Golf Guide: Big Island - HI

Hawaii's Big Island has earned its sizeable appellation because it is twice as large as all of the state's other islands combined. Supporting the argument that size matters, the Big Island has enough room among its 4,038 square miles to grant a huge array of golf courses that bedazzles its diverse climates and terrain.

Yet before golfers hoist their clubs from the trunks of their rental cars, they will likely want to experience the Big Island's other attractions. Travelers comfortable in the water and seeking a true adventure should join Jack's Diving Locker for a nighttime snorkel or SCUBA dive with giant manta rays-an experience sure to make even the most jaded world traveler giggle.

To try a less-gung-ho-but-more-scenic waterborne excursion, tourists should snorkel among coral reefs with Sea Quest Rafting Adventures Hawaii, out of Kailua-Kona.

After swapping their swim trunks for Bermuda shorts and perhaps sipping some of the Island's famous Kona coffee, golfers will soon sample plenty of the world's most breathtaking golf by visiting the Waikoloa Beach Resort along the Kohala Coast. Home to two courses, the Beach Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., and the Kings Course, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Moorish, the Waikoloa Beach Resort is sure to delight. The beefy and beautiful Hualalai Golf Course, Jack Nicklaus' first design on the Island, tempts and teases, challenges and pleases. This lush layout sits in Kailua-Kona, near the spectacular Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Kaupulehu.