Family golf in Asia:
a round for you, a beach for everyone
Three beach destinations where good courses sit close to family resorts, with sights the whole family will enjoy.
The best family golf holidays keep transfers short and let one parent play while everyone else heads for the beach. Phuket is the easiest all-rounder: Laguna Golf Phuket sits inside the Laguna Phuket resort, with a shuttle from its hotels, and Blue Canyon and Mission Hills are in the north of the island, near the airport. Da Nang has the shortest airport-to-beach transfers, plus courses with on-site rooms, such as Montgomerie Links and Hoiana Shores. Okinawa suits families who want Japan without the big-city crowds, with resort courses near clear-water beaches and the Churaumi Aquarium. Many five-star resorts in all three offer kids' clubs; check each hotel's page.
What makes a destination good for a family golf holiday?
Three things matter more than the course rankings: short transfers, courses open to visitors without members-only rules, and enough to do off the course that non-golfers have a great day too. Phuket, Da Nang and Okinawa all qualify. Each has a beach-resort base, several courses that welcome visiting golfers, and family sights within an easy drive.
Keep rounds to the morning, when it's cooler and the family is still at breakfast or the pool, and plan at least one golf-free day for everyone.
Phuket: the easiest family golf base
Laguna Golf Phuket is an 18-hole, par-71 layout inside the Laguna Phuket resort at Bang Tao, rebuilt by Paul Jansen in 2015, with lagoons and banyan trees as its main hazards. Visitors need a tee time, and there's a shuttle from the Laguna Phuket hotels, so you can play and be back at the pool before lunch.
For a bigger test, Blue Canyon (a three-time Johnnie Walker Classic venue) and Jack Nicklaus's seaside Mission Hills are both in the north of the island, near the airport. Red Mountain in Kathu, with its dramatic former tin-mine setting, is a memorable round.
Family days: the 45-metre Big Buddha hilltop, a boat trip among the karst islands of Phang Nga Bay, sunset at Promthep Cape, and the shophouses and Sunday walking street of Phuket Old Town. Phuket is driest from November to April.
Da Nang: short transfers and stay-and-play resorts
Da Nang's airport sits close to the city and its beaches, so arrival day is easy with children. Montgomerie Links, central Vietnam's first course, is open every day to visitors with a tee time and has an on-site hotel and villas. Hoiana Shores, Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s oceanfront links south of Hoi An, offers stay-and-play packages through the resort. At Legend Da Nang Golf Resort, Greg Norman's dunes course plays alongside Jack Nicklaus's floodlit layout, where night golf lets a parent play after the kids are in bed.
Family days: the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An Ancient Town, the cable car to the Golden Bridge at Sun World Ba Na Hills, the caves of the Marble Mountains, and long, sandy My Khe Beach. Come between February and May; September to December is the rainy and typhoon season.
Okinawa: Japan's subtropical family golf island
Okinawa's resort courses are spread along the coast. Kanucha Golf Course is part of Kanucha Resort in the north and takes both resort guests and non-staying visitors. Kanehide Kise Country Club, which hosted the Japan PGA Championship in 2007 and 2017, has on-site cottages. The Southern Links, with ocean-carry holes on 40-metre cliffs, has an on-site hotel. In Onna, PGM Golf Resort Okinawa and The Atta Terrace sit close to the west-coast resort strip. At Ryukyu Golf Club, every group plays with a caddie and cart.
Family days: whale sharks and manta rays at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, the bridge to Kouri Island, the coral cliffs of Cape Manzamo, and Makishi Public Market in Naha, where the upstairs restaurants cook the fish you buy downstairs. October to December and March to May are the most comfortable months.
Which family golf destination should you choose?
- Choose Phuket for the widest choice of family resorts and a golf course inside a resort complex, plus a long dry season from November to April.
- Choose Da Nang for short transfers, stay-and-play options and Hoi An's culture, best from February to May.
- Choose Okinawa for clean, calm and well-organised Japan, the Churaumi Aquarium and courses with on-site lodging; avoid peak typhoon months from July to September.
Whichever you choose, check each hotel's page for kids' clubs, family rooms and babysitting. Many five-star resorts in all three destinations offer them, but services vary by property.
Practical tips for golfing with the family
- Book morning tee times so you're back by lunch and miss the midday heat.
- Ask about junior golfers. If your children play, ask each club about junior rates, tee choices and age rules before you book; policies differ by club.
- Plan transfers in advance. A hotel car or private driver is the simplest way to get to the course with clubs.
- Mix in golf-free days for the aquarium, the Golden Bridge or an island boat trip.
- Check the season for your destination: Phuket's driest months are November to April, Da Nang's are February to May, and Okinawa is best in spring and autumn.
