Blue Canyon is Phuket’s tournament course. Founded in 1991 on old tin workings and rubber plantations near the island’s northern tip, it has hosted three Johnnie Walker Classics, a Thailand Open and, in 2021, an Asian Tour event of its own. The Canyon Course is the one with the history. In 1998 Tiger Woods started the final round eight shots behind, caught Ernie Els and beat him in a playoff. The club also has a second 18, the Lakes Course, and both sit about two kilometres from the airport runway, which makes Blue Canyon the obvious first or last round of a Phuket trip.
Blue Canyon Country Club green fees and tee times.
Blue Canyon takes visitors on both courses every day. You can book through the club’s website or reservations team, through golfscape, which lists the Canyon and Lakes courses separately, or through Phuket golf operators that bundle transfers. The club does not publish a current visitor rate online, and third-party listings disagree by more than ฿1,000, so confirm the price for your date when you book. Caddies are compulsory for visitors. Groups are limited to four, and peak-season mornings on the Canyon Course fill first, so book a week or more ahead between December and March.
The courses at Blue Canyon Country Club.
Canyon Course
The original 1991 layout, at par 72 and 7,179 yards. It hosted the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1994, when Greg Norman won, in 1998, when Woods beat Els in a playoff, and in 2007, when Anton Haig won a three-way playoff. Its back-nine stretch from the 11th to the 14th is the reason most visitors come.
Lakes Course
Opened in 1999 as the club’s second 18, also by Kato, at par 72 and about 7,129 yards. As the name says, water and old mining lakes come into play on most holes, and the closing stretch is widely rated the strongest finish on the island. It is usually a little easier to book than the Canyon at peak times.
The round, in perspective.
Yoshikazu Kato designed both courses. The Canyon Course opened in 1991 and measures 7,179 yards from the back tees, at par 72 with a course rating of 74.8. The front nine runs between oil palms. The back nine is where the mining ground shows itself, with sheer cuts of red and white rock, rust-coloured streams and old spoil heaps. The 11th is a 600-yard par five crossed by water off the tee and squeezed by it again at the green. The 13th, a par four played over a canyon, carries a plaque recording that Woods drove the green. The par-three 14th plays from a high tee to an island green with no bail-out. At the 17th, a long iron has to find a green partly hidden behind the canyon.
Make the trip work.
Plan the Canyon Course for a morning and leave time afterwards. The clubhouse has three restaurants, a pool, lockers, massage and a pro shop, so a long lunch is easy to fit in. Golfasian describes the clubhouse as a little tired, while a 2024 review reports a newly renovated course. Carts cost about ฿700 through Golfasian. Rental shoes and umbrellas are also available. If you arrive on a morning flight, you can be on the first tee within the hour.
Phuket International Airport (HKT) is about two kilometres away, the shortest airport-to-tee transfer on the island. Patong is about 40 minutes south by road, and the Lakes Course is closer to 50 minutes from Patong. The club sits on Thepkasattri Road, the island’s main north–south artery, in Mai Khao subdistrict.
Blue Canyon has its own resort on site, a sensible choice for a golf-only stay or an early flight. Most visitors stay along the north-west coast instead: Mai Khao Beach, a long, quiet strip of sand that is part of Sirinat National Park, has several large resorts within 15 minutes of the club. Nai Yang, next to the airport, is a smaller village with seafood restaurants on the beach.
Make a trip of it.
Play the Canyon and Lakes courses on consecutive days, then head south for Laguna Golf Phuket, around 25 minutes away, and the Kathu pair of Red Mountain and Loch Palm. Aquella, across the Sarasin Bridge in Phang Nga, is a newer beachside course about an hour north. Off the course, Sirinat National Park protects the beaches at Mai Khao and Nai Yang, and turtles still nest on parts of Mai Khao.
Find your season.
November to April is high season, with dry, breezy days and the busiest tee sheets. From May to October the south-west monsoon brings regular afternoon storms and lower rates, and the airport’s proximity makes it easy to fit a round around flights in either season. Tournament weeks close the courses to visitors, so check the calendar before you book.
Yes. Woods won the 1998 Johnnie Walker Classic on the Canyon Course, coming from eight shots behind in the final round and beating Ernie Els in a playoff. Greg Norman won the same event there in 1994, and Anton Haig won it in 2007.
Which is better, Blue Canyon’s Canyon Course or Lakes Course?
The Canyon Course has the tournament history and the famous back-nine run from the 11th to the 14th, including the island-green 14th. The Lakes Course, opened in 1999, has more water and a highly rated finish. If you can only play one, most visitors choose the Canyon.
How far is Blue Canyon from Phuket airport?
About two kilometres, a few minutes by car, which makes it the closest course to Phuket International Airport. Patong is around 40 minutes away and Laguna Phuket about 25.
Do you need a caddie at Blue Canyon?
Yes. Caddies are compulsory for visitors, as at most Thai courses. Carts are available for hire at about ฿700. Budget a cash tip for your caddie at the end of the round.
Last checked 16 October 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
