Maui’s oldest resort course, finishing beside a canal.
Royal Kaanapali is where resort golf on Maui began. Robert Trent Jones Sr. laid it out in 1962 as one of the first things built at Kaanapali, the beach resort strip north of Lahaina, and it remains one of only two courses in Hawaii he designed. It is a public course managed by Indigo, with a sister course, the Kaanapali Kai, starting from the same clubhouse. The appeal for a visitor is easy access. Tee times can be booked 120 days ahead, the hotels are a short walk or shuttle away, and the late-afternoon rate is one of the cheapest ways onto a well-known Hawaiian course.
Royal Kaanapali Course green fees and tee times.
Book online through the course website or by phone on 808-661-3691. The public can book up to 120 days ahead, and the course suggests booking 30 days ahead for December to April and 14 days ahead for weekends. Rates are dynamic, so the price is shown when you choose a time. Every rate includes a shared GPS cart for two players. A third person sharing, or a golfer who wants a cart alone, pays a US$30 rider fee. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead. Rain alone does not count as a rain-out: prorated rain checks are given only when the general manager or superintendent closes the course. Hawaii residents book through a separate resident channel and must show a full Hawaii driver’s licence. A state ID or limited-purpose licence does not qualify.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From US$89
Royal Course super-twilight visitor rate for tee times from 3pm, plus 4.712% tax; earlier times are dynamically priced online.
Royal, adult visitor, from 3pm
US$89
Kai, adult visitor, from 3pm
US$69
Royal, junior visitor 7–17, from 3pm
US$39
Adult rental clubs, from 3pm
US$32.50
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The courses at Royal Kaanapali Course.
Royal Kaanapali (Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1962)
Par 71, about 6,700 yards from the blue tees, rated 74.2 with a slope of 131. Four sets of tees carry Hawaiian names, from ‘Uli‘uli (blue) down to Pū Kōko‘o (burgundy). It is the championship course, the one that hosted the Canada Cup and the Skins Game, and the one to choose if you play only once.
Kaanapali Kai
Par 70, about 6,400 yards. Robin Nelson and Arthur Jack Snyder reworked it from an earlier executive layout, with canals and lava rock in play, and the club pitches it on strategy over distance. It is the course included in the Hyatt Regency Maui’s golf package, and its super-twilight visitor rate is US$69. Choose it for a second round or a relaxed afternoon with less experienced players.
The round, in perspective.
The Royal is a par 71 of about 6,700 yards. It runs from the shoreline, which locals call makai, up into the foothills of the West Maui Mountains, called mauka, and looks across the channel to Lanai and Molokai. Jones gave it gently sloping fairways and large, heavily contoured greens. Each tee has a plaque on the course’s history. The first hole is a 550-yard par 5 that starts at sea level. The last is a 449-yard par 4 along a brackish canal, which Arnold Palmer called one of the best and hardest finishing holes he had played. The list of events is long: the 1964 Canada Cup, won by the American pairing of Jack Nicklaus and Palmer, the LPGA’s Women’s Kemper Open from 1982 to 1985, the senior tour’s Kaanapali Classic from 1987 to 2000 and the Champions Skins Game from 2008. Robin Nelson renovated the course in 2006.
Know before you go.
Booking window
120 days ahead for the public
Cart
Shared GPS cart included; rider fee US$30
Dress
Collared shirt; no denim, swimwear or tank tops
Shoes
Soft spikes only; no rental shoes
Cancellation
24 hours
Rental clubs
Callaway sets, left and right-handed
Make the trip work.
The Royal suits the shape of a Maui holiday. Book the morning round early in the trip, then watch the specials page for the 3pm super-twilight times: US$89 for adults and US$39 for juniors aged 7 to 17 on the Royal, plus 4.712% tax. Rental clubs after 3pm cost US$32.50. Pack soft-spike shoes, because none are for rent, and a collared shirt. Roy’s restaurant is in the clubhouse. Check the aeration dates on each course page before fixing your days; the Kai is closed for it on 8 to 11 June and 14 to 17 September 2027.
Kahului (OGG) is the arrival airport. The drive round the West Maui coast on the Honoapi‘ilani Highway takes about 45 minutes in normal traffic. The clubhouse and Roy’s are at 2290 Kaanapali Parkway, the road that loops behind the resort hotels, so most guests are a few minutes away.
The Kaanapali hotels line the beach between Black Rock and the Hyatt, with the two golf courses on the land behind them. The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa sells a Golf Getaway package with two rounds on the Kai and a daily breakfast buffet at Swan Court. Troon Golf Vacations offers a three-night stay with two rounds. At other hotels, the course suggests asking each Kaanapali property about its own golf packages and resort rates. Lahaina town, three miles south, is still rebuilding after the 2023 wildfire, so stay in the resort itself.
Make a trip of it.
The Plantation Course at Kapalua is about 15 minutes north and makes the obvious second course for a West Maui trip. The Royal books further ahead, so secure Kaanapali first, then book Kapalua when its 30-day window opens. Wailea’s Gold and Emerald, on the south shore, need a full day out. Off the course, the Kaanapali Beach Walk runs past the hotels to Black Rock, where you can snorkel off the beach, and whale-watching boats leave from the resort between December and April.
Find your season.
The course is open all year. It is busiest from December to April, when the course recommends booking 30 days out. West Maui is wetter in winter than the south shore, though Kaanapali, on the coast, is drier than the mountains above it. The course’s calendar also lists event days, including the Ka‘anapali Classic and college championships, which can block tee times.
Up to 120 days ahead, online or by phone. The course recommends booking at least 30 days ahead in the December to April peak and 14 days ahead for weekends. Hawaii residents use a separate booking page.
How much does it cost to play Royal Kaanapali?
Daytime rates change with demand and are shown when you book online. The fixed price published by the course is the super-twilight rate for tee times from 3pm: US$89 for an adult visitor on the Royal and US$69 on the Kai, plus 4.712% tax, with a shared cart.
What is the dress code at Kaanapali Golf Courses?
Collared shirts and golf trousers or shorts. Denim, swimwear and tank tops are not allowed. The courses are soft-spike only and do not rent shoes, so bring golf shoes.
Who designed the Royal Kaanapali course?
Robert Trent Jones Sr., in 1962. It is one of only two courses in Hawaii he designed. Robin Nelson renovated it in 2006, and its tournament history runs from the 1964 Canada Cup to the Champions Skins Game, first held here in 2008.
Last checked 11 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
