–1 PM, $119 from 1 PM (resort guests $175 mornings). Cart, range, and bottled water included; every player needs their own eight-plus clubs (rentals $65). Kama'aina $89.

Waikoloa Village Golf Club — Public · Par 72, 6,814 yds · $139; $114 after 1 PM (cart included)
Six miles up the hill from the resorts and meaningfully cheaper for it. A Robert Trent Jones Jr. design at 900 feet — dry, breezy, and open 364 days a year from 6:30 AM. The nine-hole sunset rate from 3 PM ($67 riding, $47 walking) is one of the island's best deals. Kama'aina $80.

North Kohala Golf Park — Public nonprofit · 9 holes, par 3 · $17
The cheapest golf on the island, in Kapaau: a community-run par-3 nine with free loaner clubs, juniors free with a paying adult, no dress code, and no reservations. A perfect low-pressure add-on to a Kohala day trip.

Kona: Town Courses & Upcountry Value

Kona Country Club — Resort · Par 72, 6,657 yds · $199; $139 after 12 PM
The closest championship course to Kailua-Kona, in Keauhou, and the only Kona layout that plays along the water for most of the round — the blowhole beside the 13th erupts on a good swell, and humpbacks cruise by November through March. William Bell design, 1966. Keauhou resort guests pay $168; nine holes after 3 PM is $108. Dress code enforced (collared shirts, no denim).

Makalei Golf Club — Public · Par 72, 7,091 yds · $109 before noon; $89 midday; $59 after 2 PM
The best-value afternoon round in Kona. Makalei climbs the slope of Hualalai through native forest at about 3,000 feet — cooler air, rare bent-grass greens, and wild turkeys, pheasants, and peacocks wandering the fairways. Check in 20 minutes early: the first tee is a 10-minute cart ride from the clubhouse. Rentals $50 ($35 after 2 PM).

Makani Golf Club — Semi-private/Public · Par 72, 6,400 yds · $137–$153 morning; $115 afternoon; $70 twilight
The island's main independent daily-fee course (formerly Big Island Country Club), a Perry Dye design at about 2,000 feet on Mamalahoa Highway — roughly half an hour from either Kailua-Kona or Waikoloa, making it the natural first-round-off-the-plane option. Rates include cart and bottled water; kids 8–15 pay their age after 2 PM. Book ahead — no walk-up play.

The private four: The Club at Hokuli'a (Jack Nicklaus signature above Kealakekua), Nanea Golf Club (David McLay Kidd; arguably Hawaii's most exclusive club), Kohanaiki (Rees Jones, oceanfront holes just south of the airport), and Kukio Golf & Beach Club (Tom Fazio) are members-only — no visitor rates, so playing them requires a member connection or property ownership.

Hilo & Hamakua: Rainy-Side Bargains

Hilo Municipal Golf Course — Municipal · Par 71, 6,325 yds · $42 weekday; $50 weekends & holidays
The island's only county course and Hilo's only full 18 — busy with locals most mornings, open 7 AM to 6 PM daily except Christmas and New Year's Day. County listings put the visitor round at $42–$50 (kama'aina $22–$30); confirm when you call to book. It's the wet side — bring rain gear and enjoy the cheapest full-size round on the island.

Naniloa Volcanoes Golf Club — Resort · 9 holes, par 35 · $25 ($20 hotel guests); 18 holes $37.50
The flat, friendly nine on Banyan Drive beside Hilo Bay — older guides still call it "the Banyans." A cart costs the same as the green fee, so walk. Locals use the $85 monthly membership; visitors should treat it as a relaxed warm-up or a rainy-day saver.

Hamakua Country Club — Public · 9 holes played twice, par 66, 4,800 yds · $25 all day
Founded in 1926 in the old sugar town of Honoka'a, this is the island's second-oldest course and its most local round: $25 buys as much golf as you want, all day (cart $20 for 18 holes). Juniors play free with an adult, and if nobody's at the clubhouse, you drop your money in the slot and sign yourself in. Ocean-side of Highway 19, about 40 miles north of Hilo.

Volcano & Ka'u: Golf at 4,000 Feet

Volcano Golf & Country Club — Semi-private · Par 72, 6,354 yds · $100 with cart; $75 for 9 holes or after 2 PM
Hawaii's highest — and oldest — course sits on the flank of Kilauea at about 4,000 feet, a mile from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The thin air adds real carry, Mauna Loa fills the horizon on clear mornings, and a jacket is a sensible layer even in summer. At $100 flat (residents $58 weekdays), it's an easy add-on to a volcano day. Rentals $75.

The Club at Discovery Harbour — Members & guests · Par 72, 6,320 yds
The southernmost golf course in the United States, below Na'alehu in Ka'u — a Robert Trent Jones Sr. layout (1972) with no water hazards at all. Rebranded in 2022, it now plays as a member-and-guest club with no published green fee; call ahead about guest play.

Sea Mountain Golf Course — Closed
The Pahala course near Punalu'u Black Sand Beach has been closed since 2018 with no reopening date. The grounds host occasional disc golf events, but golfers passing through Ka'u should point toward Volcano instead.

Which Big Island Course Should You Play?

