Golf has been popular in Fiji for decades. Many of the courses were actually laid out to meet the recreational needs of the old Colonial Sugar Refining Company.
There are five 18-hole courses in Fiji and all except one are located on Viti Levu, the largest island. Of the four on the main island two are in the Suva area, and two are in Nadi.
- The Fiji Golf Club (5719 yard, par 72) located in Suva is more akin to a municipal or public links and is very popular with the local crowd.
- The Pacific Harbour Golf Club (6908 yards, par 72) is
located at Pacific Harbour (a 20 minute drive west of the capital) and was designed by Robert Trent Jones. It's preferable and more challenging than the Fiji Golf Club. On the western side of Viti Levu (in the Nadi area) there is also the municipal style
- Nadi Airport Golf Club (5882 yards, par 70) which may be more appropriately called the "Runway Way Club". It lies adjacent to Nadi International Airport. The newest and best course in the Nadi area is the more professional
- Denarau Golf & Racket Club (7150 yards, par 72)
which is part of the Denarau/Sheraton Hotel complex. The only other 18 hole course in Fiji is at the Kontiki Resort on the second largest island of Vanua Levu, a miniscule (3401 yard, par 59) links. There are also nine-hole courses in Lautoka, Rakiraki, Ba, and at the Fijian Resort Hotel, Naviti Beach Resort and Reef Hotel. There are also short courses in Labasa (in Vanua Levu) and at Soqulu on the island of Taveuni.
Fiji Mocambo Hotel Executive Golf Course: The Mocambo has a nine-hole course with all par 3's. A challenging course as it is set on a steep slope. Green fees: Non-house guests pay $11 and house guests play free. Club hire: $11.
- Shangri-La Fijian Resort Executive Golf Course: Newly extended and recreated, the Shangri-La course is the only one in Fiji that offers Tifton Dwarf grass greens. There are five par 3 holes and four par 4 holes. Sand traps, and one hole with a double water hazard make playing for precision rather than power the option.
(Humor courtesy of Sepia Mutiny)
Vijay the Inscrutable
When you think of golf in Fiji, you can't help conjuring the image of Vijay Singh, arguably the most famous personality on the world stage ever to come out of this country. What is Singh like? Who are his friends? What does he think about when he is not thinking about golf? As a piece in the Sikh Times said "It is difficult to answer these questions, because Singh has an uneasy relationship with journalists: he does not trust them and instead of answering questions about himself he would rather play competitive golf. Or at the very least practise."
If you're interested in reading up on him I've found some good links....
This piece in Golf Digest focuses on his upbringing in Fiji:
The Me You Don't Know The world's No. 1-ranked player, Vijay Singh, opens up about his roots, his swing and his killer calm
Another Golf Digest piece in Q&A format is also insightful:
Vijay unplugged--Vijay Singh reflects on the good times and the bad old days
This piece, also in Golf Digest, was informative: