To start, Ko’olau is one of the most beautiful golf clubs on the island. With that being said, it is by FAR the hardest course a golfer will play. This course is hard to maintain due to its location. If you are a “weekend golfer”, expect to lose more than 10 balls. Perfect tee shots are a must. However, the views are very rewarding.

Amazing golf course with incredible views and a creative layout. The conditions were not impeccable but I’m not sure what you could expect considering where it’s located (in the jungle on a mountainside). This is easily the most difficult course I’ve played but the pro shop worker shared with us a fun anecdote - “leave your driver and your ego in the golf cart.” Don’t come here for a perfect score, come here for a challenge and an amazing backdrop!

The staff is very friendly and the views are phenomenal. Carts are updated with tablets that show you the layout of each hole, but the GPS was way off. If you rely on that for your club choice, bring your own range finder/gos/app. With the course being where it is, there is a lot of soggy areas, even on the fairways. I have never come home with my clubs as muddy as they were from here. Snack bar had a good selection, Pro Shop, not so much. Bottom line, nowhere is ever perfect and I would absolutely play here again.

Very fun, very challenging. Usually pretty wet. If you are staying in Hawaii and are short on golf balls, play here and walk the rough, youll find literally hundreds. Great staff.

This course is tough as nails and wet. The backdrop is breathtaking, and the course is reasonably priced for kamaaina.

Very challenging course with a beautiful layout and setting amongst the cliffs. The restaurant/bar was already closed when we got there for our 4:44pm tee time. The pro shop employees were courteous and helpful. We played 12 holes in 2 hours 15 minutes and pace for a 4 hour round not bad.

Great views. Sand traps have not been looked after in months. Tee boxes need serious repair as well. Disappointing that a great course is in such disrepair.

This is a challenging course that is beautifully placed and well maintained. This is A golfers bucket list course.

A beautiful scenic golf course, definitely among the top scenic courses in Hawaii and one of the most scenic anywhere. As a golfer, its an awesome layout to challenge your skills. Definitely not a great course for beginners or golfers with wild swings. A couple holes are long driver must if you want to score but a lot of holes will score much better if you leave the big dogin the bag off the tee. Definitely a skills & Target golf course. Fairways are fairly wide but your mind plays tricks on you and everything looks so narrow hemmed in by Forest. I swear they put golf ball magnets throughout the forest. Anything past the rough and say Aloha to your ball. Ive heard a lot of people say bring as many balls as your handicap to finish your round. Not true if you can keep your ego in check and play the course but easily true if youre a Go For It bomber. The major exception is the 18th finishing hole. Two forced carries over a wide ravine is a memorable way to finish. A very long tee shot is necessary to carry over the first ravine and get to the fairway. Then a decision to lay up further down the fairway to make the green or go for it over the second forced carry. Only a great tee shot will allow you to do the latter. With the Koolau mountain range in the backdrop, definitely memorable.I really wish I could give the course a higher rating. I love the layout but its difficult to upkeep the whole course when its in a rain forest and gets as much precipitation as it does. The bunkers take the brunt of this but even the fairways can get crazy muddy. This is especially true if its been raining throughout the week before you get on. You may want to ask before you go out. On wetter outings, its easy to plug a ball in the fairway. Ive lost several drives in the middle of the fairway through the years. Drainage has gotten a little better but still has a long way to go. The greens are off & on. Some weeks their great but again, after heavy rains, they can get splotchy. I tend to book more tee times in the summer months but it is a rain forest and can get muggy. If the weathers right, I do take my out of town guests and theyre normally awed by the views. That alone takes some of the sting out of our final scores. All-in-all, its a great course at a reasonable price. Just be aware of what youre getting into before you tee off. Youll definitely have stories to tell after playing this course.

A beautiful, very tough, course. If youre a good player, you may get frustrated. Dont. Relax! You could be at work. If youre not a good player (like me), just be prepared to lose a bunch of balls (I lost 23), and enjoy the vistas.

Challenging golf course, beautiful layout. Would have liked to see the greens rolling a little faster. They where rolling around 5 in the meter need to be up around that 8-10 mark.

