3 rounds in Oahu next week - help me decide!

[dryl]

Heading there on Monday for 8 days

Looking to play 3 rounds

 

We are staying on the west side in Ko'olina

 

Leaning towards

1. Royal Hawaiian

2. Koolaua

 

And then either the course at koolina or turtle bay Palmer

 

My only hesitation with the north shore course is the drive looks to be over an hour the one way

 

Anyone with experience driving the island and playing the courses please chime in!

 

Also is golfnow the preferred way to book?

[green'n'2]

I lived on Oahu for a year a couple of years back. Ko'Olina has a nice track that the LPGA tour plays on. Turtle Bay Palmer course is a great course, but you are right it will take you close to an hour to get there from Ko'Olina. If you head up that way spend the day on the North Shore and check out the beaches. You may get lucky and a big swell may come in and the waves will be huge.

Closer to Ko'Olina is Kapolei golf course. It is 10 minutes from Ko'Olina.

My favorite course on the west side was Ewa Beach Golf Club. You might be able to get a deal on golf now booking a tee time. Big trees protect the greens and you need to hit from the correct side of the fairways to score. The greens were always in awesome condition.

Coral Creek is also close to Ko'Olina check golf now for any deals. Pretty good course but always played super slow rounds there pushing 5 1/2 - 6 hours.

[Socrates]

Ko'Olina is about as far away as you can get from most things. Ko'Olina was nice but unremarkable. One, maybe 2 holes that were worth taking out the camera. Ewa is probably your best bet for good and close. Royal Hawaiian is really amazing as is Koolau (Koolau can be very very wet). North Shore drive to Turtle is about 45 min depending on where you start and time of day. RH or Koolau are [u]over[/u] an hour each way. If you are going to go that far, I would coordinate it with a beach outing or something to better make use of the trip. If you are ditching the ladies while you golf... be ready for that icy stare.

[CAT GOLFER]

I agree with Socrates on this one, play Ko Olina as a filler round, not as a preferred round. I played early in the morning and we whizzed through the course (maybe you can sneak in a 4th that way ), the course is well kept, very friendly staff, the golf is good not great. I played last June and I think I can remember 2-3 hole definitively, so nothing mind shattering. Also, the wind came into play a lot when I played.

I came without clubs, they had TM Rocketballz clubs and woods, but I packed my shoe bag with a few sleeves of balls and a glove. Really hassle free and you can get a discounted cup of beer after the round (your cart comes with a souvenior cup like 20 oz plastic Ko Olina cup) overlooking the waterfall feature on 18.

Just as a matter of reference, i stayed in Wai Kiki, woke up at 630, got back after round and beer at 1230, on lawn chair in the sun by 1. I was petrified at the prospect of a slow resort round and it wasn't even an issue.

[dryl]

Thanks for the tips!!


[quote name='CAT GOLFER' timestamp='1361807712' post='6498785']
I agree with Socrates on this one, play Ko Olina as a filler round, not as a preferred round. I played early in the morning and we whizzed through the course (maybe you can sneak in a 4th that way ), the course is well kept, very friendly staff, the golf is good not great. I played last June and I think I can remember 2-3 hole definitively, so nothing mind shattering. Also, the wind came into play a lot when I played.

I came without clubs, they had TM Rocketballz clubs and woods, but I packed my shoe bag with a few sleeves of balls and a glove. Really hassle free and you can get a discounted cup of beer after the round (your cart comes with a souvenior cup like 20 oz plastic Ko Olina cup) overlooking the waterfall feature on 18.

Just as a matter of reference, i stayed in Wai Kiki, woke up at 630, got back after round and beer at 1230, on lawn chair in the sun by 1. I was petrified at the prospect of a slow resort round and it wasn't even an issue.
[/quote]

[monkutare]

I have a condo next to the Ko Olina Resort and make those drives all over the island for golf.

One thing you need to be aware of is how the traffic flows from there. Driving in the morning on weekdays on the H1 towards "town" you are in a big mess and coming home from that direction after 4:00 pm is a mess also. The traffic does mellow out after 8:15 or so. To miss traffic before that you have to get on the road by 5:15

Drive time to Koolau/Royal Hawaiian is about 30min on weekends or non peak traffic times. Take the H1 to H3 for the fastest way there. For Turtle Bay take H1 to H2 and bypass Haleiwa Town for the best route.
Stay away as much as possible driving into town on weekdays. Not as bad on weekends but there is still a lot of traffic.

