Teeing Off

The essence of Hawai’i when you boil it down, is lava, ocean and sun. As it turns out, these are also the essence of golf on Hawai‘i’s Big Island — particularly along the Kohala Coast, one of the world’s premier golf destinations, and statistically the sunniest spot in the Hawaiian archipelago. In the roughly 40 miles from the Kona Country Club northward to the Mauna Kea Resort, there are 11 courses sculpted in Kohala’s sunny seaside lava. Folks call it the Big Island for a reason, however: It’s home to 21 of the world’s 22 climatic zones, so there’s more to Big Island golf than lava and ocean. You can also play upland courses several thousand feet above sea level. Several of the world’s best golf course architects have done some very big work across the island, creating a splendid array of courses that are as much about scenic splendor as they are about golfing challenge.