Mauna Lani Boasts Hawaii Island’s Most Expansive Golf Experience

The par-3 15th hole at Mauna Lani’s South Course is one of the most photographed and memorable holes in the Hawaiian islands.

Mauna Lani Auberge Collection

Mauna Lani is the most expansive golf resort on the Big Island of Hawaii and yet the property’s legend often begins — and understandably lingers — on one of its 45 holes.

With a prime oceanfront setting that encapsulates the resort’s location on the sunny Kohala Coast, the par-3 15th hole on Mauna Lani’s South Course is understandably one of the most photographed holes in all of Hawaii. The hole features a daunting and dramatic tee shot over water to a peninsula green framed by bunkers. Waves crash against the black lava rock in an unforgettable setting – a location home to one of the greatest ocean carries in golf.

While the 15th hole often steals the spotlight, the rest of Mauna Lani’s golf is exceedingly compelling, with two 18-hole championship layouts that offer contrast and character.

The entire luxury retreat itself is similarly extensive in terms of its offerings, amenities and activities. In fact, few places in the golf world blend natural drama, cultural depth, and pure resort relaxation the way Mauna Lani does. The property feels both rooted and revitalized, thanks to a transformative $200 million renovation in 2020 under the Auberge Resorts Collection, and it only continues to improve.

Two Championship 18s and a Short Course

Mauna Lani’s South Course is the more resort-friendly of the resort’s two championship offerings, weaving through ancient lava fields and supplying ocean views early and often. Its fairways are generous and lined by coconut palms, its vistas sprawling, and the setting is pure Kohala Coast — sunny, breezy, volcanic, and endlessly relaxing.

After all, who can agonize over their golf game too much while playing in Hawaii? Even hitting a ball into the water on the 15th hole might just be part of the overall experience.

The North Course, meanwhile, offers a much different feel. Carved through and around thorny Kiawe trees, it’s more of a shot-maker’s layout – strategic and at times surprisingly intimate. The wild goats wandering through the trees and thick undergrowth along the lava rock-lined holes can certainly attest to the solitude.

And the collection of par 3 holes on the North is terrific, capped by a shorter one-shotter tucked into a natural amphitheater of black lava rock.

The golf holes on the championship courses span 3 1/2 miles along the coast, a range that’s not fully covered by the radios of the course maintenance staff.

Completing the experience is Wikiwiki, Mauna Lani’s nine-hole par-3 course, that used to be a driving range.

Stretching just 690 yards with holes that mostly play 50–65 yards, Wikiwiki captures the modern spirit of short-course golf: accessible, social, unhurried, and fun for all ages and skill levels. It’s ideal for kids, families, beginners, friends looking to squeeze a few more late-day holes in with a tropical drink in hand, or groups who want a shorter time commitment to take advantage of the endless other outdoor activities on the Big Island.

Mauna Lani and the Five Volcanoes

Beyond its great golf, Mauna Lani stands out for the breadth of its outdoor experiences.

The resort’s logo represents the five volcanoes — Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai, Kohala, and Kīlauea — that surround the region, and you can see them from many vantage points during a round as well as away from the golf course. Yet it’s the ocean that might be the true heart of the property.

The Mauna Lani Beach Club, inspired by Hawaii’s classic beach clubs, is the social and spiritual center of the resort — a relaxed, white-sand sanctuary that serves as both a daytime escape and an evening gathering place. Anchoring the space is the Surf Shack, home to the Kainalu Watersports Team and the starting point for many of Mauna Lani’s most memorable (non-golf) experiences.

The standout might be the Sunrise Paddle, a meditative, invigorating journey in an outboard double-hulled canoe to welcome a new day as the sun rises over Mauna Kea. You might encounter spinner dolphins or whales along the way, but the experience itself — a fusion of Hawaiian tradition, teamwork in rowing the boat, and the scenery of the natural surrounds — is what stays with you. It’s an energetic start to the morning – and you’ll definitely feel it in your shoulders the next day – but one that’s well worth it, as the Mauna Lani staff details the history and blows a conch shell as part of the ceremony ushering in a new sunrise and new day.

Other resort activities range from stand-up paddleboarding and snorkeling to surf instruction, e-bike adventures, reef exploration aboard the resort’s 42-foot boat, underwater rock running, and guided petroplyph hikes. There are three pools – adult, resort and Kei’ki (kids) – along with pickleball and tennis courts.

Dining With a Sense of Place

Not surprisingly, 85% of the resort’s 292 spacious guestrooms feature ocean views, and all have a private lanai. There are five private residences and 36 additional suites built with family travel in mind.

Food is a key component of any vacation getaway and Mauna Lani’s culinary lineup delivers an added dimension.

CanoeHouse is the signature restaurant. Storied, beloved, and perched at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, this is where guests can enjoy Japanese-inspired cuisine as the sun sinks below the horizon. If you’re there with a group, don’t miss the King Tower that is loaded with seafood like lobster, Kauai shrimp, Kokkaido scallops, Japanese uni, local sashimi, oysters, snow crab legs and more.

Another restaurant, HāLani, brings Mediterranean influences to an open-air, palm-lined space overlooking the Pacific, while the Surf Shack delivers casual, fresh fare in another relaxed oceanfront setting.

The golf is great at Mauna Lani, and its just one of the many things to experience at a property that means “mountain reaching heaven” – from paddling out as the sun rises over volcano and snorkeling beyond the reef, to dining several feet from gentle waves crashing on the beach and walking among historic fishponds. The golf itself ranges from oceanfront drama to tree-lined strategy and short-course fun.

In total, there are eight holes at Mauna Lani that play along the ocean – the most of any property in Hawaii. So whether you’re inspired to visit by the iconic 15th hole of the South Course or simply want to escape somewhere that feels both timeless and renewed, Mauna Lani delivers experiences as expansive as the surrounding land and ocean that have shaped the resort property for years.