Mauna Kea Golf Course

Origins

Mauna Kea grew from Laurance S. Rockefeller's plan for a resort at Kaunaʻoa Bay on the Kohala Coast. Rockefeller selected Robert Trent Jones Sr.

to create a golf course on terrain dominated by exposed volcanic rock. , then in his early twenties, accompanied him while the site was being studied in 1963. 's solution to the seemingly inhospitable lava terrain was to crush the relatively soft volcanic rock and use the resulting material as part of the growing medium for the course.

The completed layout opened on December 10, 1964, when Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player took part in the opening associated with the televised 'Big Three' golf series. The resort describes Mauna Kea as Hawaiʻi Island's first resort golf course; the accompanying Mauna Kea Beach Hotel opened the following year.

Design Philosophy

Robert Trent Jones Sr. applied the demanding style associated with his 'easy bogey, hard par' philosophy. The original routing used narrow targets, substantial bunkering, contoured greens and the natural elevation of the coastal lava landscape.

The most recognizable expression of that approach is the par-3 third hole, where play from the back tee crosses an inlet of the Pacific to a green set on the rocky shoreline. Jones Jr. later recalled that he considered parts of his father's original design severe and had encouraged him to soften some routings and green complexes.

In the latest work, Jones Jr. emphasized following the existing land and improving sustainability and playability rather than replacing the fundamental routing. On the oceanfront 11th, for example, his bunker shaping was intended to visually echo the waves beyond the green.

Development

The course's first major modern redesign came in 2008 under Rees Jones, another son of Robert Trent Jones Sr. That project updated the layout and course infrastructure while retaining the underlying character of the 1964 design. A further extensive renovation was undertaken by Robert Trent Jones Jr.

around the course's 60th anniversary. The resort says this work reshaped and upgraded fairways, greens and bunkers, introduced Seashore/Platinum Paspalum across the fairways and greens, and incorporated water-conservation and native-landscaping measures. The renovated course reopened around Christmas 2024.

New Hawaii State Golf Association ratings became effective immediately afterward, on December 26-28, 2024, confirming five current tee lengths from 5,102 to 7,370 yards.

Recognition

Mauna Kea has remained a regular presence in national golf-course rankings. Golf Digest lists the course among its ranked Hawaiʻi courses and credits Robert Trent Jones Sr. as the original designer with Rees Jones as a later redesign architect.

The third hole has received particularly sustained attention in golf media because of its long carry across the Pacific inlet. The course's opening also played an important role in establishing resort golf on Hawaiʻi Island, where a substantial collection of destination courses subsequently developed along the Kohala and Kona coasts.

Today

Mauna Kea operates as one of two 18-hole courses at Mauna Kea Resort, alongside Hapuna Golf Course. Its Championship setup remains 7,370 yards and par 72, with current Hawaii State Golf Association men's ratings of 76.8/143. The resort provides public tee-time booking, a driving range, practice putting greens, PGA instruction, rental clubs and shoes, GPS-equipped carts, locker and shower facilities and the Number 3 restaurant beside the third hole.

The annual Mauna Kea Resort Pro-Am, first held in 1973, continues as a multi-day competition pairing three amateurs with a professional in four-ball play.