The course was very, very muddy. It was wet and I found that I would hit a shot into the fairway and it would often get plugged in the mud making it have 0 roll out. Despite all of this, the course is challenging, and the views are out of this world. If the views weren’t this good I would not recommend playing here, but since the views are so outstanding, it’s a must play in my opinion.

Aww awesome Alexia graduation partyThere food and service is spectacular Delightful to hold a beautiful Occasion.

Played there the 3rd week of October 2019, the course is one of the most beautiful courses I have ever played in terms of the setting and the layout is quite challenging. I had played it previously 10 years ago and it was in pristine condition. Apparently the course was purchased by a church who now occupies a big portion of the clubhouse. Both the clubhouse and course could use a lot of work.The course has not been well maintained. The fairways & greens need a lot of attention. I lost several balls that were hit in the fairway but sunk in the mud. The fairways & greens were not mowed...and did not roll. I expected the rough to be thick and unforgiving as that was how I remember it...but found more discarded balls in the fairway than at any other course due to long grass and mud.The greens fees were expensive relative to the course conditions. There are discount coupons available. The setting is unparalleled and spectacular...but the course conditions took a lot of the fun out of the experience.

The landscape would be the main reason for playing this course. It is challenging if you like precision golf. You would not want to play this course after a heavy rain as the mountains feed water to the course and it becomes very sloppy. I probably would have given the course 5 stars had I played it when it was dry and they could mow.

Best place for long leisurely lunches. Quiet, friendly, good food, breathtakingly beautiful surroundings. A must for visitors. A place to totally unwind.

Came here with a mountain climbing group. The clubhouse is updated and the staff is welcoming. Enjoyed it!

Beautiful and very well maintained course. A little on the easy side which defies the slope rating on their score card which is why I dont know why they host an LPGA event here.

Course was unplayable due to poor drainage, but they still took my money. Poor experience. No yardage markers on path, in fairways, or stakes. Course is an afterthought for the facilities. Nice scenery, but its Hawaii, everywhere you look there is beauty.

Beautiful grounds, building and ballrooms.Great, attentive staff. Im not a golfer and was there for a seminar, but was quite impressed - though the place is a bit too highbrow for me.

Stunning views,but the course is horrible. Fairways so muddy you cant walk across, sand traps are mostly weeds with no sand at all, the greens are the worst i have ever played on.Very sad to see such a beautiful course in such need of care

This is possibly the most beautiful, picturesque golf course that I have every played. The mountains are stunning which add to an interesting layout. That said, this course is not meant for high handicap players - if you miss the fairway, the rough will swallow your ball (and forget even trying to find it if your ball veers off the hole -the vegetation is extremely thick). What is most difficult is carrying the ravines, some of which are close to 200 yards which is beyond my capabilities. Also note the course does aerate the greens in September like many Hawaiian properties, though they were well top dressed and could be played though they were exceptionally slow with little break. A discount for the course condition should have been offered.

Playing golf at Koolau was the best decision I have ever made when I visited Ohau this week. I played many golf courses but this was the one of the best. I highly recommend all of good golfers out there to try this course when you have a chance. This course will challenge your skill all around. Make sure you take extra balls!!!

I was very disappointed when I recently golfed this course. Apart from the views, the fairways had hardly any grass (some mowed down weeds that look more like rough), bunkers were rock hard (no sand), hardly anyone on site maintaining the grounds, and the greens were terrible.I wouldn’t have written a negative review if we paid $50, however for what they are charging in green fees, this course was definitely not worth it.Save your money and go anywhere else.

Good-beautiful landscape and view-challenging course designbad-muddy, soaking, poor grass keep-If you are a over 20+ handicapper, you are gonna lost about 10 balls during the play.(even if you hit near the green, the grass is too long so you will almost cant find the balls) you need to bring lots of ball to play this course-no cleaning services, no air pressure to clean your shoes(not expected in premium course like this)

The course condition is so bad from teebox to green. It is not maintained and full of mud. The green is rough and long like average fairway. The great part about the course is the scenery of Pali mountain.

Outside of the spectacular views the course was in terrible shape. Even with a discount we paid $110.00 and I don’t think it was not worth more than $50.00. Honestly, I expected much more! If your looking for a mountain course the Royal Hawaiian is a much better choice.

