Beautiful 16th and 17th holes at Hualalai Golf Course – designed to host the Drive, Chip & Putt regional qualifier in October.
Connor Federico
Emerald freeways and white sand, framed by the blue and black volcanic rock of the Pacific, paint a stunning portrait on Hualalai’s closing stretch.
Bathed in the golden light of a Hawaiian sunset, it’s an idyllic backdrop for golf. But is golf really what we came here for?
“Hawaii is not a golf destination,” says Brendan Moynihan, director of golf at Hualalai. “Ocean retreat, outdoors, walks, pools. There are so many things you can do – and so many things that are spectacular – but golf is not the most spectacular.
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My future fiancee and I had just arrived at The Four Seasons Hualalaijust minutes from the Big Island’s historic community of Kailua-Kona. As a first-time traveler to Hawaii, talking to a man who earns his living in the game, I was struck by the feeling.
But Moynihan was right. During our stay, we spent hours relaxing in the ocean and testing the waters of the resort’s four pools. We hiked through a large volcanic crater, visited black sand beaches, and — spoiler alert! – we got engaged. At our celebratory dinner, we were blown away by a caesar salad cart and banana display.
And there was more. Encounters with marine life, for example. At the resort’s members-only golf course, Ke’olu, a large pond sits near the 5th fairway. It is home to thousands of oysters, which are cared for daily by Four Seasons’ in-house team of marine biologists. Once the oysters have grown, they are harvested and served at the resort’s restaurants. The same Natural Resources team also oversees King’s Pond, a saltwater pool-aquarium where we snorkeled among exotic fish.
To top it all off, Hualalai Golf Course is set in a setting unlike any other in the world.
Half of The best GOLF courses in Hawaiiincluding Hualalai, are on the Big Island. Hawaii’s newest big island remains a work in progress, with active volcanoes still rounding out its shape. Black lava rock covers the landscape and its purpose is not only visual.
Several shots on the Nicklaus-designed course take you directly over these lava rocks, and every hole features views of the active volcano that gives the course its name. After moving inland, the route returns to the sparkling ocean for an exciting close.
A long-time host of the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, Hualalai has other memorable features you may recognize from TV. A long lava tube bisects the par-5 7th fairway, creating a narrow opening. The 4th and 8th holes share a double contoured green. On the par-3 12th, the green has a bunker in the center of it, which I found with my tee shot. I had better luck on a few more holes, when my ball bounced off the black lava – and back into play.
With wide fairways and favorable contours around the greens, Hualalai presents vacation golfers with a friendly test. The Champions Tour winners here have gone as far as 25 under – in just three rounds. The course conditioning is immaculate and every hole is special.
“If you’re a golfer,” Moynihan says, elaborating on his initial assessment, “it’s a golf destination.”
