Makani Golf Club — Local services in Hawaii

Here goes, the review of our WORST GOLF EXPERIENCE in over 40 years of vacationing in Hawaii! DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED (BTW, Waikoloa Village course, and the Waikoloa Beach golf courses, are BOTH in MUCH better condition, and you are treated MUCH better at both facilities also!)

First let me say that my wife and I are members at two separate clubs, one in Canada, one in Arizona, and we vacation-golf around the globe, including Hawaii almost every year. We average 130+ rounds a year each, so it is safe to say we are experienced golfers and have encountered almost every condition (man-made or mother nature) that golfers will experience.

We completely understand and appreciate that mother nature throws various conditions at golf courses, and rain is certainly a regular (and often welcome) experience, and we are OK with that. What we are NOT OK with is any condition that creates a safety hazard to the golfers themselves (lightning, fog, darkness, etc.).

From the moment we teed off on Makani #1, it rained on and off, and that was fine. However, on number 4, the fog started to roll in. By number 5 (a par 3) you could no longer see the green. On the tee box of number 6, you could not even see the forward tee box from the Member tee boxes. We waited 20 minutes, and another group finally came up behind us after losing their balls on the #5 par 3 hole, and we could not see a thing.

We decided it was clearly unsafe to play this course in the thick fog, as we could be injured, or injure another player ahead of us, so we headed back into the Pro Shop to end the round after 5 holes due to safety.

The Pro Shop had seen a number of people returning and had put up a "No Rain Check" sign, BUT did refund a gentleman ahead of us his money. When I asked for even a partial refund, or a rain check DUE TO SAFFETY, NOT RAIN, the staff absolutely refused to consider ANY accommodation for the money we spent at their facility (we try to golf the course each year).

This facility CLEARLY DOES NOT CARE FOR GOLFER SAFETY and anyone booking golf should recognize they not only will not give rain check for rain conditions, they also are oblivious to golfer safety.

THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST GOLF EXPERIENCE WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN HAWAII... DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS! YOU HAVE...

What a unique and well-designed course. Supurb layout, maybe the best I've ever played. Every hole feels special and challenging in it's own right, with multiple ways to play. Not to mention the volcano views and jungle atmosphere feel straight out of Jurassic Park.

Greens are highly variable in size and leveling, and in good shape. Some fairways are generous, and some are narrow. Water features on a number of holes, including the most beautiful island par 3 (17th) I've ever played. This 17th hole is made more interesting that it is a twin to the TPC Sawgrass 17th, which was designed by the course architect Perry Dye's father, Pete Dye. Additionally, topography is varied throughout the course without being overbearing. Lots of trees, heavy jungle rough, and many well-placed sand traps. Not an easy track.

If you're thinking of playing here for a 5-star resort experience, I would skip. The staff is friendly and doing their best, but this is ultimately a failed country club turned mostly municipal golf course. So it's a little shabby, some tee boxes are uneven, and would need a major rennovation to compete with Mauna Kea or Hualalei.

But there's literally zero development on the course (yet! the course is for sale) to distract from the many bird varieties and endless flora, and on the first tee box, on a clear day, you can see volcanos every way you look. The weather is an easy 10-15 degrees coolor than the coastal courses, and a little bit of fairway rain was more refreshing than frustrating.

Yes the tiny pro shop could not have tarps on the roof, and the rental clubs were pretty rough, but if you love the game of golf and the challenge of playing an incredible course design carved out of a volcanic jungle, then you'll have as good a time as we did. 10/10 would play this...

Thoroughly enjoyed my 3 rounds at Makani Golf Club (formerly known as Big Island Golf Club). The lady at the counter was exceptionally friendly but they need a better phone. On one occasion, our golf cart quit on us on #4 hole. We called in for a new cart or help. She kept complaining about the reception and how she couldn't hear us. We were stuck and could not proceed. She did not hear the urgency in our voice. Luckily we restarted the cart and changed it at the turn. Joe was exceptionally helpful but not the other guys. They spend too much time gabbing to other people than acknowledge people waiting in line. We just wanted a cart and get on our way.

Aside from the customer service, the layout is exceptional and challenging. The scenery is something to marvel at and the pace allowed us to take photos and videos of the course and the wildlife there. We felt hurried at times because the group behind us kept hitting into us. Not that we were slow but the group behind us teed off too soon and played from the forward tees. There's no starter and its really casual there. There's no marshal either so people can come and go as they please. One comment I have is that the maintenance crew should wear hard hats. They have the right to maintai the grounds and they do a great job but they get in the way and don't seem to be bothered by errant shots. The golf experience is excellent at Makani. I would recommend it to anyone visiting...