What clients say about Volcano Golf Course in Volcano (HI)
Giving this 5 stars for overall value. Super friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere, and perfect place of play. The course is about what you pay for. It's maintained similar to a municipal course. Fairways maintained pretty well. Some brown on the greens, but very playable. Would come again.
I walked in without any reservations, as I just decided the night before to spend my time at Volcano Golf Course while the rest of my friends went on a long hike nearby. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. I chose to book a one hour lesson, and I'm so glad I did! Andrew was an excellent instructor. I learned new things. There was a food truck with good Thai food. I then played 5 holes and had a great time! I loved every minute! I probably could have played 9, but I wasn't sure when my friends would return. They don't water the course. Nature does that. There were lots of Nene's. The weather was perfect for me (cold for the locals). When I return to the island, I'll want to golf here again! Thank you for accommodating me. Mahalo!
Great staff, great little course. Had a blast with the family. Saw an abundance of wildlife (Nene, Kalij Pheasants, and a wild boar). Did I mention the staff was great ( super friendly and social). Great rates too.
Hands down the best course on this side of the island. Not only does it have the best greens, fairways and climate, it has the best staff! They’re so accommodating and go the extra mile to make us golfers have a great time.
The views of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are amazing. Your ball goes farther since it’s at 4,000ft elevation. Make sure to account for that.
Hoping and being patient for a Clubhouse, and lavatories with running water to be built. We used to go Waikoloa for the weekend, and stay at Airbnb's, but too many head-on collisions. We'd like to go to Volcano Golf course, since we live in Puna. Guess just gotta be patient.
Had a fantastic golfing experience today at volcano golf course. Beautiful scenic golf course with Nene everywhere. Went and new Calloway rental clubs and great price. I’ll be back.
If you hate sweating while playing on beach courses then this is the place for you. 4000 foot elevation and playing on top of the most active volcano in the world makes this course a unique playing experience. This couse plays like a links course with cool steady breezes, undulating fairways and well kept greens.
As a resident of the Big Island, I would say this golf course is a ripe off. We played 9 holes for approximately $100. That’s for 2 adults and a 7 year old.
In addition, when you pay that much, you would expect to have a pleasant bathroom experience but the port-a-potties were not emptied. It was so disgusting. There are no other toilet options. I would not recommend going here as a resident of the Big Island.
Beautiful course. Wide fairways and great for all golf abilities. Staff was very friendly. Be sure to have ample drinks and snacks before you start. Would most certainly play this course again!
A true diamond in the rough. Well-maintained course with many challenges. The back 9 views of Mauna Loa. I gave it a 4-stars because the lack of core amenities. They need to set up water stations on the course and a bathroom on the back nine (a porta toilet would do). It would be nice if the built a modest club house, a little pro shop and snack bar would do.
Maybe my favorite course on island. Fun and exciting layout and a great vibe. Super friendly folks all around. Greens, fairways, and rough are all good enough. If you have a problem with it, you gotta go somewhere else and spend 5x. I’ll stay here and roll it in the fairway with a smile on my face. Golf how it should be. I’ll be back!
Great golf at 4k above sea level. Friendly staff, don’t have any gear, they have everything you need. The course enjoyable, with gear views, and some challenging angles.
This is a lovely golf course that is relatively inexpensive for the view and the experience. The office facilities are average but you don't need that when you've got a great golf course. The staff was amazing. We started early in the morning at 7:00 a.m. And it was quite brisk but the sun came out and we had a wonderful day. I recommend this to anyone in this area of the big island.
First, the "could have been better". My wife and I made a tee time to play 18 and were informed upon check-in that the greens had been recently aerated. I have had this happen at a Top 100 course before (and not told), only finding out when my second shot hit the green. In my opinion a small reduction in the green fees would have been nice. The greens that day (November 20th) were rough and hard to putt. Tee to green though, the course was in very good shape.
Second, the great parts. We rented a cart and two very nice sets of Callaway clubs and were on our way to truly enjoying a nice round at Volcano Golf Course! This is the oldest course on the island. What a great layout with lots of humps and bumps in the fairways, not something you normally see on an inland/parkland course. There was, of course, lots of weather, but it is Hawaii. I really loved the par 3 3rd, the risk-reward 4th, the around the bend 5th and 11th, both par 5's, and the uphill 17th, also a par 5. We finished 18 in about 3 hours. Overall, we both had a great time and really enjoyed playing this course. I would recommend it to anyone staying on the Big Island. Plus, since it is right across the highway from Volcano National Park, a visit there is easy if you have the time.
