Offering Two Outstanding Championship Courses
The Experience at Koele
This championship course offers stunning views of mountains and lush greens, with the ocean in the distance. A dramatic contrast to The Challenge at Manele, The Experience at Koele boasts a cooler climate, wooded slopes, manicured bunkers and terraced water hazards.
The course begins on a plateau nearly 2,000 feet (610 meters) above sea level, with sweeping views of Maui and Moloka‘i. The course moves dramatically through ravines wooded with pine, koa and eucalyptus trees, with lakes, flowing streams and cascading waterfalls dotting the entire course. No other course offers a more incredible combination of highland terrain, inspired landscape architecture and range of play challenges.
Course Information:
· Designer: Greg Norman & Ted Robinson
· Date opened: April 1991
· Par & Yardage: 18 holes / Par 72 / 7,014 Yards
· Rating: 75.3 (back) / 73.6 (middle) / 71.6 (forward) / 68.1 (women)
· Slope: 141 (back) / 134 (middle) / 130 (forward) / 123 (women)
· Course Style: Traditional Parkland Design
· Pace of play: Approximately four hours (with relaxed, 10-minute start intervals)
· Signature Hole: #17 is a 390 yard par 4, with a 200-foot drop in elevation from tee to green. Nestled in the deepest and most magnificent gorge on the island, this hole is one of the most challenging and renowned in the world.
Highly personalized golf instruction is offered, allowing novices the opportunity to learn the game or more experienced golfers to improve their drives, pitches or putts.
Guests’ clubs are transported to and from the Resort and courses, ensuring a seamless and relaxed experience for our golfers. Complimentary sunscreen, bottled water, bag tags and chilled towels, complimented by our roaming beverage cart add immensely to a day on the course.
Rental equipment is available through the Pro Shop, which offers Callaway clubs and Foot Joy shoes. The Pro Shop also stocks a wide array of equipment, golf and resort apparel, and shoes for purchase. Full locker room facilities for men and women are also offered.
GPS systems are included on golf carts, allowing guests to not only know how far from the pin they are, but also to order lunch as they approach the Clubhouse. The Experience at Koele Clubhouse, overlooking the pond on #1, is open daily, offering complimentary Continental breakfast for players, a full lunch menu featuring island-influenced American light fare, as well as a full bar for that well-deserved 19th hole.
The Experience at Koele – Hole by Hole (Front 9)
#1: This is a long 400-yard par 4. The wise player will position his tee shot to land where the fairway bends to the left. From there, it's a long second shot to the tree-tiered green.
#2: Beware of the lake on the right and the C-shaped mounds dotting the course, ready to trap any errant shot. This 367-yard par 4 lets you choose the terrace of your dreams.
#3: This 512-yard par 5 is one of the toughest on the course, but carefully placed shots can lead to a very rewarding "experience." The long fairway bends gently to the right, and it takes a careful approach shot to get to the green. Beware of the surrounding roaring rapids, seen or not!
#4: This 186-yard par 3 is a golfer's delight. Favor your tee shot to the left, as prevailing wind moves from left to right. And watch out for those tricky front bunkers.
#5: Big hitters will have a ball on this long 356-yard par 4. Formerly called "Orchard Row", the fairway is lined with native island fruit trees. Barrier bunkers border the landing area, and the octopus-shaped green is surrounded by traps.
#6: This 387-yard par 4 is as challenging as it is beautiful. Players will tee off across a bevy of waterfalls. From there it's a long second shot to the green. If par is made, it won't be a “gimme.”
#7: A nerve-rattling tee shot has most golfers opting to lay-up rather than go for the green on this short 166-yard par 3. The green sits snugly on the front of the lake.
#8: What this relatively short 280-yard par 4 lacks in distance it makes up for with difficulty. The drive is the easy shot here. After that, check your nerves as you approach a green that's completely surrounded by a lake. And for those long hitters, try to drive the green, as Greg Norman did.
#9: Reaching this par 5, 492-yard hole in two is next to impossible. The Z-shaped fairway lined with sand lakes wreaks havoc on the misplaced drive. A double-throated waterfall guards the green, which is surrounded by a blaze of color.
The Experience at Koele – Hole by Hole (Back 9)
#10: This 340-yard par 4 begins on a plateau nearly 2,000 feet above sea level. The fairway is lined with magnificent 80-foot Norfolk pines and spectacular views of the Palawai Basin. The tee shot is straightaway, gradually bending to the left, with a green surrounded by bunkers.
