I hope the Sony Open lives on! All of the chatter about this being canceled, and on the heels of the gold tournament on Maui actually being canceled this year, ugh, noooo! I attended and was in the Skybox on 17, hosted by Star Advertiser. It was a great day with great weather, great golf, great people, great food, great wine. . . Upon arrival, check-in is very strict about 6" handbags, you will be turned away. Absolutely no backpacks. No beverages. Dress code: you can't go wrong with golf attire. Something comfortable and dressy casual. A hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and tennis shoes are the way to go. The golfers don't mind signing autographs, but after their rounds was what I noticed they prefer. Most of them were concentrating, trying to get into the zone. I was lucky, so lucky, I happened to be standing in an area where most of the golfers walked by me. I was alone, waiting for my friend to arrive so we could walk in together. Once you enter, you can't exit without purchasing another ticket, was what they told me. Take ride share to get there and back. They ask you to park at the park nearby and shuttle over... but my friend was denied the shuttle, saying it was only for vendors. LOL read more

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This year's annual Sony open in Hawaii was from January 9 to the 12th. As usual, it is held at the Waialae Country Club in Kahala. The total purse was $8.7 million with the winner taking home a cool $1.5 million. Congratulations to Nick Taylor from Canada. He played well and won in the playoff against Echavarria. Parking can be challenging around the neighborhood, but thank goodness Kahala Elementary opened up their field, allowing cars to park. There were shuttles going back-and-forth making a convenient for spectators. This was a fun event and quite exciting watching the pros upfront. I highly recommend. read more

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Had a great time at the Sony Open 2025 in bright orange. Lots of street parking or u can ride from designated parking areas and ride in on a trolley. It's well organized and many bathroom areas for golf fans. read more

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Sony Open is always fun. Missed 2024 cuz I was in California but usually attend. Hubby has played in numerous Pro Ams and it's such a privilege to attend the banquets read more

Sony Open In Hawaii - Golf Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This my 35+ years of volunteering back since 70s when United Airlines was event holder as "Hawaiian Open " this is 26th year of hosting by Sony Open in Hawaii which provides millions of $$$ as charity Event but the Amount of Food and Drinks available was overwhelming from the Sponsors Hys Steakhouse to Lexus to Pasha to Kyo-ya was Great here's some sampling of some Japanese Bentos at Sony Open Event We're already looking for more people to volunteer for next year Sony Open 2025 ! Call me if you're available and interested and we'll provide hat shirts and free lunch even golf at Waialae Golf Course after the event Best is yet to come in 2024 ! Aloha ! read more

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3rd times a charm! Parked at Kalaha Park and it only took 5 mins on the Free Shuttle to the Sony Open entrance. We got invited to the StarAdvertiser Private Skybox at the 17th hole. It was a very nice view with food and refreshments. I saw our Sales coordinator Kody and bumped into our neighbor Pam who worked there too. After watching a few players we went to the 18th hole to meet our friend at the Sony Skybox. Had a beautiful view from the 18th Hole. DK Steakhouse was in charge of the sushi station and we sampled some excellent Shrimp Tempura Rolls, nigiri, and scallops. We also had steak and asparagus kabobs, pork bao, grilled salmon, fruit, and Haagen Dazs. Unlimited alcohol and refreshments but we stayed sober. lol Reuben did some magic and we enjoyed our afternoon watching the pros. read more

