Royal Ka’anapali Golf Course

   The Royal Ka’anapali Golf Course in Lahaina, Maui, is a rare opportunity to play golf in paradise. The experience begins at the full-service clubhouse, with clubs for rent, golf carts at the ready with GPS systems and ice chests, and attendants loading your bag and greeting you with a cool towel.

   Impeccably maintained and overlooking the Pacific, the course sprawls above the coastline. Sand traps prove to be the biggest obstacle, and the afternoon breeze can help or hinder depending on the hole. Nearly every hole features postcard views, and the long fairways offer a chance to break out your woods. Palm trees pepper the course, and the open fairways mean the course can be played in less than 4 hours. For just $39, aficionados can play a repeat round on the same day.

   The resort opened in 1962, underwent a $13 million renovation in 2005-2006, and was given a 4.5-star rating (out of five) by Golf Digest in the magazine’s “Best Places to Play” guide. You may have seen the par-71, 6,700 yard course when The Golf Channel aired Big Break Ka’anapali, and it has also hosted some of golf’s all-time greats, including Arnold Palmer, Fred Couples, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller, and Ben Crenshaw.