The Ocean Course at Hokuala features the best of Kauai: the iconic mountains and the ocean front view. Regardless of what hole you’re teeing off in, you’re guaranteed an amazing experience. The answer is: Yes, golfing at The Ocean Course at Hokuala is worth the cost. You’ll see why.
Entering Hokuala
The Ocean Course at Hokuala is nested deep in Lihue, south of the airport strip. It’s recommended that you have a car to drive you in. The parking lot is off to the side, and you’ll be greeted by the staff who will check you in with a golf cart. You’ll have to drive the golf cart about five minutes to the clubhouse. Once you arrive at the clubhouse, you might be lucky enough to be greeted by their starter, Uncle Ricky. Handle your business in the clubhouse, check out the Hokuala merchandise, and maybe grab something from the food shop.
Expect a lot of land development, as there is construction around the clubhouse to build residential facilities. Thankfully, this won’t impact your golf experience after you tee off.
The Golf Experience
Expect the front nine to feature the mountains of Kauai. Kauai is about 97% uninhabited, protected, or utilized for agriculture. There is a reason why this is called the Garden Isle. As you strike the ball down the long fairways, the first few holes might remind you of farmland. As you reach hole 5, you’re taken through a literal jungle. Expect a lot of chicken throughout the golf course. They’re our friends.
Once you reach the back 9, you’re taken through a surreal experience. You might feel a bit disappointed as you see planes landing… then you’ll have your breath taken away as you reach hole 14, giving you the iconic oceanfront view with mountains in the background. This is also where Adam Sandler took the scene for his production company. We were lucky to see whales from afar hanging out. Hole 14 is also the iconic hole where you have to tee off and hope your ball makes it over the mini canyon.
The course is well maintained for the most part. You might see grass discoloration at the tee box, but at least there’s grass and not dirt divots like the other golf courses. Don’t let that fool you.
However, we felt disappointed at the end when we drove the golf cart back to our car. The cart attendant was sitting in our golf cart after my friend tipped him $10. He did not help load our golf bag or clean our clubs. It’s not always required, but the way that interaction went down was not ideal for me. However, that was just the one disappointing instance.
We got to enjoy the restaurant at Timbers after (the 19th hole), and one of the PGA instructors, Juan, greeted us, thanking us for playing at Hokuala. That was very thoughtful and sweet.
Overall, I had a phenomenal experience at The Ocean Course at Hokuala. Mahalo.
If you’re looking for proper golf attire, check out my ambassador codes below for a discount!
- Sierra Madre Golf: “CBV10” for 10% off
- Fore All: “CBV15” for 15% off
- Fore-té: “CBV15” for 15% off.
- Cravin Golf: “CBV15” for 15% off
The Ocean Course at Hokuala
3132 Ninini Point St
Lihue, HI 96766
Looking for more golf experiences? Check out my Golf Girlie page.