Lotus Valley Golf Resort

Transcription

LIHN’S Best of Thailand GOLF GUIDE 2012
t
s
e
B
Of
www.lihnsgolfguide.com
Thailand
2012
800 THB
The Most Comprehensive Golf Guide in the World/ Lihn’s Golf Guides
Lotus Valley
Golf Resort
Bangkok’s Newest Gem
Home of the LPGA: Siam CC
Spas and Medical Tourism
1
2
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Publisher’s Letter
David Lihn
Publisher/Author
Kineeya Somsuan
Director of Operations
Chanunchada (My) Chanthong
Editorial Assistant
Siriya Kearnun, Suya Studio
Design and Cartography Supervisor
Phai Klunson, Suya Studio
Graphic Design Consultant
Sam Sailor
Contributing Photographer
Lee Miller
Contributing Writer
Bangkok’s Exclusive Golf Membership Club
29,500 Baht
Kineeya Somsuan
Marketing and Distribution
Lee E. Miller, Esq.
Administration
Annual Benefits Include:
Eight green- fees (including) –
Alpine
Banyan
Cascata
Chiangmai Inthanon
Lotus Valley
Phunaka
Riverdale
Rayong Green Valley
Siam CC
St. Andrews 2000
Silky Oak
Soi Dao
Golf Lessons (Doug Hood, PGA) – private, on-course
Logo Shirt (Fenix)
Golf Equipment – golf bag (Coca-Cola), shoe-bag, hats, bracelet, etc.
Fitness and Spa Vouchers
Thailand Hotel/Resort Room Vouchers
Member Tournaments
Lihn’s Best of Thailand Golf Guide 2012
For more information call: 089 516-9865
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4
My Chanthong
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Lihn’s Best of Thailand Golf Guide 2012 is
published annually by Lihn’s Golf Guide
(Thailand) Co., Ltd., .at 199/12 Chicha
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All contents Copyright © 2012 by Lihn’s
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All rights reserved.
Lihn’s Golf Guides, LLC is also the author of Lihn’s Orlando
Golf Guide 2001; and publisher of Lihn’s Best of Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville Golf Guide 2002, Lihn’s Best of Scottsdale
and Arizona Golf Guide 2003, Lihn’s Best of Northern Michigan
Golf Guide 2005, Lihn’s Hawaii Golf Guide 2006 (and HVCB
Guides), Lihn’s Best of Thailand 2006-2007 (and Japanese
edition), Lihn’s Dominican Republic Guide 2007, and Lihn’s
Best of Thailand 2007-2008 Pocket Guide. Their production or
use, in whole or in part, of any contents of this magazine without
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Lihn’s Golf Guides, LLC is not responsible for any unsolicited
manuscripts, photography or artwork.
Months of flooding in northern and central
Thailand impacted the livelihood of a hardluck core of the country’s 65 million denizens.
Lives were lost, businesses were in disarray
or destroyed, schools closed, and travel disrupted. The economy going forward has taken
a major hit and international tourism (which
contributes about 7% to the GNP) is trying to
pull out of a tailspin.
So, at first, it seemed a bit difficult to publish
the Guide in the face of such hardship. But
the reality is a bit more upbeat. Resilience
overcame adversity; and Thai sanguinity is
keeping smiles upon the beleaguered faces
of those whose homes and lives were under
varying degrees of water.
The reality today is not what is
being so dramatically (sensationally and incorrectly – actually, irresponsibly) screened
into the Western world via
CNN and BBC. The flooding
did not touch probably 70%
of the country, including the
southerly bastions of tourism that offer the beach,
shopping, nightlife, medical
tourism and golfing joys of Thailand: Pattaya, Hua Hin and Phuket.
In the northern mountains, Chiang Mai and
Chiang Rai recovered early from weeks of
flooding and are now verdant.
you have been here we have had what?” he
pondered. “Let’s see: SARS, the tsunami, a
coup, the yellow shirt occupation of the airport, the red shirt invasion of Bangkok, the
flooding…” he trailed off. “Tough doing
business here.”
But nothing stops the ineluctable fun of
golfing in the Kingdom. The golf courses,
resorts and beaches are active and the weather is cooperating.
Welcome back to your vacation paradise!
Special thanks to three people who have
made this Golf Guide happen this year: Bob
Skaggs (his insights and support were crucial); Kineeya Somsuan (who introduced her
perseverance and excellent judgment to the
mix); and our graphic design leader, Siriya
Kearnun, who added luster and sparkle.
My favorites: Lotus Valley northeast of
Bangkok; the estimable Siam CC in Pattaya;
Banyan in Hua Hin; and Soi Dao way out
east near Cambodia are thriving.
The severe damage (in addition to the 500
estimated deaths) was in Ayutthaya and
below in north-central and to the west of
Bangkok. The aftermath is as onerous: mold,
stench, rot and the despair of rebuilding.
Interestingly, Bangkok never flooded – despite silly cries of government alarm (“Evacuate to Pattaya!”). Life (albeit much more
quiet) went on in October and November. It
was, actually, a great time to be here. But not
for local businesses.
“It seems to be a fact of life in Bangkok,” said
one expat restaurant owner. “Calamity!” and
he shook his head. “The past eight years since
5
RI V ERDA LE G O LF
AND COUNTRY CLUB
Table of Contents
INSIGHTS:
Publisher’s Letter
Forward
THAILAND FEATURE
• Introduction
• Spas
• Medical Tourism
THE PERFECT CHALLENGE
4
8
20
24
31
FEATURED COURSES
• Lotus Valley Golf Resort
• Siam Country Club
10-14
16-19
Other Courses List
89
MAPS
• Thailand
• Bangkok / Central
• Northern / Eastern
• Western / Southern
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90
91
92
GOLF COURSES
BANGKOK
Alpine Golf Club
44
Cascata Golf Club
46
Bangkok Golf Club
Riverdale Golf Club Subhapruek Golf Club
Suwan Golf & Country Club
Thai Country Club
Thana City Golf & Sports Club
45
47
48
49
50
51
NOTES52
PATTAYA, RAYONG and EASTERN
Laem Chabang International CC
57
Rayong Green Valley GC
59
St. Andrews 2000
Silky Oak Country Club Soi Dao Highland Golf Club
58
59
60
NOTES61
www.lihnsgolfguide.com
HUA HIN and KANCHANABURI
Banyan Golf Club
64
Black Mountain Golf Club
66
Royal Hua Hin Golf Club
67
NOTES68
CHIANG MAI and CHIANG RAI
Alpine Golf Resort – Chiangmai
71
Chiangmai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort
72
Chiangmai Inthanon Golf & Natural Resort
73
Summit Green Valley Chiangmai Country Club 74
NOTES75
KHAO YAI and CENTRAL
Kirimaya Golf Resort & Spa
77
Rancho Charnvee Resort & CC
78
Sir James CC (Forest Hills)
79
NOTES80
SOUTHERN
Blue Canyon CC – Canyon
83
Blue Canyon CC – Lakes
84
Red Mountain Golf Club
85
Phunaka Golf Course
86
NOTES87
R I V E R D A L E G O L F A N D C O U N T R Y C L U B C O . , LT D .
1 2 3 / 5 M O O 1 , B A N G K A D I S U B - D I S T R I C T, M U A N G PAT H U M T H A N I ,
PAT H U M T H A N I 1 2 0 0 0 T E L : 0 2 - 5 0 1 - 2 7 8 9 FA X : 0 2 - 5 0 1 - 2 4 8 4
www.riverdalegolfc lub.co.th
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G O L F D I G E S T • PA G E 1 4 •
8/26/11 3:04 PM
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Forward
Thailand
The Quintessential Golf Ambassador
Virada Nirapathpongporn
"O'er this north door a trace still lingers
Of how a Gothic craftsman's fingers
Could make stones creep like ivy stems
And tilings coruscate like gems."
George Bernard Shaw
Refreshing. Sparkling.
A dash of effervescence and a soupçon
of cheer. An intelligent vigor, an athletic
countenance and a beaming smile that
ignites a morning.
Virada Nirapathpongporn (“Oui” to her
friends) in her 29 animated years has two
significant accomplishments to her credit:
1. she graduated with a 3.67 average
and honors from prestigious Duke
University; and
2. she has excelled at golf:
•while matriculating – following in
the footsteps of Annika Sörenstam
and Grace Park – she won the 2002
NCAA Championship, paired with
Lorena Ochoa in the final round
(simultaneously leading the Duke
golf team to national champs);
•in 2003 she won the US Women’s
Amateur Championship;
•won the 2004 Nancy Lopez Award as
the world's top female amateur golfer.
Pretty impressive stuff.
Oui left her Thailand home at 13 to enhance
her education and was schooled in Australia
for two years. Her parents (both doctors in
Bangkok) sent her to Florida when she was
15 for an American education and to expand
her golf prowess.
“My dad was nuts about golf. I started when
I was eight, but I liked swimming. Better
to be in a cool pool than put on a hot golf
course!” she smiled. “I was also involved
in track – running, shot-put; but not the
jumping things – and badminton.
