Ala Wai Golf Course

Dry and the ball runs. Not a cheap place to play for out of towners but a comfortable round of golf. The restaurant serves really good food which is insane. Lots of Asian dishes. With the greens were in better shape and the rentals were easier to secure, but I keep going back.

It's currently in the worst shape I've seen in 20 years. Dry, patchy, dying for water. And they still just put them out as fast as they pay. Avoid as you will be frustrated while wasting your time on a cow pasture.

First time here, we never played the course just hit balls at the driving range. Got membership card, reasonable prices for senior members. Definitely will return to play the course!

I was in my apartment watching TV and I saw an ad promoting the idea that Ala Wai Golf Course should be converted into a botanic garden. * What? *My timeshare is across the channel, so I decided to go take a look around. I did not play. I took a walk on the golf path along the first nine holes.Ala Wai GC is a municipal 18-hole, par-70 golf course located in Honolulu. The course is relatively flat. The greens and fairways are Bermuda grass. There are three sets of tees for various skill levels. There are great views of Diamond Head and the Koolau Mountain Range.The Ala Wai Canal separates this golf course from Waikiki. The complex has a putting green, driving range, starter's office, café and pro shop. (The pro shop was looking for a new concessionaire at the time of my visit.) The two-story clubhouse includes offices, lockers, storage, and a second-floor community recreation room. There's ample free parking. I visited early in the morning and observed a large number of people preparing to play. Hawaii tourism is still recovering from the pandemic; but it is said that Ala Wai GC is the busiest course in the U.S. At its peak, Ala Wai CG hosted 180,000 rounds of golf a year--and average of 500 a day. This leads to some of the complaints that I have read online--but I'd like to offer a reality check:"It's too expensive". This is a municipal course. And there are two sets of fees: one for local residents with state ID, and another rate for visitors. Are people complaining because it's not as nice as a private or public course? Are they complaining because they were tourist and paid the higher fees?"It's hard to get a tee time". It's recommended that you go online and make a reservation--especially if you're coming in as a tourist. If you're playing solo, you can take your chances, go to the starter's office, and sign up on the standby list."You can't play a leisurely game". That's probably true. When really busy, they start games every 10 minutes. The marshals keep things moving. How busy it is depends on the day--it's hit or miss.You can rent clubs on site. And as I walked about Waikiki, I noticed there are quite a few shops that sell and rent golf equipment. While I like the idea of playing this course, I don't think I would do well in a fast tempo environment.As for the "botanic garden" proposal, developers have coveted the 150-acres since before the course opened in 1931. Various proposals to redevelop a portion or the whole site have come and gone. Besides, the state of Hawaii owns the land; the city simply administers the site. (But local residents should stay vigilant.)

Nice little warmup bucket before playing the following day at a different course. Nothing fancy and poorly lit at night, you hit off mats, but it's fine. Range balls were expensive and it's an additional $2 for a rubber tee. 40 balls $7.5075 balls $14

First time golfing here. Hard to get a tee time so we got on standby which works. It is long so you get your money's worth but it felt a bit boring to me. I prefer the courses in the windward side with some variation to the landscape. People mostly follow etiquette but when you are on long links and some insist on hitting from the back tees but don't have control, they hold up and break the flow and can come over into your fairway, also disrupting play. But this is not an Ala Wai only problem, it is only more obvious on a course like this. It can be frustrating sitting behind these kinds of guys who also seem to spend alot for time looking for their and extra balls.I give it a solid 3.

Ala Wai Golf Course has the moniker of being the "busiest golf course" in the Universe. That claim was made in the 1980s, and I'm not entirely sure it's been holding that title every year since then.This course is closest to Waikiki. It's right across the Ala Wai canal! You can access it from Kapahulu Ave. The entrance is where the Waikiki Public Library is located. There's a lot of parking.This was my first time golfing here, surprisingly. I was always curious about it. I've seen it enough times from the outside, and I even had a few close calls with errant golf shots flying over the fence and onto Date Street. My guess was that this course was flat and simple, and we avoided coming here because of the aura of being super busy. Obviously, the pandemic has slowed business, so I was able to make an appointment easily, and at the time I wanted.Making an appointment is extremely easy...if you have a Resident Golf ID card because you can just go through the automated system without even needing to talk to anyone. I just punched in the date, the time, my ID number, submit, and my appointment was set. I was worried about having no tee times, especially on a Sunday morning, but I got one somehow on Friday night.The current Weekend rate is $30 ($26 Weekday) walking with a Golf ID card. If you have Hawaii ID and you're with a person with the Golf ID, it's $4 more. Non-resident is $86! Adding in a golf cart is $26, which is pretty dang steep. So since we were a foursome, we shared two carts, $13/person. I'm wondering if there were three people, one person would use a cart alone, would he/she have to pay $26? That'll be ridiculous!When my friends and I arrived at the Starter's office/cashier, I had no idea that we'd need to check in 30 minutes beforehand. Our tee time was 9AM, checked in at 8:59AM. Yes, exactly on time lol. But I guess we were supposed to tee off AT 9AM, not check in at that time. Lesson learned.I read some reviews about the employees being rude, but that's their style. The local Asian old-timers. Yes, they sound rude, strict, condescending, impatient, stubborn as hell, act like jerks, and make snide comments to put you down or insult you. That's how they are. Not all of them, but the ones I've interacted with at golf courses. Yes, I got scolded and probably got the stink eye through the blurry glass window from the Cashier about checking in one minute before my tee times. Yes, I got scolded again for "driving on the grass," and was asked "if I can speak English" even after I answered his first question regarding if I saw the signs. You can't argue with them. Just say you heard and won't make the same mistake next time.The course was what I thought. Flat and straight forward. You shouldn't lose any balls, but there are a few ravines and the canal at the final holes. The fairways are pretty much dry grass and dirt, but they are pretty wide, so there's a lot of forgiveness for errant shots. The greens are the SAME. Very dry and very fast. You see breaks and you'll just fly by them. It was definitely confusing reading the greens and trying to control your speed.The carts are gas powered and drive like a four wheel scooter. You'll always get a whiff of exhaust each time you go.Overall, for a City course, it's not bad. I like that it's simple and you know where you need to hit it. The greens are way too fast, and I definitely need practice on that. Making reservations was very easy. Glad I have a Resident Golf ID (currently, you can't apply for one at Ala Wai. Only at Pali or Ted Makalena. I enjoyed myself, and definitely have the golf itch again. I'm pretty awful right now, but there were moments! FORE!

Want fancy? Go join Waialae. Want a super convenient and inexpensive place to play, with great views on top of it? Here you go. I see a lot of reviews from complaining tourists including people who didn't even play it. This course is for locals and for tourists who can enjoy it for what it is, which includes a place that a lot of retirees can walk to and that tourists can too. I'm fairly new to golf and have not joined a club. It's not worth it to me yet and may never be. This course is highly valuable as accessible recreation and a meeting place for locals getting together for some healthy outdoor fun.

This Golf course is a dog track but perfect for locals looking for a cheap golf fix. Dying yellow grass fairways and patchy greens are par for this course; as well as having no players assistance on the course. After a punishing 2:45 hour pace for the front 9 watching a Fivesome of hackers, we called it a day and headed for the beach instead!! Also, the Pro Shop was useless and had no help to offer whatsoever. (F- for both the course AND the range)

The local pair I was playing with was rude and had no golf etiquette. After 9 holes went to ask if I could be place with someone else and they said no. Didn't care one bit about customer service. As someone on vacation I had a terrible experience especially after paying $80+ dollars for this crappy course with terrible conditions.