USD 
Written by Luxury Escapes
Hawaii has more than 70 golf courses spread across six islands, but the best ones share something in common: you’re never more than a few hundred metres from the Pacific Ocean, and the views make it genuinely difficult to keep your head down.
Here’s where to stay for your next golf trip to Hawaii.
The best golf resorts on O’ahu
The Ritz-Carlton O’ahu, Turtle Bay
The Arnold Palmer Course here has an unusual backstory: it was built on the site of a former WWII army airfield, and the relatively flat layout – a rarity in Hawaii – reflects the terrain. The front nine plays like a Scottish links course; the back nine tightens into tropical territory with water in play on 14 of the 18 holes. The Pacific Ocean is visible only from the par-4 17th, which makes reaching it feel earned. The adjacent George Fazio Course, open since 1972, is more forgiving and walkable – the better option for mixed-ability groups. Back at the resort, Roy Yamaguchi’s restaurant at Kuilima Cove is the dining highlight – the celebrated Hawaii-born chef’s Pacific Rim cooking suits the setting exactly. The property rebranded as a Ritz-Carlton in 2024 and sits on 1,300 acres with five miles of shoreline, seven beaches and 12 miles of hiking and biking trails – enough to justify a few extra days beyond the golf.
The best golf resorts on Maui
The Ritz-Carlton Maui
The Plantation Course at Kapalua is consistently ranked the best in Hawaii – designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, it hosts the PGA TOUR’s season-opening Sentry tournament each January and plays to its hilly, windswept setting without apology. The adjacent Bay Course has been hosting major tournaments since 1975 and holds the distinction of having the only ocean-crossing hole on Maui, at the par-3 17th. The Ritz-Carlton sits at the heart of the Kapalua resort, and a complimentary shuttle connects the hotel to the beach – useful on days when the spa and six restaurants aren’t enough to keep you on-property.
Montage Kapalua Bay
For golfers who want the Kapalua courses with more space to spread out, Montage’s oceanfront residences sleep families and groups across multiple bedrooms and offer views of the Pacific from nearly every room. When you’re not on the course, the cliffside diving platform, tennis courts and infinity pool provide decent competition for your time. Spa Montage is worth planning around – the indoor-outdoor format uses ancient Hawaiian and contemporary treatments in a setting that takes full advantage of the surrounding landscape. It’s earned a Forbes Travel Guide five-star rating every year since 2017.
The best golf resorts on Kaua’i
Timbers Kaua’i – Ocean Club & Residences
The longest continuous stretch of oceanfront golf in Hawaii runs through this property, and it’s the only Jack Nicklaus signature course on the island. PGA instructors are on hand for lessons, and the grounds also include a foot golf course for anyone travelling with non-golfers who want in on the action. The 450-acre resort was awarded a second consecutive MICHELIN Key in 2025, and the farm-to-table restaurant draws directly from the property’s own organic orchard and garden – meaning what’s on your plate reflects what was harvested that morning. The landscape will feel familiar: much of it served as the backdrop for Jurassic Park and Lost.
1 Hotel Hanalei Bay
The Princeville Makai Course – designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. – sits between the mountains and the north shore coastline, and the combination of dramatic cliffs, challenging bunkers and Pacific views makes it one of Kaua’i’s most technically interesting rounds. 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay is the closest base, set above Puu Poa Beach with a wellness-first focus that makes it an appealing counterpoint to a full day on the course. The adults-only infinity pool looks directly over the bay, and the four onsite restaurants lean on local and Japanese influences – the kind of food that suits the pace of a place like this.
The best golf resorts on the Big Island
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
The 18-hole Hualalai Course – designed by Jack Nicklaus and routed across ancient black lava fields – is one of the most visually distinctive layouts in the state. Fairways cut through hardened flows that give way to ocean at nearly every turn, and Full Swing Golf Simulators with TrackMan launch monitors let you keep working on your game after the round. Back at the resort, eight pools serve different purposes – lap swimming, soaking, families, adults-only – so finding your own corner of quiet is straightforward. It’s the kind of place where you book for the golf and stay for everything else.
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
The course here was the first in the world built over ancient lava terrain, and it’s looked the part since Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed it in 1964. Sixty-plus years of refinements to the fairways, greens and bunkers have kept it sharp, and the oceanfront setting on the Kohala Coast means the wind is always a factor – which is half the point. The hotel has undergone significant renovation in recent years, including the spa, fitness centre and native gardens. After your round, the beach is right there: one of the most beautiful on the island, and rarely crowded.
Fairmont Orchid
Three courses on one property is a rarity anywhere, and Mauna Lani’s 45-hole layout – two full 18-hole options plus a 9-hole Wikiwiki course for shorter rounds – means the Fairmont Orchid suits every pace and ability. The southern course’s over-the-water 15th hole is the most-photographed in Hawaii, and rightly so – it’s a proper risk-reward decision with consequences. The resort wraps around a 10,000-square-foot lagoon pool, and Spa Without Walls delivers treatments outdoors among lava rock gardens, which feels appropriate given the landscape you’ve just spent four hours in.
