Mention Fiji to most Australian golfers and the first thought probably isn’t golf.
It’s the beach. A cold drink. Palm trees. Warm water. Maybe a few days where the biggest decision is whether to move from the pool to the beach.
And that’s precisely why Fiji works so well as a golf holiday.
Jet Set Golf has travelled to Fiji and experienced the Coral Coast, Natadola Bay and the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa first-hand. What we’ve found is that Fiji shouldn’t be compared with Thailand or Vietnam simply by counting golf courses.
It’s a completely different kind of trip.
In Thailand, we might move between four championship courses in a week. Around Da Nang, Vietnam, there are enough excellent courses to play somewhere different almost every day.
Fiji asks you to slow things down.
Stay at one exceptional beachfront resort. Play one of the South Pacific’s standout championship golf courses. Enjoy a few rounds rather than chasing a different course every day. Bring a partner whether they play golf or not.
And occasionally forget about golf altogether.
At the centre of it all is Natadola Bay.
Natadola Bay is the reason golfers should look at Fiji differently
There are golf courses where you remember your score, and others where you remember where you were.
Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course falls firmly into the second category.
Set on Fiji’s Coral Coast, Natadola is an 18-hole, par-72 championship layout measuring 6,566 metres from the back tees. It was designed by Fiji’s greatest golfer, Vijay Singh, and combines rolling terrain, significant elevation changes, strategic bunkering and Pacific Ocean views. (Natadola Bay Golf Course)
And then there’s the wind.
The Pacific trade winds are part of the golf course rather than simply the weather. A club that worked perfectly yesterday may suddenly look rather optimistic today.
That’s one of the things we like about Natadola.
Playing it several times isn’t simply repeating the same round. You start understanding the lines from the tee, where not to miss, how the elevation affects shots and just how much attention you should have paid to the wind before choosing a club.
The fourth is an ocean-hugging par 3, the sixth features one of the course’s memorable elevated tee shots, while the 18th climbs towards the distinctive Fijian-style clubhouse. (Natadola Bay Golf Course)
It’s proper golf.
It just happens to come with a view that’s capable of making you forget what you scored.
Caption: There aren’t many golf holes where the Pacific Ocean creates this kind of backdrop.
There’s some serious tournament history here as well
Natadola isn’t simply a pretty resort course.
The course has hosted the Fiji International, with winners at Natadola including Steven Jeffress in 2014, Brandt Snedeker in 2016 and Gaganjeet Bhullar in 2018. (Natadola Bay Golf Course)
For travelling golfers, there’s always something interesting about standing over a shot on a course that’s hosted international professional golf.
You see the same trouble. Feel the same wind. Look at the same target.
What happens after that is where the similarities may end.
But the real secret to a Fiji golf holiday is next door
This is where Fiji starts separating itself from a conventional golf trip.
Beside Natadola Bay sits the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, a five-star resort spread across 35 acres of tropical gardens at Natadola Bay. The resort combines its Coral Coast setting with pools, restaurants, bars, spa facilities and direct access to the beach. (IHG Hotels & Resorts)
In other words, golf doesn’t have to take over the holiday.
You’re not packing the clubs onto a coach every morning, changing hotels halfway through the week or spending hours travelling between courses.
You unpack.
That’s home.
And we think that changes the entire rhythm of the trip.
Caption: InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa at Natadola Bay — the kind of place that makes a rest day very easy to accept.
A golf day can start with breakfast overlooking the water, move across to Natadola for the round and finish back at the resort without feeling like you’ve spent the day travelling.
A non-golf day might involve the beach, the pool, the spa, exploring the Coral Coast or doing very little at all.
We’re quite comfortable recommending the last option.
Breakfast isn’t exactly a hardship either
There are certain photos that explain a destination better than another paragraph about facilities ever could.
This is one of them.
Breakfast overlooking Natadola Bay before heading to the golf course is a fairly convincing reminder that this isn’t a normal golf week.
And that’s something we increasingly consider when we’re putting Jet Set Golf trips together. The quality of the golf obviously matters, but so do the other 19 hours of the day.
Where do you wake up?
Can you walk down to the beach?
Is there somewhere good for dinner?
