Mauna Kea

There was golf in Hawaii well before Mauna Kea debuted on the Big Island in 1965, but this dazzling Robert Trent Jones Sr. design took the destination’s offerings to the next level. His work here includes an all-time photo op: the par-3 3rd and its daunting carry over the Pacific to a distant green ringed with bunkers. The 7,370-yard design also features some serious elevation changes, especially on the 250-yard 11th, which drops 100 feet from tee to green with a stunning ocean backdrop. Among the challenges are uneven lies, sharp doglegs and elevated greens. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus set the back-nine record of 31 during a course-opening exhibition in late 1964. Max fee: $295 (Photo: Evan Schiller)