OAHU, Hawaii — First-in, last-out courses for a golf trip are almost always based on their proximity to the airport, an element that often overrides the quality of said course. But when those two factors match up equally, then you have an opportunity that’s hard to pass up.
One example of that exact situation is Pearl at Kalauao, located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Thanks to a multimillion dollar renovation unveiled in November 2024, plus a location just five miles from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, the course formerly known as Pearl Country Club is well worth a visit.
The renovation project, led by the Santa Rosa, California-based Golfplan, touched virtually every part of the sloping property located high above Pearl Harbor. The work included a new irrigation system, some new tee boxes, six new fairway bunkers, new grass and a redesign for all greens, and the introduction of Na Momi ʻEkolu (The Three Pearls), a three-hole pitch-and-putt course that sits just below the clubhouse. The latter was also renovated, creating enhanced spaces for family gatherings, community events, weddings and post-round meals and drinks. The veranda provides a sweeping view of the course, and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor is visible in the distance.
The course already been put to the competitive test a few times this year. In early November, The Pearl at Kalauao Invitational, a men’s NCAA Division 1 tournament was hosted by the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The winning individual score was 10 under for the three-round event.
“The course played at full-length (around 6.900 yards) with a balanced mix of hole locations,” general manager Ed Kageyama says. “The greens were running about 11, very smooth and rolling nicely.”
The toughest hole in that tournament was the fourth, a par-4 that plays longer than the yardage, given its uphill nature and by playing into the trade winds. The easiest was the fifth, a dogleg left par-5 that plays downhill to a receptive green that long hitters often reach in two shots.
In October, the course hosted Hawaii Pacific University’s Southwest Airlines HPU Sharks Shootout, an NCAA Division II tournament. In September, the course made history by hosting the first-ever American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournament in Hawaii. Other events have already included the 62nd Hawaii State Amateur in June (held at the course since 1987) and a U.S. Open local qualifier.
While the routing and hole corridors remained the same, the greens have been transformed, with numerous contours and slopes. Their current firmness requires landing your approach just short of them in many cases, a situation that will change over time.
“I would say the course plays at least five strokes harder due to the new greens,” says Cyd Okino, head professional since 2021. “Prior to the renovation, all of our greens were basically in the shape of a circle and barely had any undulation.”
The overall topography offers plenty of ups and downs throughout the course, with tree-lined fairways (especially on the back nine) often canted to one side or the other. “You have to stay in position,” says Kageyama, who serves as head coach for the Hawaii Pacific University’s men’s and women’s golf teams that practice there. “This isn’t a course that you try to beat down. You just have to manage it.”
It’s not the oldest course on Oahu; that honor falls to nearby Moanalua Golf Course, a nine-holer whose origins date back to 1898, making it the first-ever course in Hawaii. Pearl at Kalauao opened in 1967 and is firmly part of a local community in Aiea, west of downtown Honolulu. There’s a thriving junior golf program and a monthly night market featuring food, music and more than 80 vendors.
The course is located close to a juncture where the island’s three major highways converge, and your short drive to or from the airport will take you right past Aloha Stadium, the former longtime home of the NFL’s Pro Bowl. But that structure is changing even more than the golf course; it’s being demolished with plans for a new stadium to be completed on the same site by 2029.
“We want it to be a competitive fun,” says Kageyama of the transformed course. “The comment people used to give after playing here was, ‘Oh, I love Pearl. That’s one of the best scores I ever had in my life.’ People thought it wasn’t challenging. Nothing to get excited about.” That’s not the case anymore, whether it’s first course upon arrival or your last course out before flying home.