Phuket, island golf
between rainforest and sea

Blue Canyon Country Club carries the most pedigree. Its Canyon Course, designed by Yoshikazu Kato and opened in 1991, is routed through a former tin mine, with water hazards and old-growth trees, and it hosted the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1994, 1998 and 2007. The club's second 18, the Lakes Course, followed in 1999.

Red Mountain Golf Club in Kathu is the most dramatic. Jonathan Morrow and Al Tikkanen cut it through the red-rock cliffs of another old tin mine, opening in 2007. The signature par-3 17th plays from a tee about 50 meters above the green. Visitors are welcome; a caddie is mandatory.

Mission Hills Phuket Golf Resort, at Pa Khlok on the northeast coast, is Phuket's only Jack Nicklaus design and its only seaside course, with several holes running along the shoreline.

• Laguna Golf Phuket — a par-71 lagoon-side layout inside the Laguna Phuket resort at Bang Tao, originally opened in 1993 and rebuilt by Paul Jansen, reopening in January 2015. Lagoons and banyan trees are the main hazards, and a shuttle runs from the Laguna Phuket hotels.

November to April is the best time to play. The northeast monsoon brings dry, sunny days, calmer seas and lower humidity, and it doubles as the island's peak beach season, so book tee times and rooms early for December to February.

From May to October, the southwest monsoon brings frequent afternoon downpours. Golf is still very playable, and the courses are quieter, but schedule early tee times so you finish before the rain rolls in.

• Day 1 — Laguna Golf Phuket. An easy opener after your flight, then sunset on Bang Tao beach.
• Day 2 — Blue Canyon, Canyon Course. The championship round in the island's north, followed by dinner at Jampa nearby.
• Day 3 — Red Mountain. Head to Kathu for the tin-mine cliffs, then spend the evening in Phuket Old Town.
• Day 4 — Mission Hills. Finish on the shoreline holes of the northeast coast, then take a boat into Phang Nga Bay's limestone islands if time allows.

Phuket's international airport is in the north of the island, close to Blue Canyon and Mission Hills, so this order also works neatly around arrival and departure days.

Bang Tao and Choeng Thale on the west coast are the natural golf base: Laguna Golf Phuket is on the doorstep, and Blue Canyon and Mission Hills are within reasonable reach in the north.

The northwest beaches — Mai Khao, Nai Yang and Nai Thon — are quieter and closest to the airport and the northern courses.

Kamala, Surin and the southwest suit golfers traveling with non-golfing partners who want more restaurants and beach life; Red Mountain in Kathu is a short drive inland. Most courses are a short drive from the beach hotels; drive times from each hotel are shown on this page.

Phuket's dining has real depth. PRU in Choeng Thale, near Laguna Golf, holds a MICHELIN star for cooking built on produce from its own farm and Thai suppliers. Jampa, near Blue Canyon and Mission Hills, carries a MICHELIN Green Star for its sustainable, farm-led menus. In Phuket Old Town, two Bib Gourmand addresses show off the island's Peranakan heritage: One Chun, known for crab meat in yellow curry in a 19th-century shophouse, and The Charm Dining Gallery, serving family recipes in a mansion furnished with mother-of-pearl inlay.

• Phuket Old Town — restored Sino-Portuguese shophouses and shrines, with a Sunday-evening walking street on Thalang Road.
• Big Buddha — a 45-meter white marble Buddha with views over Chalong Bay and Kata.
• Wat Chalong — the island's most important Buddhist temple.
• Promthep Cape — the southern headland and Phuket's classic sunset viewpoint.
• Phang Nga Bay — karst islands and sea caves by boat from the northeast coast, near Mission Hills.

• Book tee times ahead for December to February and for weekends, when demand peaks; midweek mornings are easiest to secure.
• Caddies are standard at most clubs in the region and are tipped in cash at the end of the round; ask the club or your hotel for the customary amount.
• Carts are usually optional and paid separately; with heat and humidity, most visitors take one.
• Dress code is conventional: collared shirt, tailored shorts or trousers, and soft-spike shoes. No denim.
• Transfers are simplest by private car or hotel driver; agree a pickup time for after lunch at the clubhouse.
• Tee off early to beat the midday heat, and carry more water than you think you need.

Rules, rates and booking policies change, so confirm details directly with the club before you travel.