“Then when I was nine, my 11-year old
brother brought home a huge golf trophy.
All I got for swimming was a medal! So I
trained with my dad for a year and won the
same title! And got the trophy. I was hooked.”
She turned pro in June 2004 and played on
the Futures Tour. In 2005 (shortly after the
untimely death of her father) she won two
tournaments. “I dedicated them to my dad.”
“I wasn’t playing well. After my dad died of
leukemia, I won my first Futures event, then
on the Texas Swing I had a great run and
had finishes of 3rd, 6th and 2nd and got my
LPGA card. But I guess my concentration or
commitment wavered. With the death of my
dad I wondered if there was more to my life
than my 15-year obsession with golf.”
“I had been at this great university, not dating,
missing fun parties and the excitement. I
was transfixed on homework and golf ! No
parties and no boyfriend! My social highlight
was camping out for a men’s basketball ticket.
It dawned on me later: ‘Is this life?’”
In 2006 she was an LPGA Tour rookie and, as
the first Thai on the Tour (playing three years).
“In 2008 I wasn’t playing well and began
to wonder what else I could be doing. So
last March I packed up my 15 years of golf
and came home to discover alternatives and
spend time with my family and friends.”
“I am still connected to golf. I write a column for
the Bangkok Post on Sundays. I am working with
the Thailand Ladies Golf Association training kids.
So I am in the game.” Will she compete again?
She hesitated.
“I think I would like to start a business. Maybe
golf-related. Perhaps an Academy in Thailand
where I can share my experiences and help
develop an international star. Or maybe a
bakery with some friends!” she laughed.
A bakery?
The burden of intelligence is the introspective
ruminations of the “ifs” in ones existence:
the profound understanding of emotional
balance and the importance of quality of
life. She is not a lackey to her sport and her
innate perspicacity makes her keenly aware
what her superb education and upbringing
can bring in her formative years.
“I also am formulating plans for a charity
event for children after the LPGA event at
Siam CC in Pattaya next February to honor
the work of my father.”
So, she explores her many options.
The easy smile is infectious, the warmth
pervasive and the ingenuous charm bestows
a touch of grace.
While I love jelly doughnuts and a loaf of
fresh, warm bread – what a loss for Thailand
her absence would be to the world of
professional golf.
She’s a quintessential ambassador.
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9
FEATURE
I
want to get this headline statement on
the record: the fairways are the best I
have seen in Thailand.
Okay, they have been blessed with copious
amounts of water, and absent flood-wary
golfers for a month. Regardless, growing
grass this luxuriant on 18 holes of fairways,
greens and tee-boxes is simply remarkable –
and commendable.
The maintenance here is superlative.
“...water serenades the
course like canals in Venice,
and are an integral part of
the tapestry of the elliptical
footprint: its many tributaries
weave around 16 holes”
Now the subjective:
A palpable feeling of commitment hovers in the air. Renewal suffuses the tranquil
environs that envelop the Lotus Valley Golf
Resort, a 75-minute winding drive northeast
of Bangkok (and a 40-minute jaunt from Suvarnabhumi Airport).
Established in 1998 as World Trade Golf,
this recently-renovated Gary Player course
ambles amiably over 7,015 yards of pastoral
landscape and instantly offers a mature and
arboreal landscape.
It is tranquil. No homes gather around the
carpeted fairways and there is little visual
distraction or aural interruption. The elongated footprint of the course resembles a
dragon, with lakes and streams as veins.
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ponds, crossing creeks, ample doglegs, long
(236 yards) and short (164) par-3s, a diverse
range of par-4s (311 to 467 yards) and two
long par-5s (587 and 600 yards), the track
has terrific repose.
It begins and ends with style:
The 434-yard 1st hole sets the tone. Under a
sparkling blue November sky, a wide and receptive fairway (it looks like a carpet) – sans
bunkers – provides the landing pod for a long
approach shot over a deceptive crossing creek
to a front-sloping, sit-up green (characteristic here) flanked by spreading bunkers. Steer
clear of the trees at the left front – unless
you feel like unpacking a picnic lunch and
spreading a blanket near the flowerpots at
the bridge.
Captivating par-3s add to the adventure. The
attenuated 3rd is a beauty. A stone bulkhead
rises up to a wide bunker which protects a
long, front-sloping green. The 164-yard carry
is over a picturesque lake. It’s a pleasure. “This
could be our signature hole,” states Derek.
“But wait until the finish,” he cautions. “We
have more!”
The quiet elegance is
impressive. The course has
a sparkling, emerald luster.
And it is a delight to play.
Additionally, Gary Player has shaped this
course with artistic diversity:
•75 bunkers selectively (and eclectically)
pepper the course: 14 here (the par-4
6th); a consuming waste-bunker there
(the par-3 17th); and none (or one) all
around (the 8th and 9th)
•water serenades the course like canals in
Venice, and are an integral part of the
tapestry of the elliptical footprint: its
many tributaries weave around 16 holes
The backdrop is gracious: a new clubhouse
is adorned in tasteful earth tones and features superbly accoutered locker rooms with
Japanese baths and bevies of hospitable
attendants; a covered driving range with
two-dozen bays and automatic ball feeders;
and a hotel is in the planning stages to entice
the weekend golfer to linger another night
12
a sparkling, emerald luster. And it is a delight
to play
“We have designed a five-star facility and are
dedicated to making this golfing experience
one of the most satisfying in Thailand,” says
Pornada (Mai) Nivatvongs, the UK-educated Managing Director, who had overseen the
resurrection of the facility.
“This course is in superb condition,” states
Derek Schade, a Thai-speaking, Canadian
PGA member, who has been managing
high-end golf courses around Thailand for
10 years (he came down from Chiangmai
Highlands — see photo, at far left).
The quiet elegance is impressive. The course has
“This is my first month at Lotus Valley and
I am still amazed at the superintendence of
this facility. I chose to come here because of
the condition of the course, the wonderful
clubhouse and the progressive, young ownership. We simply have to prepare our golfers
for the extra 20 minutes drive to enjoy this
exceptional experience. ”
We took a second tour of the golf course on
a placid, sun-filled Sunday afternoon with
only a few golfers out and about. “The flooding is still keeping many people away, but we,
fortunately, have not been adversely affected
by the floods. It was close: water crept up to
the rim of berms we back-hoed out. But our
course was not effected.”
All you need is power and touch.
The 13th is a 467-yard, par-4 behemoth
(456 from the Blues) and handicapped 2. It
is pencil-straight with a mid-fairway, rightside bunker, and a sloping green encased in
three bunkers. It is only 37 yards deep.
The 14th provides more fun. This 351-yard
par-4 allows for more self-restraint. Avoid
the tree and bunker on the right and utilize
the wide fairway in front. Lay up. Then loft
the remaining 130 yards to a problematical
green: it has a tier (more like a shelf ) on the
back ridge. Hope the flag is not up there.
The finishing holes are favorites:
The 17th is long. This 236-yard par-3 (200
from the Whites) flies over a desert running
up the right side (and water on the left) and
into a wide green smothered on the left by
four bunkers. Steer a wee bit to the right.
Then some fun at the 5th: a 311-yard par-4
with seven bunkers near the green complex, a
narrow landing area pinched by a lake, and a
decision. “I merely lay-up 175 yards in front
of the bunkers and then float in an iron,”
Derek observed. “Why risk a longer drive
into the water or sand?”
Now the finish. The 600-yard, arcing doglegleft is both a challenge and a delight. Again,
a receptive, lush fairway (with no bunkers)
gathers your prodigious drive. Water rolls
up the left side from the landing zone to the
green. A narrowing fairway elicits caution for
a long fairway wood. The approach (certainly
a third shot) must carry water to a spacious
green (only 16 yards in the pinched midsection) stretching 53 yards across and perched
above the pond with bunkers on three sides.
(see photo at left).
Makes sense.
“It’s a beauty,” Derek smiles.
The succeeding hole is one of the two, long,
Hey, it ain’t braggin’ if it’s true.
And the condition was nothing short of
magnificent. “Nice to look at fairways with
no divots!” Derek mused. But the golfers are
rapidly returning as the waters on the highways recede.
We ran into Robert Barnes, who runs TurfPro and manages the grass here as well as the
two Royal Gem courses. “We got hammered
in north-central Bangkok [the new and impressive Royal Gems City]; and southeast
of Bangkok [Nakhom Pathom] in the older
Royal Gem Sports Club. Those are two of the
five to six top-end courses that had flooding
[of the 50+ we are highlighting] in Thailand.
Bad luck for us. But at Lotus Valley – as you
can see – all is well! ”
Bangkok
•the greens are uniformly front-sloping,
sizeable, occasionally sit-up, and polished
and play yet another day on this fetching,
restorative golf course.
par-4 grinds. The 6th is handicapped 1 and
doglegs left 437-yards past a lot of sand. The
landing zone sits between water and a cluster
of seven bunkers on the right. The uphill approach is over a false-front bunker to a sit-up
green 45 yards deep and 26 across.
