Hawaii
Big Island Golf Courses & Tee Times
Big Island golf is mostly resort golf on the Kohala Coast, built on and around lava. It starts with Mauna Kea, which Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed and opened in 1964. His son Robert Trent Jones Jr. has since led a renovation there. The Mauna Kea Resort Pro-Am has been played on it since 1973. Down the coast, Mauna Lani's South Course runs through the Kāniku lava flow and carries the history of the PGA Senior Skins Game.
Good weekend tee times on Big Island go fast, and the ones that come back later (cancellations, groups that shrink) aren't announced. Yoink watches the tee sheets at 12 public courses here, from Honokaa, Waimea, Kailua-Kona, Kailua Kona and Kamuela, and tells you the moment a time you want opens up.
The longest layout here is Makani Golf Club at 7,034 yards.
Who runs public golf on Big Island
Most courses here are resort or privately run and sell tee times to the public. Mauna Kea Resort runs two 18s, Mauna Kea and the Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay design at Hapuna, opened in 1992. Mauna Lani has North and South plus the nine-hole Wikiwiki. Waikoloa Beach has 27 holes in three nines you can pair any way. Up on the slopes of Hualalai, Makani Golf Club, a Perry Dye design, takes public tee times daily for visitors and residents.
Public courses worth knowing on Big Island
- Mauna Kea Golf Course: Robert Trent Jones Sr. design that opened in 1964, recently renovated under Robert Trent Jones Jr. Home of the Mauna Kea Resort Pro-Am since 1973.
- Hapuna Golf Course: Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay links-style design from 1992. Climbs from sea level to 750 feet and plays just under 6,900 yards.
- Mauna Lani Resort South Course: Runs through the ancient Kāniku lava flow; its over-the-water 15th is billed as one of the most photographed in the world, and the course carries the history of the PGA Senior Skins Game.
- Makani Golf Club: Perry Dye par 72 on the lower slopes of Hualalai, water in play on nine holes, and an island green at 17.
- Waikoloa Golf Club - Beach Course: Part of Waikoloa Beach Resort's 27 holes; the Beach Nine is a par 35 of 3,281 yards.
12 courses on Big Island
Honokaa
Kailua Kona
Kohala Coast
Volcano
Other
Makani Golf Club
Perry Dye's par 72 up on Hualalai, cooler than the coast, with ocean views and water on nine holes. The 17th is an island green.
Mauna Lani Resort North Course
Water borders seven of the eighteen, and one hole moves 34 feet from tee to green.
Mauna Lani Resort South Course
Fairways cut through the 16th-century Kaniku lava flow to the ocean. The par-3 15th over the water is one of the most photographed holes in the world.
The Village Course at Waikoloa
Par 72 and 6,791 yards from the back tees: The Village Course at Waikoloa is an 18-hole regulation course near Kamuela, Hawaii.
Waikoloa Golf Club - Beach Course
Robert Trent Jones Jr. built it in 1981 on lava by the Pacific; now a par-35 nine whose sixth runs between black lava fields down to the ocean.
Why tee times on Big Island are hard to get
Big Island is a winter golf destination. The months other places shut down are the busiest here, so November-through-April mornings go first, weekdays included.
Most public courses open their tee sheet a set number of days ahead, often 7 to 14, and many municipal courses give residents or card holders an earlier window. The best weekend-morning times usually go the day they're released. Leagues and outings take blocks of the sheet before the public ever sees them.
When tee time cancellations happen
A full tee sheet rarely stays full. Many courses let you cancel without a fee up to 24 or 48 hours before your time, so spots tend to reappear in the last couple of days. A bad forecast shakes more loose, and a foursome that drops to three opens a single. None of it is announced. The time just shows up again on the booking page, and whoever looks first gets it.
How to get a tee time on Big Island
Yoink
Watch all 12 courses on Big Island. Hear the moment one opens.
Yoink checks all 12 courses on Big Island every few minutes, so every open time is in one place and you're the first to know when one that fits your day, window and group appears, cancellations included.
Doing it by hand? Here's what works.
- Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
- Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
- Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
- Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
- Widen the map. If your first choice is full, check the next town over. Honokaa has 1 courses on Yoink and Waimea has 1.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times on Big Island: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up on Big Island?
Set a watch in Yoink for the courses you want, the days you can play, a time window and the number of players. Yoink checks those tee sheets every few minutes and sends a notification as soon as a matching time appears, cancellations included. You book it directly with the course.
When do tee time cancellations usually show up?
Mostly in the 24 to 48 hours before the tee time, as golfers cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline, and whenever the weather forecast changes. They appear without notice and tend to be rebooked quickly.
How far in advance can you book a tee time on Big Island?
It depends on the course. Many public courses open bookings 7 to 14 days ahead, and town or county courses often give residents an earlier window. Each course's own booking page has its policy.
When is golf busiest on Big Island?
Demand is highest from roughly November through April. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Does Yoink book the tee time for me?
No. Yoink tells you when a time opens; you book it with the course on its own booking page, at the course's price, with no extra fee.
More golf in Hawaii
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- maunakearesort.com · official
- maunakearesort.com · official
- aubergeresorts.com · official
- waikoloabeachgolf.com · official
- makanigolfclub.com · official
- makanigolfclub.com · official
- konagolf.com · official
Tee times on Big Island, without the refreshing
Watch as many courses as you like. When a time opens that fits your day, window and group, Yoink tells you first.