Phuket Golf courses and clubs
Phuket is probably the best place in Thailand for golf, with a number of first class courses in the area, offering a challenging round in warm tropical weather, drawing visitors from all over the world.
Altogether there are 135 holes to be played at six separate Phuket golf clubs and all of them are open to the general public and offer equipment hire, caddies and carts at reasonable prices.
However, Phuket gets full over the holiday season of December and January and visitors wishing to indulge in a game of golf in Phuket are advised to book in advance. Phuket is also hardly the cheapest place to play golf in Thailand and better value can be had in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Generally a round will cost about 1200 to 2000 baht ($40-70).
Blue Canyon Country Club offers two of the best golf courses on Phuket. The country club is located just seven minutes from the airport, on the north end of the island.
The Canyon Course is the club’s championship class course (Tiger Woods has played tournaments here twice) and is considered to be one of the best courses in all of Asia. A par 72 course, the Canyon is 7179 yards of top flight golf. This challenging course includes water hazards on ten of its holes and more than 80 bunkers to trap the unruly ball. The course consists of four par threes and four par fives, with the nasty 600 yard 11th hole being the most difficult. Rated the easiest on the course, the 407 yard 4th hole is still a challenge and the yawning chasm on the 309 yard 13th hole can be a daunting sight to any player.
The aptly named Lakes Course features water on 17 of the 18 holes but is still not as difficult as the Canyon. Larger greens and fewer bunkers (36) mean that this course is more suited to beginners and casual players. Highlights of the Lakes Course include the 4th hole, which doglegs from a gorgeous wide fairway into a knot of trees and foliage before a shot over a canyon to an elevated green, and the deceptive 18th hole, which gives players a choice between left and right hand paths around a huge tree in the middle of the fairway.
Laguna Country Club is located in the prestigious Laguna Compound which is home to some of the most exclusive homes and resorts on the island. Despite the addition of more water hazards, this is still a relatively simple course for those who simply want to enjoy a lovely day of golf. Water is a factor on 14 holes of this par 71, 6654 yard course. The course has two holes that stand out from the rest. The 612 yard par five 17th hole snakes first left, then right and terminates in a triangular green, while the 373 yard, par four 9th hole offers up the challenge of an island green with up and down slopes to remind the player that this course still has its challenges. Although there are no golf carts, there are plans to introduce them and the walk is easily manageable.
Phuket Country Club offers two golf courses on either side of a road between Phuket Town and Patong Beach. The 18 hole Old Course is fairly flat and simple, and offers the definite possibility of a low score, while the nine hole new course has varied terrain and is a challenge to players of all abilities. Among the highlights of the Old Course are the 10th and 17th holes. The 10th features a water hazard where the fairway should be. This 557 yard par five offers the temptation of carrying the 240 yards to the green in one shot, possible but difficult. The 143 yard, par three 17th is almost an island green and getting to the wide putting surface is never simple.
Across the road on the nine hole New Course players are challenged by the 450 yard par five 8th hole which has two fairways, one on a plateau and one that lays up in front of a canal. The centre of the hole is dominated by trees and the two fairways link again in front of the green. The last hole on the course is a 545 yard par five that throws everything at players, including rough, a narrow fairway and a long water hazard on the approach to the green.
Also in the Kathu area is the 18-hole Loch Palm Golf Club in a valley with plenty of challenging water, and the newest spectacle on the island, the par-71 Red Mountain, which has a great deal of ups and downs in its 6900 yards, including the signature 9th hole, which has a stomach-churning 50-metre drop from tee to green. Carts only on this course.
On the east coast is Mission Hills, which currently has 18 holes. More have been in the works for a long time, including a night course – but so far these have not been built. The most spectacular hole is the 4th, with the green sitting on a promontory surrounded by the highly distracting scenery of Phang Nga Bay. Hard to concentrate.
Phuket also has driving ranges at Phuket Country Club, on Kwang Rd (north of Chalong), and at Phunaka on Chao Fa West Road (where a nine-hole course is also being built).
Banyan Tree Golf Club
390/1 Moo 1, Srisoontorn Rd., Cherngtalay, Thalang, 076 362 300, info@lagunaphuket.com
Blue Canyon Country Club
165 Moo 1, Thepkasattri Rd., Thalang, 076 328 088
Phuket Country Club
80/1 Vichitsongkram Rd., Katu, 076 319 200-4, info@phuketcountryclub.com
Mission Hills Golf Club Phuket
195 Moo 4, Pla Khlok, Thalang, 076 310 888, info@missionhillsphuket.com
Loch Palm Golf Club
38 Moo 5, Vichitsongkram Rd., Kathu, 076 321 929-34, info@lochpalm.com
