Manele Golf Course, Hawaii, United States

4FukuBonsaiPlant 5:00 PM Jan 25, 2022

Use to be one of the greatest day of golf
My review is a description of one of greatest golf days imaginable. Early in the morning you would take the Ferry from Maui to Lanai and you were shuttled up to the “Lodge at Koele” and play at their “Experience Course”, it was a fantastic upcountry course that made you think that you were playing anywhere but hawaii, but occasionally views of the ocean would surprise you. The round would end around 12:00, because no round of golf on lanai was ever longer then 3.5 hours. The shuttle would take you back down to the “Manele Bay resort” you would have a quick lunch and then play the “Challenge Course” ( now called “Manele Golf Course” . This course truly is one of the most exceptional courses in the world, so exceptional that “Bill Gates” got married on the 12 th green . Sadly for him the marriage didnt survive, but the course has. The views of the Ocean are truly distracting, and teeing off on the 12 th hole is probably the best the most intimidating par 3,s on the planet. The round would end just after 4:00 pm and a couple of beers at the resort before the last ferry back to Lahaina ( Maui ) This outstanding day of golf use to be booked through Cliff at the “Maui Golf Shop” and cost about $360.00 U.S, including return Ferry trip. ( pretty expensive back in 2012), but the courses were practically empty, which along with water shortages on Lanai clearly led to the closing of the “Experience Course” The real tragedy about golf on Lanai was the “Four Seasons” decision to not allow non guests to play the course, Since 2007 since i first visited Hawaii with my golfing buddies, Maui has lost the “Ridge Course” at Kapalua, “Kahili Golf Course”, both North and South courses at “Makena” ( Makena is now an ultra private course ) and both courses on Lanai for public play . So sad that Four Seasons wouldn't allow some public play daily on their course at Manele, because its still would be an exceptional day of golf, a great ferry ride and fantastic lunch at the Clubhouse. Just a thought !

5Teney T 5:00 PM Jul 2, 2020

Amazing!
TL;DR: Book it. Now. It's an amazing experience well worth the $350. I'm a resident of Hawaii and have played many courses around the islands. This is now my #1. The views are amazing. The course was very well maintained. The staff are friendly, attentive, and proactive; you don't have to ask for things - they'll have it ready for you. There's a clean locker room and restaurant with an above-average selection of food. The rental clubs are very nice and forgiving Titleist T300s. A few notes about COVID: Masks are required in the clubhouse and starting area, and the staff is courteous in the way that they enforce this. There are no rakes in the hazards, but you are given a rake in your cart. The ball and club washers on the cart are not filled with water. There is no drink cart around the course, but the staff will drive out drinks to you. The cooler on the cart is still filled with bottled water, and you're given a cold towel when you finish. All of the staff wear masks, and many wear gloves as well. There aren't any trash cans, but the staff take care of this for you. Overall, I felt absolutely safe playing here and there was little inconvenience due to COVID precautions. My only complaint - you just get two sleeves of balls (albeit Pro V1s), and these quickly found their way into the Pacific Ocean. If you're a mediocre golfer, like me, bring some extras.