The majority of the golf courses in Maui are located on the South and West side, predominately, with a few courses located in the central part of the island. The leeward side boasts most of the golf courses since there is not as much rain to keep tourists at bay.

Of course, there are different challenges presented by each course on the different sides of the island, ranging from the challenging hazards presented by the rough crags and mountainous landscaping to the distractions of the ocean that only the island of Maui can present.

South Shore

The Wailea Resort is the only place that can brag about having three different courses of varying degrees of difficulty. Robert Trent Jones, II. crafted the Gold and Emerald courses with precision, while the Old Blue was designed out of the imagination of Jack Snyder.

The Gold Course, often called the “thinking player’s course” is noted for the amount of finesse needed to pick out the slight undulations and subtle elevation changes on the course. Home of the Champions Skins Games, the Gold Course is noted for it’s distracting views, precisely placed palm trees and hardened lava walls that denote the boundaries of parts of the course, which is why Jones refers to this course as the “masculine” course.

The “feminine” course would equate to the Emerald Course. Jones designed these 18 holes to develop the beauty that is Wailea. Walking onto the course, you are met by copious amounts of flowers and other landscaping that brings a certain distraction factor.

Don’t let the afore mentioned name fool you into thinking this is an easy course, with the bunkers offset from the greens, one would think they become out of play, when in fact, they disguise the distance to the hole and many players come up short.

Old Blue is the beloved course winding through the heart of the resort, surrounded by famous Maui Condos and luxurious Maui homes. The Old Blue has wider fairways and more forgiving greens making it a great ego-boosting course. A great advantage to the course are the lower green fees - while the Gold and Emerald courses start around $200, Old Blue is a little more forgiving on the wallet as well at just around $150.

West Shore

Kapalua is by far the best golf course on the West Shore. The first stop on the PGA Tour’s list each January is quite a feat. If the Kapalua Resort can host the Mercedes Championship then you know it is going to be a great play. If you are looking for a course that will not only challenge and frustrate you, but will be extremely rewarding when it is all said and done, try the 18th par 5 at 663 yards from the back tees.

With 170 feet of drop and a guarded, narrow green, this hole, believe it or not, is a great way to finish up the course. Despite the long distance, the wind is usually at your back, helping to give a little something extra to your swing. Be patient and focus on good shots and you will be amazed how quickly you make it to the green.

Destination Unknown

While there are many courses on travel brochures, there are a few that you will probably not find in a glossy print. The King Kamehameha Golf Club is one of those rare beauties that doesn’t often kiss the warm pages of freshly printed magazines, but is known all too well throughout Maui.

Nestled within the Western foothills of Mt. Haleakala, King Kamehameha projects an ultra-modern design, topped off with a state-of-the-art clubhouse, designed by the master of modern architecture himself, Frank Lloyd Wright.

When being developed in 1993, no holds were barred in the making of this elegant course. With the phrase “don’t worry about money; you only worry about design,” what else would you expect other than a course that pays honor to Hawaii? If nothing but the best will do, spare nothing to get to King Kamehameha and receive the royal treatment.

If you ever thought of owning a condo on one of the most prestigious courses in America, then look no further than Maui. With the beautiful views, the exclusive memberships and who can forget the outstanding weather year-round, an investment in real estate will pay dividends.

As far as courses go, it doesn’t matter which one you choose. If you have time, try to hit as many as possible. Each course will put you through different challenges and each has their own unique and spectacular views of the best Maui has to offer. Get ready, tee up and drive on.

Volker Weiss - Maui Realtor(R/S) specialist focusing on Wailea Homes. Make your vacation last forever, check out Wailea Real Estate. For immediate help call VW directly at 888.572.6888

[tags]hawaii golf, golf, vacation, hawaii, golfer, golfing, pgatour, golfers[/tags]