I like playing Palmer Turtle Bay, Kapolei, KoOlina, Royal Kunia, Royal Hawaiian. But, I mostly play the munis like Pali, Ala Wai. Also civilians can play Kaneohe Klipper. EZLinks golf website usually has a couple of tee times for Koolau

[Socrates]

[quote name='monkutare' timestamp='1361979310' post='6513261']
I have a condo next to the Ko Olina Resort and make those drives all over the island for golf.

One thing you need to be aware of is how the traffic flows from there. Driving in the morning on weekdays on the H1 towards "town" you are in a big mess and coming home from that direction after 4:00 pm is a mess also. The traffic does mellow out after 8:15 or so. To miss traffic before that you have to get on the road by 5:15

Drive time to Koolau/Royal Hawaiian is about 30min on weekends or non peak traffic times. Take the H1 to H3 for the fastest way there. For Turtle Bay take H1 to H2 and bypass Haleiwa Town for the best route.
Stay away as much as possible driving into town on weekdays. Not as bad on weekends but there is still a lot of traffic.

I like playing Palmer Turtle Bay, Kapolei, KoOlina, Royal Kunia, Royal Hawaiian. But, I mostly play the munis like Pali, Ala Wai. Also civilians can play Kaneohe Klipper. EZLinks golf website usually has a couple of tee times for Koolau
[/quote]
Slightly off topic, but when Royal took over Luana Hills, did they get it up and running with all the amenities? Pro-shop, cart girls, restaurant or is it still bare bones?

[dryl]

Well played Hawaiin Prince today as a warmup round - got a good deal on golfnow, thank god I did, certainly not worth the full price they are asking

And man was it windy! Kapalua type winds - ha wasn't expecting it

As for drives to koolaua for a 7am tee time - would you not recommend during the week coming from koolina?

I was going to get out early and be back for lunch - rather than be out all day

Should I wait for the weekend instead?

[rok78]

At 7 am tee time, you just have to leave around 5 - 5:15 am and will take between 45 min to an hour depending on traffic and how fast you drive. The issue is that there are often minor accidents or stalls until you get past the H1 - H2 merge. After that, it will only take maybe 20 minutes to get to Koolau, even in the morning traffic.

Koolau is a much better choice than Royal Hawaiian. Royal has some great views, but still very much under construction and maintenance is inconsistent after the front 9.

[dryl]

Ok glad I checked!

I'll look at booking a later tee time!

[bmaas03]

[quote name='Socrates' timestamp='1362001317' post='6515593']
[quote name='monkutare' timestamp='1361979310' post='6513261']
I have a condo next to the Ko Olina Resort and make those drives all over the island for golf.

One thing you need to be aware of is how the traffic flows from there. Driving in the morning on weekdays on the H1 towards "town" you are in a big mess and coming home from that direction after 4:00 pm is a mess also. The traffic does mellow out after 8:15 or so. To miss traffic before that you have to get on the road by 5:15

Drive time to Koolau/Royal Hawaiian is about 30min on weekends or non peak traffic times. Take the H1 to H3 for the fastest way there. For Turtle Bay take H1 to H2 and bypass Haleiwa Town for the best route.
Stay away as much as possible driving into town on weekdays. Not as bad on weekends but there is still a lot of traffic.

I like playing Palmer Turtle Bay, Kapolei, KoOlina, Royal Kunia, Royal Hawaiian. But, I mostly play the munis like Pali, Ala Wai. Also civilians can play Kaneohe Klipper. EZLinks golf website usually has a couple of tee times for Koolau
[/quote]
Slightly off topic, but when Royal took over Luana Hills, did they get it up and running with all the amenities? Pro-shop, cart girls, restaurant or is it still bare bones?
[/quote]

Delayed response, but the answers are:
Yes to the pro-shop
No to cart girls
No to restaurant.

Someone mentioned course maintenance...I played there about 3 weeks ago. #10 was still under construction, but #9 is complete.
The back 9 does seem to be in a bit worse condition, but it is also a bit different layout than the front 9, so I assume it is more difficult to maintain.
The front 9 is a bit more flat and open, the back 9 is undulating, tucked into the trees, and I assume gets a bit more rain.