The elongated layout at Lotus Valley plays as
nicely as it looks. With pervasive lakes and
13
Recreational
“Beautifully restored. Serene.” “It’s a bit
of a drive, but what a surprise!!” “I have
been back three times. I would like
those fairways in my living room…”
Professional
“First-class.” “I lost sight of this course
and was stunned to see it back on the
map – and so polished and dapper.”
The Specifics
Type: resort
Greens Fees: 2,000 to 3,500 Baht
Caddies/Carts: inclusive
Layout: 18-hole, par-72
Rating/Slope:
6,911 Black
73.1/133
6,527 Blue
71.3/129
6,147 White
69.4/124
5,506 Red
71.5/129
Designer: Gary Player, 1998
General Manager: Derek Schade, PGA
Superintendent: Managed by TurfPro Golf,
Robert Barnes and Kittipong Suabsaun
Practice Facility: driving range, chipping
green, putting green
Instruction: Academy
Walking: permitted
Getting There
103/2 Moo 8 Ongkarak-Bangnamprieo Rd.,
Donkohka, Chachoengsao 24170
Tel: +66 (0) 3 883-5555, +66 (0) 81 658-4236
Fax +66 (0) 3 883-5556
[email protected]
www.lotusvalley.co.th
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14
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LIHN’S [email protected]
of Thailand GOLF GUIDE 2012
15
Siam Country Club
FEATURE
OLD COURSE and
PLANTATION COURSE
Pastoral, pacific and possibly perfect.
in further testament to his dreams.
I have to admit to a bias and special appreciation for Siam CC, because I witnessed
Managing Director Prasertchai (Chai)
Phornprapha, the project manager, eldest
grandson and cheerleader of the expansive
project, working closely with family members and Schmidt Curley Design Inc. five
years earlier.
The renovated 18-hole Siam Old Course
(2007) and the innovative, naturalistic
27-hole Plantation have been painstakingly crafted within the enormous 5,600 rai
(2,260 acres). The charming Old Course is a
terrific instauration. The 27-hole Plantation
is a robust, classy addition.
Khun Chai meticulously organized the
marvelous crafting of these two golf courses. During many visits over many months, I
observed his painstaking attention-to-detail
as the 45 holes progressed: renovation on
the old course; innovation on the new.
I marveled simply because he did it right.
With obsessive perfection.
HISTORY:
Khun Chai was lured back from the US by
his family, who required his organizational
skills and efficient investment-banking eye
to get it right in Pattaya. He did.
The two courses are groomed, courtly and
immaculate. “We call these golf courses the
best 45 holes in the Asia Pacific,” he stated.
Siam CC, just a 20-minute drive from the
seaside resort town of Pattaya, was completed in 1972. For over 35 years, the idyllic, bucolic setting of this golf course – with narrow fairways embroidered by arching trees
and adorned by lush, mature landscaping –
was a magnet for members and vacationers.
But time took its toll, and the venerable, but
aging, course needed restoration.
The late Dr. Thaworn Phornprapha was the
patriarch whose passion for the game (and
for Pattaya) created the original 18-hole environmental showcase (years before golf was
in vogue). Now, in further homage to him,
the family – led by his son, Khun Phornthep – has shaped a multiple golf sensation
16
The sweeping views of Pattaya to the west,
the nurturing use of the pure terrain (a private nursery onsite employs 40 gardeners),
the serene accomplishment of establishing
a golf atmosphere without the incursion of
homes or buildings, are all a testament to
their dedication to the game of golf.
“Golf should be played in just over four
hours,” muses Khun Chai. “We want it to be
a relaxing nature walk. This course has been
meticulously designed for the aesthetic of golf.
PLANTATION:
There is a primal, simplistic beauty to this
modern, cultivated golf course.
If it were an automobile, it would be a
Lamborghini: sleek, polished, fast, perfectly
detailed, luxurious and redolent of verve,
style and swagger.
Opened in 2008 – and offering more panoramas than the Eifel tower; or a good day
on Mt. Everest – this wind-swept, rolling,
links-style track undulates splendidly in
rhythmic, roiling beauty over hilltop terrain. Pattaya’s seashore skyline hovers in the
western horizon as wisps of clouds juggle
for position in the high sky.
Beneath the blue rests an endless carpet of
green punctuated by ubiquitous ground cover (Red Fountain, Love and Yellow Peanut
grasses) and spotless bunkers (well over 150
– the 1st and 5th on Sugar Cane average 20).
Paspalum grass dresses the course in a regal,
emerald patina. “Is this stuff synthetic?” a golf
initiate asked me.
17
Siam Country Club
Plantation
Old Course
Recreational
Recreational
“Both courses are 10 carat. Like, solid
gold. The Old is a walk in the park
and the Plantation is wind-swept links
golf. Superb.” “It is a class experience.
Top Five in Thailand for sure.”
“It’s a restored classic.” “Great
condition and feel. Like playing
in your backyard.”
Professional
“Classic.” “Groomed and graceful.
A parkland beauty.”
“This is about as professionally managed and maintained as they get.”
“The LPGA adores this place!” “It’s all
style and substance. Both.”
The Specifics
Type: public
Caddies/Carts: 400 Baht/650 Baht
Layout: 3 nine-hole, par-36 Rating/Slope:
Besides the roof and the floor, the architecture of this exquisite golf tour de force is
decorated by length. Golfing from the tips is
a marathon. Pineapple, rolls for 3,645 yards,
Sugar Cane (with glorious views) is 3,736
and Tapioca stretches 3,752. So put any two
together and the arithmetic is over 7,400
yards. Whew! The Blues track nearly 6,900.
Downhill helps. Wind, not always.
The 27 holes sweep across the hillside plains,
with copious bunkers (waste, pot, beach,
sprawling, pervasive), a host of natural grasses and the triple-green. Other than your perspiration, water pops up only on six holes.
But the challenge is the distance. Pack a
toothbrush and a tent.
My team insisted on riding this course. Soft,
exclamatory whistles floated past my ears
and we doubled-up on golf carts. Expansive
views exposed dozens of foursomes dotting
the hillsides in 270-degree wonder: anthills
of golfing activity; bustling, colorful, corybantic groups propelled themselves up and
around the sloping fairways.
The Sugar Cane was our favorite. From the
towering tee boxes of the 242-yard 6th (199
from the Blues) you have glorious views of
the Pattaya skyline.
The 9th is one of many elongated monsters:
498 yards of par-4 terror, uphill to a threetiered green that rolls 49 yards deep and only
15 across (part of the triple-green).
Tapioca is no dessert. The longest nine, it
features a 606-yard dogleg right; followed by
a 235-yard par-3 (with the wind this could
be a treacherous hole); and a 581-yard dogleg right with a pond in front of the narrow
green (with a 3 handicap).
Sugar Cane (A)
3,736 Black
3,438 Blue
3,213 White
2,598 Red
A-B
76.1/131
73.5/125
70.3/120
Tapioca (B)
3,752
Black
3,473 Blue
3,211 White
2,612 Red
B-C
75.8/142
73.1/136
69.9/120
Pineapple (C)
3,645 Black
3,401 Blue
3,204 White
2,543 Red
C-A
75.8/142
73.1/136
69.9/120
Designer: Schmidt & Curley Design, 2008
Manager: Kob Kaew Superintendent: Boon Thong
Practice Facility: driving range facility,
chipping green, putting greens
Instruction: on site
Walking: permitted
Professional
The Specifics
Type: semi-private
Rating/Slope:
7,162 Blue
74.1/132
6,534 White
71.4/126
6,191 Yellow
N/A
5,329 Red
69.8/122
Designer: Schmidt & Curley Design, 2008
General Manager: Suksan Suwanpanich
Superintendent: Khun Amphun
Walking: permitted
OLD COURSE:
Antique, charming, elegant, and traditional,
this is an exquisite walk through the park. It
is the popular home of the LPGA Honda
Classic every February.
Two years of precise planning and skilled
reconstruction – combined with 35 years of
antiquity – have resulted in the superlative
renovation. It now streams 7,162 yards over
fertile fairways sparkling with Seashore Paspalum grass and accented by 100 bunkers.
Designed by I. Izumi in 1969, Siam was
Thailand’s first privately-owned golf club.
“We didn’t change the routing,” says Khun
Chai. “We lengthened it by a couple hundred
yards and shaped the contour a bit. It’s a traditional golf course with tree-lined fairways
and little mounding.”
But it now has more enhanced challenges
and elegant characteristics: elevations, wind, five
doglegs, water looming on six holes, a double
tee-box (10th and 16th) and bunkers. Many:
strategically aligned, false-front (four) and whimsically (and optically) deceptive.
“The best part of the course is the last four
holes. They could be a nightmare!” he smiles.
“We have Riviera-styled flash bunkers and
use them as a deception,” smiles Khun Chai.
“At the 11th [par-4, 450-yards, handicapped
1] it looks as if the left-side grouping of four
bunkers is close, but it’s a 290-yard carry
from the blues.” Indeed, the par-4, 423-yard
6th has nine bunkers (including a false-front
duo), but as you stand on the back tier of the
front-sloping green and look down the fairway you see only grass.
