Nanea - Hawaii - USA

Nanea is an exclusive golf club on the west coast of Hawaii's Big Island, located around 15 miles north of Kailua Kona. It is an intriguing course. Set on the side of the vast slopes of Mount Hualalai the terrain is hardly ideal for great golf. And with black lava as the base, one would have to say whoever thought of producing a quality links type course on this site might have been out in the sun just a little too long...

But Charles Schwab and George Roberts employed David McLay Kidd to do just that. They wanted to create a very special meeting place for a select group of members, who can talk business, play golf and enjoy the facilities, away from the 'riff raff'.

The clubhouse is unique and commands superlative views over the course and out to the Pacific Ocean, the dining was superb, and the club service levels were everything you could ask for. This would be a very nice place to be a member!

The course is not really a true links course and the green paspalum is not normally the grass of choice on links courses. But the ball does bounce and roll like a links course.

Kidd had a vast parcel of land to work with, and produced a big, sprawling course that measures 7464 yards of the back tees. At Nanea the fairways are wide, and the first cut of rough is also wide and cut low. So tee shots on most holes have to be seriously off line to find trouble.

The long fountain grass rippling in the wind offers a nice contrast to the verdant green of the fairway and first cut, but is basically there for definition, and does not trouble the travelling golfer over much…

Long hitters will love this course, because they are rarely penalised for being off line, and can obtain significant advantage by cutting doglegs…

No, the real action at Nanea is on and around the greens! Perhaps because the whole site is on a constant gradient, it is very difficult to establish whether putts that look downhill compared to surrounding territory, are in fact downhill, and if so, how much!! I have never been so confounded by greens before!

Caddies are part of the deal at Nanea, but even with a caddie advising on slope and speed on the greens for the entire round, we just could not get our putts in the same postcode as the hole. Both of us are good putters, and good readers of the green, who have played many of the better and also the craziest greens going around. We have never floundered as badly! I concluded that given the base slope the course is built on, that perhaps the greens had just a little too much going on....

As you would expect Nanea is beautiful maintained, and has a links feel- but while it has that links style, for me it does not really match the standard of the traditional links courses. Kidd has done a grand job given his canvass but he had very little in the way of natural features to work with. He manufactured some interesting holes, but at least a couple of the greens are just plain awkward and need reworking.

Nanea is first and foremost an exclusive club, with wonderful facilities. It is a lovely place to play golf and rub shoulders with some interesting people. And if you are fortunate enough to be a guest at Nanea you are guaranteed to have a memorable experience. The course is a nice contrast to the Hawaiian courses around- but is not among the better links, or links style courses on a world scale, in my opinion.

Peter Wood is the founder of The Travelling Golfer – click the link to read his full review.

As others have noted on their reviews, if this course wanted publicity, it would be #1 or #2 at worst. First, if you don’t know about it, or know what you searching for on the internet, you don’t even know this place exists. I talked to several locals and they know a golf course is there, but not sure how you get to it. First you have to drive 2 miles up a completely unmarked road to a gate that only has a camera and call box. Then, once you get through, it’s another 1.5 miles to get to a clubhouse that comes out of nowhere. Then it’s on to an absolutely exquisite clubhouse, with every detail cared for. The practice range is absolutely pristine with logo ProV’s on the range.

Now, I’m not going to get into all the details of the course, because I could go on for days, but I will say that it’s the best course you’ll ever play, next to Augusta. There isn’t a blade of grass out of place, not a divot or ball mark to be seen that hasn’t been previously cared for, and the views, ha! Unreal. Not to mention the caddies are knowledgeable, and know your game better than you by the end of the round (Casey was hilarious). Even a non-golfer would love this place. I consider to be one of the luckiest guys on earth knowing that I was able to play here. If you get an opportunity, drop everything and play.

I have played several fantastic golf courses including Pebble Beach, Spyglass, Sawgrass, Kings Creek, Harbortown and in Hawaii, Kapalua, Prince, Manele, Wailea, etc. I have also visited Augusta National for the Masters, so I’ve seen and played great courses. Nanea is in another whole class than ALL of the courses named above, and in many ways is similar to Augusta National in terms of its exclusivity and in the perfection of its conditioning. There was nary a ball mark on the greens and every blade of grass was mowed to perfection. Pro V1s on the superb driving range and a wonderful and entertaining caddie named Channing who has caddied for pro golfers on that course who I would only have to say their first name and you would know who they are. Anyway, it is the best course I have ever played on and I was thrilled to shoot an 82 as well. A memory I will never forget!

My name is SFC Zachary B Conklin stationed at FT Bragg North Carolina with 1 Brigade 82nd Airborne Division. After redeploying from Afghanistan recently I was blessed to take part in the Hualalai Champions Tour Pro Am with Fred Funk, and was invited to play Nanea on January 19th 2013 by a member. As soon as you reach the club at the top of the hill, where there are no signs or GPS reference to the club, you realize you can reach out and touch heaven. The course is the Augusta National of the Pacific, impeccably maintained, un questioned beauty, and very challenging course also. Be prepared for wind, and listen to the members and caddie, as there is no real grain to read on the greens. Once completed enjoy a Kobe steak wrap and a long board. An absolute bucket list event, a must play. I hope I get another chance in my life.

I was lucky enough to play Nanea twice in December. It is obvious that the club is not interested in rankings, as it should be in the top 10 in the US, perhaps even in the world. (I have not played all top 10 courses in US, but Nanea is definetely better than Pebble Beach and Pacific Dunes (although I love all the Bandon courses...). I would put it in my world top 5 along with St Andrews, Turnberry, Royal Portrush and RCD. Although it is one of the most exclusive clubs in the US, it was very warm, welcoming and relaxed. The concept of a British style links course on a hillside in Hawaii seems far fetched, but McLay Kidd really pulled it off. Stunning!

I played Nanea twice in January. To put things into perspective, I'm currently playing the Top 100 golf courses in the US and the World and am almost finished with the challenge. When I stepped onto the first tee at Nanea, I had a similar reaction to how Monty describes Loch Lomond: "Wherever Nanea is ranked, it should be higher". The clubhouse facilities and golf staff are immaculate and reserved for the fortunate few who grace the marble floors. The golf course is as pristine as Augusta with greens which are significantly influenced by the nearby mountains. The pull of gravity will blow your mind depending on where the mountain is in relation to the direction you are putting. There is a great sense of privacy and it was an honour to experience the club for a day. In future rankings, I would expect to see Nanea in the top 25 courses in the US. The club doesn't want raters on the course, hence it's ranking doesn't reflect how good the course is. The changes in elevation, challenging doglegs, mind-blowing greens and superb bunkering will make you want to play the course every week. I can honestly say that the course doesn't have a bad hole and you actually get excited on the tee boxes while looking out at what is in front of you. David Kidd did a tremendous job and I expect this course to leap-frog so many others if it is given the chance. Top marks to Nanea.