Hualalai Golf Course
Jack Nicklaus's first design on Hawaii Island, opened in 1996 at Kaupulehu on the Kona coast, is a par 72 of around 7,117 yards across the black lava. Each January it hosts the season opening event on PGA Tour Champions, and the rest of the year it is the private playground of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and its club members.
Photograph: Hualalai Golf Course, via Google
The verdict
Hualalai is the Kona coast's resort golf at its most polished. It was Jack Nicklaus's first course on Hawaii Island, opened in 1996, and it was named Hawaii's best new course on the spot. Set at Kaupulehu among the black lava and kiawe of the dry Kona side, it pairs immaculate conditioning with the kind of understated drama Nicklaus does so well, and it has stayed near the top of every Hawaii resort list for almost thirty years.
For the traveling golfer, the catch is access, and the reward is exclusivity. Hualalai is not open to the general public; it is reserved for guests of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, for members of the Hualalai Club and for their guests. Book a stay at the Four Seasons and the course is yours to play, which makes it one of the great reasons to base a Big Island trip on the Kona coast. Each January the world's senior major champions arrive for the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, the first event of the PGA Tour Champions season.
Hualalai at a glance
- Opened
- 1996
- Designer
- Jack Nicklaus
- Tournament
- PGA Tour Champions, January
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- Around 7,117 yds
- Access
- Resort guests and members
Designer, opening year, tournament, par and yardage verified June 2026 from resort and tour sources. Hualalai plays as a par 72 of around 7,117 yards from the back tees, with a course rating near 73.7 and a slope around 131, routed across the lava of the Kaupulehu coast. Access is restricted to Four Seasons Resort Hualalai guests, Hualalai Club members and their guests; fees and access are seasonal and resort set, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
Hualalai is a classic Nicklaus resort design, generous enough off the tee to keep a holidaymaker happy and exacting enough around the greens to keep a good player honest. Nicklaus routed it through the black a'a lava so that the fairways read clearly against the rock, with the trouble visible rather than hidden, and he saved his teeth for the approach shots and the green complexes, where the slopes and run offs ask for the right club and the right miss.
The single ocean front hole, where the course touches the Pacific on the Kona coast, is the photograph people carry home, but the strength of Hualalai is its consistency from first tee to last. The conditioning is immaculate, the bunkering is crisp and strategic, and the dry Kona climate means the course plays firm and fast almost year round. When the senior tour arrives in January, the players speak of how fair and how enjoyable it is to play, which is exactly the balance a resort course should strike.
What lingers is the sense of a course built to be played and enjoyed at the highest level of comfort. Hualalai is Nicklaus golf without the punishment, set in the dependable sunshine of the Kona coast and kept in tournament condition all year. For a golfer who can arrange access through a Four Seasons stay, it is one of the most rewarding rounds in Hawaii.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Not open to the general public; play is reserved for guests of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hualalai Club members and their registered guests |
| How to play | The usual route for visitors is to book a stay at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, which carries golf access; otherwise play is as the guest of a member |
| Green fee | Indicative fees for the 2026 season sit at the premium Hawaii resort level for eligible guests; they are seasonal and resort set, so always confirm directly before booking |
| Walking and carts | Cart golf is standard, with GPS yardage and forecaddie service typical of a resort of this level |
| Best months | The dry Kona coast plays well year round; January brings the PGA Tour Champions event, so plan around it |
| Getting there | At Kaupulehu on the Kona coast of Hawaii Island, about fifteen minutes from Kona airport |
Access verified June 2026 from resort sources; access and fees are seasonal and restricted, so always confirm directly before booking. Ask about a Four Seasons Hualalai golf stay.
Where to stay nearby
For Hualalai the base is the course's own resort, the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, since a stay there is the route to playing the golf. It is one of the finest resorts in the islands, set on the dry Kona coast with beaches, pools and dining to match, and a round at Hualalai built into the experience.
Because the Kona and Kohala coasts line up several great courses within a short drive, a Hualalai stay pairs naturally with the public resort golf up the coast. Combine it with the Rockefeller history of Mauna Kea and the lava drama of the Mauna Lani South Course for a Big Island trip that runs from private exclusivity to the classic resort names.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts on the Kona and Kohala coasts.
Build a Big Island golf trip
Hualalai is the private jewel of the Kona coast, played through a stay at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. We plan trips through Hawaii, arrange the resort access and the tee times, and handle the hotels and the order of play across the coast. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Hualalai questions
Can visitors play Hualalai Golf Course?
Access is restricted. The Hualalai Golf Course is open only to guests of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, to Hualalai Club members and to their registered guests; it is not open to the general public. Booking a stay at the Four Seasons is the usual route to play. Fees and access are seasonal and resort set, so always confirm directly before booking.
Who designed Hualalai Golf Course?
Hualalai was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1996 as his first golf course on Hawaii Island. It was named Hawaii's best new course on opening and has remained one of the most admired Nicklaus resort designs in the islands.
What is the par and yardage at Hualalai?
Hualalai plays as a par 72 of around 7,117 yards from the back tees, with a course rating near 73.7 and a slope around 131. It runs across the lava of the Kaupulehu coast with one ocean front hole and wide views of the Kona shoreline.
Does Hualalai host a professional tournament?
Yes. Hualalai hosts the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, the season opening event on PGA Tour Champions, played every January. The field is made up of recent senior major champions and tournament winners, which keeps the course in the golf calendar each year.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, tournament, par, yardage and access verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.