We played on 10/31/16. Last time I was here, I only got to play the front 9 due to rain storm, I came back to try it again. Front 9 is in decent shape and playable but back 9 fairways are like a mud... Continue »

We played on 10/31/16. Last time I was here, I only got to play the front 9 due to rain storm, I came back to try it again. Front 9 is in decent shape and playable but back 9 fairways are like a mud filled rice paddy. This course is probably one of the best and most difficult layout but the condition of the back 9 just kills any motivation to play here more than once. Just in case anyone is wondering if my low rating is due to bad score, I shot 82 which is probably 5 to 10 stroke below what I would normally shoot here. As beautiful as the golf course is, tee shots that land even on the fairway has chance of getting lost due to being plugged. Any high flying shot is difficult to find unless you know exactly where it landed. My playing partner lost multiple golf balls that would not have been lost in most courses. Some areas of the rough have not been cut for weeks if not months and jungle grass is taking over. Greens are slow due to lack of manicuring. There was no one at the course that we saw playing and discounted rate of $100/person seem over priced for the condition. We enjoyed the beautiful views but I don't think we'll be going back ever until they can do something about the conditions. Which is shame since it really is very beautiful place. If you're looking to play just 9 hole, then this is a good place to come but bring your mud boots and lots of towels to clean yourself up if you're going to play the back 9.

Anytime you come to play a course like this which is almost never you can either accept your score whatever it is and enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of such a hard course or you can try to play for a... Continue »

Anytime you come to play a course like this which is almost never you can either accept your score whatever it is and enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of such a hard course or you can try to play for a good score. But be forewarned: playing Koolau will humble you!! There are jungles on both sides of most fairways. There are numerous forced carries over ravines rich in grass, trees and plant life. Greens not hit in regulation will almost always leave tough up and downs. You can even just miss hitting a green only to find that you can't find your ball in the nasty rough. Due to the fact that this course sits right below a steep and gorgeous mountain side this place gets lots of rain. The soft conditions make it hard for your ball to roll into trouble but you almost never get "teed up" lies in the fairway. Anything slightly fat and your ball might end up in the jungle. At a 153 slope and a rating of 78.2 from the tips this course is ranked as the toughest in the world. I would recommend these tees only if you have a handicap of plus 1 or better. I can't forget the bunkers. While they looked ok from a distance most have hard pan underneath a thin layer of sand. The hardness of the bunkers and the softness of the rough near the greens created rather unfair golf in my opinion. However, I approached the round just to have fun and not worry about score. Especially, since I had rental clubs. And I really enjoyed playing here despite the conditions. Every golfer that can break 100 on an average course should at least come out and try a diabolical course like Koolau.

Played early morning on 2/12 as a single and enjoyed my quiet round with mother nature's creatures. I always make an effort to play this course as I love what Ko Olau has to offer. Jungle golf is a ... Continue »

Played early morning on 2/12 as a single and enjoyed my quiet round with mother nature's creatures. I always make an effort to play this course as I love what Ko Olau has to offer. Jungle golf is a good way to describe this place as well as the "softer" Royal Hawaiian golf course. Ko Olau is playable but difficult course if you do not hit straight. I only lost 4 balls today playing from the white tees (still 140+ slope) rather than my usual blue or back tees. POP was just under 3 hours soaking in the majestic beauty of the course and bunch of "selfies" photo opportunities, but could have played in 2 hours easily.

As for course conditions, the tees were level and good, fairways were fine with a mixture of grass/weed but this adds to the jungle ambience, roughs were short and playable but anything beyond the roughs were lost balls to the jungle forest. The greens looks excellent as you approached them but were a bit grainy with lots of pitch marks and played medium/slow. I left the first 3 or 4 holes very short on my first putts but once I dialed in the speed, I drained several nice 10-15 footers. I love this course will continue to come back again next time.

The worst "resort" style course experience I've ever had. It had rained the day before I went to play here and I expected it to be slightly muddy but that doesn't even begin to describe the conditions... Continue »

The worst "resort" style course experience I've ever had. It had rained the day before I went to play here and I expected it to be slightly muddy but that doesn't even begin to describe the conditions. For a windward course tucked up against the Ko'olaus there should have been way better drainage. The "fairways" had 1 - 1 1/2" long "grass"...it wasn't bermuda or even bent, it was some kind of fat-leaved native grass. The bunkers were hard-packed sand with hard pan underneath. Every green had large bare spots. There is a large waste bunker on the approach to 18 that was full of weeds. Yes, it's a waste bunker but it looked like they just didn't want to maintain the thing. I was having one of my straightest days so I hit a lot of "fairways" and it was lift, clean and place but I had to place it in inch and a half "fairway" grass. My suggestion is play there during a drought or don't even bother. Terrible for the exorbitant green fees.

Played 10/1. Paid $90 (standbygolf.com) with a $25 replay (rack rate $145). course empty. Poured all night, sidewalks were wet in the AM. Cart path only, and rightfully so, as the course was MUDDY... Continue »

Played 10/1. Paid $90 (standbygolf.com) with a $25 replay (rack rate $145). course empty. Poured all night, sidewalks were wet in the AM. Cart path only, and rightfully so, as the course was MUDDY. Did not take away from the enjoyment. No wind or rain at all during my rounds. One would call me masochistic for playing this twice, but I had nothing else to do, so why not pay $25 to see if a little course knowledge helped me out. It didn't. THis is a TOUGH course. Not necessarily tight, but the shot quality from the resort tees are very difficult. Most of the second shots are the challenging ones. long irons to greens over forced carries... if you placed your tee shot correctly. #18 is an impossible par... impossible bogey. the tee shot is about a 240 carry to the fairway, which you can barely see. leaves you about 200-220 (no roll today) shot to the green, which is protected by huge waste bunkers, slightly uphill, and a ravine that runs oblique to your shot angle from your right to left... so it's basically all carry... you can bail right 180yds, over the ravine, or lay up left to 100 yds on the same side of the ravine. I laid up, missed the green, 2 putt for double. I also tried to reach the green, short in the bunker, out in the rough, 2 putt for double. All that being said, I enjoyed every second of it, as I immersed myself in the rainforest views. Lost a gazillion balls, but I played a ton of mulligans as I was determined to play the hole as is. Didn't post a score. I always make it a point to play here when I visit.