Finally, remember that you are at 4000+ altitude and factor that in with your club selection - it took me a few holes to realize what was happening with my distances.
Fun playing this course. Check the weather before going. The staff are very friendly. The course is in good shape. We drive up there a couple days a week to get out of the Hilo heat.
Volcano Golf Course has done a great job with the property provided they don’t have irrigation. It is the oldest course on the island, but is a fun track.It is a municipal course, so don’t expect a resort style experience. The food truck options were good as well!
Lovely course with fun staff and great rental clubs. Can't beat their rates, either. We had a lovely time. Bonus - saw Nene geese for the first time! We were treated well and would absolutely return again. David and Chaz were very nice. Plus, it's fun to be able to say that we golfed on the slope of a live volcano!!
What a fun place to play golf on the Big Island. The course isn't fancy and isn't the best groomed on the island. It is a playable course though for any level of a golfer. The greens were a bit rough. Where on earth can you play golf less than a mile from an active volcano? And when we were there the volcano was erupting. Crazy.
Super friendly and helpful staff. Laid back and very accommodating. Nice course with very reasonable green fees. My son and I golf a lot and we enjoyed our time and would recommend!!
Played 4/26/22 & again today 7/14/23; massive improvements, great new carts; greens were really great, rolling true - some VERY tricky pin placements? Clear sky & lots of wind! I'll be back! Mahalo?
Great course! Not sure what some of the more negative reviews are talking about. Tee boxes, greens, and fairways aren’t tour level quality obviously.
Tee boxes 6.5/10
Fairways 7/10
Greens 5/10
but the view of the mountains and the location are quite cool! If your looking to play a fun 9-18 with the family this place is perfect. Rentals were slightly worn but good clubs. Slightly older titielist T-200’s, TS2 driver, scotty Cameron putter and some solid sim wedges.
Had a great time, the fairways and tees are in great shape. Greens are a little rough, but considering they were closed for two years they are doing great. Staff was very friendly and inviting. Mahalo.
Played again today (7/6/22). Course condition is coming along, the greens are getting better, still grainy but far more playable than 2 months ago. Looking forward to coming out again.
Pro shop is ran out of a shipping container. Greens were very long almost unplayable. I was lucky enough to get one of the few carts but they were falling apart. We called ahead as military stationed in HI, we were told they would honor and give us resident rates. When we showed up the young lady did not give us resident rates. Charged us $70 w/ a cart to play 18 holes. This course was not even close to being worth $70. Disappointed with the course even though it had nice views.
It’s just getting up and running but I couldn’t resist running up the road a few minutes to try it out. It was rainy and a bit windy for my shortened round (9 holes) but I love the layout and will be back. The front nine offers a nice diversity with a few open and tree lined fairways. Greens were pretty true even with the very wet conditions!
Played the course yesterday and while it has a nice layout, it isn't in the best of shape. The fairways have open dirt spots, the bunkers have plants growing out of them and the greens are a weird mix of different grasses. Putting this another way, I passed several stand-up water stations filled with cobwebs and they looked like they hadn't been cleaned in months.
Also, the course is a bit hard to navigate if you haven't played before with the signage often hidden behind the brush. Plus, two tee boxes intersect causing some confusion and a few holes on the each side are across the road.
The clubhouse matches the state of the course and, while completely functional, it also could use some TLC and probably a new layout.
Finally, the views aren't all that amazing. On a clear day, you can see the volcano and there is quite a bit of elevation changes which make for interesting vantage points. Also, there are several holes with good visuals from the tee boxes. I spent most of my time, though, studying the various trees which are all of interesting shapes and sizes. I'm not a tree expert and don't know the various types, but they were plentiful in variety and some of their shapes were incredibly unique.
Overall, I played 18 and rented a woeful set of clubs for $80 (bought a candy bar and tees as well). While I understand this is Hawai'i and the prices will be a bit high, I really would like a more well-kept golf course for my money.
