A Few of Our Favourite Holes at Manele Golf Course

Manele Golf Course at Four Seasons Resort Lanai not only boasts amazing cliffside vistas, it has some pretty unique holes on the signature Jack Nicklaus 18-hole course.  Here are a few of our favourites.  

Welcome to the Course: the Angry Bear Hole 

The true character of the course challenges every shot on the 2nd, a long uphill par 4. The dogleg left requires two forced carries over shallow ravines to an elevated two-tiered green secured by inviting bunkers.

Best Three/Four-Hole Stretch

The 10th to 13th along Hulopoe Bay, featuring holes that play along 200-foot (60-metre) cliffs with the Pacific Ocean as a hazard are one of the best stretches in golf.

Loneliest Tree on the Course

The 11th gives you the first real sense of how good the back nine is going to be. It's a 589-yard par 5 that runs above the ocean its whole length and ends with a green shaped like a catcher's mitt that's right over the ocean. Adding to the drama, there's an old-looking tree hanging over the green, giving it something of a Torrey Pines look.

Good Time to "Go for It"

As long as you keep your tee shot out of the central fairway bunker, you can think about reaching the green in two on the 15th, a par 5 that is more beauty than beast.

Best Tee Shot

Manele Golf Course 12th, notoriously known for the demanding carry it requires across 200 yards of ocean blue has our best tee shot.  This par 3 hangs 150 feet (45 metres) over the surf. There's no fairway. It's all carry over the sea to the green.

Most Threatening Hole

The Par-4 17th has the longest forced carry - right over a cliff with the surf crashing against the rocks far below. And that's just to reach the fairway. All you see from the tee is the flag. The bunker danger lurking all around it is obscured.

The bookend 17th is even more of a challenge. It's the golf course's No. 2 handicap (how could any hole here be tougher?) and measures 444 yards from the back tees. It also requires a 220 yard carry to get over the water, which cuts into the fairway down the right side. If you play from the gold tees, it's 392 yards to the hole and 177 yards to clear the water. But if the wind is helping you on the 12th, it's stiffly against you on the 17th. Even if you do make it over the Pacific, you must negotiate a serious dogleg right with water running down that side of the fairway. This is one tough golf hole.

Hole Guaranteed to Wreck Your Scorecard

The 462-yard, par-5 6th is the toughest hole on the course and forces players to hit it left to avoid driving through the fairway, which slopes toward the ocean. The second shot will be into a green some 60 feet below the fairway. (Check out the ocean views before you move on, as Maui and Kahoolawe will be visible. And on a clear day, you can likely see the Big Island of Hawaii.)

Best Back-to-Back Par 3s

A true golf rarity exists on Manele Golf Course’s 7th and 8th holes. These are back-to-back par-3s, something only a confident course designer such as Jack Nicklaus would dare try. Playing the golf course for the first time can cause a double-take unless you checked the scorecard before the round.

The 7th is 172 yards long and often plays into the tradewinds, breezes that will make you think twice about which club you would like to use. The 8th is a little longer, 210 yards from the back tees. While there are no bunkers on the hole, the green is hilly and requires an extremely accurate shot to stick it close.

Where to Channel Your “Inner John Daly”  

Grip it and rip it: the 6th is your chance to let out the shaft and swing freely. The tee shot on this downhill par 5 is to a receptive fairway - let it rip!  The green is reachable for long hitters but you'll pay the price if your ball is short and finds the cluster of bunkers on the right.  Play to the left side on both your drive and approach.