Course overview:
- baskets: excellent, Dynamic Veterans (though not yet fixed in the ground)
- tees: mixed, always adequate with the best on golf tee pads and cart paths, others on dirt or natural surfaces (marked with flags when I played)
- navigation/flow: excellent; I used UDisc and had no issues
- challenging/fun golf: thumbs up! (See "Other Thoughts." Overall it's a mix of distance and technical/short holes that is fun and makes for an awesome round, even if not quite elite.)
- location: beautiful setting and with pretty good access from all parts of the island; of note, it is pay to play and not cheap - no objections here!
- best course I've personally played on a ball golf layout (see below)
- Disc golf on Oahu! This comes with the characteristic tall/prickly grasses, tropical "umbrella" trees, and the wind that is usually present on Oahu. But seriously, I was floored to have this disc golf experience after reading DGCR reviews of the object courses on the island.

- recently a temporary course, was previously open only on two afternoons per week - this is changing as of early August 2022
- this accounts for some cons: no tee signs, mixed tees, ability only to play the South course on the day we were there in July 2022-

Most importantly: Beware! This may distract you from the beach, snorkeling, a lu'au, pool-sitting, or other more traditional Hawaii activities. Be very careful how you schedule your disc golf to avoid conflict with those who joined you when you flew to Honolulu...

During a recent vacation on Oahu, I brought a limited bag of discs with plans to bag at least one course (my first in Hawaii). Thankfully, we (myself and The Katana Kid) had a vehicle and stayed within 15 minutes of Kupuohi Park, a respectable 9-hole that was, I thought, the only permanent Oahu course that was publicly available with permanent baskets. While visiting the Kupuohi Disc Golf Course, we met two locals at the first tee. Within a few minutes, they mentioned Hawaii Country Club and gave instructions on timing and location. We quickly made the necessary scheduling arrangements (making sure to get approval from my wife and other travelers who are less understanding of the disc golf addiction), and showed up to test out this new course.

We found a beautiful course and proceeded to have one of our most memorable rounds (yes, I'm at 260 or so courses played). From the spiffy new Dynamic Disc Veterans baskets to the layout (challenging terrain, some crucial wind shots - again, the best golf I've ever played on a ball golf course) to the golf carts, the course was in great shape. We had a beautiful mid-July day, with the right amount of cloud cover, the luck to have no rain whatsoever, and an appropriate level of wind to keep the disc golf challenging and the players ventilated. The course was not busy. We saw one large group of disc golfers, two small or solo groups, and one pair of standard golfers. Overall, it was a perfect, enjoyable, and fun round of disc golf. Fun golf? Yes. But the day was just right, and we enjoyed 18 holes with beautiful views of the Wai'anae Range and Koʻolau mountains to the west, Mamala Bay to the south, and (I think?) Diamond Head farther southeast from the course's higher points. 

We immediately met Jason, the course designer and face of Oahu Disc Golf, selling entry tickets and some discs. He set us up with a cart (we shared one for two players, but many pay the extra fee for their own cart), gave a quick course intro (and made sure we were connected to the Udisc satellite course guide), and drove us to the first tee. I had a small 3-disc bag, just a slightly beaten in Z Swirl Undertaker and two Z Buzzes (one more overstable). The first tee shot was one of the toughest on the course, a headwind shot from an elevated tee over dangerous, shoulder high, coarse Hawaii dry-grass. I felt lucky to have kept my Undertaker hyzer-flip out of the rough, so I immediately drove back to Jason for some beef. Thankfully, he had an Oahu Disc Golf-stamped Champion Destroyer. This made an indispensable addition to my small bag, and saw plenty of headwind or meathook duty throughout the round.

Why do I say it's the best disc golf course on a ball golf course that I've played? One simple reason is that the disc golf course layout does NOT follow the golf course. I'm tired of playing disc golf courses that follow ball golf hole for hole. At some (par 72 type courses), this means I will have to throw three perfect full-power drives to get to the green on a par 4. At shorter "par 3" golf courses, I'm still throwing more full power drives than I like, and I'm tired of greens or sand traps being my obstacles on the vast majority of holes. Most of all, when you're using too many golf fairways, the golf is just way too open. I'm sure you can find exceptions, but this disc golfer found Hawaii Country Club disc golf to be a relief from familiar disc golf on a golf course.

Here, one major difference is that the "south" course's 18 holes are spread through one half of the 18-hole golf course, and the "north" course is on a different part of the course. Jason designed the course well, using selected areas of the golf fairways, rough, tee boxes, and other spots to provide obstacles along the fairways and to make the greens challenging. Maybe the holes, particularly the long ones, did tend to be open; however, the design made me feel like I was playing disc golf. Never once did I feel that this was a golf-first and disc-golf-second venue. I'm sure they expect the majority of the income to come from ball golf, but I hope HCC continues to maintain and sustain this gem.

As for the golf, a good disc golfer should score fairly well on the South Course layout we played. I'm a ~920 PDGA-rated player and a bit rusty, and I shot about 4 under par with four discs. I played fairly well without taking any big numbers or any OB, with only one bogey on the day. The score was a reflection of hitting my shots, having a pretty good forehand/backhand combination (and using all four discs in both roles), and having a decent wind game. In case you're interested, a Buzzz is a passable putter in windy conditions. There are definitely a number of "deuce or die" holes, but I think this is part of what made the course so fun and feel different than so many other ball golf courses. Basket quality is one of the most important things for me, and the new Veteran Baskets were great. By the way, I just played Idlewild in the past week (a legit Top 10 course), and these baskets looked identical to me as new baskets on Idlewild.

Tip: Avoid the tall, coarse, dry grass that serves as the rough on multiple holes at the outside edge of the golf course and off the tee on hole 1. I'd recommend long pants or even long sleeves if you end up here. Jason mentioned the grass has some fiberglass-like fragments that are a pain when they get on your skin. We only had two discs go in this rough, but were lucky to get both back.

Of note, this appears to be a hot-spot for disc golf in Hawaii. Of note, the 22nd Annual Hawaii State Championships (https://www.pdga.com/tour/event/59160) are taking place on the day I write this review (8/6/22). Many thanks to Jason for his obvious hard work with the Hawaii Country Club and, probably, with Dynamic Discs. Good work, folks! It shows. The disc golf scene is definitely growing here, and I'm sure it will continue to do so.

Rating discussion: I can easily justify 4.0, "Excellent" by DGCR standards. If I was stricter, and from a purely golf perspective, maybe 3.5 for "Very Good" would be an appropriate comparison to the courses I have played outside of Hawaii, especially as this course is still not polished with tee signs, tees, etc. As for the disc golf experience, 4.5 "Phenomenal" is absolutely right.

I haven't played the North Course, but assuming it's near the South Course's quality, this will definitely make a formidable Hawaii disc golf destination.