The par-3s are moderate (two in the 188
range) to brutal. The 8th is a long 220-yard
carry over water to a 40-yard green wrapped
in bunkers. But the 231-yard 16th (with a 3 handicap!) and water on two sides, defines trepidation.
The par-4s range from 373 yards to 450. The
449-yard 3rd is the second most difficult on
the course, despite a wide landing area for
the short hitter. If you can avoid one of three
flanking bunkers tip-toeing up the fairway,
your approach has to contend with a 50-yard
deep, front-sloping green with a back tier
only 20 yards wide.
The 5s are long but fair (540 to 578 yards),
but wind and elevations (and those ubiquitous bunkers) add adventure.
The 18th is a double-dogleg left that runs
540 yards uphill. Accuracy will help you negotiate the first two shots, but at the angled
approach veering left avoid: a mid-fairway
bunker 100 yards out, two false-front bunkers within 40 yards of a long (44 yards), a
narrow green with two bunkers at the back
left and some unexpected slopes. And More…
A par-72 New Course is being planned for
opening in March 2014, with a water theme
over 525 rai (210 acres).
Getting There
50/6 Moo 9 T. Pong, Banglamung,
Chonburi 20150
Eastern Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 3 890-9600, 081 295-9791
Fax: +66 (0) 3 890-9699
www.siamcountryclub.com [email protected]
The 6th is 443 yards of uphill, challenge to a
48-yard green that is a scant 15 yards wide.
The Pineapple has more par-3 length with a
235-yarder (the 3rd) with a green that could
do time as a runway. And the 184-yard 8th
offers a 46-yard wide green with two tabletop tiers book-ending a valley.
18
19
Lifestyle Intro
Spas and Well-Being
Introduction
Rasayana
Mangosteen
Medical Tourism
Introduction
Cosmetic Surgery, Value Equation
Anti-Aging
Hair
Skin/Dentistry
Places to Stay
Luxurious Hotels and Serviced Apartments
A List of Our Favorites
Tips for Thailand
Caddies
20
21
22
23
tight areas. Then a lesson, a trip to the range,
back to the Spa for yoga, and then a deep
tissue massage, sauna – and a succulent (and
well-deserved) dinner.
The next morning: another stretch, another
lesson, a round of looser-limbed golf and –
ahhhh – another massage. Saturday morning
you stretch again, perhaps yoga, and more golf.
Sunday, it’s up to you: stretch, a lesson, golf.
Thai massage. Renowned in every culture and practiced around the world,
who ever thought it would enhance
your performance and improve your
score? It’s a prescription for a better
game of golf.
Relaxation.
Embrace the other reality that is Thailand:
massage. Spas. Luxurious, resplendent;
soothing, understated; capacious and cozy.
Their ubiquity is matched only by their dedication to healing and relaxation.
24
Your body, your attitude and your handicap
will have been rejuvenated.
The opportunities to treat your golf-weary body to a soothing après-golf treat are
countless. Just think: Repose. Heal. Comfort.
Relief. No 40-foot, twisting downhill putts.
No 600-yard uphill par-5s. No cell phone
cacophony. No blizzard of messages. No diapers, no dog food. Just you, soft music, a massage therapist and nirvana.
A spa. Now this is a golf vacation.
Thailand revels in an elegant proliferation
of world-class spas. They offer the visiting
golfer a host of marvelous, salubrious choices ranging from sports-fitness training (to
stretch, tone and prepare your body – flexibility is key) to treatments to quell the fa-
tigue or bring sheer hedonistic delight to the
end of the day.
More significantly, beyond comfort and relaxation, you have the opportunity to improve your golf game. You will enhance performance by quantum leaps if you follow a
customized regimen to train your over-taxed
body: stretch, loosen and relax. Arrive feeling
below par, and leave playing below par.
Lower you score.
Imagine twisting your cramped body off of
the plane on Thursday afternoon and being chauffeured to your hotel. First, an hour
spent assessing your body and stretching the
25
T
he first Rasayana Retreat unfolded in three-story splendor in
a serene, residential Soi not far
from Sukhumvit Road in August 2003.
Its metaphor lies in its gracious, dignified, ambience: quiet, centered, calming,
healing, relevant and restorative – all in
the midst of the clamor and din of bustling Bangkok.
Rasayana delivers, fundamentally, what its
Sanskrit name promises: rejuvenation. In
addition, it offers (and teaches) its active, affluent clientele vigorous and wholesome
life-style alternatives.
The uniquely invigorating
and recuperative spa is the
creation of Yui Busarakamwongs and
her father, Phillip, who, after years of
visiting spas around the world, have developed a system of treatments for wellness and health.
For the urban golfer, the
Retreat presents enticing
possibilities for physical
improvement.
Better yet, a second Spa has opened two
hours southeast in the heart of Pattaya as
part of a marvelous sports complex gloriously featuring: swimming, tennis, badminton, basketball, fitness training and
– Phillips’ passion – Muay Thai boxing.
Here you can stay in one of 40 rooms and
avail yourself of the larger Spa and any of
the athletic programs. A day care center
is on premises, so bring the toddlers.
Yui and her staff have customized a program for golfers prepared to increase
their wellness and decrease their scores.
The program that they have devised involves: evaluating the golfer’s fitness and
flexibility, implementing a one-on-one
stretching program, strengthen the core
and a series of sports massages.
In the cozy sanctuary of either Spa, you
26
can revitalize and revivify: wonderfully
natural spa treatments (scrubs, wraps,
facials and bath rituals); holistic massage therapies that both soothe and restore flexibility; a fashionable, delicious
and noteworthy Raw Food Restaurant
(that spreads across a garden-patio); a
Body/Mind Studio for yoga, Pilates, and
stretching classes; and cleansing colonics.
The sophisticated, carefully articulated
intestinal cleansing program attracts
businessmen, celebrities, athletes and
princesses. These royal recidivists revisit
continuously for private sessions and the
healing glow. For the athlete, it’s an exceptional opportunity to both invigorate,
and to understand his or her internal engine and increase performance through
a prescribed process of nutrition, exercise, strengthening and stretching.
“We are guides on the road to
wellness and fitness”
The golfer, seeking a balance in his life
and game, should seek this Soi, or travel
to Pattaya, to discover the revelatory ef-
fects. “We are guides on the road to wellness and fitness,” muses Yui.
It’s a spiritual oasis. Make both journeys
57 Soi Prommit, Sukhumvit 39
+662 662 4803
www.rasayanaretreat.com
[email protected]
27
Mangosteen Resort & Ayurveda Spa
Ayurveda Destination Spa
Most often you wander into a spa for sheer
pleasure. Relaxation. A soothing, comforting,
magnificent escape from a throbbing day.
Or a reward for a tolerance; a bonus for an
achievement. A simply wonderful hour or
two of physical and spiritual release.
How illuminating, then, to discover that
healing is a vital component of this happy
process. It can be salubrious, after all.
During a holiday weekend in Phuket – at an
elegant, serene and romantic boutique resort – I
wandered into some illuminating knowledge.
Dr. Subhash Annoji Shanbhag is a dignified,
articulate, quietly passionate man who created and operates the Ayurveda Destination
Spa at the Mangosteen Resort, tucked into
the southeast corner of Phuket.
Hmm…Ayurveda.
Heard about it: Indian, holistic, scientific, been
around for millennia. Bit of an East Coast/
West Coast buzz in the US. Links with yoga,
meditation; herbal, non-invasive. Healing.
Dr. Shanbhag talked patiently and sagely
about his six years of medical education
in India; and expansively about the curative aspects of his profession. Edifying and
eye-opening.
I listened and decided to let him practice
what he so convincingly preached. I went on
the journey.
Ayurveda is the alternate health science of
India. It is a system of traditional, holistic
medicine that has been practiced for more
than 5,000 years.
Considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science, Ayurveda is a holistic
approach to health that is designed to help
people live long, healthy and well-balanced
lives. The name is derived from Sanskrit: ayur
(life or lifespan) and veda (knowledge). It has
grown in popularity in Western cultures.
The basic principle of Ayurveda is to prevent and treat illness by
maintaining
“We carefully diagnose the imbalances,
focus on the diet and life-style and
search for the causes of stress. Blood
circulation is important as is the release of toxins in the body,” his associate, Dr Nitin, advised. “We don’t treat
disease as much as we try to prevent it.
That is the goal.”
You are what you eat! She had several herbal
treatments on her face.”
balance in the body, mind and
consciousness through proper drinking,
diet and lifestyle; as well as herbal remedies.
We addressed two disparate areas of health:
acne and injuries (muscular aches and shoulder pain).
She now eats carefully. Her skin has cleared
up noticeably after two months. After six
months her face was smooth.
Ayurveda deals elaborately with measures of
healthful living during the entire span of life
and its various phases. It stresses a balance of
three elemental energies: vata (air & space –
“wind”), pittha (fire & water – “bile”) and
kapha (water & earth – “phlegm”).
ACNE:
He began treating a 30-year old woman at
the Spa for eight days with recurrent acne
and facial scars. She had gone to hosts of dermatologists and had used the scrubs, creams
and steroids. No impact. “This is a metabolic
disorder. Her skin had been getting improper
nourishment. We spent a week on her diet
and drawing toxins out of her body [which
(she is a yoga practitioner) was in awesome
shape]. We replaced salt, fried, heavy and
spicy foods with vegetables, fruits and dairy.
