It is possible to play some top-notch golf in Hawaii without having to take out a second mortgage on your home. Oahu has nearly three dozen golf courses, ranging from bare-bones municipal courses to exclusive country clubs with annual membership fees in the six figures. Golfers unfamiliar with Hawaii's courses will be dazzled by some of the spectacular views -- the shimmering ocean and majestic mountains, to name a few.

Golfers will also come to know that the windward golf courses play much differently than the leeward courses. On the windward side, the prevailing winds blow from the ocean to shore and the grain direction of the greens tends to run the same way -- from the ocean to the mountains. Leeward golf courses have the opposite tendency; the winds usually blow from the mountains to the ocean, and the grain direction on the greens matches. Below are a variety of courses, with greens fees (cart costs included) and notes on scenic views, challenges, and a taste of what golfing in paradise is like.

For last-minute and discount tee times, call Stand-by Golf (from Hawaii, call tel. 888/645-BOOK; www.stand-bygolf.com), which offers discounted and guaranteed tee times for same-day or next-day golfing. You can call between 7am and 11pm Hawaii Standard Time, to book one of the seven semiprivate and resort courses they handle and get a guaranteed tee time for the next day at a 10% to 40% discount.

TheBus does not allow golf bags onboard. If you don't have another means of transportation, you're going to have to rent clubs at the course.

Avoiding the Crowds & Saving Money--Oahu's golf courses tend to be crowded, so we suggest that you go during midweek. Also, most island courses have twilight rates with substantial discounts if you're willing to tee off in the afternoon, usually between 1 and 3pm.