Royal Samoa Golf Club
Just east of Apia, beside the little Fagalii airstrip on Upolu, Royal Samoa is the friendliest round in the South Pacific. Opened in 1970 and woven through a coconut plantation, this par 72 club is short on yardage and long on character, headlined by the blind par 3 6th tucked into a gully.
Photo: Royal Samoa Country Club via Google, by Aaron Reddoch.
The verdict
Royal Samoa is not a course you travel halfway across the Pacific to conquer. It is the relaxed, hospitable round you fold into a Samoan island holiday, and on that count it is a delight. British expatriates formed the original Apia Golf Club on the northern coast of Upolu back in 1925, and decades later some of those members laid out a nine hole track beside the Fagalii domestic airstrip, a couple of miles east of the abandoned old course. The first nine opened in 1970, and the club later took its royal title, becoming Royal Samoa Country Club.
Today the course is played as a par 72, its fairways threaded between stands of towering coconut palms so that placement matters far more than power. It is the kind of place where a visitor is welcomed without fuss, clubs can be borrowed and a round is measured in laughter as much as in strokes. For a traveling golfer it is a genuine slice of island life, a short and characterful walk that rounds out a trip built around lagoons, waterfalls and Samoan warmth rather than around championship golf.
Royal Samoa at a glance
- Opened
- 1970
- Holes
- 9 to 18
- Par
- 72
- Setting
- Coconut palms
- Region
- Upolu
- Access
- Members and visitors
Founding date, par and setting verified June 2026 from leading course databases and Samoa tourism sources. Royal Samoa Country Club opened its first nine in 1970 and plays to a par of 72, routed through a coconut plantation beside Fagalii airport with a blind par 3 signature 6th. Access arrangements and any fees vary, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The plantation is the architect here. Narrow fairways run between rows of mature coconut palms, so the tee shot is about finding a gap and a line rather than reaching for distance, and the palms punish the loose drive far more sternly than the modest yardage suggests. It is an outward half full of charm, and it is on the front nine that the course saves its most talked about hole.
That hole is the short par 3 6th, a downhill one shotter played to a green tucked into a gully and ringed so closely by native vegetation that the putting surface is barely visible from the tee. It is the kind of quirky, blind, slightly daring hole that modern design has all but engineered out of the game, and it is the one everybody talks about afterward. Around it, gentle contours, tropical greenery and the occasional glimpse of the coast give the round an easy, unhurried rhythm.
None of this is about the card. Royal Samoa is a course of place and welcome, where the appeal is the palms, the warm air and the sense of playing somewhere genuinely off the beaten track. For a traveling golfer it is the perfect light round to slot between the lagoons, the waterfalls and the villages of Upolu.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Members club that welcomes visiting golfers; an easygoing, informal atmosphere |
| Green fee | Modest visitor green fees; clubs and a few carts available to hire (indicative, 2026) |
| Booking | Call ahead or arrange through your hotel; weekends are busier with members |
| On the day | Clubhouse and bar; mostly a walking course; smart casual golf dress |
| Getting there | Fagalii, just east of Apia on Upolu, beside the domestic airport |
| Best months | May to October for the drier Samoan season |
Access and fees verified June 2026 from the club and Samoa tourism sources where published; arrangements change, so always confirm current access and any fees directly before planning a visit.
Where to stay nearby
Most golfers base themselves in or around Apia, a few minutes from the course, where the waterfront hotels put you close to the markets, the cathedral and the boat trips. For a quieter stay, the beach fales and resorts of the south coast at Lalomanu and Aganoa give you the postcard Samoa of turquoise lagoons and palm fringed sand, an easy day trip from the golf.
Royal Samoa pairs naturally with the rest of a South Pacific golf swing. Combine it with The Pearl Championship Course and Natadola Bay in Fiji, or with Port Vila Golf Club in Vanuatu, for a multi island trip.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Apia.
Build a Samoa golf trip
We build Royal Samoa into a South Pacific golf and island holiday, pairing the round with the right beach base, the waterfalls and the lagoon days, and arranging tee times, transfers and any inter island legs around your group. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge plans it, with no obligation.
Royal Samoa questions
When did Royal Samoa Golf Club open?
Royal Samoa Country Club opened its first nine holes in 1970, laid out beside Fagalii airport by members who had played at the earlier Apia Golf Club. It plays to a par of 72.
What is the signature hole at Royal Samoa?
The signature hole is the blind par 3 6th, played to a green nestled in a gully with native vegetation crowding the putting surface so the green is barely visible from the tee.
Can visitors play Royal Samoa Golf Club?
Yes. Royal Samoa welcomes visiting golfers alongside its members. Clubs are available to hire and a tee time is easy to arrange, but always confirm current access and any fees directly before booking.
Where is Royal Samoa Golf Club?
The course sits at Fagalii, just east of Apia on the island of Upolu, beside the domestic airport and a few minutes from the Samoan capital.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Founding date, par and setting verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.