The way Robert Trent Jones II designed the Emerald is clever. It has respectable length, at 6,801 yards, yet plays among the easiest on Maui. Why? Jones pads the three-shot par 5s with extra yardage and shortened the average lengths of the par 4s and 3s. Then he made virtually every tee shot play either downhill or level. The result is a course that is easier but still offers plenty of variety and length. Scratch golfers will find the Emerald is Maui’s 6th most playable venue for them—an ego-booster for sure. Bogey golfers will love it even more, as the USGA slope rating team here in Hawaii ranks this course as the 4th easiest here. From the forward tees the Emerald is the 2nd easiest on Maui.

Unlike the courses on the West Side, which were built on old sugar cane and pineapple fields, Wailea’s 54-holes were all carved out of lava rock! The stark contrast between these two types of course construction is evident in the way holes can change elevation so radically and in short order, as opposed to a a gentle slope. You really get the sense that you’re playing golf on the side of a volcano here, only the way the landscaping was done is elaborate and makes this feel more like a garden oasis as opposed to a lava field, like on the Big Island.