USA · Tropical
Hawaii
The only golf destination where every round is played with volcanic mountains on one side and the Pacific on the other. Kapalua hosts the PGA Tour's January opener — groups can walk the same fairways a week after the pros leave. Each island (Maui, Kauai, Big Island) has a distinct character. The 10-hour flight from Toronto is the bar; once cleared, there's nowhere in North America like it.
BEST TIME TO GO
November–April
EST. COST / PERSON
$6,000–$14,000 CAD
BOOK IN ADVANCE
8–24 weeks
TRAVEL TIME
10–11h flight from Toronto
MUST-PLAY COURSES
Plantation Course at Kapalua
Host of PGA Tour Sentry Tournament — Maui
The PGA Tour's season opener in January. Sweeping views from Maui's northwest ridgeline above the Pacific. Best-conditioned course on the island.
Mauna Kea Beach Golf Course
Big Island. RTJ Sr.'s Hawaiian masterpiece. The par-3 3rd over a Pacific cove is one of the most photographed holes in the world.
Princeville Makai Golf Club
Kauai's north shore. Ocean and mountain views throughout. Comprehensive renovation completed 2010.
Wailea Golf Club — Gold Course
Maui. Lava and ocean backdrop. Best value in the Wailea resort corridor.
WHAT A TRIP LOOKS LIKE
Arrive Maui
Land in Kahului, clear the rental car queue, and reach the resort by early afternoon. Use the rest of the day to decompress — the 10-hour flight earns you the first afternoon at the pool.
Plantation Course at Kapalua
The Plantation Course is the trip's benchmark round — a Coore & Crenshaw design on a dramatic ridgeline with sweeping Pacific views, played by the PGA Tour every January. The trade winds make club selection a constant puzzle, and the closing holes drop through lava terrain toward the sea.
Wailea Gold Course
RTJ Jr.'s Gold Course at Wailea delivers a different visual experience from Kapalua — lower elevation, lava and ocean on either side, with large greens that reward aggressive putting. The Wailea resort strip is the best post-round hangout on the island.
Ocean Day
Humpback whales (November–April) are visible from the shore off Kaanapali. A snorkel charter out of Maalaea Harbour is a full-group experience that generates better stories than a fourth round of golf. The golf resumes tomorrow.
Plantation Course at Kapalua — Replay
The second round at Kapalua always goes differently. The group knows the course, confidence is higher, and the trade wind direction usually shifts — half the holes play a full club longer than they did the first time. Best scoring day of the trip.
Maui at Leisure & Depart
Day 6 is genuinely free — Road to Hana, sunrise at Haleakala, or a final long lunch in Lahaina. Fly out Day 7 on the early Toronto routing, and accept that re-entry to Canadian January is going to be brutal.
GROUPS 12+ — For groups of 12+, Kapalua requires advance coordination — tee time blocks can be limited during peak season (January–March, when the Tour is there). Contact the Plantation Course pro shop directly, not through a third-party aggregator, for group rates. Resort hotel blocks at Montage Kapalua Bay or Ritz-Carlton Kapalua handle large groups well but need 6–9 months lead time.
BEST MONTHS
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