Royal Hawaiian Golf Club in Kailua, Hawaii, USA | GolfPass
Royal Hawaiian GC
A view from Royal Hawaiian Golf Club.
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Rating Index Rating
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3.8
630 Reviews 630 Reviews
5 Stars
294
4 Stars
175
3 Stars
83
2 Stars
48
1 Stars
30
Conditions
3.2
Value
3.5
Layout
4.3
Friendliness
4.2
Pace
3.9
Amenities
3.0
72.8%
Recommend this course
513 out of 630 reviews
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Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.6
67 Reviews 67 Reviews
5 Stars
22
4 Stars
13
3 Stars
16
2 Stars
12
1 Stars
4
Conditions
3.0
Value
3.3
Layout
4.4
Pace
3.6
Amenities
2.9
StaffFriendliness
4.1
58.2%
Recommend this course
39 out of 67 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.7
132 Reviews 132 Reviews
5 Stars
46
4 Stars
31
3 Stars
27
2 Stars
20
1 Stars
8
Conditions
3.1
Value
3.4
Layout
4.3
Pace
3.7
Amenities
2.9
StaffFriendliness
4.1
66.7%
Recommend this course
88 out of 132 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Semi-Private
Style Links
Par 72
Length 6609 yards
Slope 138
Rating 73.1

Nestled at the base of the Ko'olau Mountains in Oahu, Royal Hawaiian Golf Club enjoys a stunning tropical setting framed by ancient jungle trees that climb to more than 100 feet tall. The father-and-son team of Pete and Perry Dye designed the course. There are many telltale signs that this is a Dye course, from the many elevation changes to the varied bunker styles that are utilized throughout. The round begins with stunning views as you plunge downhill into the Maunawili Valley. There are more trees and narrower fairways on the front nine, contrasting nicely with the wide-open back nine. Royal Hawaiian Golf Club's back plays towards the mouth of the valley, offering a view of the mountains and sparkling blue Pacific waters in the distance. It's not an overly punishing golf course but locals and visitors alike have called it the toughest and most scenic course you'll find on Oahu.

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Course Details

Year Built 1993
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Platinum Paspalum Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Pete Dye (1993) Perry Dye (1993)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse
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Reviews

3.8
630 Reviews (630)

What Golfers Are Saying

Course Challenges Include:
Elevation Changes 27
Forced Carries 23
Narrow Fairways 16
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 24
Advanced Golfers 18
A Bucket list/Top 100 Pick 14
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 22
Convenient to the City 10

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Just average with great views

Played for the first time here while on vacation. Course conditions was average to poor. Some holes were basically dirt fairways. Greens were patchy. Outside of the views, I wouldn’t play here again. And the driving range was closed so no place to warm up

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Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 16
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Really lacking in course maintenance

Definitely is on a unique and beautiful piece of land. The fairways had little grass, half of the greens were putting and bump and very slow. Cart paths only, would have been nice to know ahead of time, no snack bar or beverage cart. They need to work on these items as like I said , the course is on a great piece of property with scenic views of the surrounding mountains.:(

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Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Needs some minor touch up but…

I had the opportunity to play one round on Oahu. Royal came in first when comparing so many things but with a few finishing touches this place will be amazing again. First it’s travel golf so it’s expensive but the value for the round was spot on. The scenery is amazing and if your target game is on it’s challenging but fun.

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Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Bring LOTS of balls!!!

Most frustrating day of golf ever. The condition of fairways is poor. Pete Dye designed this course…..no need to say more!

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 19
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

BUCKET LIST COURSE!

Honestly one of THEE BEST courses I’ve played at! First nine are def harder and more OB left right and in the middle. Back nine opens up more and less OB, but still tough. The fairways on the front are def a little bare, but keep in mind that this part of the island gets rain NONSTOP! So given that, I understand why the fairways look that way. Greens have bent grass I think, so they are a little slow and bumpy. But honestly the VIEWS do it justice! If you’ve never been, make this the last course you play on your stay because you WILL lose balls 100%. Looking forward to improving my score next time!

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Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Not the royal experience I was expecting

This place has some cool views but It has a very outdated feel.
driving range wasn’t opened.
The snack shop was closed but they had a limited supply of snacks in the golf shop.
Golf carts were old.
Course is very patchy for a place that has good weather all year it could be in better condition.

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Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 22
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

No marshal

Terrible pace of play, waited 30 mins to tee off, and finished the round with 5 hours, no marshal on course.

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing

Beautiful views, terrible condition

The views are unmatched but man oh man does the course need some work. The greens are in rough shape, you will have bumpy putts all day. The fairways on the front 9 are not in good condition, the back 9 gets a little better. Overall if this is your first time playing here you will enjoy the views but most likely not come back due to the price and conditions.

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Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Amazing views and experience- not a playable golf course

A course to experience for the incredible views and layout among the Oahu rainforest. Probably the most scenic golf I’ve ever experienced and highly recommended for that reason. However - it a golf course that was made to play and score. The fairways are very tight - and some tees give you nothing to look at.

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Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 117
Handicap Don't know
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

One and Done

Spectacular views on a neglected course. Cart path only, hilly, wet, uncut in many areas, slow greens and a number of buildings that are abandoned. Don't waste your time or money.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

The views are amazing

The course is a tough track. You won't find better views on a course. The fairway conditions were less than ideal, but they did have a large rainfall recently. Plus, it was cart path only which made it more difficult. For aome reason, they started us on hole 2-8, then circled back to 1 and 9.This was my 2nd trip to Oahu and I played it both times. It is a must play every trip.

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Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Fair
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Fairways are muddy and greens have divots in them... charged higher then other courses for views alone...terrible course maintenance...starter told us he would rather play other courses because they have a good greens keeper

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Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Fair
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

challenging and tough

This is a golf course in the jungle. It was a very challenging and tough course. I lost four balls. I think it's a course that everyone should try at least once.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

One of the best views in O’ahu!

This course offers some of the best views in O’ahu!The course itself wasn’t in the best shape, but what the course lacks in condition it makes up in jungle views. Bring extra balls because some of the holes are very tough. Pace of play was a bit slow took us a little over 5 hours to knock out 18 holes due to slower players in front of me.

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Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing

Unique Track

Playing in January we weren't expecting the course to be prestine and it was a bit rough. Muddy fairways and slow greens. The fact that the course resides in a rainforest makes for wet conditions, so it was understandable the course was cart path only.

The pace of play was extremely poor. It took 3 hours to play the front nine, which was aggravated by the cart path only rule.

It was a very unique track, beautiful, and challenging. The staff were very friendly and the amenities were clean/ maintained.

Worth playing once for the experience.

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Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

My favorite

This is my favorite inland course. Golfing in Jurassic Park. Amazing scenery. Difficult golf. Miss the fairway and your ball is gone. But for me, I like the challenge. I golf it at least once every time I come to Oahu.

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Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Super Tuff

This course , is worth the experience to play once as its very challenging, and unforgiving..
The condition of the greens are shocking
Great experience

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
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