ACHES:
I’m getting old. My baseball, tennis, basketball, golf-fatigued right shoulder creaks and
aches. For about a month I have lost some
mobility and range of motion. Not good for
a tennis serve. I went to my favorite Chinese
doctor at a major hospital and had acupuncture and physical therapy.
These three regulatory principles are important for health, because when they are in a
balanced state, the body will function at its
best. Conversely, when imbalanced, the body
will be less healthy and productive.
Results? “On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the
first week of treatment a 3,” he said. She gave
it an 8. “We need six months to turn this
life-long ailment around. And the scars will
recede and go away.”
“Here is your problem: that stiffness and
crackling in your joints and shoulder socket
are dry ligaments in the capsular joint. You
need to stimulate the blood circulation and
get lubrication into those joints.”
He applied hot, medicated herbal oils to my
shoulder with a compress and massaged the
area. He prescribed essential oils to be put on
my shoulder for 30 days. “The stiffness will
be relieved and the creaking will vanish.” In
one month, it did!
No shots. No body-numbing muscle relaxants.
“If you build a healthy metabolic system,
maintain good digestion and sleeping habits,
and proper detoxification your body will gain
vitality. We also focus on exercise, meditation, yoga and massage.
28
“Body, mind, and spirit need to be addressed
in unison for balance and maximum health.”
29
Cosmetic Surgery
H
ospitals in Thailand are renowned
throughout Asia for their remarkable proficiency and professionalism, doting service, keen attentiveness and
astonishing affordability.
for decades for their consummate surgical
skills. “Soft hands” and brilliant technique
have made a handful of these practitioners
sought-after, hot commodities on the face-lift,
liposuction and breast-augmentation circuit.
The mantra of Thai medicine is expertise,
bedside manner and value.
Dr. Witoon Wisuthseriwong is, perhaps,
the most renowned of these surgeons. He
taught at the estimable Chiang Mai University Hospital for 27 years and has performed
over 15,000 operations in his stellar 30+-year
plastic surgery practice. Educated in Bangkok’s finest secondary schools and universities, board certified Dr. Witoon spent 20
years specializing in reconstructive facial surgery at the Hospital where he also lectured
for two decades.
Thailand hospitals are celebrated in Europe,
the Middle East, South America and Asia
as the capital of medical treatment, particularly, cosmetic surgery. These hospital-resorts
comprise a happy, healthy hospice attended
by sheiks, barons and Eastern royalty.
To the famously jaded – and occasionally
know-it-all – East Coast/West Coast American, it is a startling epiphany that Thailand is
a leader in international healthcare.
Thailand’s plastic surgeons have been regaled
30
He operates from his elegant, private clinic in
Bangkok, as well as Bumrungrad Hospital, and
hospitals in Chiang Mai, and Phuket (often a
patient preference – they can recuperate at a
distant beach resort with complete anonymity).
He is an artist and adept technician. He has
developed a discreet, word-of-mouth clientele that has proliferated along with his
reputation for cautious, conservative advice
and medical legerity. Socialites, businessmen,
politicians and a host of Western clients
(UK, US, Dutch, Australian) seek his professionalism.
This earnest, 65-year old surgeon inspires with
his calm. “Patients have to understand the
process and deal realistically with the expectations. I don’t perform miracles. I just help, I
make them look fresher,” Dr. Witoon quietly
asserts. “This is a collaborative process. My patients have the need and dictate the treatment.
I advise them of the probabilities.”
And the best part: the cost. A quarter of what
you would pay in the US. Remarkable.
31
ances in my body chemistry: an excess of
vitamin A, too little vitamin C, a thyroid
deficiency and so forth. I took the customized neutraceutical vitamins and supplements and my energy was back in a week.
Like, days! Couldn’t believe it. And it’s not
like a Red Bull high. I feel like I’m 30 again,”
he smiled. “This isn’t about being young. It’s
about prevention of age-related ailments. It’s
about health. I am lean and refreshed – with
a great libido!”
Anti-Aging
Oh, to Be Young Again…
She is a poster-girl for her profession. Youthful, exuberant, focused, cosmopolitan, lithe,
vivacious and sapient, she – as they say on
the street – talks the talk, and walks the walk.
If sparkle were proficiency and alacrity erudition, Dr. Anongnuth Chavalithamrong (call
me “Aoy”) would be the leading anti-aging
doctor in Thailand. And she probably is.
She was, indeed, the first American Board
Certified anti-aging physician in the Kingdom. With her father, Hansa and partner, Kridakorn Watcharachotpimai, she opened (in
Bangkok) the first medical center devoted to
checking the ravages of advancing senescence.
Doctoring runs in the family: in addition to
her New York-trained father, a gynecologist (who trained in New York City where
Dr. Aoy was born), her two brothers are also
doctors, in Colorado (cardiologist) and California (geriatric medicine). However, she
ratcheted up the learning curve and graduated with an MBA from Stanford.
“I didn’t like seeing people so sick,” she told
me during our first meeting. “After medical
school I was assigned to tertiary care in Bangkok. The people were half dead. It seemed to
me that many conditions, the suffering, were
preventable – you could do things to manage
the quality of life. Modern medicine waits for
you to become sick. Then seek a cure. There
was nothing preventative. Why?”
business world as a management consultant
for McKinsey & Company certainly helped.
And her intense interest in healthcare and
wellness drew her in. She is a leading advocate and proselytizer for anti-aging benefits.
She has added qualitative expertise and excellence to the medical value equation in Thailand.
“When it comes to health and
longevity, what difference
does cost make? But it so
happens that this service
is so affordable in Thailand.
Price our service in the New
York or California markets.”
Anti-Aging (or Health Optimization) is defined as applying advanced technologies for early detection, prevention, treatment and
reversal of age-related dysfunction
and diseases.
“Our Anti-Aging techniques result in [and
she ticked them off ]:
•more energy and stamina
•better sleeping
•greater alertness and
•more sexual potency
“We all endure the natural problems of aging.
After age 35, we decline significantly. Traditionally, doctors do nothing
because there is no disease to treat!
But medically we can help: we can
cause a shift in the metabolism
and hormone functions, and we
can rebalance the aging body. If
some key ingredient is missing
from your system – anti-oxidants, free radicals, hormones
– we simply put it back.”
…which is a HUGE draw for my male clientele,” she smiles [50% of her patients are
men]. “Currently they can only use Viagra!
But testosterone imbalances can be regulated. We do it. We correct the balance to more
youthful levels.”
So she started the first
anti-aging center in Thailand in 2000. Her two
years of experience in the
Wayne Nishiyama was a 50-ish surfer who
began to lose his energy. “I was walking
slower and sleeping nine hours a night. I
said: ‘Wow, this is what being old is like!’” So
he sought out the clinic.
“There are 30-40 components in the blood. If
some are depressed or lower we can put them
back into the body. It’s ALL NATURAL!”
Dr. Aoy smiled. “We customize it. This is a
very important procedure for aging men.”
“The exam uncovered some major imbal-
32
And weight-loss and libido
are the consistent leitmotifs
– and results – of the antiaging regimen.
James Moore was a Toyota salesman in the
US and investment banker in Hong Kong,
and moved to Thailand. “At 50 I had lost my
edge. I was a fine athlete as a young man,
but into my 40s the parts weren’t fitting. My
forehead got bigger, my glasses were thicker,
and my waist distended. Things
hurt,” he reflected.
“In six months, at very little cost, I lost 15 kilos [33
pounds], my hair thickened,
and my standing heart rate
was like a 30-year old. I quit
smoking – cold turkey –
because I felt so healthy. At
44 I had started a family
and now have two kids. I
want to be around with
them.”
“It’s about quality of life. I have energy and
every day is a great day. And my sex life! I
never realized what I had missed! It has been
life-changing.”
“We can help correct these symptoms. Easy!”
“Think of seven levels of feeling and functioning:
•Energy • Sleep • Memory
•Potency • Flexibility
•Stamina • Weight
Our objective is to improve in those areas.”
THE PROCEDURE:
“This does not involve taking medication,”
Dr. Aoy emphasizes. “It’s all natural. We use
a mix of vitamins and nutrients, anti-oxidants, hormones and amino acids. It really
depends upon the person’s level of deficiency.
For example, age-related memory decline
takes time to correct. Restoring the saggy libido is much quicker. So we focus on restoring and rejuvenating: stamina, vigor, memory
and potency.
“We revitalize and add energy and virility
into the curative formula.”
“We make a promise to your body that we
can keep,” she asserted with a satisfied smile.
“A male patient told me that he felt he had
the strength and stamina of a 30-year old
and the cranial experience of a 50-year old!
Nice combination, huh?”
THE RESULTS:
A sophisticated, comprehensive set of blood
tests, body-mass analysis and a host of cognitive tests help you establish the data. Whether a loss of energy, stamina, libido or fitful
sleep habits, Dr. Aoy seeks out the cause.
