Samui Football Golf

Samui Football Golf is an 18-hole course on Koh Samui where players kick a regulation soccer ball toward oversized holes instead of putting one with a club — a format known internationally as footgolf. It costs 750 THB for adults and 350 THB for children, takes about 90 minutes to play, and sits five minutes from Big Buddha and ten from Chaweng.

Golf Rules, Football Skills

The scoring works exactly like golf — fewest kicks to sink the ball wins the hole — but every shot is made with your feet. Samui’s course, opened in 2005 as the first of its kind in Asia, runs to a par 71 across 18 holes threading through a botanical garden planted with mango, banana, and durian trees alongside a coconut grove and herb beds. Fairways are grass rather than the tight astroturf you’d expect from a mini-golf setup, so there’s real distance and roll to account for — a proper football-golf test rather than a novelty putt-putt course, even though the words get mixed up in search.

What a Round Feels Like

Holes vary from straightforward kicks toward a wide-open green to tighter, multi-level layouts that call for a controlled chip rather than a full-power boot. Groups tend to play loosely and socially — this isn’t a course anyone takes too seriously — and there’s a rest stop at hole 11 where every player gets a complimentary soft drink partway through. Football and shoe rental are included in the price if you show up without your own boots, so you can turn up empty-handed and still play a full round.

Insider Tip: Book the early or late slot rather than midday — the garden setting has shade in patches, but the open fairway stretches get hot fast under a tropical midday sun, and the course record of 54 tends to get set in cooler conditions when players aren’t rushing between shade.

Watch out: The base price only includes free transport for around 90% of Koh Samui’s hotels and villas — if you’re staying somewhere more remote, budget an extra 250-300 THB per person for the pickup, or arrange your own transport instead.

Practical

The course is on the Choeng Mon side of the island, an easy taxi or scooter ride from anywhere on Koh Samui — closer options include a five-minute run from Big Buddha and ten minutes from Chaweng’s main strip. It’s open daily 09:00-18:30. Wear closed-toe shoes with grip if you’re bringing your own rather than renting, since the fairways include ramps and slopes that reward proper footwear. It works well as a half-day activity paired with Easykart for a faster-paced stop, or as a low-key alternative to a day at Phetch Buncha Boxing Stadium if you want something more participatory than spectator sport.