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In my opinion, the Sony Open in Hawaii, played at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, isn't as fun to watch as the preceding tournament on the PGA Tour schedule, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, played at Kapalua Resort in Maui. I think there are a couple main reasons for this: 1. Unlike the Tournament of Champions which has a small, elite, winners-only field (winners of Tour events from the previous year), the Sony Open is a full-field event with, as of 2021, 140 players. Compare that to the Tournament of Champions fields in 2021 (42* players) and 2020 (34 players). The field at the Sony Open is diluted with a lot relatively unknown players. * Due to the COVID-19 pandemic reducing the number of tournaments played in 2020, the Tournament of Champions field in 2021 had been expanded to include any player who had qualified for the 2020 Tour Championship. 2. Waialae Country Club isn't as nice nor as interesting as the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort. Waialae is a city course on dense O'ahu whereas Kapalua is located on the less busy, more serene, pure, pristine, and undisturbed island of Maui. While both courses are situated on the coast, Kapalua is hillier and features significantly more beautiful and scenic views. Year in and year out, Kapalua also appears to be in superior condition to Waialae, though understandably the latter sees way more tournament play. All that said, it's a little ironic that Waialae is the private club and Kapalua is public. Also interesting to note is the stark contrast in course pars. Normally, Waialae plays to par 72. However, for the Sony Open, it's par 70; tied for lowest course par among regular Tour stops. Kapalua's Plantation Course is par 73; sole highest course par among regular Tour stops. Another bit of Waialae trivia: For the Sony Open, the club's nines are flipped. So, the Tour pros who tee off on No. 1 are actually teeing off on what's normally No. 10 for the members. The Sony Open and the Tournament of Champions are currently the only regular stops the Tour makes in Hawaii. These events kick the New Year off, occurring the first two weeks each January. It's a great dead-of-winter destination for the players, their caddies, friends, and families, and golf fans. For the 2020-21 PGA Tour season, the Sony Open's $6.6 million purse is an indicator of how the event compares to others on Tour in terms of stature. The Sony Open's purse is among the lowest of Tour events that are not alternate events (alternate events are those that are played opposite WGC or major championships) and it's tied with low-tier fall events like the Safeway Open, the Sanderson Farms Championship, and the RSM Classic. But hey, they're all PGA Tour events nonetheless. Better than no Tour event at all. The most memorable winner of the Sony Open to me was my fellow Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket, Matt Kuchar, in 2019. He won by four strokes with a 258 (-22) which is among the lowest scores to win in Sony Open tournament history. Originally known as the Hawaiian Open, the tournament was first held in 1965. Every Open has been staged at Waialae. In 2017, Justin Thomas broke the 18, 36, 54, and 72-hole scoring records (253 total strokes), but John Huston owns the tournament record relative to par (-28 in 1998). read more

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A beautiful overcast day. We parked at Kahala Park and took the shuttle over to the Sony Open. At the baggage check point, they took our bento's and water bottles away into Pod container. They gave us a claim number to pickup on the way out. In other words, no ouutside drinks and no outside foods allowed. Sad, I wish I knew that ahead of time, I would have not put an effort to pickup lunch. The crowd was getting bigger and everyone was following the Pro's on the leader board. It's amazing how good they organized a huge event. The Pro's are amazing. Their worst shot is better than my best shot. Their putters are always on que. There were food trucks, hot dogs, shave Ice and more. Such a fun and relaxing day. read more

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There's not a lot better than spending a day in the sunshine, walking around a perfectly manicured golf course with a view of the ocean. This review for the Sony Open in Hawaii is being written by someone uninterested in golf (but that seems to be pretty common at this event)! The Sony Open is an annual golf tournament at Waialae Country Club, situated right off the beach in Kahala. It's easy to get to the tournament; they provide free shuttle service to/from Waikiki, and also from two parks in the neighborhood with ample free parking. If you're so inclined, it's easy to ride share or walk here from many bus stops in the neighborhood. Tickets are available online before the event including: general, VIP, and entrance to various tents with food and drinks included. I've been fortunate to be gifted complimentary tickets every year from a friend who plays in the charity tournament. Military/family is always free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for a surcharge. For spectators, it's worth coming. If you love golf or just want a day outside, this is the perfect event. The course is roped off, but it's easy to walk around and through various areas during play. Basically everything is open to explore, see the players up close, and enjoy food and drink. Toward the middle of the course you'll find a tent village with local merchants, restaurants, food trucks, and bars selling their wares. Beer is available and allowed everywhere on the course, hard liquor is confined to the restaurant areas. Prices are a little on the high side, but comparable with other outdoor events. For football fans, there's even an AC tent with the games on including a beer bar (access is $50 extra per day). Restrooms are plentiful; they have options of port-a-potties and full restroom trailers with AC and running water. Volunteers are everywhere and are friendly and helpful if you need. We loved checking out the Sony 20 Years of the Open tent this year, which showcased gadgets, movies, and the winners for each of the last twenty years of competition. Be sure to check out the pro shop, which is fully stocked with by Sony Open and Waialae Country Club merchandise and souvenirs. read more

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Aloha, great Saturday at the Sony Open - not too much rain, a few gusts of wind, but all in all a pretty nice afternoon. Had the privileged of sitting in the Star Advertiser tent, nice. Very attentive with burgers, dogs, chicken, Cesar salad & more - best Bloody Mary's - yes! Located on the beautiful oceanfront 17th par 3, easy to watch the pros hit & putt with ease. What a nice way to spend the day. Mahalo read more

Sony Open In Hawaii - 7th hole par 3 in Star Advertiser booth. Pretty darn cool - Golf Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Didn't get passes. They even use a driveway to the park in front of our house. Did they forget their neighbors?

