Championship Golf in Phuket

There comes a time in your golfing life when you want to take on the best challenges possible, to test your mettle against the highest quality golf courses around to know where you stand, and just basically for the experience. Tackling a Championship style course is never easy for us mere mortals, but we still love to try. It doesn't really matter what level you play to because this is about experience as opposed to what score you shoot.

Phuket has a very eclectic nature in terms golf courses, from beginners courses such as Phunaka and mid-range courses that include Phuket Country Club and Loch Palm. The best thing about the island's golf scene is you can also enjoy Championship style courses such as Red Mountain GC and The Canyon Course at Blue Canyon Country Club.

If you have never had the pleasure of visiting the Red Mountain GC at Loch Palm in Kathu, then you are missing out big time. This 18-hole championship course was constructed amidst an old-style tin mine from the island's former colonial days. Weaving its way through scenic red mountains, as the course's name suggests, the quality of the fairways, greens and clubhouse are simply international level in every way imaginable.

If you don't know about the Canyon Course at Blue Canyon Country Club, then it's about time that you did. Joking aside, the Canyon Course has hosted numerous Asian Tour tournaments such as the Johnnie Walker Classic, featuring the best international golfers and legends of the game such as Tiger Woods, Freddie Couples, Ernie Els and many more. Known for its scenic and difficult canyon holes, the course was even featured on one of the Tiger Woods EA Sports computer games.

4 Reasons to Book a Phuket Golf Holiday

Do we really need any reasons at all to visit a beautiful island such as Phuket to play golf? As we are seeing more people playing the game than ever before, it's only natural that the modern golfer should seek out new challenges and new horizons, and that's why international golf tours have become such big business. Here are 4 reasons to book a Phuket golf holiday

You only live once?

We only live once, unless you believe in reincarnation of course, so we have to live for today by experiencing everything we desire. Life will just keep drifting by, so it's time to seize the moment and go for your dreams by booking a fantastic golf holiday on Phuket.

Golf is always better in the sun?

I am not the greatest golfer in the world, or even in my house for that matter! However, it doesn't matter how good or bad I am playing because golfing in the sunshine is more than enough to make me a happy man, despite how many balls I am losing or how many shanks I am expertly performing.

Not everything is about golf?

As much as we sleep, eat, drink or breathe golf, allegedly there is more to life than our sport of kings. Although the golf in Phuket is dreamlike, the island has so many things going for it such as some of the best beaches in the world, an excellent choice of international restaurants, a nightlife scene that can only be experienced to be believed and a laidback attitude that will make you want to stay here forever.

We work all our lives for what?

We live in a time where our average wages are higher than previous times in history, allowing us to follow our dreams a little bit more. We work all our lives for what? To pay the bills, feed the kids, keep the missus happy and all that other non-golf related stuff that keeps us off the course. When you work as hard as we do, we need to treat ourselves? to remind us that we are living and breathing conscious human beings with desires and dreams.

Phuket seafood and eat it!

Those enjoying a Phuket golf holiday always need to eat. It's just one of the things we have to do on a daily basis to survive. However, when on the island, you might be introduced to a variety of food types you have never tried before such as seafood. If you come from an inland area within a large country, sometimes seafood prices can be extortionate. Thailand is the home of zesty and fresh seafood dishes, with Phuket being the Mecca for delicious seafood.

There is nothing better than sitting directly beachside while sampling sumptuous seafood items that were caught just a few hours before. The beachfront Rawai Seafood Restaurants are some of the island's most famous and popular. Some of these restaurants allow you to sit directly on the beach while devouring Thailand's signature Tom Yan Kung spicy shrimp soup. Although prices have risen slightly over the past few years, this is still the place for great value seafood, especially when compared to Patong's more pricey seafood restaurants.

If you are seeking a more local setting where the majority of Thai people go for their seafood pleasures, the Palai area of the island on the road that leads to Phuket Zoo in Chalong is an excellent choice. This is another beachside location where you will find recommended restaurants such Phong Phang Restaurant, Pailai Seafood and Tang Kae Restaurant. These are easily some of the most affordable and delicious seafood restaurants on the island.

In our opinion, Laem Hin Seafood is the best place on the island for the cheapest and freshest seafood. Situated on the east coast of the island, the restaurant is a wooden construction hovering above the sea on stilts within close proximity to where the speedboats take people out to the Coconut Island Village.

Although, you will enjoy high quality seafood at restaurants such as The Savoey, Patong Seafood and Kaneng @ Chalong, the ones listed above are the best value for money.

Book a round at Santiburi Country Club in Koh Samui

I know we are predominantly a Phuket golf tour website, but sometimes things non-Phuket related are too great to overlook. We have recently secured a deal with the Santiburi Country Club, which is the only full 18-hole course on Koh Samui Island, and not only that, its one of the best courses in Thailand to boot. If you fancy something a little different for the last few days of your holiday, a visit to Koh Samui with a round of golf at Santiburi should be at the top of your priority list.

Situated on the northern coast of the island, Santiburi GC sits within a beautiful location that seamlessly blends rolling valleys, waterfalls, streams, mountains and coconut plantations into a special golf experience. Some of the views from the elevated tees look out towards Maenam Beach and the Gulf of Thailand and Koh Phangan in the distance.

Weaving your way through the mountainous terrain can be a challenge, especially for high-handicappers; however, this is a round of golf you will never forget. The course has received championship status, hosting events on the Asian Tour such as the Bangkok Airways Open and The Queen's Cup.

With high quality materials used for the course, such as Tifeagle grass for the greens and Bermuda grass on the fairways, as long as you keep the ball straight, the hitting surfaces are very consistent.

The level of the onsite facilities matches the standard of the course, such as a restaurant with international dishes, classy changing rooms, a fully-equipped pro shop, and a terrace that overlooks the beauty of the course.

3 Reasons to Book a Phuket Golf Holiday

Sometimes in life we want to do something but just need that push in the right direction. Have you been thinking about booking a golf holiday but you are not sure where? How about Phuket, Thailand? The country is one of the most visited holiday locations, and where Phuket is concerned, the island has a great selection of golf courses amidst one of the most beloved holiday destinations in the world. Here are 3 reasons to book a Phuket golf holiday.

Phuket Golf

Well start at the start as that seems the best place to begin. Phuket has become one of Southeast Asia?s most visited golf holiday locations over the past few years. With 9 courses on the island, there is a lot of choice on offer. The Blue Canyon Country Club and Red Mountain GC are the island's two Championship golf clubs, offering golfers a challenging yet beautiful golf experience. The mid-range courses include Loch Palm, Phuket Country Club, Laguna Phuket GC and Mission Hills GC. For beginners to the game, the Phunaka GC will be the perfect place to start.

Phuket Weather

When it comes to golf holidays, unless you are visiting Scotland or Ireland to play golf, then you will be seeking out sunnier climes. Phuket enjoys an all-year-round warm climate, perfect for golf. Now that it is winter in the western world, this is the perfect time of the year to play Phuket golf. Cast off the ice cold winds and replace them with shorts and sunscreen for your Phuket golf holiday.

Best holiday location

You can't play golf 24/7, although it would be nice. It's important that when you book a golf holiday that the destination also has many other things to do when you are not golfing. Phuket has the perfect mix of dreamlike beaches, beautiful sea-view restaurants and an exciting nightlife scene that really sets it apart from other holiday destinations. Phuket was created for holiday fun, so you will have lots of non-golfing things to enjoy.