Secret Golf Clubs on the Big Island -- Millionaires Only

Up until four years ago, it used to be that all of the private golf clubs in Hawaii were located on the island of Oahu (plus one on Maui), and they all had limited nonresident membership.

Today all of that has changed, but it still remains a secret to most local people, especially those living on the other Hawaiian islands.

Now, the new trend is to build designer golf courses with expensive house lots, and market them to the ultra rich. The following 4 new Hawaii private golf clubs on the Big Island will give you an idea of just how much money we are talking about.

Hokuli'a
Initiation Fee: Valued at $150,000 (equity): membership is included in purchase of homesite
Annual Dues: TBD
Real Estate: Lots start at $1.8 million

Ke'Olu Course (Four Seasons Hualalai)
Initiation Fee: $175,000 (thirty-year refundable deposit)
Annual Dues: $19,500
Real Estate: Options range from villas (starting at $2 million) to single-family homes ($4 million to $25 million)

Kuki'o
Initiation Fee: $250,000 (equity membership)
Annual Dues: $20,000
Real Estate: Lots start at $2 million

Nanea Golf Club
Initiation Fee: Said to be $250,000
Annual Dues: Unknown
Real Estate: None

Do you think this is a good or bad trend for Hawaii?

Information obtained from Travel and Leisure Golf Magazine March/April 2007 issue

Comments

[Kenyo]

Well, the people buying these memberships, and perhaps residences, are probably going to pay huge taxes.

And they will have little impact on the Hawaiian environment. They are unlikely to burden the local school system with their kids' education. The golf courses will create less smoke and water use than a field of sugar cane. And with modern fertilizer techniques they should yield fewer pollutants into the water table.

And they are great tippers.

[HawaiiVacationGifts]

Kenyo,
You bring up good points. If land has to be developed, I would rather it still have more open space than a huge retail shopping complex of concrete and miles of asphalt which doesn't produce oxygen, and brings more congestion and car pollution into an environment.