Makani Golf Club

What Makani Golf Club does

Makani Golf Club is a privately held, public-access 18-hole par 72 championship golf course located on the lower slopes of Hualalai in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. The course was designed by golf architect Perry Dye and features five sets of tee boxes, wide fairways, and water in play on nine holes, with a signature island green on hole #17 frequently compared to the 17th at TPC Sawgrass. The club operates a single property on roughly 150 acres of a 405-acre estate, with the remaining acreage identified for clubhouse and high-end residential development.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model combining online tee-time booking and phone reservations, with green fees ranging from $70 (twilight) to $153 (weekday morning visitor), $35 junior rates, and Kama'aina discounts for Hawaii residents and U.S. military. Revenue streams include green fees, cart and club rentals, driving range, golf instruction, junior golf programming, tournament and corporate event hosting, multi-play visitor cards (10-pack at $1,000 / 20-pack at $2,000), and a waitlisted membership program. The customer base spans individual visitors, local residents, corporate/charity tournament organizers, and junior golfers, including USGA qualifying participants.

The go-to-market approach relies on a Squarespace-hosted website, Instagram organic content, email inquiry, and phone-based reservations, with no disclosed mobile app, no API integrations, and no AI-enabled features. Operational signals include recent lake renovations on holes 9, 17, and 18, 2021 tee box expansion to five sets, spring aeration in April 2025, and an event-hosting partnership with Aloha Tri Sports for the 2025 Hearts and Trails Run, indicating active product and commercial maintenance rather than rapid scaling.

Name

Makani Golf Club

Legal name

Makani Golf Club

Website

https://makanigolfclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Makani Golf Club is a privately held, public-access 18-hole par 72 championship golf course designed by Perry Dye in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, serving visitors, Kama'aina residents, military personnel, junior golfers, and tournament groups via tee-time bookings, events, and membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Golf Course Services

NAICS

Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Courses & Golf Facilities (MPAKAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Golf Clubs & Tournament-Host Clubs (Professional/Elite Golf Clubs) (MPAKABAE)

Keywords

• Public golf course
• Golf tee times
• Golf tournaments
• Golf instruction
• Junior golf program

Headquarters

HQ city

Kailua Kona

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Green Fees: Fees charged for 18-hole and 9-hole rounds with morning, afternoon, and twilight pricing. All green fees include shared cart and bottled water.
2. Cart Rentals: Shared golf carts included with green fees. Private carts available if carts are available.
3. Club Rentals: Rental clubs available (Cleveland Launchers) at $60 per round.
4. Visitor Play Cards: Prepaid multi-play cards for visitors offering 10 or 20 rounds at discounted rates ($1000 for 10 pack, $2000 for 20 pack).
5. Tournaments and Events: Corporate and charity golf events, group bookings, and tournament hosting.
6. Event Hosting: Non-golf events such as the Hearts and Trails Run trail running event.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Makani Golf Club operates a public 18-hole par 72 championship golf course designed by Perry Dye on the lower slopes of Hualalai in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The club sells tee time access via green fees, cart and club rentals, golf instruction, tournament and event hosting, and a junior golf program, alongside optional membership and a 405-acre real estate development component. Revenue is driven primarily by direct visitor and resident play, with ancillary income from equipment rentals, multi-play visitor cards, and hosted events.