#11: From the tee you'll want to aim for the grove of eucalyptus trees at this severe dogleg right hole. This 321-yard par 4 has the island of Moloka’i as a dramatic backdrop. Your approach is into the trade winds-watch out for the penalizing bunker fronting the green.
#12: Let it rip from the tee on this long 506-yard par 5. You cross a ravine on your tee shot. The first landing is marked by a bunker on the left. Your second shot is guarded on both the left and the right by high mounds. Watch out for the pot-bunkers left of the green.
#13: A careful club selection is needed off the tee of this 166-yard par 3 over-the-water hole. There's a nerve-rattling carry over the charging waterfalls to the green. Treacherous tradewinds dictate how the hole is played. Give yourself a hand-it's a well-earned par.
#14: The multi-tiered fairway on this 341-yard par 4 bends to the right along with what appears to be a never-ending sand lake. The tee shot needs to be positioned middle to left to avoid trouble. The green is set in an amphitheatre of eucalyptus trees, poised to gobble any errant shot.
#15: This long 512-yard par 5 is one of the course’s most spectacular. You'll feel like you're on top of the world when you encounter vistas of Maui and Moloka’i from the tee. Towering Norfolk pines stretch across the fairway, one of the longest you'll ever climb.
#16: This is a true dogleg left. After your downwind tee shot, pick your way among the trees carved from ancient forests. This is a challenging 349-yard par 4.
#17: The signature hole of the Experience at Koele, this 390-yard par 4 presents a spectacular 200-foot drop in elevation from tee to green. This hole is nestled in the deepest and most magnificent gorge on the Island of Lana’i. One of the most spectacular and talked-about golf holes in the world, the green is guarded to the right by a 70-foot sentinel eucalyptus, so be warned to play your drive to the left. (Trade winds usually blow to the right.)
#18: This 142-yard par 3 is laid out over one of the more spectacular water features designed by course architect Ted Robinson. It is mind over matter as you hit your over-the-water tee shot to the green.
Guests of Four Seasons Resorts Lāna‘i, The Lodge at Koele also have golfing privileges at The Challenge at Manele, the stunning seaside course designed by Jack Nicklaus at Four Seasons Resort Lāna‘i at Manele Bay.
The Challenge at Manele
High above the crashing surf of Hulopo‘e Bay, The Challenge at Manele is an outstanding course that more than lives up to its name. Built on lava outcroppings, the course features three holes on cliffs which use the Pacific Ocean as a water hazard. The five-tee concept challenges the best golfers – tee shots over natural gorges and ravines must be precise.
This dramatic, unspoiled natural terrain is a stunning backdrop, and every hole offers majestic ocean views, overlooking Maui and Kaho‘olawe. During the winter, you may even catch spectacular sightings of whales, right from the fairways.
Course Information:
· Designer: Jack Nicklaus
· Date opened: December 1993
· Par & Yardage: 18 holes / Par 72 / 7,039 Yards
· Rating: 73.7 (back) / 70.4 (middle) / 68.3 (forward) / 68.8 (women)
· Slope: 135 (back) / 126 (middle) /123 (forward) / 119 (women)
· Course Style: Target Design
· Pace of play: Approximately four hours (with relaxed, 10-minute start intervals)
· Signature Hole: #12 is a stunning par 3, with the tee off from a cliff 150 feet above the ocean. The green is 200 feet across the water on an adjacent cliff. In addition to its fame as one of the most beautiful holes in the world, #12 is also where Bill Gates was married.
Highly personalized golf instruction is offered, allowing novices the opportunity to learn the game or more experienced golfers to improve their drives, pitches or putts.
Guests’ clubs are transported to and from the Resort and courses, ensuring a seamless and relaxed experience for golfers. Complimentary sunscreen, bottled water, bag tags and chilled towels, complimented by our roaming beverage cart add immensely to a day on the course.
Rental equipment is available through the Pro Shop, which offers Callaway clubs and Foot Joy shoes. The Pro Shop also stocks a wide array of equipment, golf and resort apparel, and shoes for purchase. Full locker room facilities for men and women are also offered.
GPS systems are included on golf carts, allowing guests to not only know how far from the pin they are, but also to order lunch as they approach the Clubhouse. The Challenge at Manele Clubhouse is open daily, offering complimentary Continental breakfast for players, as well as a full lunch menu of island-influenced cuisine and a full bar for a perfect 19th hole setting, overlooking the ocean and fairways.