I played here 9/30/2014. There were no bag attendant person so I walked down to the proshop area with my bag. Place was not very crowded so went to the range and warmed up after checking in. Pro sho... Continue »

I played here 9/30/2014. There were no bag attendant person so I walked down to the proshop area with my bag. Place was not very crowded so went to the range and warmed up after checking in. Pro shop staff were both very friendly and helpful. Practice putting green is so slow, its like putting from the fairway. I'd recommend practicing few short putts only. Luckily, the actual green was little faster. This course has lot of dog legs and drop off so tee shots are extremely important. Little too far off the tee and your ball is gone. It was tough to play mainly due to recent rain and course does not drain well. It was pretty much lift and clean condition. Not the fairest course and tee shots are optically very scary since you can't tell beyond the hazards. Of course when you actually go to your shot, you find out there is lot more room. I was only able to play the front 9 before the heavy rain came through. Will be heading back tomorrow to play the back 9 if the rain doesn't come back. Will post photos of the course after the 2nd half. This is very challenging course and those who don't mind the difficulty, absolutely come and try it out. Even if you don't score well here, you'll still enjoy the beautiful rain forest / mountain view scenery.

It's hard to believe hyperbole. That said, Ko'olua is the most beautiful course I have ever played. It is set against the rippling Ko'olau mountain range. It is literally a jungle. The eye-popping... Continue »

It's hard to believe hyperbole. That said, Ko'olua is the most beautiful course I have ever played. It is set against the rippling Ko'olau mountain range. It is literally a jungle. The eye-popping lush landscape also includes a view of the ocean in the distance. The relatively light cloud cover shields you from the sun. The course is generally wide open. Many times I have felt like the only person on the course. It is also the hardest course in the state of Hawaii (according to slope) from the Championship or Tournament tees. There are narrow fairways and ravines that cross them. Although the greens are on the slow side, the contours restore any difficulty lost for that. Put this package together, and you are talking about one of the sweetest courses in the world.

Played here a few days after ggolfer and not much to add so I'll keep it simple. From a pure layout and scenery standpoint, this course is right there with the most spectacular courses I have ever see... Continue »

Played here a few days after ggolfer and not much to add so I'll keep it simple. From a pure layout and scenery standpoint, this course is right there with the most spectacular courses I have ever seen either in person or on television. The jungles right off the fairways framing the holes with the Ko'olau mountains in the background are nothing short of awe inspiring. Watching your ball take off with the lush green mountains as a backdrop is something I'll never forget.

Unfortunately course conditions could not come close to matching the scenery. Greens were half punched still, but flags were all on the half that was not aerated. Tees, fairways, rough were all a mixed bag of different grasses and weeds. Some areas were overgrown, some bare, and some were ok. Bunkers looked to be ok.

The course appears to be on it's last legs and it's painful to see. First, the majority of the clubhouse building has been converted into a church. The pro shop is on the lower level in the rear occupying a small portion of the overall building. According to the starter most days there's no more than 20-30 players total. How the course is still operational is beyond me but at that rate I'd say the course may be closed within a year unless things start to take a dramatic turn for the better. One can only hope because I would love to be able to return and play again if things can turn around! Good luck Ko'olau!

Played 4-3-13 8 am. Let me start with WOW !!!. What a golf course. If you have time to golf on Oahu. This is a must play bucket list course. By the 3rd hole you will quickly forget wanting to play nex... Continue »

Played 4-3-13 8 am. Let me start with WOW !!!. What a golf course. If you have time to golf on Oahu. This is a must play bucket list course. By the 3rd hole you will quickly forget wanting to play next to the ocean. How often do you get a chance to play in a rain forest/ jungle. Its only about a 30 min. ride from Waikiki. Take the H3. Its about a 10 mile long bridge with a mile long tunnel through a mountain. Awesome ! Word of advice. Call the course and get proper directions. My GPS on my iphone did not deliver me to the course. Course is a very tight from the tee. So choose your tee wisely. I played from the resort tee. 140 slope. 6,406 yds. Ironic I know. Should have played the Champ tee. Slope 150. LOL. All the pins were middle back and back. So it added enough length on my iron shots to mix it up. # 1 key here. Hit it straight. Off the course is dropping another ball. Lost 3. But did not feel bad about it. 2 were from not knowing where to hit it. Some blind shots. They put a direction stick at the 150 yd marker. Works great on most holes. So hit for it. However some holes if you can't see past it. Don't go by it. Some holes you will layup to a gorge. Then hit over it to the green. # 11 Par 5 blind tee. So aim at the pine trees on right side and work it left. Should find the middle. Course was wet so little to no roll. Still only needed driver 4 times. They were working on the front half of the greens. But the area that was not being aerated putted good. I am already looking forward to my next trip to Oahu. Definitely playing this course again. I posted some pictures so you can see the course.