Bucket list: Mauna Kea — the 3rd hole alone justifies the green fee.
Best resort value: Waikoloa Beach Resort after 1 PM ($119) or Hapuna after noon ($185).
Best pure value: Hamakua Country Club ($25 all day) or North Kohala Golf Park ($17).
Best first-day round: Makani — midway between Kona and the Kohala resorts, with a $70 twilight.
Best for families & mixed skill: Waikoloa's three nines, or a walking nine at Naniloa.
Best wind test: Hapuna — bring a ball flight you can trust; a penetrating ball like the Titleist Pro V1 is the local choice.
Most unusual round: Volcano at 4,000 feet, or Makalei with its wild turkeys and bent-grass greens.

Practical Tips for Playing the Big Island

Know the booking windows. Mauna Kea and Hapuna open 60 days out and the best winter mornings sell through; Mauna Lani opens just 14 days out; Waikoloa, Makani, and Makalei are easier week-of. Lock the marquee rounds first.
Morning calm, afternoon deals. Kohala Coast trades build after lunch — Hapuna is the most exposed — so morning rounds play easier and afternoon rounds play cheaper. Every resort on the coast cuts 25–45% after noon or 1 PM.
Stack the twilight rates. Waikoloa $119 after 1 PM, Makalei $59 after 2 PM, Makani $70 from 2 PM, Kona Country Club $139 after noon, Volcano $75 after 2 PM — the Big Island rewards the late tee time like nowhere else in the state.
Respect the two climates. The Kohala Coast is desert-dry; Hilo and Volcano are genuinely wet and cool. Pack a compact umbrella — the Repel Windproof lives in our bag — and rotate gloves in the humidity (the FootJoy WeatherSof holds up best).
A rangefinder earns its keep here. Between Hapuna's elevation changes and Makalei's uphill approaches, slope-adjusted yardages matter — we like the Bushnell Tour V5.
Do the rental math. Rental sets run $50–$78 across the island, so four-plus rounds exceed most airline bag fees. Frequent visitors ship clubs ahead with Ship Sticks or pick up a pre-owned set from 2nd Swing. Our Hawaii golf packing list has the full breakdown.
Kama'aina: bring ID. Resident rates are deep — Waikoloa $89, Mauna Kea $125, Hapuna $80, Waikoloa Village $80, Volcano $58, Hilo Muni $22.
Cluster by region. Kohala to Volcano is a two-hour drive. Play the resort coast from a Kohala/Kona base and save Hilo, Hamakua, and Volcano for an east-side day or overnight.

Playing multiple islands? Compare with our Oahu golf guide, Maui golf guide, and the island-by-island math in the Hawaii golf trip cost guide.

Sample Big Island Golf Itineraries

Three days, value play (about $226 in green fees): Day 1 — Makani twilight ($70 from 2 PM) to shake off the flight. Day 2 — Waikoloa Village after 1 PM ($114), upcountry dinner in Waimea. Day 3 — east side: Hilo Municipal on a weekday morning ($42), waterfalls in the afternoon. Add Volcano ($75 after 2 PM) and you're still barely over $300.

Three days, resort week (about $805 in green fees): Day 1 — Waikoloa Beach Resort morning ($215), pick two nines. Day 2 — Hapuna morning ($245). Day 3 — Mauna Kea ($345) as the finale, booked the day the 60-day window opens. Swap in Mauna Lani's South Course for any leg if tee sheets are tight.

Either way, check golfscape's Big Island page for same-week deals before booking direct — dynamic pricing occasionally drops below posted rates.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many golf courses does the Big Island have?
The Big Island has 18 golf courses currently operating. Visitors can book 13 of them; four Kona-area clubs (Hokuli'a, Nanea, Kohanaiki, Kukio) are private, and Hualalai is limited to Four Seasons guests and members. Sea Mountain in Ka'u has been closed since 2018.

What is the best golf course on the Big Island?
Mauna Kea Golf Course is the consensus pick — Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s 1964 classic with the famous over-the-ocean par-3 3rd. For $100 less, Hapuna delivers the coast's best mix of views, conditioning, and challenge.

How much does it cost to golf on the Big Island?
Visitor green fees run from $17 (North Kohala Golf Park) and $25 (Hamakua, all day) up to $345 at Mauna Kea and about $420 at Four Seasons-only Hualalai. Most resort golf falls between $199 and $345, with twilight rates cutting 25–45% nearly everywhere.

What is the cheapest golf course on the Big Island?
North Kohala Golf Park, a nonprofit par-3 in Kapaau, at $17 — with free loaner clubs. For full-length golf, Hamakua Country Club charges $25 for all-day play, and Hilo Municipal runs $42–$50 for visitors.

Can you play golf near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?
Yes — Volcano Golf & Country Club sits about a mile from the park entrance at 4,000 feet. Visitors pay $100 with a cart ($75 for nine holes or after 2 PM), and the cool, thin air genuinely adds carry to every shot.

Do you need to be a resort guest to play the Big Island's resort courses?
Almost never. Mauna Kea, Hapuna, both Mauna Lani courses, Waikoloa, and Kona Country Club all sell public tee times. The only exception is Hualalai, which requires a Four Seasons stay or a member invitation.

Book Your Big Island Tee Times

The Big Island's 13 bookable courses rarely sell out except in peak winter weeks — but Mauna Kea's morning sheet and Waikoloa's $119 afternoons move first. Start with live availability and compare tee times on golfscape, then check the individual course pages for full rate tables and contact details. For course rankings statewide, see our Top 10 Golf Courses in Hawaii (2026).

Hawaii Golf Guide is reader-supported. When you book or buy through links on our site — including golfscape and Amazon — we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Green fees change frequently; all rates here were verified as of September 2026, and each course page lists the latest numbers.