Im giving this golf course a five for the absolute beauty of it. We were here on our honeymoon and I loved it. I dont golf, so just driving my hubs in this beauty was bonus !

Its beautiful but extremely challenging. It was awfully wet today and my ball had mud on it the whole round. I only wish it were a little more dry. Other than that its worth playing whether you play well or not. Take extra balls.

Jurassic Park golf course! If you cant drive straight make sure you have a lot of balls in your bag. There are also plenty of good pickings in the rough if you are brave

If you are a average golfer, recommend not try your own luck, the fairway is grassy and mud anywhere, the green is even grassy and, take extra balls and iron cleaner.

Beautiful view... just breath taking. Did not play golf but attended a wedding. Staffs are very friendly but the food is just okay...

Was expecting a lot better. Course was wet and muddy, and grass needs cutting, in fairways and in rough. Layout is challenging and tough, so expect a grind. GPS on carts are top notch.

Good food and excellent service

What great views! Nearly every hole has just amazing views of the mountain range. Tee up to the green everything was great, but the greens are struggling. Overall its a great experience and hopefully the greens can recover quickly! Great staff and aerial views of each hole in the cart were also nice.

You start off by some drive up a side of a mountain. Then be greeted by a man taking you clubs from my truck and put them on a cart for me. I went and checked in and walked to get a Sammy at the bar. Spam and egg. It was so big and cheap for the size. After checking in for golf I was given a code for range balls. It was Matt only this day. I wont hit my irons off Matts. The course first hole was a par 5 down hills. It was so it was in greatest greatest shape of the places Ive placed in Hawaii so far.

Beautiful setting...we all had a great time, primarily because of the great program...food was good...but Staff were not service oriented.

The owners are sweet, the course is the most beautiful youll find anywhere, and its challenging but worth it! As I understand, the course has very recently been renovated so keep that in mind when reading older reviews.

Beautiful course... take plenty of balls if you are avg golfer..

Golf course was excellent. Laid out nicely. Honeys restaurant is located on-site. This is truly a very good good restaurant food was awesome and cheap.

Supposed to be a difficult course but the biggest challenge was the conditions. The fairway has more mud than grass. The greens are in terrible shape. I played Royal Hawaiian 2 days prior, much better shape.

Serenaders playing music, good company with my hālau sisters, dancing hula and enjoying the evening!

The most picturesque golf course I have ever seen. Straight out of Jurassic Park. It was hard, I think I lost 8 balls but it is one of the hardest in the US.

The views are what stand out here. The service was nice, but seemed a smidge understaffed. The course was better than what the reviews led me to believe, but I find it hard to swallow that is was in this condition when it was named a top course. It is very wet by nature and that lowers the quality a smidge, like water in bunkers was common. Overall tho, if you want a very challenging course with beautiful vistas, this might be it.

Its one of my top 10 favorite course. Very challenging. Koolau was also one time one of the most difficult golf courses in the world according to USGA. A must play when youre traveling to Oahu. Bring a lot of balls, as festcules and cliffs tend to inhail them.

Went here for a wedding and reception. Beautiful service and party afterward. Food was delicious, staff was friendly and the views we breath taking!!!!

This place isnt for beginners but a fun place to play

Very hard course with exceptional views! The staff was amazing and very helpful.

Great course but tight, bring an extra ball or two.You cant beat the views.

Beautiful nestled in the Koolau mountains in Kaneohe breath taking views and great landscaped. Mahalo

Golf course has a nice layout and very interesting holes. Its located under one of hawaais mountains which makes the course very scenic. The green condition however is awful with weeds growing on almost all the greens. Variable speed and very bumpy means there is no chance of being able to read your putt. Add to that the fee of $160 for a round, I wouldnt recommend this course.

On arrival the course did not have our booking due to a mix-up in dates with Hawaii tee times that course was unable to remedy on the day!Note to self confirm booking the day beforeThe course for scenery is a must visit however the condition when we played was not good if you are wanting to be sure of this check with the course before booking winter months are an issue We had our booking problems and kudos to the General Manager for sorting this out.They have gone an extra mile to see our experience wasnt all bad and we would look to return in the autumn if ever possible.

