Hey guys, I'm getting married on the 19th of May and then proceeding to Maui for my honeymoon. I know that a lot of you have played golf in Hawaii, so I was hoping to get some suggestions. I'm looking for some good courses and don't mind a good value as well (wishfull thinking, I know). I was hoping some of you might be able to help me out. Thanks in advance!

Plantation (Kapalua) = MUST!!
Makena North and South are both excellent.
Wailea has several nice courses....I forget which one is the nicest.

I got married in Maui and honeymooned there and Kuaui....It's absolutely beautiful!! No matter where you play, you'll enjoy it. Have fun.

Second for the Plantation. Just a great course.

The Wailea courses are the Blue, Gold and Green(i think). The Gold hosted an LPGA or Senior tour event a while back. Its very nice. The Blue is great for a budget course(budget for Maui is still $100+).

I've played the Plantation on two different occasions and its really a blast. I'd try to get an early time because it can get super windy in the afternoon, its a real fun course. I also like the Village course at Kapalua. Makena over in the Walieau are are also very good , with incredible breathtaking views.

On which side of the island are you staying? Traffic can be daunting on Maui so getting from one side to the other can take a while depending on the time of day. Also the wind can be a b**** on the Kapalua/Kaanapali side. In addition, I believe they are rebuilding part of the Kapalua area. Wailea area has some nice courses and the wind is not as strong. There's the Blue, the Emerald, and the Gold at Wailea. As the other poster mentioned the Makena Prince has a couple of Robert Trent Jones courses.

Depending once again where you're staying - if it's on the Kaanapali side - you might want to consider taking the boat across to Lanai and playing the Koele course which is beautiful or the Manele course which is a typical Hawaii ocean course.

Congratulations and I'm sure you will enjoy Maui.

Thanks for the great replies guys! As for which side of the island we're staying on, we're going to be on the SW side down by Makena if that helps.

I hope your wife plays also, you may get in trouble.

Actually, she's pretty cool about it. Suprisingly, she wants me to go play . I'm actually planning on playing two rounds, one I'm going to play really early, probably before she's up, the second I'm going to go twilight and she said she wants to come along with me to check out the views, which I'm looking forward to.

Never underestimate the "how about an afternoon at the spa?" strategy. It's how I played Princeville on my honeymoon.

The Grand Wailea courses are awesome. I played both the Gold and the Emerald last spring and had a great time. Then again, pretty much all golf in Hawaii is awesome. Price around $200 a round. Everyone at Wailea was fantastic. My 5 & 8 year olds are unbelievable players, and they let them out too and gave them the same treatment I got. It was incredible.

The nice thing about the side of the island your on, is the weather. Very little rain and not near as much wind. The only problem with the Plantation course side of the island is that the weather can change in a second. My buddies play Makena all the time and have nothing but good things to say. Some of them actually like Makena better than the Wailea courses, so I can only imagine. I'll catch Makena next Spring.

Anyway, have fun and congratulations!

Based on what you've said, I would suggest you play one of the Makena courses early. I would make Plantation your twilight round (it's about half price after 1 or 2). I also think Plantation has the best views - a little further from the water, but elevated so it provides wonderful vistas. Another reason to play Plantation late (and with the wife) is that it will be around an hour drive each way. You'll go thru Lahaina which has some pretty cool shops, cafes, etc. so you can go early and stop there on the way to give the wifey a little fun too. My wife played Plantation with me, and she still talks about it to this day. Also, you could even do something hokey and go to the magic show after your round.....it's up towards Kanapali (maybe in Lahaina)....it's called Warren and Annabelles. It's pretty interesting - touristy and hokey, but fun nonetheless. If you tell them it's your honeymoon, they'll try to seat you in the front row, and you'll get to participate. We had a great time (and I normally don't really like stuff like that). You can PM me if you have any other questions. Have a great time!!

Ah, Makena side is the best IMO. I've stayed at the Grand Weilea Resort twice and its a slice of heaven. I'm with Mortoyz, the Weileau (sp) resort is really good as well as the Makena courses are really great. You can't go wrong. Enjoy.

Makena North and South is "Da Kine" IMO the best of the best on Maui (and we always stay on the Lahina side so I have to make the long trip!!!
Anyway you'll love all the golf over there, but a local favorite and very reasonabe and as scenic as any golf course in Hawaii is Pukalani - up on the side of the volcano and costs about $50-$75! I play there a couple of times each trip with my local buddies and the golf course is fun and the views are AWESOME!
Have a great trip!

good value is the dunes at maui lana as well. really enjoyed the course.

1) Kapalua Plantation Course Twilight - $130

2) Kapalua Bay Course Twilight - $105

3) Dunes at Maui Lani

Went last summer. Makena North, Wailea Gold, Kaapalua Plantation. All phenomenal. Watch for the wind at Plantation.

Also, I've heard good things about the courses on Lanai. Take the boat over with the wife, set her up with a horse ride or massage or something, and have a nice round on a great course (both are great). Finish it off with a romantic dinner and you got yourself a day!

Good luck!

Firstly, congratulations on the upcoming nuptials.
I was in your boat 4 weeks ago while in Maui on Honeymoon.

I played, Waliea Gold (excellent course and overall experience)

Makena North (good course but nothing to right home about and overall the customer service was horrible compared to Wailea). Would not go back here unless it was at least half the price I paid.

Dunes at Maui Lanai - Now, this is a gem. Good value, great layout and excellent service and practice range.

Enjoy
Keith

Replay....Replay....Replay. This is the best way to do it. I played the Kapalua Bay course. I was the first person off and played by myself. I played in record time. I think that it cost me somewhere in the neighborhood of $150-$165 to play. When I was done they asked me if I wanted to re-play for $55. I initially said no, but then they told me that the price was good for any of the Kapalua courses. I went back to the resort to spend time with the wifey and got to play the Plantation course in the afternoon for $55. However, I was there in Nov. I do not know if that makes a difference. At the end of the day I had played both courses for less than it would have cost to play the Plantation course alone. I would also suggest setting up a tee time before you go. I got lucky. I could not get a time at the Plantation course. I had to wait for a no show.

For discount pricing on some of the courses on Maui (Makena but not Plantation) you can call Standby Golf 888 645-2665 in the late afternoon/evening and get 10-20% off! Enjoy your time there!

It sounds like your golf play will be similar to what I did on my honeymoon. I played the Wailea Gold course (home of the Champions Tour Skins Game) by myself one morning, and then my wife came along with me to the Kapalua Plantation course one afternoon (she loved it and doesn't play golf at all). Plus side to playing in the afternoon at Kapalua is the twilight rate, down side to playing in the afternoon is the wind.

I rented clubs at both courses and just enjoyed the courses. They each have nice sticks if you don't feel like dragging your own. I think they had Pings at Kapalua and Callaways at Wailea. It's been about 5 years since I've been there, but it was great.

Hope that helps.

Here's my take on it:

Kapalua Bay course is nice, but a little overrated.
Kaanapali is tempting, but skip it. Too much money, crowded, course not great.
Makena South is epic. Good views, not another person on the course when I was there, every hole was interesting.
Any Wailea course is good.

No matter what, enjoy it, and congratulations. Oh, and check out Molokini for snorkeling. It's a day or half day trip, but oh so worth it.