A sea inlet, a shoreline par three and a lot of black rock.
The South Course at Mauna Lani is laid across a 16th-century lava flow on the Kohala Coast, and every fairway is an island of green in black rock. From 1990 to 2000 it hosted the Senior Skins Game, when Palmer, Nicklaus, Trevino, Player and Floyd played for carry-over skins on television. Today the resort is part of the Auberge collection, and the course is a public, daily-fee round. Two par threes draw the cameras: the 15th, across a Pacific inlet, and the 7th, with water and lava for company.
Mauna Lani South Course green fees and tee times.
Anyone can book. Tee times are taken online through Mauna Lani’s EZLinks booking site, linked from the Auberge golf page, or by phone on +1 855 201 3179; the golf shop’s line is +1 808 885 6655. The resort does not publish green fees on its website, so the price comes from the booking system for your date. For longer stays there are three options worth asking about: the Golfer’s Dream Package (three days of unlimited play on both 18-hole courses within seven days, with same-day replays when available and access to the nine-hole Wikiwiki course), an Unlimited Golf Experience for one, and a Players Pass for frequent visitors that brings preferred rates and tee times up to ten days ahead. No handicap limit is published.
The round, in perspective.
The land, Kalahuipuaʻa, was bought by Francis H. Iʻi Brown from the early 1930s; he restored the ancient fishponds and planted many of the palms still standing, and sold the property to Mauna Lani Resort in 1972. The first 18 holes, by Homer Flint and Raymond Cain, opened in 1981; Troon credits the present North and South courses to Flint, Cain and Robin Nelson, and both carry Brown’s name. The South is par 72 and measures more than 6,900 yards from the back. Fairways are generous, but anything that misses them bounces into lava. The 3rd is a par three of just over 200 yards, the 7th plays 214 from the tips beside the shoreline, the 13th is a 380-yard par four along the water, and the 15th carries a sea inlet to its green.
Know before you go.
Booking
EZLinks online, or +1 855 201 3179
Multi-round option
Golfer’s Dream Package: 3 days of unlimited golf within 7 days
Players Pass
Preferred rates; tee times up to 10 days ahead
Other courses
North Course and the nine-hole Wikiwiki
Make the trip work.
Mauna Lani is a gated resort of two hotels, a beach club and homes, with the golf clubhouse on Mauna Lani Drive. If you plan to play daily, compare the Golfer’s Dream Package with single rounds: its three days must fall within seven consecutive days of purchase, it cannot be refunded or transferred, and it adds the nine-hole Wikiwiki course for a short evening loop. Morning tee times suit the ocean holes, before the afternoon wind picks up along the shoreline. Prices are in US dollars.
Kona International (KOA) is about 20 miles south, roughly 30 minutes by car along the Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway. You will want a hire car on this coast. Inter-island flights connect Kona with Honolulu, Maui and Kauai, so a two-island golf trip is straightforward.
Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection is the resort’s flagship hotel on the beach. The Fairmont Orchid is the second hotel on the same resort. Many golfers rent one of the resort’s condominiums or homes by the week, which suits a multi-round package. Waikoloa Beach Resort, ten minutes south, has more choice at lower prices, and Mauna Kea and the Westin Hapuna are about 15 minutes north.
Make a trip of it.
The North Course shares the resort and Brown’s name, so a second round needs no extra driving, and the Players Pass and Dream Package both cover it. Mauna Kea’s over-the-ocean 3rd is about 15 minutes north, and Hapuna beside it. Off the course, the Kalahuipuaʻa fishponds that Brown restored are on the resort shoreline, and the Puakō petroglyph field, one of the largest in Hawaii, is a short walk from the north end of the resort.
Find your season.
Golf runs all year on this dry side of the island, and the warmest, most settled weather is from about May to October. Winter is the busiest season, with visitors from the US mainland, Canada and Japan, and the humpback whale season runs through it. Expect wind most afternoons, and note that the sun is strong on black lava at midday whatever the month.
Can you play Mauna Lani if you are not staying there?
Yes. The North and South courses are daily-fee resort courses, and Troon lists them as open to the public. Book online through EZLinks or call +1 855 201 3179. Staying on the resort opens extra packages, but it is not required for a single round.
How much are green fees at Mauna Lani South?
The resort does not publish a rate card online. Fees appear in the EZLinks booking system once you choose a date and time, and they change by season and time of day. If you plan three rounds or more, ask the golf shop to price the Golfer’s Dream Package against single rounds.
Which is the famous hole on Mauna Lani South?
The 15th, a par three played across a Pacific inlet, is the one in the photographs. Many players find the 7th harder: 214 yards from the back tee with water and black lava around the green. Both are close to the shoreline.
Who played the Senior Skins Game at Mauna Lani?
The South Course hosted it from 1990 to 2000. The resort’s history page lists Raymond Floyd, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gary Player, Hale Irwin and Jim Colbert among the players. Before that the land belonged to Francis H. Iʻi Brown, who sold it to Mauna Lani Resort in 1972.
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.