Will a non-golfing partner actually enjoy coming?
Would you happily spend a day at the resort without touching a golf club?
At Natadola, those questions become very easy to answer.
Fiji might be one of our best destinations for couples
This is possibly the most underrated part of the whole proposition.
A lot of golf destinations are fantastic if everybody travelling is a golfer.
It gets more complicated when they’re not.
“Come overseas with me and entertain yourself while I disappear to a golf course every day” isn’t exactly irresistible.
Fiji changes the conversation.
While you’re playing Natadola, your partner can be at the beach, pool or spa. When the round finishes, you’re back together at the same resort rather than returning after a long transfer from somewhere else.
That makes Fiji particularly interesting for couples where only one person plays golf.
The golfer gets genuine championship golf.
The non-golfer gets a genuine Fiji holiday.
Nobody feels like they’ve been dragged along to somebody else’s trip.
Caption: One of Fiji’s biggest advantages as a golf destination is everything that happens when you’re not playing golf.
And when the sun goes down, Fiji doesn’t suddenly stop
This is another reason we wouldn’t overfill the itinerary.
The resort experience continues into the evening, with beachfront dining, entertainment and the relaxed social atmosphere Fiji does particularly well.
Golf trips aren’t remembered exclusively by golf.
Ask people about one of our tours a year later and they’ll certainly remember a great course or a ridiculous putt somebody holed.
But they’ll also remember the night everyone ended up having dinner together, the person who got dragged into a dance, the drinks after the round and the stories that became considerably less accurate as the evening progressed.
That’s part of the trip too.
Why would we play Natadola more than once?
This is probably the question we’d expect from golfers used to touring holidays.
If we’re flying all the way to Fiji, why not play a different golf course every day?
Because sometimes variety isn’t the same thing as quality.
There are other courses in Fiji, and Denarau Golf & Racquet Club is a worthwhile resort golf option if you’re staying around Denarau or extending your trip.
But we wouldn’t add courses to an itinerary simply so we could advertise a bigger number.
For our Fiji program, we’d rather base the trip around the strongest combination: Natadola Bay and the InterContinental.
The first round at Natadola is discovery.
The second is revenge.
By the third, you’ve worked the place out.
Or at least you think you have.
Different competition formats can change the experience again. One day might be individual Stableford, another pairs and another a team format. The course stays familiar while the competition changes around it.
There’s also a practical advantage: Natadola currently offers multi-round options as well as individual green fees, and shared electric carts are included with green fees. (Natadola Bay Golf Course)
For this particular destination, we think three rounds across a five-night stay is close to the sweet spot.
Enough golf to make it a golf trip.
Enough Fiji to make it a holiday.
Is Fiji expensive for a golf holiday?
“Is Fiji expensive?” is one of those questions that deserves a better answer than simply comparing green fees.
If the objective is to play the maximum possible number of golf courses for the lowest possible price, Fiji probably isn’t where we’d start.
Thailand and Vietnam can be incredibly competitive when you’re looking purely at the amount of golf available.
But that’s not necessarily the right comparison.
The value of a Fiji golf holiday is the combination.
You’re travelling from Australia to a tropical destination, staying in a five-star beachfront resort and playing championship golf without requiring complicated internal travel once you’re there.
Natadola Bay is also approximately an hour from Nadi International Airport, so the holiday can begin relatively quickly after landing. (Natadola Bay Golf Course)
For couples, the calculation gets even more interesting because you’re buying two holidays at once: a golf trip and a resort holiday.
We think that’s a much better way to judge the value.
When is the best time for a Fiji golf holiday?
Fiji is warm throughout the year, but there are two distinct seasons.
The drier winter period runs from May through October, with generally lower humidity, less rainfall and average temperatures around 23–24°C. November through April is the warmer, wetter season. (Fiji Travel)
May is particularly interesting for golfers. Tourism Fiji describes it as the beginning of the dry season, with typical temperatures around 21–28°C. (Fiji Travel)
That’s also why we like May for our own Fiji golf program.
Warm weather. Championship golf. Resort time.
And for anyone arriving from an Australian winter, the temperature isn’t exactly difficult to adjust to.
Fiji vs Thailand or Vietnam — which would we choose?
