Hawaii vs Cabo for a Golf Escape
The two great warm water golf escapes of the American west, and two very different weeks. Hawaii is the bucket list: Kapalua's Plantation Course, where the PGA Tour opens its season, Mauna Kea's Robert Trent Jones Sr classic and golf spread across four islands. Los Cabos is the desert meets ocean playground at the tip of Baja, a Jack Nicklaus coastline since Palmilla in 1992, at roughly half the flying time from the West Coast. Here is the head to head, with our verdict up front.
Photograph: Bob Evans, via Google
Our verdict
For the golf bucket list, Hawaii wins. The Plantation Course at Kapalua, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's giant par 73 of 7,596 yards across a Maui hillside, opens the PGA Tour season every January and is reason enough for the flight, with a standard 2026 green fee of 475 dollars plus tax. Behind it stand Mauna Kea, the Robert Trent Jones Sr masterpiece from 1964 that founded Big Island golf, Princeville's clifftops on Kauai and dozens of resort courses that all come with the trade winds, the green volcanoes and golf twelve months a year.
For ease, value and a buddies trip, Cabo is the smarter call, and it is closer than golfers assume on quality. The tip of Baja has been a Nicklaus coastline since Palmilla opened in 1992 as the first Nicklaus Signature course in Latin America, and Quivira, his 2014 clifftop spectacular, gives Cabo a round as dramatic as anything on Maui at an indicative 380 dollars. Flights from the West Coast run barely half Hawaii's, the November to June season is bone dry, and the marina nightlife needs no introduction. Honeymoons and once in a lifetime trips go to Hawaii; most repeat golf escapes end up in Cabo.
The head to head
| Hawaii | Los Cabos | |
|---|---|---|
| The headline golf | Kapalua Plantation, Coore and Crenshaw's par 73 of 7,596 yards and home of the PGA Tour's season opener | Quivira, Jack Nicklaus' 2014 clifftop design above the Pacific, and Palmilla, his 1992 original, now 27 holes |
| The pedigree | Mauna Kea by Robert Trent Jones Sr, 1964, the course that founded Hawaiian resort golf | A Nicklaus coastline since Palmilla, the first Nicklaus Signature course in Latin America |
| Marquee green fee | Kapalua Plantation at a standard 475 dollars plus tax in 2026, with resort guest rates below that | Quivira around 380 dollars indicative, with most resort rounds somewhat below Hawaii's marquees |
| Access | Almost everything is resort public: Kapalua, Mauna Kea, Princeville and the rest take outside play | Several headliners are private or community courses, including Diamante and the Cove Club; Quivira prioritizes Pueblo Bonito guests |
| Season | Golf twelve months a year, with trade winds and brief passing showers the only variables | Bone dry November to June; late summer brings heat and the hurricane watch |
| Getting there | Five to six hours in the air from the West Coast, more from the East | Roughly two and a half hours from Southern California, with direct flights from most US hubs |
| The evenings | Resort luaus, quiet beaches, early nights before early tee times | The Cabo marina, sport fishing, late dinners and a famously social bar scene |
| The cost picture | Premium across the board: rooms, rounds and dinner all price like a bucket list | Meaningfully cheaper on the ground, especially rooms and dining, though the top rounds still command premium fees |
Indicative 2026 figures from resort and booking sources, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Who should pick which
Pick Hawaii if
The trip is the occasion: a honeymoon, an anniversary, the round you have watched every January finally played in person. Kapalua's Plantation Course and Mauna Kea belong on any travelling golfer's list, the islands give every non golfer in the party a full holiday, and the season never closes. Budget accordingly and book the marquee tee times well ahead.
Pick Cabo if
It is a golf escape rather than a pilgrimage: a long weekend or a week with friends, maximum sun for minimum flying, and a different Nicklaus design every morning. Quivira's clifftops deliver the photo round, Palmilla the history, and the marina the evenings. Watch the access fine print, since several headline courses tie tee times to resort stays or memberships.
Or split the year
Nobody combines Hawaii and Cabo in one itinerary; the smart move is to split the calendar. Cabo owns the winter escape, bone dry from November to June and an easy hop from the West Coast when the days are short. Hawaii rewards a longer window whenever you can take it, with the Plantation Course at its tournament best around the January opener and the islands glorious year round. Tell us which window you are working with and we will build the right week for it.
Plan your golf escape
Tell us whether it is the Hawaiian bucket list or the Cabo run with friends, the group size and roughly when. One concierge handles the tee times, the resort access fine print and the costs, to the head, with no obligation.
Hawaii vs Cabo questions
Is Hawaii or Cabo better for a golf trip?
Hawaii has the greater golf: Kapalua's Plantation Course, host of the PGA Tour's season opener, Mauna Kea's 1964 Robert Trent Jones Sr classic and resort courses across four islands, all playable year round. Cabo counters with a Jack Nicklaus coastline, half the flying time from the West Coast, lower on the ground costs and a livelier social scene. Pilgrimages go to Hawaii; repeat escapes usually pick Cabo.
How much does golf cost in Hawaii vs Cabo?
The marquee fees are closer than the overall trip cost. Kapalua's Plantation Course carries a standard 2026 fee of 475 dollars plus tax, while Quivira in Cabo runs around 380 dollars indicative, but Cabo's rooms, dining and supporting rounds price meaningfully below Hawaii's. Both books fill early in peak season. Treat all figures as indicative and always confirm directly before booking.
When is the best time for golf in Hawaii or Cabo?
Hawaii plays twelve months a year, with winter bringing both the PGA Tour's January stop at Kapalua and the whale season. Cabo's prime window is November to June, when the Baja desert is bone dry; late summer is hot with a real hurricane watch. For a winter escape Cabo is the safer bet on weather, while Hawaii rewards whatever window you can give it.
Can visitors play the top courses in Hawaii and Cabo?
In Hawaii, almost all of the famous courses are resort public, including Kapalua, Mauna Kea and Princeville, so access is a matter of booking ahead and paying the fee. In Cabo, several headliners are private or tied to resorts: Diamante and the Cove Club are members and guests only, and Quivira prioritizes Pueblo Bonito guests. Check the access fine print before you build the trip, or have us route it.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Resort fee windows, access changes and the booking dates that matter across the Pacific and Baja. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, access and fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.