⛳ The courses worth the trip
Golf season: November to April is the best time to play Phuket, when the northeast monsoon brings dry, sunny days, calmer seas and lower humidity. From May to October the southwest monsoon brings frequent afternoon downpours, so early tee times work best in those months. February to May is the sweet spot: the central coast is dry, sea breezes keep mornings comfortable and the links-style courses play firm and fast. June to August is still dry but hot, while September to December brings the rainy and typhoon season. Okinawa's subtropical climate allows golf year-round, but the most comfortable months are October to December and March to May, when it is warm and drier; midsummer is hot and humid and typhoons are most likely from July to September.
Blue Canyon Country Club (Canyon Course)
Phuket · Design: Yoshikazu Kato · 18 holes · Opened 1991 · parkland through a former tin mine
Hosted the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1994, 1998 and 2007, routed through a former tin mine with water hazards and old-growth trees; the club also has a second 18, the Lakes Course (1999).
🚗 about 31 min drive from Anantara Layan Phuket ResortOfficial siteMapSourceSource
Red Mountain Golf Club
Phuket · Design: Jonathan Morrow and Al Tikkanen · 18 holes · Opened 2007 · mountain / former tin mine
Carved through the red-rock cliffs of a former tin mine in Kathu, its signature par-3 17th plays from a tee about 50 metres above the green.
Access: Open to visitors; caddie mandatory.
Laguna Golf Phuket
Phuket · Design: Paul Jansen (2015 redesign) · 18 holes · Opened 1993 · resort, lagoon-side parkland
A par-71 layout inside the Laguna Phuket resort at Bang Tao, rebuilt by Paul Jansen and reopened in January 2015 with lagoons and banyan trees as its main hazards.
Access: Open to visitors with tee time; shuttle from Laguna Phuket hotels.
🚗 about 14 min drive from Anantara Layan Phuket ResortOfficial siteMapSourceSource
Mission Hills Phuket Golf Resort
Phuket · Design: Jack Nicklaus · 18 holes · oceanfront
Phuket's only Jack Nicklaus design and its only seaside course, with several holes running along the shoreline of the island's northeast coast.
🚗 about 36 min drive from Anantara Layan Phuket ResortOfficial siteMapSourceSource
Hoiana Shores Golf Club
Da Nang & Hoi An · Design: Robert Trent Jones Jr. · 18 holes · Opened 2020 · links-style, oceanfront
Named World's Best New Golf Course at the 2020 World Golf Awards, it hosted the R&A's Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship in March 2025 and holes are marked by red lanterns inspired by Hoi An's Old Town.
Access: Open to visiting golfers; stay-and-play packages offered via the resort
🚗 about 41 min drive from Ocean Villas Beach ResortOfficial siteMapSourceSourceSource
Legend Da Nang Golf Resort – Nicklaus Course
Da Nang & Hoi An · Design: Jack Nicklaus (Nicklaus Design) · 18 holes · Opened 2020 · resort, water-heavy parkland
Venue of the BRG Open Golf Championship Danang, an Asian Development Tour event held here in 2022, 2023 and 2024; the course is floodlit for night golf.
Access: Formerly branded BRG Da Nang Golf Resort; night golf available on this course
🚗 about 12 min drive from Danang Marriott Resort & Spa, Non Nuoc Beach VillasOfficial siteMapSourceSource
Legend Da Nang Golf Resort – Norman Course (Dunes Course)
Da Nang & Hoi An · Design: Greg Norman · 18 holes · Opened 2010 · links-style, oceanfront
Laid out across seaside dunes with blown-out bunkers and views of the Marble Mountains, it is ranked 4th in Vietnam and 29th in Asia by Top100GolfCourses.
🚗 about 12 min drive from Danang Marriott Resort & Spa, Non Nuoc Beach VillasOfficial siteMapSourceSource
Ba Na Hills Golf Club
Da Nang & Hoi An · Design: Luke Donald · 18 holes · Opened 2016 · mountain, parkland
Luke Donald's first course design, it stretches 7,858 yards from the back tees at the foot of the Ba Na mountains and is fully floodlit from first tee to 18th green for night golf.
Access: Night golf available
🚗 about 62 min drive from Premier Villa Danang ResortOfficial siteMapSourceSource
Montgomerie Links Vietnam
Da Nang & Hoi An · Design: Colin Montgomerie · 18 holes · links-style, coastal
Central Vietnam's first golf course, a 7,090-yard links-style layout on sandy coastal ground with the Marble Mountains visible from many holes.
Access: Open every day to visitors with tee time; on-site hotel and villas
🚗 about 16 min drive from Danang Marriott Resort & Spa, Non Nuoc Beach VillasOfficial siteMapSourceSourceSource
Ryukyu Golf Club
Okinawa · Design: Hiroshi Umezawa · 27 holes · resort, coastal hills
Home of the JLPGA Tour's season-opening Daikin Orchid Ladies every March since the event began in 1988.
