Waikoloa Beach Resort Golf — Attraction in Hawaii

Waikoloa has three 9-hole courses to choose from. We played the King's and Beach course. Both courses were beautiful and the Beach course will take you near the beach with some nice views. The course was well maintained. The course does appear to be wide open, but you do need to look ahead as there are obstacles and OB out there.

Tee boxes: The tee boxes were good with lots of grass, not sandy. There are a few holes that have elevated tee boxes.

Fairways: The fairways were pretty nice, it is summer so the grass does get a little dry, the rolls farther. There is some undulation on the fairways so don't be surprised if the ball kicks left or right. It is the Big Island, so expect to see a lot of lava rocks on both sides of the fairways on some holes. There are also OB on other holes, trees, bushes and open dirt areas that you can't get to. Expect to see dog legs left and right and a few holes there is water.

The Rough: These areas can get a little thick, so fairway is where you want to be. It's not so thick that it closes or opens your club face much.

Greens: The greens rolled smoothly and did not see weeds, different grasses or bald spots. They were a little fast, probably due to being a little dry during the summer months. There is some undulation, but not a crazy amount. We still had a few birdies and able to make some longer putts. Look ahead as you get closer to the greens, there are drop offs at the edge on some of them. Most of the greenside bunkers are not deep, but they are wide. The good news is that there was sand in them to make a good bunker shot.

Amenities: -Driving Range: they do have a driving range on property and with a round there is complimentary balls to warm up with. There is also a shot game area to practice -Putting green: it's a nice putting green next to the club house to get the feel of the course. Carts: the carts do not have GPS, so bring your own or range finder. -Restaurant: there is a restaurant here, but we did not partake on this trip.

Staff: All the staff were helpful and really nice. The starter will give directions to the different courses on property. The club house staff will get you out as quickly as they can.

Final thoughts: Great course to play, not the easiest course and you will still need to have good course management. But it was a fun course with some nice views. We will definitely come back on another trip, our time here was...

Today, 5-3-15, was a disappointing day on the King's Course. I've played the King's a dozen or so times in recent years; today was the worst I've seen the course. The greens were really bad, big punch/sanded with large dead areas. The bunkers look like they haven't been groomed in weeks. By May, I would have expected the Bermuda grass to have greened, but too much of it looked like it just left dormancy. We were offered no $$$ discount for the bad conditions. Give the King's a few more weeks to recuperate from winter, then if it's not better, play elsewhere

So now it's 5-5-15/happy Cinco de Mayo. My wife and I played our second round at Waikaloa, this time on the Beach Course. We got a "deal", paying $540 for 2 rounds/2 courses. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!! Terrible course conditions/neglected bunkers/dying greens/mounding tee boxes. I can't express in words how disappointed I was with both Waikaloa courses. When finished, we asked in the pro shop about posting our scores. THEY HAVE NO COMPUTER TO POST SCORES!! So we walked to the restaurant/bar for a bite and a drink --- IT WAS CLOSED AT 4:00 pm.

Every employee knew the place was a dump. I think they're readying to close. It looks like a course about to lock the doors and the employees act that way.

UPDATE: We're back. Played the Beach on 8/17/16 and the King's on 8/19/16. Both courses are greatly improved over their April 2015 condition. The greens staff was busy on the Beach rebuilding bunkers. The newly completed bunkers were fine. The grass throughout both courses was much better. The restaurant/bar in the clubhouse was open and busy.

It seems that grooming the bunkers each morning, as most courses do, is still not happening, although all were better than in 2015.

These are not top quality Hawaiian courses. They advertise their low price, not their quality. Each has a terrific layout and variety and could be great with more $$$ spent on maintenance. Both are fun and worth the money they charge, especially if you're staying at one of the Hilton timeshare units that surround the courses. I'm re-rating from 2 stars to...

In a previous review of different resort golf course, I referred to it as an exhibition in mediocrity. This golf course is an absolute clinic in mediocrity. Here are 5 thoughts/experiences from my round:

I’ve experienced checked out service from pro shops before, but never rude - bordering on belligerent service. From the 5 minutes I rocked up to the pro shop counter to when I left, it couldn’t have been more clear that I was nothing more than an inconvenience to the pro shop lady working there. Truly the rudest experience ever.

The 7th hole is absolutely incredible. Genuinely one of the best holes I have played in golf. Tee shot faces the Pacific, super challenging 2nd shot over the lava rock. Just truly enjoyable.

Sadly I struggle to pick out another decent hole in the place. Put holes 13, 14, 15 in a line up and ask 5 different guys to pick out what is hole 14 and you’d have 5 different answers. (the math failure is intentional for comedic effect here).

The finishing hole is the most uninspiring 18th I think I’ve ever played. Genuinely what is the point of it? I mean it’s very on brand for a totally bland overpriced experience so maybe that’s the angle.

The condition is truly horrendous in parts. Spongy slow greens, patchy fairways. I expect it from a muni, but from a course with the gall to charge $150 a round? They’ve big windows in this place, cos they seen us all coming a long way out. Nothing much more to say other than look at the photos - does it look like a $150 course to you?

Bottom line? This is, at best, a $60 course that adds ~$100 for that one hole out in the Pacific. If you’re staying in Waikoloa resort & don’t fancy traveling, or don’t care much for value for money and want 1 hole that juts out into the Ocean, then this is the course for you.

If you’re a reasonable adult who enjoys golf at a price that reflects the product provided, then look elsewhere.

To Pre-Empt the inevitable “COVID” excuses: adjust the price appropriately if COVID considerations are causing you to put out a sub optimal...