What a great location to meet and enjoy people and nature

I went to Koolau Ballroom! The customer services are Excellent!

This course was on my must play list when I came to Oahu. It definitely did NOT disappoint. I expected a tough, challenging golf course and this course delivered. I loved every challenging shot. 2 things to remember,1) Play from as far forward as you can and still have a challenge.2) Bring PLENTY of golf balls.

Beautiful course mountains as your back drop

They charge like it’s one of the best courses on the island. We played three courses, Royal Hawaiian, Turtle bay and this one. I reconend the other two. I would fire the grounds keepers and hire one who knows what he’s doing. Weeds everywhere including the greens and fairways. Not worth the money. Should have been a $50 round.

What can one say but Awesome!

Incredible views.

I have not golfed here but the clubhouse is fantastic with great views and food.

The beauty of the mountain range of Koolaupoko, will leave you in aw.

Grass on fairways was too short given muddy ground. Looks like it needs a punch and sand treatment. Traps a real mess. No raking and some poor drainage. Course in poor shape compared to six years ago last time I played

Such an amazing place and amazing golf course! Course is a tough layout and doesnt allow for errant tee shots but it is very well cared for and the views are without equal. Only downside is I chose to golf when course was very soggy and I was slingin mud and big divots the whole round but still had a great time.

Honeys is the place! Buffet was excellent and the service was superb.

One of the most challenging courses Ive played!

Must play lift clean and place as course is soaked. Greens are very slow and full of weeds. However that did not take away from being not only the hardest course in the USA but also the most picturesque. I look forward to it trying out.

Really fun and demanding course. There were some greens that needed some attention, but overall a great experience. Prepare to lose at least a couple of balls.

Nice place to have meeting, nice reastraunt and a church meeting on Sundays/golf anyone

Awesome golf course with terrific views!

It was a great experience, good food great view

One of the most beautiful venues for a multitude of events on Oahu. The Koolau mountains create the most amazing back drop for photos or just relaxations

Good food n staff....I should say GREAT food! Awesome view while golfing....cant get any better scenery than this place on Oahu

There are major changes to the course and all for the better. We enjoyed our round there. Scheduling a tee time was hassle free. They had a courtesy golf shuttle from the parking lot and we were treated very well at check in. This is still a difficult course but it appears a lot friendlier than I remember. If you havent been there in over 6 months go check it out.

The views are magnificent, cannot be overstated. As a golf course, however, I feel like the architecture doesnt make sense for the average golfer.Par 5s are presented in such a way that if you cant carry at least 275 yards then youre relegated to hitting a trio of 200-yard shots and hopefully putting for birdie. It doesnt feel natural hitting 4-iron off the tee on a par-5, not to me anyway.The course was also unfortunately saturated, a result of existing in a rainforest, I imagine. Balls hit in the fairway or first cut often went missing because the ball would become embedded out of sight. If you werent lucky enough to see the ball bounce, youre gonna have to take a drop.But those views.

Beautiful location

Spectacular scenery, course can be difficult and because of location, wet, some places muddy. Restaurant food is decent and you can be blessed as there is a church next to the clubhouse.

Absolutely first class.

This course is literally cut out of the rain forest. They get over 200 inches of rain a year at this course, so expect it to be damp and for the ball not to run at all. Speaking of balls, bring plenty. Even the most seasoned golfer will lose a few balls at this course. Clubhouse told me the course record was 63...lost balls!! Amazing views and amazing course. When you dont make that great of a score, you arent even disappointed because of the amazing location

Attended a two day seminar for work. Spacious ballroom. Lunch was a wonderful buffet that allowed a menu selection to accommodate the needs of all (especially me) since I have numerous food allergies. Love you so

Will it actually go here to play golf this is the beginning of one of the trails to go up to the waterfall you park at the far corner of theres a little road that goes up to a water tank and right before you get to the water tank make a left and climb up the hill its some beautiful terrain I want to get up towards the top of the hill youll see kind of a big tree on the right theres a lotrel that comes in before work kind of forks and its the main trail in two different spots followed that up to the right and youll be at the waterfall in just a few minutes definitely a easy hike and a beautiful place to go

Major renovation of tree trimming around the course making it so much more playable. I dont remember how it looked like when it opened, but I would imagine these are the views that the course designers would have wanted. Greens are coming around, should be good soon.

