Oahu Golf Courses & Tee Times

Who runs public golf on Oahu

The City and County of Honolulu's Department of Enterprise Services runs six municipal courses: Ala Wai, Pali, Ted Makalena, West Loch, Ewa Villages and the nine-hole Kahuku. Rates hinge on the Resident Golf I.D. card, issued only to Hawaii residents and processed in person. As of 2026, 18 holes cost $28 on weekdays and $32 on weekends with the card, and $86 without it. Juniors 17 and under with a card play free. If you have a Hawaii driver's license but no card, you pay the resident rate plus $8.

Public courses worth knowing on Oahu

• Ala Wai Golf Course: Opened as nine holes in 1931 on the edge of Waikiki along the Ala Wai Canal. The National Golf Foundation verified it as the busiest course in the country, and Guinness later agreed. Par 70 at 5,861 yards. Host of HSGA's 40th Mayor's Cup in 2026.
• Pali Golf Course: City-run hillside course on the Windward side, along the foothills of the Koolau range, with views of Kaneohe Bay.
• Ewa Villages Golf Course: City-run links-style layout in Leeward Oahu where wind is the main factor and the fairways run tight.
• Ted Makalena Golf Course: Flat city course in Waipahu on a peninsula into Pearl Harbor.
• West Loch Golf Course: Short city layout with water in play, on the southwestern edge of Waipahu by the West Loch of Pearl Harbor.
• Turtle Bay Resort Arnold Palmer Course: North Shore resort course with a links-style front nine and a tropical back nine, 7,218 yards from the tips. Water comes into play on 14 holes, and the 17th sits in the Punahoʻolapa marsh.
• Hawaii Prince Golf Club: Ewa Beach club with 27 holes in three nines, designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay.

Booking tee times on Oahu: the local rules

City tee times book through an automated system. As of 2026, Golf I.D. cardholders can book 7 days out, and everyone else can book 3 days out; both windows open at 6:30 a.m. Visitors register as non-residents on the course's online tee sheet with an email address. You can cancel up to 10 hours before your time. Kahuku is a walking course; pull carts and clubs are for rent.

Why tee times on Oahu are hard to get

Golf on Oahu peaks in winter, when seasonal residents and visitors arrive. From roughly November through April, weekend mornings are the hardest times on the sheet to get, and even weekdays fill up.

Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.

When tee time cancellations happen

Booked-up doesn't mean gone. Plans change: groups cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline (often 24 to 48 hours out), players drop when the forecast turns, and a group that shrinks leaves an open spot. Those times quietly come back on the booking page, usually for minutes, not hours.

How to get a tee time on Oahu

Doing it by hand? Here's what works.

1. 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.
2. Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
3. Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
4. Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
5. Keep a quicker course in your back pocket. Nine-hole and executive courses are easier to get on and play faster. Around here that includes Bay View Golf Course, Moanalua Golf Club and Sports Box Aiea.

Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked