Ko'olau Golf Club

The only word I can use to describe this course is tough. It will challenge you physically and mentally. Take plenty of balls, you will need them. Overall, great experience.

Took my father-in-law for a round of golf on a scenic course only to be disappointed with the quality fairways, greens, etc.

Good thing we booked through GolfNow as regular price for a round of golf for non-residents is $160USD.

Would not recommend this course to anyone looking for a well maintained course.

While my game wasn’t the greatest today, this course is absolutely gorgeous. Would definitely recommend and play here again.

Beautiful setting. Tough course! Not in great shape

This is my third time to this course, spanning the last 25-30 years. The backdrop of the golf course is stunning, that has not changed. Course condition however was most disappointing. The condition of the grass clearly shows little has been done in terms of maintenance of the fairway, green and honestly the whole course. Little wonder there were very few players. Poor condition of the course makes the course even more challenging....Unforgettable golf experience, I must say.

Course very challenging. Conditions were wet. Greens were slow and rough.

We love this course for the views. Great golf course and beautiful scenery! Lost many balls though!!

With rental clubs, it was about $200. I wouldn’t golf it for free. The fairways were not mowed and you lost balls in the fairway often.
It does have a nice, challenging layout, and surrounded by beautiful mountains. If maintained, would be great.

This course could be beautiful. The mountain range that runs along the course is absolutely amazing.... it’s the same mountain range you see in the movie Jurassic park. There was no grass except for the greens.... the course was soaking wet. I wouldn’t recommend playing this course unless you have knee length water proof boots and a decent golf game

Great experience. Extremely challenging. Worth playing at least once.

Played there with a Golf Now Hot deal. It rained last night and this morning so the course was soaked. Cart path only and the back nine was closed due to water. The course is challenging and very different than what I play in Texas. The staff was super nice. The snack bar never opened so no food. :(. For the money I would not have played if I had know how rough the course was going to be.

Upon arriving at the course we were told the back 9 was closed due to excess water. They should have advised before hand. Without other options we decided to play 1-9 twice. They had excess water too. Standing water in a couple of fairways. Slippery conditions as I slipped a few times landing on my rear once. The sand traps were flooded. Honestly they should have closed the course. One of the few days I did not have fun on the golf course.

The worst course ever. Paid ~$130 only to be stuck in the mud for 5 hours.

Terrible drainage and poor course management. The course has so much potential with great views but is not managed at all.

Spoke to a staff after the round. Apparently a lot of people ask for a refund mid-round since the condition is so bad, and the management does not care for the course at all. What a shame.

You will be better off playing at any other courses. Avoid this course at all cost unless they offer $30 per round here.

I was excited to play this course and arrived to a very friendly staff.
They warned us of the slow greens and difficulty of the course, which I was ready for a challenging course. My GHIN is 0.6 so the wife and I thought it would be fun standing on the first tee with all the beautiful Vistas.
Front nine was wet and very little grass in the fairways, no sand in the bunkers and the greens were probably a 4 on the stimp.
We finished the front nine and then the back nine started. I hit in the middle of the fairway on the first four holes on the back and it took 3 to 5 minutes to find my ball. After this and the course be torn up by the wild boars we finally decided to leave.
The condition of the fairways and the greens was so bad.
We travel around a lot and would not recommend Golf Now to advertise this course.
It has so much potential but falls short of expectations.

I don't write reviews, but feel compelled to in this case. I really enjoy this course, but always leave a little disappointed because it could be so much better. The Overall Score is 4, but I would have preferred to mark it as a 3.5. Pace of Play: My experience is that pace is generally good. On our last round, we were behind 2 foursomes, who collectively lost 6 balls off the first tee. But, they let us play through after the 3rd and 4th holes. Course conditions: The conditions were not good even adjusted for the fact that it is on the wetter windward side of Oahu (compare this course to Pali--the municipal course next door--which is also subject to the same general weather conditions). The bunkers were almost like hardpan (maybe the biggest disappointment). The back nine was particularly wet, and appears to need an upgraded drainage system. Staff Friendliness. Scored it as a "3" b/c, although the staff we met were friendly, the place seems to be understaffed. Including the person in the snack bar, only saw 3 employees. Value for the money. Although I grew up in Hawaii, I am now a "non-resident". Given prevailing non-resident prices this is a good value, especially if you can find a deal online. Course Layout. Love the layout, its the main reason I keep coming back. The 18th hole--where you must carry a huge ravine on your drive, then carry the same ravine on your approach--is one of my favorite holes. The backdrop for the course is the Ko'olau range--stunning. Definitely take a drive to the back tee on #15. Off Course Amenities. Rated as "Poor" b/c the driving range was closed and the practice greens were much slower and unkempt relative to (most of) the course greens. The food is so-so. Seemed understaffed. High handicappers should bring lots of balls. I enjoy this course, but overall it almost feels like the owners don't really understand golf, and keep investment into it at a bare minimum.

First time playing this course, course conditions not as good as I would have expected. Greens were sandy and tee boxes needed weeding.

Great views, drainage is needed as it is constantly wet.

They are letting the golf course go, particularly on the back nine.

Sand traps haven’t been touched in ages.

Greens were too slow and needed to be rolled.

Number 1 rated course in OAHU maybe 10 to 15 years ago.