One Tough course have to play a couple times to appreciate its uniqueness

I was given a nice discount when I showed up because the course was in such poor condition due to mud and high grass. Of course it’s a very wet part of the island, but my last two experiences there were not pleasant.

The place is gorgeous. But it wasnt playable at all. Greens are in terrible shape, and are as slow as any Ive ever played on. The fairways were sloppy, carts on path but the maintenance crew had been driving all over the place, leaving tracks everywhere. Hogs have just devastated several places on the course too. It really was a mess. If it were my home course it would have never been open. Expensive day to play in the mud.

Had breakfast at Honeys. Excellent as usual.

Beautiful views and amazing location, but it is not $150 course, course condition is not good. Fairways have wierd grass, greens were not in good shape either. Back 9 is cartpath only.

Great place to play and great for weddings

Beautiful scenery with the majestic Koolau mountain range as the backdrop.

Very nice course. If you go in rainy season, be prepared to get soaked. Very wet course in the Winter. Still its a very fun course. People are great.

Absolutely stunning views, and a peaceful yet quiet atmosphere. Had to go to a wedding here and I must say it was pleasant

One of the best layouts for a track you can play. Beautiful course with awesome scenery. The course does lack in a lot of manicuring. Greens are not well kept and so inconsistent. The course is in the ko olau mountains that get a fair share of rainfall so the course is wet and mud does affect your ball, cleaning it every hole is a regular occurrence. Great track if you can get a good deal but full price is not worth it.

What a beautiful location next to the Koolau mountains. I attended there for a function that had really good food friendly service. If I play golf Im sure enjoy the golf course its beautiful!

The price to play this course in winter is unreasonable. None of the fairways are in good shape with most of the back nine plugging completely. The greens (every one of them) are overgrown and covered in weeds. We were given no opportunity to rectify the (at best) marginal round we had, which left a bad taste in our mouths when we left. The property is, of course, very beautiful and theres nothing else like it on earth (many amazing views), however the course is not in playable condition and will not be for the time being. If you have booked a tee time within a month or two of my review.. you have been warned. If you read this review and think you can tough it out, then check the course out before you play. When we we arrived, there was a twosome at the proshop demanding a refund because they had the worst golf experience of their life, and no one had told them the degenerative shape the course was in beforehand. They were told there was nothing that could be done, but were given the course managers business card.. Both the proshop clerk and the marshal told us on no terms should we attempt to play to back nine because it was completely lost from a maintenance standpoint, and recommended we play the front nine twice. In my opinion, for the money they are charging at the moment, golfers should stay away from playing the course entirely. It is very disappointing, as this is an unbelievably breathtaking property. At the end of our round, we mentioned that the course was much worse than we expected, even with a warning, but the proshop worker replied with, I told ya so. Served us right for ignoring all the signs.

The course has great potential, its definitely a challenging and beautiful course, but lacking maintenance of faiways and rough makes it hard to distinguish between the two. Crabgrass has taken over the fairways, maybe its because of the constant moisture on that side of the island, but I can see how this course was at once considered a 5 star course.

Beautiful but extremely hard course. Unfortunately when we went, the ground was very muddy. The grass was a bit to tall; you could loose you ball right in the fair way. BUT, the views, absolutly amazing. There is no better photo opportunity of the beautiful Hawaii mountain range. We are golfing there later in the week, hopefully the ground drys up a bit so they can cut the grass.

Come for the views, stay for the golf! Incredible back drop; the course is simply stunning. And the golf is VERY challenging - precision will be rewarded. The staff was very friendly, especially compared with some of the other courses I played, and they kept apologizing for the condition of the course - 10 of rain in the past 2 weeks. But it was completely playable. All around great experience!

Beautiful setting! Went there for dinner and had a great time. Must come back and golf at this world class course.

I came here for a conference, the views were breathtaking and the food was amazing. Its always great when you have great company.

This was the best.!!

Good views. But the course is so muddy. Lost balls from being plugged. Im trying to be positive. But dont expect to have a good round. Sorry :(