Blue Canyon Canyon Course

The verdict

Blue Canyon is the course that announced Thailand as a serious golf destination. The Japanese architect Yoshikazu Kato began work on the site in the late 1980s, and the Canyon Course opened in 1991 on land that had been a tin mine and rubber plantation, its old workings now reborn as the deep ravines and lakes that give the course its name and its teeth. The conditioning, the routing and the sheer scale of the place were a step above anything the country had seen.

The Canyon Course quickly drew the world's best. It hosted the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1994 and 1998, the Honda Invitational in 1996, and an Asian Tour roll of honor since. The 1998 Classic is the round people still talk about, when Tiger Woods opened with three rounds that left him eight shots adrift of Ernie Els, then closed with a seven under 65 and won at the second playoff hole. It is a par 72 of around 7,244 yards, a holiday course with a tournament pedigree, and the standout round of any Phuket golf trip.

The holes worth the trip

Kato used the old mine workings to dramatic effect, so water and ravine are never far away. The closing stretch is where tournaments have been won and lost, above all the par 3 seventeenth, played all carry across a lake to a green set against the water, the hole that decided more than one Johnnie Walker Classic. The long par 4 and par 5 holes coming home keep the lakes in play off the tee and on the approach, demanding commitment when nerves are tightest.

Away from the headline holes, the Canyon Course is a fair but exacting test, with generous landing areas rewarded and reckless lines punished by sand, water or jungle. The greens are large and true, and in the humid heat the ball does not run far, so club selection and a steady tempo matter more than raw power.

Carts and caddies are standard in the Thai style and both are worth taking, the caddie for local knowledge of the carries and the cart for the heat. Play early to beat the afternoon humidity, pick a tee that keeps the forced carries comfortable, and you will understand why the Canyon Course has drawn the best players in the world.

Where to stay nearby

Blue Canyon has its own on site lodging beside the courses, which is the most convenient base if golf is the priority and you want short transfers and early tee times. It sits close to the airport and to the quieter beaches of Phuket's northwest coast.

Most visitors, though, fold the golf into a wider Phuket holiday and stay on the beaches further south around Bang Tao, Surin or Patong, anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour away depending on the resort. That lets non golfers enjoy the sand and the spas while the group plays, with Phuket international airport the gateway for the whole island.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts at Blue Canyon and around Phuket.