Blue Canyon Country Club’s Canyon Course was the original 18 hole layout and leaped to fame when selected as the venue for the 1994 Johnnie Walker Classic. Since then the same tournament has returned two times with Tiger Woods winning in 1998. Blue Canyon recognized as a world championship golf course continually ranks as one of the best golf courses for Thailand Golf Holidays.

The course set in an abandoned tin mine displays old strip mine characteristics throughout the property. Streams filled with rust-colored water, canyons with sheer cliffs exposing red and white tin ore-laden rock, and tailings from former mining operations are a few of the many throwbacks to days of time gone.

The front nine plays up and through palm-oil tree-lined fairways. The back nine gets even better with holes 11-15 and probably the best five stretch in Thailand, if not all Asia. These five memorable golf holes will undoubtedly be the center of after round discussions.

While Loch Palm Golf Club is not the longest Phuket golf course, it is one of the most enjoyable and consistent for Thailand golf holidays. Nestling beneath a panoramic range of jungle-clad hills, Loch Palm is easy going although still capable of throwing down many challenges and giving any Phuket golfer a thorough workout. As the club’s name suggests, palm trees are liberally dotted around this parkland layout, although never too densely.

On the front nine the main objective is keeping the golf ball on dry land; many holes are played alongside the loch (a sizeable lake), which has a habit of cutting across some of the gently undulating fairways.

The back nine has some tighter and more undulating holes, starting with the short but testing downhill par-4 10th. The equally tight and challenging par-5 11th has villas flanking the left side of the hole; be ready to shout ‘Fore!’. Among several excellent holes on the back nine, one of the best is the 14th, a par-3 played downhill to a green surrounded on three sides by water.

If you are looking for a sea facing picture postcard golf course to play while in Phuket, the Jack Nicklaus designed course at Mission Hills Golf Resort is the one to play. The golf course sits among mangrove forests on the scenic north-east coast of Phuket. The course has incredible ocean views from almost every hole and it is a stunning location for golf holidays in Thailand.

Large white sand beach bunkers contrast with the translucent blue hues of the ocean waters and the vibrant greens of the Bermuda grass on the fairways and Paspalum Sea Isle 2000 grass on the putting surfaces. The ocean views come at a price, as water comes in to play on seven holes and the prevailing sea breezes make the course very challenging for Thailand golf holidays.

The difficult green is protected by a lake down the right hand side and a deep hollow to the left, penalizing those bailing out to stay away from the water. If you are fortunate to land your second shot safely on the green, or close by, you should walk away happy with a par, or even a respectable bogey.

Red Mountain Golf Course opened in 2007 and is now considered Phuket’s most spectacular golf course, perfect for a golf holiday in Thailand. The course was designed to take advantage of a huge variety of landforms and dramatic elevation changes, making it Phuket’s hilliest course.

The entire Red Mountain site is an abandoned tin mine. The hole routing explores the four corners of the former tin mine property representing a memorable tour of Phuket’s historical landscapes. Golfers face the full range of natures hazards; wind, water, slopes and elevation changes. This is the highest golf course on Phuket Island and dramatic views are realized from many of the points on the golf course.

The concept of variety has been carried into all areas of Red Mountain. There are large and small greens; some with subtle breaks, some with wilder contours. Bermuda grass is used on the greens which make for fast but smooth putting surfaces. Fairways and tees are grassed with Seashore Paspalum; a popular turf being used at other Thailand championship courses like Amata Spring and Thai Country, both in Bangkok. Wild, local grasses have been preserved in some rough areas to complete the natural look.