Wailea Golf Club Emerald Course
On the sunny south shore of Maui, Robert Trent Jones Jr laid out the most tropical and forgiving of Wailea's three courses. Opened in 1994, the Emerald is a par 72 of around 6,825 yards, framed by bougainvillea, plumeria and palms, falling down the slopes of Haleakala toward wide Pacific views. It is the resort round Hawaii visitors fall in love with.
Photograph: Wailea Golf Club Emerald Course, via Google
The verdict
The Emerald is the course that defines the Wailea golf experience for most visitors. Robert Trent Jones Jr built it in 1994 alongside the neighboring Gold Course, and where the Gold is the sterner, more strategic test, the Emerald is the tropical one, designed to be a pleasure as much as a challenge. It runs down the lower slopes of Haleakala on the dry, sunny south side of Maui, framed throughout by flowering landscaping and wide views of the Pacific and the islands of Lanai, Molokini and Kahoolawe across the channel.
For the traveling golfer, the Emerald is the heart of a Maui resort golf trip, the round you build a south shore stay around. The fairways are generous and the trouble is visible rather than hidden, so a holidaymaker can swing freely and enjoy the views while a better player still finds plenty to think about in the bunkering and the green complexes. It is open to the public with preferred access for resort guests, which makes it one of the most attainable great resort experiences in the islands, and it pairs naturally with the more dramatic west Maui courses for a full trip.
Wailea Emerald at a glance
- Opened
- 1994
- Designer
- Robert Trent Jones Jr
- Type
- Tropical resort
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- Around 6,825 yds
- Access
- Public resort
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from course databases and resort sources. The Emerald plays as a par 72 of around 6,825 yards from the back tees, with a rating near 72.8 and a slope around 134, falling down the slopes of Haleakala toward the sea with flowering landscaping and wide ocean views. 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 Emerald rewards the player who relaxes into it. The fairways are wide and the landing areas are generous, so the tee shot is rarely terrifying, but Robert Trent Jones Jr put the interest in the second shot, with bunkering and contour that ask for the right club and the right side of the green. The course falls with the natural slope of the volcano toward the coast, so many holes give a downhill tee shot and a view that pulls the eye out to the Pacific, and the trick is to keep the focus on the target rather than the scenery.
The greens are well bunkered and full of subtle movement, and because the course is set on the dry, breezy south shore, the trade wind is a constant factor that turns a benign yardage into a real decision. The par 3s are framed by flowers and ocean, the par 5s tempt the longer hitter to take on a carry, and the closing stretch returns up the slope with the island views at their widest. It is a course that flatters a good swing and forgives a loose one, which is exactly what a resort layout should do.
What lingers is the sheer tropical pleasure of it. The Emerald is a feast of color and light, with the flowering plants giving it the name and the south shore sun making it one of the most reliable golf climates in Hawaii. For a golfer on a Maui trip, it is the round that captures why people travel here to play, and the natural anchor of a south shore stay before heading west to the bigger championship courses.
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 Wailea resort hotels |
| Green fee | Indicative green fees for the 2026 season sit at the premium Hawaii resort level, higher in winter high season with guest and twilight rates; they are seasonal and resort set, so always confirm directly before booking |
| Booking | Direct with Wailea Golf Club 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 down the slope, so most visitors ride |
| Best months | The dry south shore plays well year round; winter brings the biggest crowds and rates, spring and autumn the best value |
| Getting there | In the Wailea resort on the south shore of Maui, about forty minutes from Kahului airport |
Access verified June 2026 from resort sources; green fees are seasonal, so always confirm directly before booking. Ask about a Maui golf trip.
Where to stay nearby
The natural base is Wailea itself, where the resort hotels sit a short ride from the first tee and earn preferred golf access, with beaches, restaurants and spas for the hours off the course. Staying in Wailea keeps a group close to the Emerald and the neighboring Gold and Old Blue courses, and the dry, sunny south shore is one of the most reliable holiday climates in the islands.
Because Maui has golf at both ends of the island, most visitors build a trip that pairs the south shore with the west. Combine a Wailea stay with the championship drama of the Kapalua Plantation Course, the PGA Tour season opener, and the gentler ocean charm of the Kapalua Bay Course for a trip that captures the full range of Maui golf.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Wailea and Maui.
Build a Maui golf trip
The Emerald is the heart of Wailea and a perfect anchor for a south shore Maui stay. We plan trips through Hawaii, arrange the tee times and the resort access, and handle the hotels and the order of play across the island. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Wailea Emerald questions
Can visitors play the Wailea Emerald Course?
Yes. The Emerald is a resort course open to the public, with preferred rates and tee times for guests of the Wailea resort hotels. Green fees are seasonal and resort set and sit at the premium Hawaii level, so always confirm directly before booking.
Who designed the Wailea Emerald Course?
The Emerald Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr and opened in 1994, built at the same time as the neighboring Gold Course. It is the more forgiving and tropical of the two, designed to reward strategy and enjoyment over raw difficulty.
What is the par and yardage at Wailea Emerald?
The Emerald plays as a par 72 of around 6,825 yards from the back tees, with a course rating near 72.8 and a slope around 134. It rolls down the lower slopes of Haleakala toward the sea, with generous fairways, flowering landscaping and wide views of the Pacific and the neighboring islands.
Where is Wailea Golf Club?
Wailea Golf Club is in the Wailea resort on the sunny south shore of Maui, Hawaii, about forty minutes from Kahului airport. It is a three course complex of the Emerald, Gold and Old Blue, all open to resort and public play.
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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.