We wouldn’t.
That’s the point.
We’ve travelled with golfers through all three countries, and we’d recommend them for different reasons.
If you want a week built around multiple golf courses, lively nights and plenty happening away from the resort, Thailand is extremely difficult to beat.
If you want a concentration of modern championship courses mixed with excellent food, culture and sightseeing, Central Vietnam around Da Nang is becoming one of Asia’s standout golf destinations.
Fiji offers something else.
Simplicity.
One excellent resort. One championship course worth playing several times. Ocean, beach, golf, good food and enough free time to remember you’re actually on holiday.
Sometimes you don’t need to turn a golf trip into an expedition.
Thailand vs Vietnam for a Golf Holiday – Which One Gets Your Vote?
What does a Jet Set Golf Fiji trip look like?
Our approach to Fiji reflects exactly what we like about the destination.
For our Fiji golf experience, we’re combining a five-night stay at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa with three rounds at Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course, including shared carts, plus the social side that turns a group of golfers into a proper trip.
There’s a welcome dinner, golf days, lunches, time to enjoy the resort and a presentation dinner to finish.
And importantly, there’s breathing room.
We’re not interested in filling every blank space on an itinerary simply because it’s there.
Sometimes the best part of a Fiji itinerary is the part where nothing has been organised.
A few things golfers ask us about Fiji
What is the best golf course in Fiji?
For the type of premium golf holiday Jet Set Golf operates, Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course is the course we’d build the trip around. It combines a Vijay Singh-designed championship layout with ocean views, resort access and a spectacular Coral Coast location. (Natadola Bay Golf Course)
Who designed Natadola Bay Golf Course?
Natadola Bay was designed by Fiji’s own Vijay Singh, a former World No. 1 and three-time major champion. (Natadola Bay Golf Course)
How far is Natadola Bay from Nadi Airport?
Natadola Bay Golf Course lists the journey from Nadi International Airport at approximately 60 minutes. (Natadola Bay Golf Course)
Can you stay next to Natadola Bay Golf Course?
Yes. InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa is located beside the golf course at Natadola Bay, making it particularly suited to a Stay & Play-style holiday. (Natadola Bay Golf Course)
Is Fiji good for non-golfers?
We think this is one of Fiji’s biggest strengths. Staying at a full-service five-star resort means a non-golfer can enjoy the beach, pools, spa, dining and resort activities while the golfers are at Natadola.
How many rounds should you play in Fiji?
For a five-night holiday based at Natadola, we’d choose three rounds. It gives you enough time to properly experience the course without sacrificing the resort and destination.
Do I need to bring my own golf clubs?
Not necessarily. Natadola Bay offers club hire, practice facilities and lessons, although golfers travelling specifically for a golf holiday may naturally prefer their own equipment. (Natadola Bay Golf Course)
Does Jet Set Golf offer Fiji golf tours?
Yes. Jet Set Golf operates hosted Fiji golf experiences combining Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course with accommodation at InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, along with organised golf, functions and time to enjoy Fiji away from the course.
So, should you take your golf clubs to Fiji?
Definitely.
But we’d resist the temptation to turn Fiji into something it isn’t.
Fiji doesn’t need twenty golf courses to make a great golf holiday. It doesn’t need you waking up at 5:30 every morning or spending half the trip sitting on a coach.
Its appeal is almost the opposite.
Wake up beside the Pacific.
Have breakfast overlooking Natadola Bay.
Play a championship golf course designed by one of the greatest players the game has produced.
Come back to a five-star resort.
Swim. Have a drink. Find somewhere for dinner.
And tomorrow?
Maybe play golf.
Maybe don’t.
That’s not wasted time on a golf holiday.
That’s Fiji.
About Jet Set Golf
Jet Set Golf is an Australian golf travel company specialising in premium hosted golf tours, golf tournaments and Stay & Play packages across Australia and international destinations including Fiji, Thailand, Vietnam, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa and beyond.
Our team travels to many of the destinations we feature, giving us first-hand knowledge of the golf courses, resorts and logistics involved in putting together a great golf trip.
VIEW ALL JET SET GOLF TOURS & TOURNAMENTS
Written by the Jet Set Golf Team | Updated September 2026
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