Koolau Golf Club
Carved out of the rainforest at the foot of the Koolau cliffs on windward Oahu, Dick Nugent's 1992 par 72 of around 7,310 yards has long been rated among the hardest golf courses in the world. The slope once measured 162, near the maximum the system allows. It is a spectacular, humbling and unforgettable round.
Photograph: golf beneath the Koolau range, windward Oahu, via Google
The verdict
Koolau is the course golfers travel to play for the challenge and stay to admire for the setting. Dick Nugent carved it from dense tropical rainforest at the base of the Koolau range on the windward side of Oahu, and from the day it opened in 1992 it was rated one of the most difficult courses on the planet, with a course rating near 78 and a slope that touched 162 from the tips, only a few points short of the system's ceiling. It is a course built to test the very best, and to humble everyone else.
For the traveling golfer, the trick is to play Koolau from the right tee and treat it as the experience it is rather than a card to protect. The carries over jungle ravines are real, the rough is genuine rainforest, and the waterfalls and cliffs of the Koolau range tower over the whole round. It is open to the public, a short drive over the Pali from Waikiki, and it makes a thrilling counterpoint to a more conventional Oahu resort round. Bring spare balls and a sense of humor.
Koolau at a glance
- Opened
- 1992
- Designer
- Dick Nugent
- Type
- Rainforest mountain
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- Around 7,310 yds
- Access
- Public
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from course databases. Koolau plays as a par 72 of around 7,310 yards from the back tees, with a course rating near 78 and a slope that once measured 162 and is now rated around 152, among the highest in the world. It is a public course; green fees are seasonal, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
What makes Koolau so hard is the forced carry. Nugent routed the holes across deep jungle ravines, so again and again the tee shot or the approach must fly a chasm of rainforest with no bailout, and a shot that comes up short is simply gone. From the back tees several of these carries are long enough to intimidate a scratch player, which is why the course is best enjoyed from a tee that brings the targets within reach and lets a golfer savor the scenery rather than wrestle the rating.
And the scenery is extraordinary. The Koolau range rises in a sheer green wall above the course, threaded with waterfalls when the windward rain has been falling, and the rainforest presses in on every fairway. The windward side of Oahu is the wet side, so the course is intensely green and the weather can turn quickly, which adds to the sense of playing somewhere wild and remote despite being half an hour from Waikiki. Few courses anywhere feel as dramatic to stand on.
What lingers is the combination of beauty and difficulty, played out beneath one of the great mountain backdrops in golf. Koolau is not the round to build a scoring day around, but it is one of the most memorable and photogenic challenges in Hawaii. For a golfer on Oahu who wants a story to tell, it is the one to play.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Public course, open to visitors; tee times available to the public on the windward side of Oahu |
| Green fee | Indicative green fees for the 2026 season sit at the daily fee level for a premium Oahu course, with twilight rates; they are seasonal, so always confirm directly before booking |
| Booking | Direct with Koolau Golf Club; play from a forward tee unless you are a low handicapper, and allow time, this is a slow, demanding course |
| Walking and carts | Cart golf with GPS yardage; the routing climbs and falls through the jungle, so riding is standard |
| Best months | The windward side is the wet side of Oahu; mornings are usually clearer, and summer is drier than winter |
| Getting there | In Kaneohe on the windward side of Oahu, about thirty minutes from Honolulu and Waikiki over the Pali |
Access verified June 2026 from course sources; green fees are seasonal, so always confirm directly before booking. Ask about an Oahu golf trip.
Where to stay nearby
Most visitors base themselves in Waikiki or on the leeward Oahu coast and make the short drive over the Pali to play Koolau, since the windward side is more residential than resort. Staying in Honolulu keeps a group close to the airport, the beaches and the restaurants, with Koolau an easy half hour day trip when the morning looks clear.
Because Koolau is so singular, it works best as one striking round within a wider Hawaii trip rather than a course you build a whole stay around. Pair it with the resort golf of the neighbor islands, such as the Rockefeller history of Mauna Kea on the Big Island or the cliffs of Princeville Makai on Kauai, for an itinerary that balances the spectacular with the playable.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts on Oahu.
Build an Oahu golf trip
Koolau is the most dramatic round on Oahu and a thrilling stop on a wider Hawaii itinerary. We plan trips through the islands, arrange the tee times, and handle the hotels and the order of play across Oahu and beyond. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Koolau questions
Can visitors play Koolau Golf Club?
Yes. Koolau is a public golf course open to visitors, on the windward side of Oahu in Kaneohe. Green fees are seasonal, so always confirm directly before booking, and bring plenty of spare balls because it is a famously demanding course.
Is Koolau the hardest golf course in the world?
Koolau has repeatedly been rated among the most difficult courses in the world, with a course rating near 78 and a slope that once measured 162 from the back tees, close to the maximum the rating system allows. It is best enjoyed from a forward tee unless you play to a low handicap.
Who designed Koolau Golf Club?
Koolau was designed by the American architect Dick Nugent and opened in 1992, carved out of dense tropical rainforest at the base of the Koolau mountain range on the windward side of Oahu.
Where is Koolau Golf Club?
Koolau Golf Club is in Kaneohe on the windward, eastern side of Oahu, Hawaii, beneath the cliffs of the Koolau range, about thirty minutes from Honolulu and Waikiki over the Pali.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par, yardage and access verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.