Great event for our beautiful State. Nice to see the best players in the world up close. Event is well run. Lots of very courteous volunteers make the great experience possible Only complaint is the parking at Kahala Community Park. They shut the gates and redirected people to another spot much farther away. We told the attendant that there was a lot of parking available. We can see the empty area from the road. The parking staffer at noon on Saturday 1/14 was extremely rude. The staffer and the volunteers were just sitting around. If you want people to come, open your parking lot. There were open spaces. Do your job, But overall, great event. More people should come out to enjoy the beautiful weather, great atmosphere and awesome golf. read more

I've never been to a golf tournament before, so I can't compare this to other tournaments. I'm not a golfer either, so I didn't even know what was going on! But my son's golf class got free tickets and we decided to go and check it out. It was at the Waialae Country Club which, of course, is a beautiful place. (I didn't realize it was right next to the Kahala Hotel, where we've gone numerous times for Dolphin Quest fired trips from school). Golf is a very calm and organized sport. The game itself, the players, the fans.... all so orderly and well behaved. I LOVED it. No loud cheering or screaming. No drunk people with painted faces. (Of course that kind of stuff is fun, too.) But I prefer calm, civilized events. Once one of my son's Coaches explained to me what was going on, it was more enjoyable. It was hot and we don't really know who any of the players are, so instead of following one player around. We sat in the bleachers for a while and watched different players play. Who were they? Idk. There were some food vendors as well, so we got to eat some goodies, get some free things, and the kids even got to go on the putting green for pictures while some of the pros practiced. We saw some kids with these giant balls that looked like golf balls and they would have people sign their ball. It was cool. I would have bought my kids one of those balls to get autographs, but like I said, we didn't know who any of the players were. They should wear a uniform or name tag because seriously, a lot of the people there were dressed in golfish type clothing. I couldn't tell the golfers from the fans.... unless he was actually golfing. Next time, I will be more prepared. I will find out who is playing and what they look like. We will go in with our giant golf ball looking rubber ball and a Sharpie pen and get all the autographs! Definitely a fun family event. We love trying new things and this was definitely worth it. read more

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I've been a volunteer at the Sony Open in Hawaii for something like a dozen years now. One of the great things is how so much money from the tournament goes to local charities. This is a great outing for everyone. This is a professional sporting event but tickets are inexpensive so you can bring the whole family. It's a flat course so it's easy to walk. If you can't or don't want to walk, there are multiple tees and holes very near the entrance, which is next to the Pro Shop. The putting green, driving range, food and drink, and restrooms also within a few steps of the entrance. A lot of people attend (for a Hawaii event), but no where near as many as on the continental U.S., so it's much easier to get close to the action. The back nine is s great place to watch because there are a bunch of holes and tees very close to each other. To get there, walk down the 10th tee (right inside the entrance) and fairway. Just past the 10th hole is where the bounty begins. On the way you'll pass Spectator Village, with food booths, seating, and restrooms. You can also talk freely here without disturbing the golfers. The bus from the free public parking lots drops you off about two blocks from the entrance. However, persons with disabilities can be dropped off at the bag drop entrance, right next to the pro shop. There are public bleachers to sit in, but I warn you, they are not covered, so you'll likely be in the sun. Everyone who attends should wear sunscreen and/or protective clothing. I really suggest closed-toed shoes if you will be walking around a lot. The vast majority of years it has been HOT and HUMID. It's easy to get dehydrated, so make sure to drink enough water. If you are new to golf, one important thing to know is that the golfers want quiet when they are hitting their shots. Watch the marshals (volunteers like me); they'll be holding a sign that says "Quiet" or "Stop" or may just be holding up their arms. That's your indication to stop walking and talking. Golf in theory is pretty easy; get the ball in the hole by hitting it the fewest number of times. But if you've ever played golf you know how incredibly difficult this is. It's amazing what the professionals are able to do. You can bring a folding chair, but leave the cover at home. Before you come, make sure to look at the list of acceptable and prohibited items. The list of prohibited items got larger this year due to heightened security. If you bring a prohibited item, you will have to check it at the bag check outside. read more

Caveat emptor. Was told by the parking people at Hunakai Park that starting today (Friday) they were going to start charging people to park. read more

Sony Open is so exciting! There's parking at Hunakai Park with shuttle service. Public seating is abundant, as is fast food tents. I was sitting in the sky box which is the best way to view it. read more

I have been to The Sony Open for the past 11 years straight! Love this PGA Tour tournament. Lots of people. Lots of good food and drinks. Beautiful property/course. Fantastic weather. What else can one ask for ... well, maybe more parking; but, I highly recommend The Sony Open! Go! read more