Product overview

Makani Golf Club is a single-property golf resort offering an 18-hole championship golf course (par 72) designed by Perry Dye, complemented by tee time booking services, golf instruction, tournament hosting, junior golf programs, club rentals, and driving range access. The club serves both visitors and Hawaii residents (Kama'aina) with tiered pricing, and offers golf cart rentals, multi-play visitor cards, and a real estate development component on its 405-acre property. Membership is currently waitlisted. All green fees include shared cart and bottled water.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 18-Hole Golf Course An 18-hole par 72 championship golf course designed by Perry Dye featuring five sets of tee boxes, wide fairways, water in play on nine holes, panoramic ocean views, and sweeping vistas of five major mountains. Open to the public daily.
• Tee Time Booking Online and phone-based tee time reservation system allowing visitors and residents to reserve golfing slots daily at 10-minute intervals from 7am-3pm, with credit card payment at check-in.
• Visitor Golf Rates Daily green fees for visitors ranging from $115-$153 for morning and afternoon play, with twilight rates at $70, all including shared cart and bottled water.
• Kama'aina Golf Rates Preferred golf rates for Hawaii residents and U.S. Military personnel, offering discounted green fees and special packages for local community members.
• Golf Instruction Professional golf instruction and clinics offered via email inquiry, providing coaching for players of all skill levels.
• Groups, Events & Tournaments Corporate events, charity tournaments, and group golf outings with coordinated planning services for groups of 12 or more, including full tournament management from start to finish.
• Junior Golf Program Junior golf development program that has hosted US Junior Amateur Qualifying events, accommodating young golfers ages 8 and above with specialized rates.
• Golf Membership Golf membership program (currently waitlist only) offering local residents priority access and preferred rates for regular play.
• Development & Real Estate 405-acre development opportunity adjacent to the golf course, with approximately 150 acres for the golf course and remaining acreage available for clubhouse and high-end residential lots.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hosting participants from Korea, Japan, Hawaii, US Mainland, and Australia at US Junior Amateur Qualifying
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Aloha Tri SportsminorOthers · 23 February 2025Aloha Tri Sports, a 501c(3) organization, partnered with Makani Golf Club to host the 2025 Hearts and Trails Run, an all-women trail run event. Proceeds benefited the Pu'uwa'awa'a Dry Forest Reserve via charity partner Ka Ahahui O Ka Nahelehele.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Ko Olina Golf Club: Public-access resort course on Oahu's leeward coast. Comparable as a destination Hawaiian championship layout serving visitor and local play, though anchored to Oahu's high-volume tourism base rather than Big Island.
• Kapalua Golf (Maui): Two championship courses (Plantation and Bay) on Maui that compete with Makani for inter-island Hawaii golf tourism. Comparable in prestige, design pedigree, and tournament-hosting credentials, but located on a different island.
• Princeville Makai Golf Club: Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed course on Kauai's north shore. Comparable ocean-view championship layout targeting the same high-end visitor golf segment across Hawaiian islands, though operating in a different island geography.

Broad incumbents

• Troon Golf: Large third-party golf course management company operating hundreds of public, private, and resort courses globally. Relevant as a potential management/franchise partner or operating peer for a single-course operator considering scaling.
• KemperSports: Golf and hospitality management firm operating a portfolio of public and private courses across the US. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same category of club/facility management services, with potential partnership relevance for Makani.

Direct peers

• Mauna Lani Golf: Two championship courses on the Big Island's Kohala Coast (North and South). Direct competitor for premium visitor and tournament play on the Big Island with established resort-course positioning.
• Waikoloa Village Golf Club: Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed public course on the Big Island's Kohala Coast. Directly comparable as a public-access resort-area layout competing for the same visitor and kama'aina segments within 30 minutes of Makani.
• Hualalai Golf Course: Jack Nicklaus-designed private course at the Four Seasons Hualalai on the Big Island. Comparable high-end championship Big Island layout, though access is restricted to resort guests and members — relevant for upper-tier pricing benchmarks.
• Mauna Kea Golf Course: Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed Big Island championship course historically considered one of Hawaii's premier layouts. Direct competitor for prestige tournament hosting and high-rate visitor play on the Kohala Coast.
• Hapuna Golf Course: Public-access resort course on the Big Island's Kohala Coast directly competing with Makani for visitor play. Comparable 18-hole championship layout with similar elevation/climate tradeoffs and shared Big Island tourism demand pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/makanigolfclub
• Xx.com/makanigolf
• Facebookfacebook.com/makanigolfclub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/makani-golf-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Makani Golf Club