Access: Open to visitors; every group plays with a caddie and cart
🚗 about 10 min drive from Hyakuna GaranOfficial siteMapSourceSource
Kanehide Kise Country Club
Okinawa · Design: Michio Izumi · 18 holes · Opened 2001 · hillside, ocean-view
Hosted the Japan PGA Championship in 2007 and 2017, with an Ocean nine facing the East China Sea and a Woods nine cut through Yanbaru forest.
Access: Open to visitors with tee time; on-site cottage lodging
🚗 10 min walk from The Terrace Club Wellness Thalasso At BusenaOfficial siteMapSourceSource
PGM Golf Resort Okinawa
Okinawa · Design: Keiji Matsuyama (original); renovated under Isao Aoki's supervision in 2017 · 27 holes · Opened 1972 · resort, ocean-view
Its 27 holes were reworked under Isao Aoki in 2017, and it hosted the Japan Golf Tour's HEIWA PGM Championship from 2017 to 2019.
Access: Open to visitors; book via the official site
🚗 about 47 min drive from The Ritz-Carlton, OkinawaOfficial siteMapSourceSource
The Southern Links Golf Club
Okinawa · 18 holes · Opened 1989 · oceanfront, links-style
Seaside layout on 40-metre cliffs with two signature holes played across the ocean; hosted the Asia Japan Okinawa Open in 2002 and 2003.
Access: Open to visitors; on-site hotel
🚗 about 19 min drive from Hyakuna GaranOfficial siteMapSourceSource
Kanucha Golf Course
Okinawa · Design: Isao Aoki (design supervision) · 18 holes · Opened 1993 · resort, seaside
Part of Kanucha Resort in northern Okinawa, pairing a forest Village nine with a Seaside nine that plays toward the sea.
Access: Open to resort guests and non-staying visitors (non-guest rates higher)
🚗 about 21 min drive from Treeful Treehouse Sustainable Resort OkinawaOfficial siteMapSourceSource
The Atta Terrace Golf Resort
Okinawa · 18 holes · Opened 1994 · resort, highland
Championship course on the Onnadake highlands of Onna, laid over natural slopes with views across the East China Sea.
🚗 about 19 min drive from The Ritz-Carlton, OkinawaOfficial siteMapSourceSource
Drive times are estimates from the nearest hotel in this guide and depend on traffic. Book tee times directly with each club; access rules can change.
🏨 Five-star stays near the fairways (live Agoda data) (24)
Five-star only, ranked by nightly price. Live Agoda rates for 2 adults, taxes and fees included, checked 2026-10-14 — confirm the live rate on Agoda.
🍽️ Off the course: where to eat & what to see
🏝️ Where to base your family golf trip
🍽️ Dining & cafés near Phuket, Da Nang & Okinawa
❓ Golf trip FAQ
Which Asian golf destination is best for families?
Phuket is the easiest all-rounder, with Laguna Golf Phuket inside a resort complex, plenty of family resorts and a long dry season. Da Nang offers the shortest airport transfers and stay-and-play courses near Hoi An. Okinawa suits families who want a calm, well-organised Japanese island with beaches and the Churaumi Aquarium.
Do family resorts in Phuket, Da Nang and Okinawa have kids' clubs?
Many five-star resorts in all three destinations offer kids' clubs, family rooms or babysitting, but services, age limits and fees vary by property. Check each hotel's page or contact the resort directly before you book, especially in school-holiday periods, when activities may book up.
Can I stay on site at a golf course in Asia?
Yes, at several. In Da Nang, Montgomerie Links has an on-site hotel and villas, and Hoiana Shores offers stay-and-play packages through the resort. In Okinawa, Kanehide Kise has on-site cottages, The Southern Links has a hotel, and Kanucha Golf Course is part of Kanucha Resort. Laguna Golf Phuket runs a shuttle from Laguna Phuket hotels.
Can children play golf on these courses?
Junior policies differ by club, so ask before booking. Many resort courses welcome accompanied juniors who can play at a reasonable pace, and some offer junior rates or forward tees. Confirm age rules, dress codes and whether juniors need a handicap directly with each club when you reserve the tee time.
When is the best time for a family golf holiday in Asia?
It depends on the destination. Phuket is driest from November to April. Da Nang is best from February to May, before the summer heat, and its rainy and typhoon season runs from September to December. Okinawa is most comfortable from October to December and from March to May; typhoons are most likely from July to September.
What can non-golfers do while I play?
In Phuket, visit the Big Buddha, take a Phang Nga Bay boat trip or explore Phuket Old Town. In Da Nang, head to Hoi An Ancient Town, ride the cable car to the Golden Bridge or relax on My Khe Beach. In Okinawa, the Churaumi Aquarium, Kouri Island and Cape Manzamo are all easy family outings.
Some links are Agoda affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Course details come from official club websites and published sources and can change — confirm tee times, access rules and dress codes directly with each club. Drive times are estimates.