Andy DevaneyLaguna Golf Phuket has widened the practical value of its membership with a new reciprocal agreement with Viya, giving members preferential green-fee rates and selected benefits across six UAE golf clubs.
The headline attractions are Emirates Golf Club and Jumeirah Golf Estates — two names with rather more tournament pedigree than the average reciprocal arrangement can wave across the clubhouse bar.
Laguna Golf Phuket membership now travels further
The deal works in both directions. Laguna Golf Phuket members can access preferential rates and selected benefits at Viya-operated clubs in the UAE, while Viya members visiting Thailand receive reciprocal privileges at Laguna Golf Phuket.
The logic is simple enough. A club perk that travels is easier to value than one pinned permanently to a postcode. Emirates Golf Club hosts the Dubai Desert Classic, while Jumeirah Golf Estates is home to the DP World Tour Championship. Those are useful calling cards, particularly for golfers who already move between Southeast Asia and the Gulf.
“We are delighted to partner with Viya, one of the region’s most respected golf organisations,” said Stephen Chick, General Manager of Laguna Golf Phuket. “This agreement significantly enhances the value of membership by giving our members access to some of the UAE’s finest golf clubs, while welcoming Viya members to discover Laguna Golf Phuket and the wider Laguna Phuket destination.”
Viya’s six UAE golf clubs widen reciprocal access
Viya operates six golf clubs across the UAE, giving the arrangement genuine breadth rather than a single-course novelty. The exact reciprocal rates and benefits vary by club and remain subject to each venue’s terms and conditions, so members will still need to do the unfashionable thing and check before booking.
For Laguna Golf Phuket, the agreement also strengthens an international membership proposition built around more than the course itself. The club sits within the wider Laguna Phuket resort destination, alongside accommodation, dining, leisure and wellbeing facilities, and is home to Southeast Asia’s only PGA-branded golf academy.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi flights make the golf link practical
Reciprocal golf benefits are only useful if members can reasonably reach them. Here, the aviation piece is unusually tidy: Emirates operates three daily non-stop flights between Dubai and Phuket, while Etihad Airways operates two daily non-stop services between Abu Dhabi and Phuket.
That connectivity gives the partnership a practical edge. A reciprocal agreement between distant clubs can look splendid in a membership brochure and gather dust thereafter; regular direct services at least remove one obvious excuse.
Viya sees value in travelling golf members
“Reciprocal club agreements are one of the ways we can provide our members with added value and access to quality golf experiences when they travel,” said Christopher May, Chief Executive Officer of Viya. “We are pleased to partner with Laguna Golf Phuket and extend these additional benefits to members of both organisations.”
The agreement takes effect immediately. Members of both organisations are being directed to their own clubs for eligibility details, rates and booking conditions.
Laguna Golf Phuket adds useful membership reach
The strategic appeal is straightforward: Laguna Golf Phuket gains a stronger proposition for golfers travelling through the UAE, while Viya can offer its members a resort-golf option in Phuket. Neither side needs to reinvent the membership model; it simply makes the existing card more useful in another part of the world.
And in golf, where plenty of memberships come with benefits that sound magnificent until one tries to use them, accessibility may be the most persuasive perk of all.
