Plantation & King Kamehameha in Maui

[ckay]

Thought I would add my experiences playing golf in Maui. I played Plantation twice and King Kamehameha once.

 

Plantation is beautiful and can be tough based on how hard the wind is blowing. You will also see a lot of holes you don't normally see during the ToC. I think it is worth the trip up to Kapalua if you are in Wailea for the experience. The service at the course is what you would expect as well. All top notch. I was lucky enough to be paired with decent golfers who can hit it long and keep it in play. We played the official tournament markers at the request of one of the other singles, and I did not think the course played outrageously long. If you are not used to playing with strong winds, give it more credit than you think on the winds blowing sideways. I did lose a few balls as I would play 5-10 yards left or right of target landing off of the tee only to watch the ball get carried out of play. The course met my expectations fully. Course congestion was not an issue, and even less so in the afternoon.

 

Now, the real surprise for me was King Kamehameha. This course is immaculate. It is a Troon Prive course and the only private club on Maui. However, you can call the pro shop and ask to get on with what they call as "Member for the Day." While wind is a factor, it is not as strong as what you would find in the Kapalua area. The layout is very straight forward, with enough variety to keep the round interesting. The greens rolled pure and fast. I had gotten a 7:40 tee time, and asked to go out as a single and they obliged. However on the first tee, another single came up as I teed off and I asked them to join out of courtesy and played as a two ball.

 

Anyone traveling to Maui, the obvious answer is to play Plantation. However, I do think that King K is a hidden gem. I did not play any Wailea or any other resort courses once I was able to get onto King K so I cannot compare the Wailea courses to King K. I am glad that I did get to experience Kamehameha simply because you really do get the private club atmosphere and I found it to be worth the greens fee.

[Haloha]

Thought I would add my experiences playing golf in Maui. I played Plantation twice and King Kamehameha once.

 

Plantation is beautiful and can be tough based on how hard the wind is blowing. You will also see a lot of holes you don't normally see during the ToC. I think it is worth the trip up to Kapalua if you are in Wailea for the experience. The service at the course is what you would expect as well. All top notch. I was lucky enough to be paired with decent golfers who can hit it long and keep it in play. We played the official tournament markers at the request of one of the other singles, and I did not think the course played outrageously long. If you are not used to playing with strong winds, give it more credit than you think on the winds blowing sideways. I did lose a few balls as I would play 5-10 yards left or right of target landing off of the tee only to watch the ball get carried out of play. The course met my expectations fully. Course congestion was not an issue, and even less so in the afternoon.

 

Now, the real surprise for me was King Kamehameha. This course is immaculate. It is a Troon Prive course and the only private club on Maui. However, you can call the pro shop and ask to get on with what they call as "Member for the Day." While wind is a factor, it is not as strong as what you would find in the Kapalua area. The layout is very straight forward, with enough variety to keep the round interesting. The greens rolled pure and fast. I had gotten a 7:40 tee time, and asked to go out as a single and they obliged. However on the first tee, another single came up as I teed off and I asked them to join out of courtesy and played as a two ball.

 

Anyone traveling to Maui, the obvious answer is to play Plantation. However, I do think that King K is a hidden gem. I did not play any Wailea or any other resort courses once I was able to get onto King K so I cannot compare the Wailea courses to King K. I am glad that I did get to experience Kamehameha simply because you really do get the private club atmosphere and I found it to be worth the greens fee.

 

Sounds like you had a great time! Can I ask what where the green fees like for King K?

[masamitsu]

I played Kamehameha 2 years ago on vacation and completely agree, it was a course. Conditions were excellent and the staff was great. The wind was blowing when I played. I'm not long but hit driver/hybrid on #1 552 par5 (downwind/downhill) and driver/hybrid on #2 374 par4 (into the wind/uphill).

 

2 years ago, I think the member for a day was $175.

[ckay]

Thought I would add my experiences playing golf in Maui. I played Plantation twice and King Kamehameha once.

 

Plantation is beautiful and can be tough based on how hard the wind is blowing. You will also see a lot of holes you don't normally see during the ToC. I think it is worth the trip up to Kapalua if you are in Wailea for the experience. The service at the course is what you would expect as well. All top notch. I was lucky enough to be paired with decent golfers who can hit it long and keep it in play. We played the official tournament markers at the request of one of the other singles, and I did not think the course played outrageously long. If you are not used to playing with strong winds, give it more credit than you think on the winds blowing sideways. I did lose a few balls as I would play 5-10 yards left or right of target landing off of the tee only to watch the ball get carried out of play. The course met my expectations fully. Course congestion was not an issue, and even less so in the afternoon.

 

Now, the real surprise for me was King Kamehameha. This course is immaculate. It is a Troon Prive course and the only private club on Maui. However, you can call the pro shop and ask to get on with what they call as "Member for the Day." While wind is a factor, it is not as strong as what you would find in the Kapalua area. The layout is very straight forward, with enough variety to keep the round interesting. The greens rolled pure and fast. I had gotten a 7:40 tee time, and asked to go out as a single and they obliged. However on the first tee, another single came up as I teed off and I asked them to join out of courtesy and played as a two ball.

 

Anyone traveling to Maui, the obvious answer is to play Plantation. However, I do think that King K is a hidden gem. I did not play any Wailea or any other resort courses once I was able to get onto King K so I cannot compare the Wailea courses to King K. I am glad that I did get to experience Kamehameha simply because you really do get the private club atmosphere and I found it to be worth the greens fee.

 

Sounds like you had a great time! Can I ask what where the green fees like for King K?

It was low $200s. Maybe $229 if I recall correctly?

[Rory4Pres]

plantation course was way, way, way better than the couple of Wailea courses in the south. Wailea was a lot cheaper though so kinda makes sense. It was easy playing 36 at Wailea too, which was nice. It's a good couple of courses but not an "experience" like the plantation. I'll have to try your recommendation of King K next time I'm out there.

[Besshomie]

Played K K in 2015. It was amazing. Different views and different vibe that most island courses. Very well maintained and scenic. The club house is the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed clubhouse in the world (I think) and is very interesting. Now I just need to get on at Makena to experience that gem.

[tad950]

I played King K in December 2017. I believe the green fees were closer to $250.

 

One thing of note, the clubhouse is nicknamed the Marilyn Monroe house. The newlywed Arthur Miller commissioned Frank Loyd Wright to design a house for his bride, MM. But it was never built. Decades later, parts of those blueprints and other Frank Loyd Wright designs were used to build the current clubhouse.

[gulpeg]

If you go to King K, on the same entrance road to the left is Kahili which is actually pretty fun. Any though a little off this specific topic (but related), check out Pukalani CC on the other side of the island. It’s very interesting, the grass is different and a fair test.

[kekoa]

Must be in the minority but wasnt a fan of KK at all. Fwiw I played last month and the greens were horribly slow. $80 guest rate is what I paid. Id stuck with the kaanapali and Kapalua courses all day long.