Turtle Bay Resort - Arnold Palmer Course

Travelled up from KoOlina where we are staying. Decided to head to North Shore and Turtle Bay. Had heard some pretty good recommendations for the Palmer course.

Several fairways burnt... staff said they had some issues and were aerating a few.??!

Didn’t play anywhere near the ocean... in fact saw the water just once during round. Lots of traps and dog legs and water everywhere, just not ocean. Disappointed with layout and conditions for $195. Better value elsewhere currently.

Despite the greens being recently cored, it’s a lovely course to play catering for all levels of player.
Good fairway widths and strategically placed pots.
Excellent opportunity to unleash the driver on many holes.

Will play again

The Turtle Bay - Palmer Course is a top-notch golf course. The layout is very good and makes for an enjoyable round. The greens were close to immaculate, running true and fast without going over the top on the speed. There was some damage to a few of the fairways, which I surmise may have occurred as a result of the recent hurricane or other heavy rain (and which I imagine will be repaired with an upcoming aeration). The separate practice tee for the Palmer course is excellent, with very nice and well-maintained grass tees that are directly adjacent to the first tee box. The beverage cart (which may have been the coolest beverage cart I've ever seen, a 4x4 vehicle complete with doors) made frequent rounds without being intrusive. The lemon-scented cold towel at the end of the round was a nice touch. The greens fees are just a tad on the high side for Oahu, but the quality of the facility I believe merits the premium. I would not hesitate to recommend this course to visitors to Oahu.

I played the Fazio course 1st then the Palmer Course in the late afternoon. It was a hike to get there from Koolina but well worth it. Since I played Fabio 1st $125 the replay to play Palner was only $75. Course is awesome. Plenty of water to bring enough balls to get by. Can’t wait to come back and do it again. Aloha.

If your into Palmer courses you will probably enjoy this course if your not you won’t like it. I was disappointed that there was only one real Ocean hole on a course everyone was saying was an Ocean side Course. Turf conditions were as close to perfection as you will ever find.

We enjoyed the course and the ocean views. Difficult course and well designed. Played a bonus 18 at the Fazio course for $50 which was a bonus.

Great natural layout
Challenging but fair holes
Wonderful friendly staff
Played 18 on the Palmer course in just over 3 hours
Already looking forward to the next time

This golf course is in great shape and while the fairways are generous, it can be pretty challenging. The key is to actually hit the fairway. The greens roll very nicely, though I found them a little slower than I expected.

I played with one other player and we got around in about 3:20, with the twosome behind us pushing us a bit. So the pace of play is excellent.

The bag drop staff and course Marshall were excellent and very friendly.

The only complaint I have, which has more to do with the location than the golf course itself is that the scenery was rather plain. It reminded me of a typical Florida resort course as it didn’t have the mountains and valleys in the background as some of the other cheaper courses on Oahu do. There is also only one hole that touches on the ocean.

The green fee of about $200 including cart is maybe a little on the high side, but overall it was a good golf experience.

I played this course 6 years ago while staying at Turtle Bay and loved it. Back on vacation in Oahu this week staying at the Disney Resort, I decided to make a tee time and drive 1 1/2 hours back to North Shore to play again. Round was $195 + $30 for a rider fee because my wife likes to ride along and is not a golfer. Course was in pretty good condition. Typical bad spots here and there, but nothing major. Just felt the amenities for playing a resort course could have been better. No GPS in the cart, no courtesy bottles of water in the cooler, no bag tag, etc. Will play somewhere else next time.

The Palmer Course at Turtle Bay is one of the best courses in the country that anyone can play and actually book a tee time. The fairways are like carpet and the greens are consistent from hole to hole. The winds vary from hole to hole adding another level of difficulty. The course layout and pin placements make this a tough course for beginners. However if you know where your shots are going this course is very playable. There is no clubhouse once out on the course so get any snacks or beverages before you head to the first hole. We only saw the snack cart two times. The staff and employees were very helpful and friendly. The course does a great job of getting you lost in the wilderness of Oahu's North Shore after the third hole and there are a few holes where you see the ocean.

Just perfect. The only thing I can think of to criticise is all my terrible shots that sent balls in the water. Thank you Turtle Beach! And congratulations to the course superintendent or whatever he/she is called in the US; great job, with the course presentation.

Great course overall. The conditions were spectacular and the layout was fun. I was told it was going to be difficult but it didn't seem to be. It definitely doesn't play as long as the scorecard displays.

Would definitely recommend this course.

Fairways were in great condition. A few tee boxes were not in the best of condition as were several greens mostly on the back nine which had mold rot. However, the greens rolled true. Be sure to bring a GPS as distance control is critical to avoid the strategically placed bunkers and water hazard. Played the Palmer course where only the 17th hole comes near the water. Because the Palmer driver range is only open on weekends, had to use the driving range at the Fazio course which is an absolute disaster. Hitting area was almost all dirt and was only allowed to use irons, although students with instructors right next to you were hitting drivers. Felt this was unfair especially with the green fee of $120 for twilight play. Twosome in front of me were playing multiple balls, but no marshal to control this unacceptable behavior.

Played this course recently with my wife while vacationing in Oahu. Excellent course, challenging but fair for both of us. The course was in great shape and the weather was excellent. The fairways were firm and tee shots really ran in the fairway. This was good for an extra 20 yards but could be trouble as the fairways are often sloped and carry tee shots toward hazards, either sand or water. Greens were fair and rolled equally well. Pace of play was good and the starters were very accommodating. It's a resort course so they do not push guests to play quickly, but this was not a problem as we played our rounds both days in about 4:10. Additionally, the beverage cart was readily available and the restaurant adjacent to the clubhouse is the best one in the resort for the menu and value. There were some small but aggravating points, however. Like many places trying to cut costs, the golf staff is small and overworked so the check in of several groups simultaneously resembles semi organized chaos and a course orientation was marginal at best. The ride to the first tee is about 10 minutes and the practice range at the Palmer Course was closed both days. The other practice range was 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. The golf however was great and this is a wonderful course to play.

Loved the greens and course was interesting. Pace was a little slow, foursome two in front was very slow. No personnel every drove thru. We are at a resort and on the beautiful North Shore of Hawaii but you get a little out of sink when waiting for your next shot. All in all I would highly recommend this course. Loved it!