Princeville Makai Golf Club
The Makai Course was Robert Trent Jones Jr's first solo design, opened in 1971 on the lush north shore of Kauai. A par 72 that stretches to around 7,223 yards, renovated by Jones himself in 2009 and 2010, it pairs six ocean front holes with the green amphitheatre of mountains above Hanalei. It is one of the most beautiful resort rounds in the islands.
Photograph: Princeville Makai Golf Club, via Google
The verdict
Princeville Makai is the course that launched Robert Trent Jones Jr's solo career and put the north shore of Kauai on the golf map. He opened it in 1971, and from the start it traded on a setting that is hard to better anywhere in golf, with the Pacific on one side, the green pinnacles of the Na Pali coast and the Hanalei mountains on the other, and the wettest, greenest end of Kauai pulling color out of every hole. It remains the headline round of a north shore trip.
For the traveling golfer, the Makai is a feast for the eyes that still asks real questions. Jones returned in 2009 and 2010 to renovate his own work, regrassing the course with seashore paspalum and rebuilding the bunkers and green surrounds, so it plays as fresh and firm as a modern course while keeping the routing that made it famous. It is open to the public with preferred access for resort guests, and is the natural anchor of a Kauai trip that can be paired with the south shore drama of Poipu Bay.
Princeville Makai at a glance
- Opened
- 1971
- Designer
- Robert Trent Jones Jr
- Renovated
- 2009 to 2010
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- Around 7,223 yds
- Access
- Public resort
Designer, opening year, renovation and yardage verified June 2026 from the architect and course sources. The Makai Course plays as a par 72 that can stretch to around 7,223 yards from the back tees, with six ocean front holes and seashore paspalum turf from the 2009 to 2010 renovation. It is a public resort course with preferred guest access; green fees are seasonal and resort set at the premium Hawaii level, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The Makai's calling cards are its ocean holes, six of them in all, where the fairways run to cliff edges above the Pacific and the tee shots play out toward the horizon. The par 3 seventh on the Ocean nine is the most famous, a one shotter played across a chasm to a green perched above the surf, and it is the photograph people carry home from a Kauai golf trip. The renovation sharpened these holes without taming them, keeping the carries honest and the exposure to the trade wind very real.
Inland, the course is a different and welcome kind of beautiful. It winds past freshwater lakes, through stands of native woodland and beneath the green ridges that ring Hanalei, so the round changes character as it moves from the cliffs to the forest and back. The paspalum gives the greens true, consistent surfaces, and Jones built enough movement into them to make the second shot the heart of the test, which is exactly what a great resort course should do.
What lingers is the sheer scenery of the place, allied to golf good enough to deserve it. The north shore of Kauai is one of the most spectacular corners of Hawaii, and the Makai is the round that lets a golfer play through the middle of it. For a visitor building a Kauai trip, it is the course the whole island stay is organized around.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Public resort course; open to all, with preferred rates and tee times for guests of the Princeville resort hotels |
| Green fee | Indicative green fees for the 2026 season sit at the premium Hawaii resort level, highest in winter high season with guest and twilight rates; they are seasonal and resort set, so always confirm directly before booking |
| Booking | Direct with Princeville Makai or through your resort; winter and holiday weeks are busy, so book ahead |
| Walking and carts | Cart golf is standard, with GPS yardage; the routing spreads across the resort, so most visitors ride |
| Best months | The north shore is the wettest part of Kauai; summer and early autumn are the driest, winter is greenest but wetter |
| Getting there | In the Princeville resort on the north shore of Kauai, near Hanalei, about forty minutes from Lihue airport |
Access verified June 2026 from resort sources; green fees are seasonal, so always confirm directly before booking. Ask about a Kauai golf trip.
Where to stay nearby
The natural base is Princeville itself, where the resort hotels and villas sit a short ride from the first tee and earn preferred golf access, with Hanalei Bay, beaches and trailheads for the hours off the course. Staying on the north shore keeps a group close to the Makai and at the heart of the most scenic end of Kauai.
Because Kauai has its great golf at both ends of the island, many visitors build a trip that pairs the north shore with the south. Combine a Princeville stay with the championship pedigree of Poipu Bay, the former home of the PGA Grand Slam, for a Kauai trip that captures both coasts, or extend it across the islands to the Big Island resorts.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Princeville and Kauai.
Build a Kauai golf trip
The Makai is the heart of north shore Kauai golf and a perfect anchor for an island stay. We plan trips through Hawaii, arrange the tee times and the resort access, and handle the hotels and the order of play across Kauai. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Princeville Makai questions
Can visitors play Princeville Makai?
Yes. The Makai Course is a resort course open to the public, with preferred rates and tee times for guests of the Princeville resort hotels. Green fees are seasonal and resort set and sit at the premium Hawaii level, so always confirm directly before booking.
Who designed Princeville Makai?
The Makai Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr and opened in 1971 as his first solo design. He returned to fully renovate it in 2009 and 2010, regrassing it with seashore paspalum and rebuilding the bunkers and green surrounds.
What is the par and yardage at Princeville Makai?
The Makai Course plays as a par 72 that can stretch to around 7,223 yards from the back tees. It features six ocean front holes and winds past freshwater lakes and native woodland on the dramatic north shore of Kauai.
Where is Princeville Makai Golf Club?
Princeville Makai Golf Club is in the Princeville resort on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii, near Hanalei Bay, about forty minutes from Lihue airport.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, renovation, par, yardage and access verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.