The Francis H. I'i Brown North and South Hawaii golf courses are remarkable if for nothing more than the vast fields of dark black lava out of which they were constructed. The original 18 holes were opened in 1981, with Homer Flint and Raymond Cain as the lead architects. The visually spectacular Hawaii golf course featured one par-3 hole crossing a wide Pacific inlet, another par-3 playing into a coliseum of lava, and many holes whose primary challenge was to hit the bright green fairways and greens, avoiding the lava formations in the landing areas and on both sides of the fairways. The course received rave reviews from the moment it opened.

In 1991, Mauna Lani Resort made the decision to add another 18 holes, so they called in the Honolulu architectural firm of Nelson/Wright/Haworth. Utilizing the lay of the land, , Robin Nelson and Rodney Wright elected to split the existing course into two nines and add nine new holes to each side. The results were remarkable, with the signature par-3s split between the courses, and several new holes on each course playing down to or in front of the Pacific Ocean.