After playing Mauna Lani’s South course yesterday, I decided to go for one more round in Hawaii – on the North course. I figured I’d try to squeeze in as many of the decent courses on the Big Island as I could.

Mauna Lani’s North course isn’t far from the South course. Both courses are accessed from the same clubhouse, which is convenient. Also, both courses have the same green fee – $200+ for the twilight round here. But that is just peak season golf in a warm weather destination these days.

The North course turned out to be a fun and unique course, but it isn’t at the same level as the South course – at least if you ask me. At $200 the North course felt a bit overpriced. In case you are looking for the cliff notes, the South course has the awesome ocean holes and likely is worthy of its high price tag. The North course has a cool par-3 in a lava field. For the same price, I’d pick the South over the North almost every time.

Still, there is a lot to like about the North course. The North course turned out to be another unique course on this trip. Like the South course, there is quite a bit of lava on the North course that adds character. However, the North course’s most distinctive feature are all the kiawe trees found throughout the layout. The kiawe trees line many holes and sit in the middle of a number of fairways. The trees grow out of the lava and twist in all directions – very cool. 

I played the blue tees which are 72.6/131/6579. The North course is a little longer and tougher according to the scorecard and I’d agree with that. The fairways look wide, but there are some quirky doglegs and those kiawe trees get a bit pesky to play around. Plenty of thought, a good tee game, and some local knowledge would be helpful when playing the North course. The greens are large and could have a three club difference from front to back on some holes.

While there aren’t many ocean views, the North course does have a great collection of par-3’s. The 2nd and 9th greens get you close to the ocean, but nothing like you’d find on the south course. The par-3 5th is 157 yards and has one of those three-club greens. The green snakes between some bunkers and water is in play to a front pin.

The par-3’s on the back nine are short and fun. The 14th is 127 yards with water short and right. The green extends into the water and requires a precise shot. The 17th is the course’s signature hole. It is 119 yards and plays through a lava field. The lava surrounds the green and rises up probably 20+ feet.  Make sure to take some pictures because it is a memorable golf hole.

The conditions on the North course we’re solid, but not as polished as the South course. The fairways here had some bare spots but everything was playable. The greens rolled well at a medium pace.

After playing both courses at Mauna Lani, I’m not sure why they are priced the same. Even with the North course’s incredible 17th hole, the South course is the clear winner between the two. If you have time for just one round, my vote is to play the South course.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):