The effects? Youth.
Priceless. Try it.
ADD-LIFE ANTI-AGING CENTER
Life Center: Q House Lumpinee Bldg.,
1 South-Sathorn Rd., room 207-208, Bangkok
+66 (0) 2 677-7077 www.add-life.org
Likewise, for 50-year old Pongkrit Suttapong:
tired, overweight and lacking sexual potency.
“I was sleepy all the time. I had joint pain, was
overweight and my blood pressure was high.”
He has been on the program for four years
and is now thin (he lost 10 pounds).
His 42-year old wife, Parichart – with a history of migraine headaches – joined him in the
program. “I had become a size 16. I was imbalanced biochemically. I am now a size 8. And I
don’t have the headaches! They vanished.”
So how does this all work?
THE SYMPTOMS:
“The middle-age person suddenly experiences a weight change. Same eating habits,
same fitness routine – yet abdominal fat
shows up. Mid-afternoon fatigue – dozing
off – is another sign,” Dr. Aoy said. We discussed memory loss, libido limitations, restless sleeping, and less stamina.
33
Dentistry
his teeth were cleaned and one cavity filled.
All for US $57 – with no waiting and exquisite service and care.
I had a root canal with a complication. Dr.
Virut Arthavun has the hands of pianist
and the touch of an All-Star point guard in
the zone. Schooled in Thailand, he has been
practicing for nearly 25 years in endodontics.
I napped in the chair while he was operating.
Dr. Virat called a surgeon who came to my
chair, diagnosed and delicately performed
the removal of one root, preventing a painful, time-consuming and costly (in the US)
extraction and implant. The cost: US $500
with the crown.
Painless?
Hair
SAMITIVEJ HOSPITAL
DENTISTRY
A New Growth Industry
Microns. Minoxidil. Finasteride. Male-pattern baldness.
ing to the need in the Kingdom. He returned
to Thailand in 1990.
“When you are in your 20’s, your hair thickness can be 80 to 90 microns,” lectures Dr.
Damkerng Pathomvanich, the hair transplantation guru who services a legion of visiting foreigners out of his private clinic and
Bumrungrad International Hospital in the
center of Bangkok.
“I couldn’t even get nurses to assist me!” he
laughed. “Then I treated an established doctor in Bangkok and he was so grateful with
the results, he helped me staff up. Now I have
a loyal crew of 10 assistants. Two have been
with me for over 15 years.”
“When you reach your 60’s, you haven’t really
lost hair, it just thins to about 40 to 50 microns.
You begin to feel bald. This can be treated with
medication. Then there is male-pattern baldness. This involves hair transplants.”
Dr. D is considered the top professional in
this field. The internationally trained doctor
practiced general surgery for 10 years in Hawaii (the Big Island) and interned in Chicago and New York (five years).
He became interested in baldness in the late
1980’s when he realized no one was respond-
34
“Your hair thins. It’s an age thing. Your
choices are simple: medication to restore the
thickness, or a transplant on a balding head.
The medication is straightforward: minoxidil
lotion on the scalp; and finasteride, a drug
that reduces dihydro testosterone that causes
hair loss. Some say there may be a loss of libido, but we haven’t seen it. The risk is less
than 1% after taking the drug for five years.
“The medication begins working after fourmonths, coinciding with the growth cycle of
your hair. It works 90% of the time to stop
hair loss; and hair thickness increases 25% of
the time. It costs about US $17 per month
[five times more in the US].
Some things in life you just want to avoid:
walking the dog on a cold, rainy night;
changing diapers at 3:00 in the morning;
taking out the garbage (anytime); negotiating with the IRS; shoveling snow in a blizzard; having your mother-in-law along on
vacation; a root canal.
“Hair transplantation involves surgery. A
strip of hair is taken from the fertile portion
of the back of your head and three to seven
hours is spent transplanting the grafts – anywhere from 800 to 3,000. They take three to
four months to grow in – this is the ‘moan
and groan’ stage! – and look quite natural.
After eight to 10 months it begins to look
good. The rate of success is better than 90%.”
The pain is minimal (many watch television
or read) and the cost is significantly less.
Doctors in the US charge $9 to $12/graft.
Dr. Damkerng charges $3. Typically 500 to
4,000 grafts are implanted per treatment.
“The most I have ever implanted in one session is 4,550 grafts and the total was 6,000.
We advise no golf or sports activity for 7-10
days. Everything else is good to go. I examine
the patient the next day and he is done!”
It’s a hair-raising experience.
Dr. Rud Sooparb trained
for three years in San
Diego then at the University of Pittsburgh,
and is a Diplomate,
American Board of
Oral Implantology.
He returned home to
Bangkok’s Samitivej
Hospital in 2001. “In
Thailand we are much more
hands-on. I admire the system in the US, but,
frankly, the dentists are often understaffed,
over-insured and must sent patients out of the
office with collateral problems. We do it all
here. And the setting is sparkling and holistic.”
work. It extends to the dental profession.
I and a dozen colleagues and friends have
experienced a myriad of dental services at
Samitivej, Bumrungrad and Bangkok Pattaya Hospitals: laser whitening, root canal,
implants, wisdom tooth extraction (it’s happening to a colleague now!) and maintenance
(cavities and cleanings) in a five-star resort
atmosphere with the benchmark of service.
Indeed it is. Come on Saturday morning and a
string quartet is playing Shubert in the lounge.
And smiles. And value.
The extraordinary dental service and the impeccable hospital treatment is evidence. In
New York City, the cost would be quadruple.
All extraordinary.
My son rolled into the Big Mango with a
toothache. Just 45 minutes later at Samitivej,
Now let’s look at the value:
COST COMPARISON
VALUE...
Cleaning
Fillings
The dentist.
Well, here’s a surprise.
Dentistry in the Land of Smiles is a refined
and sophisticated art form, performed by physicians and surgeons acknowledged for their
manual dexterity. Thailand has a heritage of
renowned artisans of nimble craft and handi-
NYC
$150
$218
Whitening
$1,000
Root canal
$1,106
Veneers
Implants
Crowns
Extractions
Wisdom
$1,554
LA
Bangkok
% Savings
$111
$25-60
70%
$85
$750
$793
$125-250
$1,048
$300-400
$227
$75-100
$7,000
$239
$117
$444
$250-300
$250-300
$565
$8,000
$2,053
$35
$2,300
$25-50
60%
65%
75%
75%
70%
75%
80%
30%
35
PLACES TO STAY
– Great Alternatives –
…and golf!!
Bangkok – six are dedicated apartments).
Who would believe that – at a major hotel in
the throbbing heart of metropolitan Bangkok
– a golfer could enjoy: three outdoor putting
greens and two driving range cages.
Well, sorry that I cannot be positive about
this facility. My frustrating experience with
gathering information, and defining their
strategy for golfers with the Grande Centre
Point Sukhumvit PR and marketing head
was highlighted by (in no particular order):
indecision, confusion, lack of professionalism, and disorganization. And maybe a soupçon of incompetence.
Luxurious Hotels and Serviced Apartments
One of the principal benefits of visiting Thailand is value. The glory of the trip emerges
when that value blends into an extraordinary
fusion of luxury, service and special amenities.
Then your vacation becomes something special.
During my 10 years of traveling in and out of
Thailand (with considerable time in Bangkok),
I have been a guest at countless hotels, resorts
and serviced apartments.
Nowhere in my exhaustive travels have I encountered a country (and major city) with such
value-added luxury. It’s a wonderful currency.
Then factor in comfort and exceptional service.
Impressive. Special. Service at its finest. This personifies the Grand Centre
Point brand.
Regrettable. That property deserves better.
Grande Centre Point Hotel & Residence
Sukhumvit–Terminal 21 opened above
the BTS at the Asoke junction. The studios,
one-bedrooms and executive suites house
short and long-term guests, a hallmark of
the Centre Point brand (which has nine
hotels and serviced apartments throughout
Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri
Grande Centre Point Sukhumvit
Centre Point Petchburi
Sales office: +66 (0) 2 630 6345
LEBUA AT STATE TOWER
So when a second five-star Grande Centre
Point truffle emerged in the Bangkok forest
of hotel mushrooms, I take notice. Especially
when it offers: cosseting service; commodious
guestrooms; fitness center; and a broad array of
recreational facilities.
Centre Point Sukhumvit
Centre Point Silom
Centre Point Langsuan
Centre Point Saladaeng
Centre Point Wireless Road
Centre Point Sukhumvit Thong-Lo
[email protected]
Luxury.
No wonder. The 367 commodious suites
range from 66 to 250 sq meters. Views. Style.
Pampering. I stayed in a two-bedroom suite
for a long weekend and was enthralled. Located near the riverside in the second tallest
tower in Bangkok, each suite offers majestic
views of the Chao Phraya River and the City.
Then glide upstairs to Sirocco, the majestic
Location and convenience. Polished, stylish
and sophisticated. Soigné.
The Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit is five-star
Luxury Collection Hotel, located at the prestigious Sukhumvit/Asok junction (where the
efficient BTS and MRT converge at the new,
contiguous Terminal 21 shopping mall with
restaurants and cinema). Take an easy BTS
ride to glorious shopping: Central World,
Siam Paragon, and Emporium.
