Nanea Golf Club

David McLay Kidd's 2003 links-style course on the lava slopes of Hualalai above Kona, built for Charles Schwab and George Roberts and played by few outsiders.

Charles Schwab and investor George Roberts leased a large tract on the slopes of Mount Hualalai, above Kona on Hawaii's Big Island, and asked David McLay Kidd for a course modeled on their favorite links in Britain and Ireland. The leased property covers roughly 8,000 acres of the volcano's western flank. Nanea opened in 2003 and is reserved for members and their invited guests.

Kidd routed the holes along old black lava flows between about 700 and 1,300 feet of elevation, framing fairways with fountain grass that stands in for links fescue. It was the first course in North America grassed entirely with paspalum. The routing forms a figure eight, with the front nine lower down and the back nine climbing, and ocean views throughout. Golf Digest has ranked it Hawaii's top course.

Holes to know

6

Par 5

A par 5 that climbs sharply beyond a bunkered ridge.

14

Par 4

A short par 4 with a split fairway that lets players go around or over the rim of a dormant crater.

18

Par 5

A strong par-5 finish to a dramatic green complex.