Generally, Maui golf is expensive. Not especially so given the greens fees in other West Coast meccas like Scottsdale and Las Vegas. And not at Cabo’s high-end luxury level where fees seem to start at $250 and negotiate up in the Mexican coast’s successful quest to bring in young Hollywood execs and Wall Street players.

Still, if you’re playing golf in Maui, you’re looking at well north of $100 per round.

But there is still one great relative bargain on the island. You can play Kapalua’s famed Plantation Course for $65 after 3:30 p.m. right now and its currently nine-hole sister Bay Course (which has its back nine closed for a renovation that includes all new greens) for $35.

Those would be great deals for courses of this quality almost anywhere. In Maui, they’re almost unthinkable. They’re also very underpublicized.

Kapalua’s staff doesn’t seem all that eager for people to know they can get on Plantation - the host of the Mercedes Championship, otherwise known as the season opening tournament that only Vijay Singh cares about - for almost one fourth of its full-price, over-$200 regular greens fee.

This is Hawaii too. It’s still light on Maui till almost 6 p.m. this time of year. You might not be able to get all 18 holes of the Plantation in under three hours, but if you don’t dawdle over every putt, you could have a fighting chance. I’m not going to lie and say I played Plantation late in the day (it’s a course where you need to take some time as a reviewer), but I played the full 18 on another course in a little over 2 and 1/2 hours, putting out on 18 in just-enough-light at 6:02 p.m. earlier this trip.

Unlike the Bay Course, which jams up with late-afternoon players trying to get in one last nine for 35 bucks, Plantation tends to be wide open during twilight time too. In fact, you might have a better chance of finishing most of Plantation’s 18 than just nine holes at Bay if you tee off at 3:30 p.m.

Don’t listen to any of the brochure blabber about Bay Course being almost as good as Plantation either, or similar in ocean views. You want to play the big boy if it’s one or the other. And if you’re trying to do it as Maui’s best hidden golf bargain and you find yourself running out of daylight, skip a hole or three to get in Plantation’s finish.

Permalink 3 comments