Golfing

The courses here on the “Golf Capital of Hawaii” are enough to make anyone forego sandy beaches for sand traps. Flanked by black lava and turquoise water and shaded by palms, even the bunkers are things of beauty. Big-name courses with big vistas abound here, with Nicklaus’ Hualalai, Francis I'i Brown’s Mauna Lani, and Robert Trent Jones, Sr.’s Mauna Kea courses yielding sea views that make final scores secondary. Stunning tropical panoramas also enhance (or destroy) your game at the lush Waimea Country Club, as well as at the Kona Country Club and Waikoloa Beach Resort, where lava rock hazards test not only your skill, but your ability to keep your camera phone in your pocket. If you want to escape the resort scene, head up. Way up. Tackle Mount Kilauea itself on the Volcano Golf and Country Club course, where altitude and attitude separate this game from those on the coast. A similarly laid-back, albeit more intimate, experience can be found at the 9-hole Hamakua Country Club. Whether hitting the links at a local fave or playing a round at a world-famous resort, you’ll be spoiled by the fairest of fairways here on the Big Island.