Kapalua Plantation Course
The first course Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw ever built together, and the stage on which the PGA Tour opens every season. The Plantation Course tumbles down the slopes of West Maui on a giant scale, ending with one of golf's great downwind par 5s.
Photograph: Kapalua Golf, The Plantation Course, via Google · Bob Evans
The verdict
The Plantation Course opened in 1991 as the debut design of the Coore and Crenshaw partnership, and it remains one of the most recognizable courses in American golf. Laid out across the steep pineapple plantation slopes above Kapalua on West Maui, it is built on a vast scale, with huge fairways, sweeping elevation changes and trade winds that turn the round into a calculation of slope and breeze. It plays as a par 73 stretching beyond 7,500 yards from the back tees, and the views of the Pacific and the island of Molokai are constant.
Each January the course hosts The Sentry, the PGA Tour's winners only season opener, when the world's best feast on its reachable par 5s and downhill drives. For the visitor it is a bucket list resort round, expensive and exposed, where playing the ball along the contours and into the wind matters far more than raw distance. It is the headline act of golf on Maui and the reason many travelling golfers come to the island at all.
Kapalua Plantation Course at a glance
- Opened
- 1991
- Designer
- Coore and Crenshaw
- Type
- Resort, coastal slope
- Par
- 73
- Yardage
- Beyond 7,500 yds (back tees)
- Green fee
- Around $445 to $475+ (indicative)
Designer, year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from Kapalua Golf and leading course guides. The Plantation Course was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 1991, a par 73 that stretches beyond 7,500 yards from the championship tees and plays much shorter from forward sets. Indicative 2026 green fees run around 445 dollars for resort guests and from about 475 dollars for the standard rate, with a higher premium rate and cart fee, all plus tax. Fees are indicative and change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
Plantation golf here is about scale and the trade winds. The fairways are enormously wide, the elevation changes severe, and the firm slopes feed the ball in ways that reward the player who works with the ground and the breeze rather than fighting them. The greens are large and contoured to match, and judging how the persistent wind will move both the drive and the approach is the whole challenge.
The closing par 5 18th is the signature, a long downhill, downwind plunge where tour players launch drives well past 400 yards and the hole becomes a thrilling, reachable finish. It is one of the most televised holes in golf thanks to The Sentry, and from the elevated tee the view down the fairway to the ocean is unforgettable. The reachable par 5s and the bounding downhill tee shots are exactly what make the course such compelling viewing every January.
For the visiting golfer, the Plantation is a splurge worth making once: a Coore and Crenshaw original on a spectacular site, walking distance from luxury resorts, and a chance to stand on the same 18th tee the professionals use. Take plenty of club for the uphill holes, trust the slopes downhill, and enjoy a course built for the grand gesture.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | A public resort course, open to outside play with preferential rates for guests of the Kapalua resort hotels and villas; carts are included with play |
| Green fee | Indicative 2026 rates around 445 dollars for resort guests and from about 475 dollars standard, with a higher premium rate, all plus tax; among the most expensive resort rounds in the United States |
| Booking | Book well ahead through Kapalua Golf or a trip planner, especially in the winter high season; the course closes for several days in early January for The Sentry |
| On foot | Cart golf in practice given the scale and elevation, though walking is possible for the very fit; the property is large and steep |
| Getting there | At Kapalua on the northwest tip of Maui, roughly 45 minutes by road from Kahului airport |
| Best months | Playable year round; the winter high season is busiest and dearest, while shoulder months can offer better value and quieter tee sheets |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from Kapalua Golf and course guides; resort rates are seasonal and among the highest in the country, so always confirm current details directly before booking with the resort or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
Kapalua is a self contained luxury resort, so staying on property at the Montage Kapalua Bay or the Ritz Carlton Maui, Kapalua, or in the resort villas, puts the Plantation first tee, the beaches and the resort's restaurants within a short ride. Guest rates and tee time priority make a stay the sensible way to play.
Most golfers pair the Plantation with the resort's neighbouring Bay Course and build a few days of West Maui beach and golf around it. The island has other strong resort courses at Wailea and beyond, so a Maui trip can comfortably fill a week of warm weather golf.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts at Kapalua.
Build a Maui golf trip
We base a Maui week on Kapalua, get you onto the Plantation Course at the right time of year, add the Bay Course and the best of the island, and handle the resort and the order of play. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Kapalua Plantation Course questions
How much does it cost to play the Kapalua Plantation Course?
Indicative 2026 green fees run around 445 dollars for resort guests and from about 475 dollars for the standard rate, with a higher premium rate, all plus tax and with cart included. It is one of the most expensive resort rounds in the United States. These figures are indicative and change by season and year, so always confirm the current rate directly before booking.
Who designed the Kapalua Plantation Course?
The Plantation Course was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 1991. It was the first course the partnership built together, a par 73 stretching beyond 7,500 yards across the slopes of West Maui.
What tournament is played at Kapalua?
The Plantation Course hosts The Sentry each January, the PGA Tour's season opening event, historically a winners only field. The course closes for several days around the tournament, so visitors should plan around that window.
Can visitors play the Kapalua Plantation Course?
Yes. The Plantation is a public resort course open to outside play, with preferential rates and tee time priority for guests of the Kapalua resort hotels and villas. Carts are included, booking well ahead is essential in the winter high season, and the course is closed for several days in early January for The Sentry.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. History, designer, par, yardage and indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.