This 420-room, hotel is a perpetual “Best Of ”
on everyone’s list. Six restaurants offer a host
of options; and the tranquil Library lounge
(at right) is an excellent spot for meeting and
simply relaxing. I use it often. Most evenings,
soft jazz (live) resonates in the background.
36
What am I missing? Hey guys, why not build
This award-winning, five-star hotel and residence, with its towering 63-floor restaurant
and bar, is an icon in Bangkok. Deepak Ohri,
the energetic CEO, ensures the style and
service. “We have the best occupancy rate in
Bangkok,” he smiles.
Impressive. Special. Service at its finest. This
personifies the Grand Centre Point brand.
a Formula One track and say you don’t race
cars? Why not build an altar and say you’re
not a church? Why not open a restaurant and
not serve food?
Disappointing. Here’s hoping they assemble
some thoughtful strategies and cohesive service
– and a bit of polish and courtesy.
Fax: +66 (0) 2 630 6354
Several years ago I stayed with my visiting brother for weeks at the just-built (and
imposing) Grande Centre Point Hotel &
Residence Ratchadamri. Frank and I dwelled
in a capacious (111 sq. m) two-bedroom apartment in this marvelous 526-room hotel. A vitamin deficiency relegated him to two nights in
a hospital. The considerate and attentive GM,
Khun Ying, went to visit him with a marvelous
bouquet. Upon his return the staff looked after
him, sending up desserts and a get-well card.
In 2004 I spent several nights at the Centre
Point Wireless, which was one of the hottest
properties in central Bangkok. Located near
the US and British Embassies, and a quick
walk to the Skytrain, this was a quintessential
business residence: classy, well-appointed and
accoutered. The 267-room hotel and serviced
apartment still clicks.
Try this out: a unique and impressive golf facility sits dormant on the ninth floor. “Golfers are not our demographic,” she related to
my marketing ace during several quizzical
conversations. “Then why build three putting
greens and two driving range cages?” was our
perplexed response!
A poolside bar, a sauna, a fitness facility, and
a spa – as well as a business center – offer
splendid services.
www.centrepoint.com
restaurant and bar on the vertiginous roof (it
was either Burma or Greenland I saw on the
horizon). It can’t get any better. As the stars
twinkle above and the city lights glisten below (like golf balls descending on a celestial
driving range), you glow.
Try Mezzaluna (pricey but brilliant according to the New York City chef who joined
me), Breeze, or Distil, as well.
“The champagne flows here!” Deepak smiled.
“We sell more than any facility in Bangkok –
100 bottles a day.”
What a remarkably romantic weekend getaway. Rekindle the love. Luxurious and
enchanting. Opulence with discretion.
SHERATON GRANDE
SUKHUMVIT
The event space and ballroom are handsome.
I have happily used them on numerous occasions (for a press conference and several catered
parties). First-class with exemplary service.
The GM, Richard Chapman, has been presiding and pampering for a dozen years and
he is a fixture around the property, ensuring
impeccable hospitality.
A clear favorite and one of the best business
hotels in the city.
Guest parking is complimentary.
37
A List of Our Favorites
BANGKOK
Banyan Tree: Has a marvelous five-star reputation with
sensational views from its 327 Thai-themed rooms. A
romantic rooftop restaurant (Vertigo) on the 61st floor.
+66 (0) 2679-1200
www.banyantree.com
Centara Grand at Central World: Five-star, new and
ambitious with 500+ luxurious rooms and nine restaurants.
Great access to shopping, dining (rooftop on Red Sky).
+66 (0) 2100-1234
www.centarahotelsresorts.com
Conrad: Near the US Embassy, but just a little bit out of
the way. It had a marvelous night club in 2004. It has a
contiguous serviced apartment and floodlit tennis courts.
Hopefully, new management will perk it up.
+66 (0) 2 690-9999
www.conrad.hilton.com
Four Seasons: Classy and prestigious. Owned by the
Minor group, it suffuses style. The 354 rooms (7 garden
cabanas) have panache. Walk to CentralWorld.
+66 (0) 2 126-8866
www.fourseasons.com/bangkok
Grand Hyatt Erawan: Across from CentralWorld with
a hot night club. But the hotel always seemed faded to
me and never had a cooperative marketing department.
+66 (0) 2 254 1234 www.bangkok.grand.hyatt.com
JW Marriott: A popular 402-room standard on lower
Sukhumvit. Wonderful spa and fitness. Superlative restaurants and bakery – love the mango cheesecake).
+66 (0) 2-656-7700 www.marriott.com/hotels
Intercontinental: Stylish and sophisticated with 381
luxury rooms. Easy Skytrain (Chitlom) access and the
CentralWorld shopping. Panoramic Club views on 37.
www.intercontinental.com
+66 (0) 2 656-0444
Landmark: Truly a landmark, this venerable and busy
414-room is conveniently located along Sukhumvit
Road with easy access to the Nana Skytrain. Good restaurants and bakery.
+66 (0) 2 254-0404 www.landmarkbangkok.com
Mandarin Oriental: The GM was a legend and
Old-World elegance and charm was a hallmark. 358
newly-renovated rooms/suites near the Chao Praya
River are grand.
+66 (0) 2 659 9000 www.mandarinoriental.com/Bangkok
Peninsula: I have not stayed overnight, but its reputation
is impeccable (and you can score a tee-time at Thai CC).
It hovers on the other side of the River and you glide by
boat into the five-star, pampering environment.
www.peninsula.com
+66 (0) 2 862-2888
Plaza Athenee: I have always liked this hotel and stayed
often. On Wireless near the Skytrain, it’s a short ride
from CentralWorld. The restaurants, banquet facilities,
executive lounge floor, spa and pool are all top-notch.
+66 (0) 2 650-8800 www.plazaatheneebangkok.com
Renaissance: New and aspiring luxury hotel with 279
rooms – and marketing hard. Central location with breezy
access to the Skytrain, CentralWorld, Siam Paragon.
+66 (0) 2 125-5000 www.marriott.com
St. Regis: New. Also a Minor-owned property, it has
227 beautifully-appointed rooms (including 51 suites),
which are with plush furnishings and refined amenities.
Haven’t stayed, but good comments.
+ 66 (0) 2 207-7777 www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis
Siam Kempinski: An elegant property contiguous to
the popular Siam Paragon. Traffic is brutal, but the Skytrain is close and the service superb. It boasts 303 rooms,
as well as 98 apartments.
+66 (0) 2 162-9000
www.kempinski.com/en/bangkok
Sukhothai: Classy. A US friend who will not stay at any
hotel in Bangkok but this. Great service, facilities and
38
ambience. The 210 rooms are Thai-themed and gracious.
+66 (0) 2344 8888 www.sukhothai.com
a long visit. Break your piggy-bank.
+66 (0) 53 888 888 www.mandarinoriental.com
Serviced Apartments
Four Seasons: An exquisite north Chiang Mai resort that spreads alongside a working rice paddy. Villas
sprinkle the gardened grounds. Excellent spa. I stayed in
a 3BR villa with a pool, maid and breathtaking design.
+66 (0) 53 298 181 www.fourseasons.com/chiangmai
Ascott: Always has been one of my favorites. In the heart
of the Sathorn business district (Chong Nonsi Skytrain)
midway between the River and Silom. Classy.
+66 (0) 2 344-2500 www.the-ascott.com
Bliston Suwan Park View: Owned by the Suwan GC
(featured on the cover of our Japanese-language Guide,
2008) family, this residence is capacious and comfortable
and a short walk to the Chitlom Skytrain.
+66 (0) 2 658-7979 www.blistonresidence.com
Fraser Suites: A superlative brand. Langsuan and
Sukhumvit Soi 11 are particular favorites. The former
has a tennis court, the latter is steps away from vibrant
nightlife (Q Bar and Bed).
Langsuan: +66 (0) 2 250-6666 / Soi 11: +66 (0) 2 2079300 www.bangkok-sukhumvit.frasershospitality.com
Mayfair Marriott: One of my favorites. On tony Langsuan Road it offers high-ceiling luxury and has a quaint
rooftop bar (great for a rendezvous) next to the covered
pool. They prepared a Thanksgiving dinner up there one
year and it was marvelous. Love the morning waffles!
+66 (0) 2 672-1234 www.marriott.com
Oakwood: I have stayed at several of the serviced
apartments. Thong Lor is elegant. Soi 18 has been a
cozy favorite (with a putting green on the roof next
to the small pool).
+66 (0) 2 302-5777 www.oakwood.com/Bangkok
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites (Thong Lor): Top-notch.
Was a guest of the GM for two weeks when it opened.
Superb. Tucked into a stylish mall in a classy neighborhood with great restaurants.
+66 (0) 2 763-9000 www.panpacific.com
PHUKET:
Impiana Resort Patong: A ribbon of white beach embroiders the edge of these 68 upscale rooms on Patong
Beach. This romantic resort offers luxury and calm.
