Natadola Bay golf guide: Vijay Singh's Pacific championship links
Fiji's bucket-list round — a Vijay Singh design with the Pacific and its coral reefs in view on 15 of 18 holes, and beachfront greens. How to play it, when to go, and how it fits a Fiji beach holiday.
Natadola Bay is Fiji's answer to the great tropical golf destinations — and it was designed by the country's own major champion, Vijay Singh. Set on a spectacular stretch of Viti Levu's Coral Coast, it puts the Pacific and its reefs in view on 15 of its 18 holes, with several greens sitting almost on the beach. It's a proper championship course — home of the Fiji International — wrapped inside a beach-resort holiday.
This guide covers how visitors play it, the holes that make it, when to go in Fiji's warm season, and how to build a golf-and-beach trip around the Coral Coast.
Where
Natadola Beach, Viti Levu — on Fiji's Coral Coast, about 45 min from Nadi
Course
Natadola Bay Championship Course (par 72, ~6,566 m / ~7,180 yds)
Designer
Vijay Singh (opened 2009; back nine refined 2010)
Nearest airport
Nadi International (NAN) — about 45 minutes away
Best time
Fiji's drier season (May–October) is ideal; November–April is warmer and wetter
Access
Resort / public — visitors welcome; carts included in the green fee
The courses
Natadola Bay Championship Course
Vijay Singh (with Greg Letsche) · 2009 · 18 holes · Championship · coastal/parkland · par 72 · ~6,566 m
Home of the Fiji International; ocean views on 15 of 18 holes
Vijay Singh routed the course to make the most of a genuinely dramatic site — lush rolling pastures inland, then a run of holes right on the Pacific with coral reefs shimmering offshore and greens perched near the sand. The 2010 revisions to the back nine, done with Greg Letsche, softened it for amateurs while keeping the championship bite that the Fiji International demands.
With up to five tees on every hole, it's built to be enjoyed by holidaying golfers as much as tour pros: play it forward and it's a scenic, walkable-if-you-must resort round; play it back and it's a real test. Carts are included in the green fee — sensible given the distances between holes and the tropical heat.
How visitors play Natadola Bay
Natadola Bay is a resort/public course attached to the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa on Natadola Beach, so visitors are welcome — you book a tee time, and staying at the adjoining resort makes for the easiest golf-and-beach package. Carts are included in the green fee (the layout spreads across a big, hilly, hot site), and clubs are available to rent if you'd rather not fly yours across the Pacific.
It's excellent value by international-resort standards, especially bundled with a stay, and the whole experience is geared around relaxed holiday golf: warm welcomes, stunning scenery and a pace that suits a trip built as much around the beach as the birdies.
What makes it special
The setting does the heavy lifting — few courses anywhere put the ocean in play and in view as relentlessly as Natadola Bay, and the beachfront holes are the ones you'll photograph and remember. But there's substance behind the scenery: it's a Vijay Singh design that hosts a professional tournament, so the golf holds up to the views. The combination of a genuine championship layout, guaranteed tropical warmth and a coral-reef backdrop is what earns Fiji a place on a serious golf-travel wish list, not just a beach one.
When to go
Fiji is year-round golf, but the drier season from May to October brings the most reliable weather, lower humidity and the firmest turf — it's the sweet spot for a trip. The warmer, wetter months (November–April) still offer plenty of golf, with rain often arriving in short tropical bursts, and can mean quieter courses and softer rates. Whenever you visit, heat and sun are the main challenge — play earlier in the day, hydrate hard and take sun protection seriously.
How to build the trip
Natadola Bay works best as the golf centrepiece of a Coral Coast beach holiday on Viti Levu, Fiji's main island. It's around 45 minutes from Nadi International Airport, which is well served from Australia, New Zealand and North America, so it's an easy add to an island break — a couple of rounds between beach days rather than a golf-only pilgrimage. For golfers in Australia and New Zealand in particular, it's a short-haul tropical escape that pairs a bucket-list course with everything else Fiji is famous for.
What to pack
The kit this trip demands
Natadola Bay is hot, humid, sun-drenched Pacific golf — pack to stay cool, hydrated and protected from strong tropical sun and glare off the sea:
Yes. Natadola Bay is a resort/public course attached to the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, so visitors are welcome — you book a tee time, and staying at the resort makes for the easiest golf-and-beach package. Carts are included in the green fee and clubs are available to rent.
Who designed Natadola Bay?
It was designed by Fiji's own major champion Vijay Singh, opening in 2009, with the back nine refined in 2010 (with Greg Letsche) to play more favourably for amateurs. It hosts the Fiji International professional tournament.
What makes Natadola Bay special?
The setting: the Pacific and its coral reefs are in view on 15 of the 18 holes, with several greens perched almost on the beach. Combined with a genuine championship layout and guaranteed tropical warmth, it earns Fiji a place on a serious golf-travel wish list.
When is the best time to golf in Fiji?
Fiji offers year-round golf, but the drier season from May to October brings the most reliable weather, lower humidity and firmest turf. The warmer November–April months still offer good golf — rain tends to come in short tropical bursts — with quieter courses and softer rates.
