Mauna Lani Resort: South
Mauna Lani Resort: South
68-1050 Makaiwa Pl
Kamuela, HI 96743-9727
United States
Telephone
Overview
Situated on the Big Island’s northwest coast, Mauna Lani’s South course is one of two layouts at the resort. Host of the Champions Skins Game—a former exhibition with top over-50 circuit players—in the 1990s, the South course plays among lava outcroppings with views of the Pacific. The course features two scenic par 3s, including the 15th, which plays over the Pacific to a green set hard against the ocean.
About
Awards
ranking history:
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 10, 1993. Ranked 15th, 2025-'26. Ranked inside the top 15, 1995-'97, 2003. Ranked 20th, 2023-'24.
Previous ranking: 20th.
2025-'26 ranking: 15th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Mauna Lani's South course may be best known for its oceanside holes, but there are plenty of other excellent stretches. 'A'ā lava gives the course a truly distinctive look and firm playing conditions give the player choices into and around green sites."
Read More2025
Review
“Mauna Lani's South course may be best known for its oceanside holes, but there are plenty of other excellent stretches. 'A'ā lava gives the course a truly distinctive look and firm playing conditions give the player choices into and around green sites."
Read More2025
Review
“A fun, playable course that should be enjoyable to a wide range of golfers. Its distinct mark is the generous use of black lava rock, often times serving as the "rough", or greens surrounds. It creates a stunning contrasting background to the turf, water, and sky, and essentially plays as a water hazard, i.e. no chance to play out of it. There are a number of stunning holes on the ocean. Conditioning is good as their growing season is 365 days/year. Many holes offer a variety ofs way to approach the hole, such as driver off the tee or one could opt for a much shorter club and still have a chance at par."
Read More2025
Review
“A fun, playable course that should be enjoyable to a wide range of golfers. Its distinct mark is the generous use of black lava rock, often times serving as the "rough", or greens surrounds. It creates a stunning contrasting background to the turf, water, and sky, and essentially plays as a water hazard, i.e. no chance to play out of it. There are a number of stunning holes on the ocean. Conditioning is good as their growing season is 365 days/year. Many holes offer a variety ofs way to approach the hole, such as driver off the tee or one could opt for a much shorter club and still have a chance at par."
Read More2025
Review
“Mauna Lani South is a fun golf course weaving in and out of lava flows, anchored by two par threes with jaw-dropping views of the Kohala coastline that offer two opportunities to deposit your ball into the Pacific. The focus here will mainly be the surrounds, with lava waiting for a mishit at every turn, and the ocean holes worth the vacation greens fee. On the ground the course is resort-golf friendly, simple and forgiving for most players, with some good pin positions and contours to amp up the challenge on a windy day. The course is a noteworthy example dark ages 80s-90s golf on the moon, having had an annual TV spot as host of the senior skins game from 1990-2000. The course maintains much of its character from that time, but the views and setting overrule some boring design."
Read More2023
Review
“Fabulous course. Lava rock everywhere is like they build a world-class course on the moon. Some of the ocean holes are a lifetime memory"
Read More2023
Review
“The South Course is the prettier and more scenic of the two Mauna Lani resort course, but unfortunately neither provides a ton of architectural interest. Hawaii tends to be the land of 230 yard Par 3s over, or by, the water and Mauna Lani (South) very much fits that template. A nice course to ride around in a cart and enjoy Hawaii, but not great golf by any means."
Read More2023
Review
“The oceanside location provides incredible aesthetics and soft contours without the mountainside aspects of other Hawaii courses. Great fun, great people, exceptional conditioning."
Read More2023
Review
“Two super scenic par 3 over the Pacific, and perhaps the best conditioning amongst the public Big Island courses."
Read More2021
Review
“Overall, South Course if better than North Course and has more holes along the ocean. If you can play only one course at Mauna Lani, play the South Course"
Read More2018