The Challenge at Manele – Hole by Hole (Front 9)
#1: This relatively short 312-yard par 4 is a great starting hole. Players should have no problem keeping their tee shot left, to avoid well-placed fairway bunkers. A small green is guarded on the right by lots of sand. Beware of overshooting the green where natural rock formations and a large bunker provide dramatic backdrops.
#2: The true character of the course challenges every shot on this long 395-yard par 4. This uphill, dogleg left requires two forced carries over shallow ravines to an elevated two-tiered green secured by inviting bunkers.
#3: This 137-yard par 3 calls for more carry - this time over native Kiawe (mesquite) trees rooted in lava rocks - to the largest green on the Manele coast. Large, yes. Generous, no. This horseshoe-shaped green is split by an imposing bunker.
#4: The shortest par 5 on the course, at 489-yards, will have you thinking of reaching the green in two. A piece of advice: you may reconsider hitting the driver to avoid the central fairway bunker, you'll not have a play to the green from there. The approach to the green is narrow and guarded left and right by bunkers.
#5: The apex of the course is this 433-yard par 4, which affords simply spectacular vistas. Maui and Kahoolawe appear touchable and, on a clear day, even the Big Island of Hawaii is visible. Drive to the left of a collecting fairway that slopes toward the sea. Careful club selection is a must as big hitters may drive it through the fairway. The long second shot drops 60 feet to the green below.
#6: This is your chance to let out the shaft and swing freely. The tee shot on this downhill 509-yard par 5 is to a receptive fairway - let it rip! The green is reachable for long hitters but you'll pay the price if your ball is short and finds the cluster of bunkers on the right.
#7: This short 143-yard par 3 is all carry over a natural gully and plays into the prevailing tradewinds. The shallow green is guarded by bunkers front and back. Careful club selection and nice high ball flight are the keys to successfully holding the ball on this green.
#8: One of the many unique challenges you'll find at Manele - back to back par 3's, this one at 185 yards. Don't be fooled by the lack of bunkers, it's a long, tough shot to an undulating green. Not an easy par to make.
#9: From the tee you can see it all: a straight away par 5 (the longest hole on the front nine at 525 yards.) Your drive should favor the right side of the fairway to void the largest bunker on the course. Hit your second shot over a Kiawe-lined gully then a wedge to the well-protected green.
The Challenge at Manele – Hole by Hole (Back 9)
#10: The tee shot on this 358-yard par 4 dogleg heft hole can be intimidating. Just aim at the two Indian coral trees at the end of the fairway, there's plenty of room out there. A high accurate shot is required as this putting surface slopes away from you.
#11: This 531-yard par 5 dogleg left is the longest hole on the golf course, an ideal situation for a right to left shot. Think layup on your second swing as the closer you get to the green, the more trouble awaits you. Laying up will leave you a short wedge to a receptive catcher's mitt green.
#12: Par is coveted on this signature hole of The Challenge at Manele, a 202-yard par 3. The "fairway" is a surging ocean 150 feet below the tee. Bring along an extra ball as it's all carry to reach the green (the tradewinds should help you.) You may want to take a little extra club, long is definitely better than short on this one.
#13: This 302-yard par 4 provides a great vantage point to see humpback whales during the winter and spring months and spinner dolphins all year long. Accuracy rather than length from the tee would have you hit at the directional bunker through the fairway. A long tee shot hit slightly left of this target could find the front of the green. Beware: there's a hungry greenside trap which feeds on balls hit too far left.
#14: This medium length 154-yard par 3 requires a carry over a sandy waste, into tradewinds which tend to push the ball right, into the lava rocks. Grounding the club in the waste area is permitted.
#15: A strategist's hole, this 496-yard par 5 plays into the teeth of the trades. Drive the tee shot at the target bunker on the left, clubbing down, if necessary, to stop short of the ravine. Safe play is short of the three cross bunkers or, keep it left and swing for the green. This green is, of course, well guarded - aim carefully.
#16: This 420-yard par 4 dogleg left drops 100 feet from tee to green. The safe tee shot favors the right side. For the best angle in, a long tee shot over the middle bunker will leave you a shorter second, but that middle bunker is deep.
#17: This 373-yard par 4 is one of the most challenging ocean holes and dramatic tee shots in golf. There are no bunkers on the drive, however the fairway is narrow and you must carry the cliffs. Your second shot is downhill to a cliffside, kidney-shaped green which is defended by a large mound and a bunker in front.
#18: A strong finishing hole, just the way Jack likes them, is this 395-yard par 4. Bring it home to the clubhouse-long and straight off the tee is all you need to hit this narrow fairway. Your approach to the green favors a left to right shot.
