Royal Samoa - Samoa
Fagalii,
Apia,
Samoa
+685 770 4767
Situated just outside Apia, near Fagalii domestic airport
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British expatriates formed the now defunct Apia Golf Club on the northern coastline of Upolu back in 1925. Forty five years later, some Apia members established the Royal Samoa Country Club when they laid out a 9-hole track beside Fagalii domestic airport, a couple of miles east of their now abandoned course. Today's front nine holes were originally routed through a coconut plantation where narrow fairways were woven through stands of towering palm trees and it's on this outward half that the signature hole is found, a blind par three at the 6th which is played to a green nestled in a gully. The former Head of State, Malietoa Tanumafili II was not only club patron but a low handicapper who loved to get a round in whenever time permitted. Unfortunately, he passed away a few months before the club hosted the golfing event during the 13th South Pacific Games in 2007. |
Reviews for Royal Samoa
This is a parkland course set 5 mins out of central Apia. Nice views down the slope of the course toward the ocean in the distance.
As you expect in the tropics the course is very lush, especially the holes working back and forth around a creek. Some difficult holes around the creek with no distance indicators but dog legs and requirements to stay short or to take on the carry over the creek. Others are much more open where the hazards are only the coconut palms lining the fairways.
Plenty of internal OOB as well, which is an excellent design strategy on this course as there are many open areas where players could easily cut corners without a disincentive. Feature holes are the trio 6 to 8 which commences with a downhill par 3 to a target green wrapped by the creek. The 7th is a short par 4 requiring a careful tee shot and the 8th an uphill dog-leg par 4 where the creek is still in play.
Overall fairly basic quality golf: just managing the amount of grass and its rapid growth must be challenging for the club. For the visiting player, the biggest challenge is the heat and humidity: brutal.
