King Kamehameha Golf Club | Guest for a Day

Aloha Vacation Villas is a family owned business and we make sure to experience the island to better convey the best of Maui. Our Son Michael (pictured below) is visiting from the mainland to help build out a couple of villa kitchen projects.  So naturally, we took a break for a family game of Golf Scramble and decided to visit the King Kamehameha Golf Club.

As Maui's only private 18-hole lush course along side the West Maui Mountains, King Kamehameha Golf Club offers an impressive design and ranks 2nd to the Plantation Course at Kapalua. With great conditioning, a superb layout and spectacular panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, many would say it rivals the Plantation Course.

Throughout there are elevated tee shots and slopes -- lots of them. In fact, holes that might seem short on the surface can play extremely long, like the 387-yard ninth, which often plays uphill and into the wind. The approach shot can easily be three clubs longer and that's after a drive that goes nowhere nearly as long as you thought off the tee. The finishing hole is one of the best on Maui at 559 yards, it's reachable because it's downhill, but a lake and waterfall guards the green.

Then you arrive at the 74'000 sq. ft. Frank Lloyd Wright-designed clubhouse. The spectacular building is adorned with original artwork by prominent local artists and has a beautiful golf shop. Lavished with spa facilities, including therapeutic showers, whirlpools, a Furo (Japanese style bathtub) and saunas, King Kamehameha offers a 'Guest for a Day' program ($170+ with limited tee times). The price, by the way, is a bargain compared to other Maui resort courses, especially considering what you get for it.

Furo  |  Japanese Style Bathtub

For dining, there's the intimate Wai Kahe Room and suncourt that are both open for Lunch and cocktails only. The menu includes Hawaiian regional cuisine with a euro-asian flair as well as traditional Japanese food. Food service is also available in both men's and women's lounges with a full bar.

Wai Kahe Room  |  Suncourt

Practice facilities are also impressive with a full grass range, short-game area and putting greens. Training aids, such as alignment sticks and weighted clubs, are a nice touch on the range for warming up before a round.

So, while visiting the Kapalua Resort, you can include King Kamehameha on your rotation. Like all private clubs, their goal is to sell memberships. But you can try it out at least once. As a 'Guest for a Day', that's perfect and perhaps you would consider joining if you regularly visit Maui.