The hardest golf courses in Hawaii
The hardest 18-hole golf courses in Hawaii, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 27 courses have complete, verified tee data.
The Plantation
Kapalua Resort
Lahaina, HI, USASlope rating 144, 77.0 course rating, Tour tees, 7,596 yds
PublicBill Coore & Ben Crenshaw
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 3.1Value
- 4.3Scenery
- 3.7Facilities
You’ll be hard pressed to find a more scenic round of golf, there are some views that will stop you dead in your tracks just to take it all in. That helps ease the pain of a hefty price tag at least.
Written by
@GIR
- Must play
- Views
- Pristine
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Kohala Coast, HI, USASlope rating 144, 76.6 course rating, Championship tees, 7,370 yds
PublicRobert Trent Jones Sr.
- 4.1Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 3.7Value
- 5.0Scenery
- 4.3Facilities
$350 with no food on property and a limited driving range. Had maintenance guys in every fairway bunker of the first 5 holes we played and teed off at 9:20. Besides the chaos and heavy price tag, it was a fun course.
Written by
@Fut’sPicks
- Views
- Driving range
- Must play
Arnold Palmer
Turtle Bay Resort
Kahuku, HI, USASlope rating 141, 75.0 course rating, Black tees, 7,218 yds
PublicArnold Palmer
- 4.3Conditions
- 3.3Layout
- 2.0Value
- 4.7Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
- Driving range
- Must play
- Pristine
The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Club
Kahului, HI, USASlope rating 141, 74.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,841 yds
PublicRobin Nelson
Waialae Country Club
Honolulu, HI, USASlope rating 140, 74.4 course rating, Championship tees, 7,125 yds
PrivateSeth Raynor
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 5.0Scenery
- NRFacilities
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Nanea Golf Club
Kailua-Kona, HI, USA
Slope rating 140, 74.1 course rating, Championship tees, 7,061 yds
(Gold) Wailea Golf Club
Wailea, HI, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.5 course rating, Gold tees, 7,078 yds
Royal Hawaiian Golf Club
Oahu, HI, USA
Slope rating 138, 73.1 course rating, Gold tees, 6,609 yds
(Bay) Kapalua Resort
Lahaina, HI, USA
Slope rating 137, 72.7 course rating, Championship tees, 6,600 yds
(North) Mauna Lani Resort Golf
Kohala Coast, HI, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.2 course rating, Championship tees, 6,913 yds
Hapuna Beach Resort
Kohala Coast, HI, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,875 yds
Manele Golf Course
Lanai City, HI, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.7 course rating, Nicklaus tees, 7,039 yds
(Kings) Waikoloa Beach Resort Golf
Waikoloa, HI, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.4 course rating, Kings tees, 7,074 yds
(Emerald) Wailea Golf Club
Wailea, HI, USA
Slope rating 135, 72.8 course rating, Emerald tees, 6,825 yds
(Kaanapali Kai) Kaanapali Golf Courses
Lahaina, HI, USA
Slope rating 135, 70.7 course rating, Lava tees, 6,388 yds
Makai Golf Club at Princeville
Princeville, HI, USA
Slope rating 134, 75.4 course rating, Black tees, 7,223 yds
Kukui'ula Golf Course
Koloa, HI, USA
Slope rating 133, 74.4 course rating, Black tees, 7,028 yds
Ko Olina Golf Club
Kapolei, HI, USA
Slope rating 133, 73.3 course rating, Blue tees, 6,815 yds
Hualalai Golf Club
Kailua-Kona, HI, USA
Slope rating 131, 73.7 course rating, Mahope tees, 7,117 yds
Waikoloa Beach Resort Golf
Waikoloa, HI, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.7 course rating, Championship tees, 6,566 yds
Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course
Kaneohe Bay, HI, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.5 course rating, Back tees, 6,528 yds
(Royal Kaanapali) Kaanapali Golf Courses
Lahaina, HI, USA
Slope rating 129, 73.7 course rating, Uliuli tees, 6,700 yds
Maui Nui Golf Club
Kihei, HI, USA
Slope rating 129, 73.2 course rating, Gold tees, 6,665 yds
(Blue) Wailea Golf Club
Wailea, HI, USA
Slope rating 129, 71.6 course rating, Tsunami Black tees, 6,545 yds
Poipu Bay Golf Course
Koloa, HI, USA
Slope rating 128, 74.5 course rating, Gold tees, 7,123 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. State pages include courses across Hawaii. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
The Plantation at Kapalua Resort is #1 on Course Vaults in Hawaii at Slope 144 (77.0 course rating · Tour tees · 7,596 yds). 27 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. State pages include courses across Hawaii. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:41 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