+66 (0) 7634 0138 www.impiana.com
Impiana Private Villas Kata Noi: Four villas with infinity pools and seven suites comprise this sumptuous vacation idyll perched above the Kata Noi Bay and peering
into the Andaman Sea. This is a splurge.
+66 (0)76 330 770 www.impiana.com
Mangosteen Resort & Ayurveda Spa: This is one of my
all-time villa (41) favorites (and one of our supporters).
Billed as “Phuket’s most romantic boutique resort” – it is.
Family-owned and operated, elegant but modest, with
a serious spa (see Spa section), this is the real deal. Call
Hajo and tell him you heard about his blissful idyll here!
+66 (0) 7 628-9399 www.mangosteen-phuket.com
Serenity Resort & Residences: On the beach with a
collection of humongous suites in southeastern Phuket
– and a private yacht for dinners. Fitness, spa, beach. Sophisticated, well-managed and classy.
+66 (0) 76 371 900 www.serenityphuket.com
The Surin Phuket: Bad news. A supposed five-star
beach resort with one-star security and service. A good
friend had money and a new I-Phone stolen from the
room, and was treated poorly by management (who even
tried to thwart the investigation) with neither help nor
compassion. Stay away. Not worth the risk.
CHIANG MAI:
Mandarin: Drop-dead gorgeous. Stunning. Exquisite.
Six-star. A romantic and historic idyll with diverse architecture that is breathtaking. If you can’t afford to stay, pay
Howie’s Home Stay: One of the most sensational
homes/estates in the country. A US friend took 10 painstaking years to construct an estate that is mind-boggling
in its Thai beauty. Howie and his Thai wife take limited
guests at this five-star B&B and it is costly, but what a
treat! Lavish. I spent a Christmas weekend.
+66-81-882-8345 www.howieshomestay.com
PATTAYA:
Fairtex Sports & Racquet Club: This diverse luxury
complex trains Muay Thai boxers and features tennis,
badminton and indoor football. And the Rasayana Spa –
which I have used in Bangkok for eight years.
+66 (0) 38 253-889 www.fairtexpattaya.com
Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa: This luxury, 268room, 10-story hotel is in the city center and overlooks
the beach. It is surrounded by lush tropical greenery. Fine
dining and a spa make it a favorite.
+66 (0) 38 412 120 www.marriott.com/hotels/travel
Sheraton Pattya Resort: A five-star beauty and luxurious, it cascades down to a private beach. It’s a quiet hideaway with three pools, a 24-hour fitness center and spa.
Popular and romantic.
+66 (0) 38 259 888 www.sheratonpattayaresort.com
Royal Cliff: A pioneer of the tourism industry in Pattaya, it has quite a history. Beginning with 106-rooms in
1973, it has grown to 527 rooms. Popular.
+66 (0) 38 250 421 www.royalcliff.com
HUA HIN
Aka: Tucked into 20 acres in the hills of Hua Hin, the
elegant private villas offer infinity pools, capacious suites
and spa. A Small Luxury Hotel, it was voted a Top 10
boutique resort in South East Asia. Gorgeous. Check
out the Golf Package.
+66 (0) 32 618-900
www.akaresorts.com
Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin: Formerly a Sofitel, this is a classic beauty of French provenance. Constructed in 1923 it stands on 16 hectares of
beachfront land amongst topiary gardens that are one of
the great local landmarks.
+66 (0) 32 51 2021 www.centarahotelsresorts.com
Hilton Hua Hin Resort: In the tranquil heart of the
beachfront city, this five-star hotel towers above the
Gulf and offers a glorious pool, spa, fine cuisine, a vibrant and classy night club.
+ 66 (0) 32 538 999 www.hilton.com
Hua Hin Marriott Resort and Spa: On the beach with
a wonderful spa, this sprawling resort is a beachfront
mainstay. Visited many times. It is a 10-minute walk
from city center.
+66 (0) 32 511 881 www.marriott.com
Marrakesh Hua Hin Resort & Spa: The three-rai resort features 76 elegant suites fashioned in mesmerizing
ambience: Jacuzzi, the Fountain Pool, the Oceanfront,
and Celestial Suites. Classy.
+66 (0) 32 616 777 www.marrakesh-huahin.com
Wora Bura Resort & Spa: Boutique luxury. A unique
Thai property reflecting 19th century Thailand when
King Rama V visited Europe. Quiet pampering.
+66 (0) 3253 6999
www.worabura.com
Tips for Thailand
Street Food
It proliferates and is cheap. Portable kitchens pop up at lunch and dinnertime like
forest mushrooms and people dine al fresco
at tables on the sidewalk. Fruit vendors are
a good deal.
Business
The Thailand Tango…too often in Thailand
transactions are delayed or stalled because of
a face-saving custom that believes that “saying no” is bad. So the Westerner thinks he
has evoked some interest, only to discover
none exists. Or the Thai businessman changes his mind. Or she signs an agreement and
then changes her mind. I have dubbed this:
“the Thailand Tango” – three steps forward,
two steps back (and many to the side). Don’t
be frustrated – prevail with patience.
Canals: Fetid. Chao Praya River is as dirty
as any waterway I have seen. When you take
a ferry across, you will avoid three strains of
meningitis by keeping dry.
Tuk-Tuks: If you are a farang, be careful to
avoid overpaying. Never pay more than 100
Baht (US $2.50)
Motorbikes: These “Bangkok helicopters”
are often the only way to negotiate the mean,
over-trafficked, stop-and-never-go bedlam of
the Bangkok streets. But you must be brave,
for they are not for the timid. They weave,
negotiate one-way streets (both ways
– “Isn’t this a one-way street?” I once
queried to a semi-bilingual driver. “I am
going one way!”)
Transportation
Cheap with varying degrees of efficiency
Bicycles: How? Where? Try Lumpini
Park.
BTS: limited to downtown, but glorious –
and great exercise up the stairs.
Car Service: if you must travel around
Bangkok, use one
MRT: (Underground): excellent, clean efficient.
Shopping And Sightseeing
Splendid and so affordable. Tailored
suits, shirts, blouses, dresses, slacks. Jewelry.
Fabric. Leather goods. Street food. DVDs.
Places to go and things to eat on the way.
Taxis: Bring directions. Some of the most disoriented drivers on the planet. KNOW THE
WAY. But cheap. Have correct change. Be patient. There is no grid system and Sois wander.
Directions: It’s hilarious to listen to a threeminute “na ka” session of direction-giving
and then you take 2 turns and go straight. I
limit my driver to 30 seconds to get it right.
Sidewalks: Not great and crowed with stalls.
Take your strolls early in the morning.
Lebua at
er
State Tow
Malls
Central World
Gaysorn Plaza
Siam Paragon
Emporium (6th floor food court)
MBK
Central Chitlom (basement food court)
Terminal 21
Chatuchak Weekend Market, Night Markets
Bustling, inexpensive markets are scattered
all over Thailand. In Bangkok, this is the
main attraction – acres of it – steps away
from the BTS and MRT. Also Suan-Luan
across from Lumpini Park, Patpong, on Silom and up and down Sukhumvit and Khao
Sarn Road (also budget hotels and pubs).
Muay Thai
Exciting, kinetic and noisy. Lumpini Boxing
Stadium on Rama 4 Road.
Siam Niramit
A grandiose tour through Thai culture and
history, as it keeps the mystical past alive.
Grand Palace, Vimanmek Palace
Musts for the enthusiastic sight-seers. The
former is grand, the latter the largest golden
teak building in the world (19th century).
Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Wat Phra Kaew
The Temple of the Dawn, the reclining
Golden Buddha (and Thai massage) and the
Gallery of Murals.
Nattayasala
In 1985, Joe Louis revived the puppets that
had been missing from the Thai culture for
50 years.
Massage
Fantastic. Everywhere in the Kingdom.
Thai massage to stretch and oil to relax. Very
inexpensive at spas and shops dotting – it
seems – every Soi.
39
Rediscover Zest for Life
“Lovely hotel with a romantic feel and brings you closer to nature. We especially loved the water theme.”
Mr. Foluso O-United Kingdom
Cameron Golf
Apparel & Accessories
“Looking great just GOT a hole lot better”
The GOT Brand is fast becoming a
recognized leader in style and fashion
within the golfing world and we have
Professional Golfers knocking at our
door to be part of the worldwide growth
and recognition of this new brand name.
Golf Retreat together @ AKA Resorts Hua Hin
THB 35,400 net per Package
4 days 3 nights accommodation in AKA Resort or AKA Resort Guti One Bedroom Deluxe Pool Villa
AKA Daily breakfast for 2 persons
Daily morning wellness activities
AKA welcome amenities and welcome fruits
2 rounds of golf per person per stay, including green fee, caddy fee, and transfers
A 60 minutes Sport massage at AKA spa for 2 persons
120 minutes AKA Signature Massage and 120 minutes Thai or Aroma Massage for 2nd non-golfer guest
1 afternoon tea/coffee set at AKA cafe
1 healthy Thai set dinner for 2 at AKA Café or Guti Café
20% discount on additional spa and massage treatments during the stay
20% discount on food and beverage during the stay (non alcoholic)
Complimentary scheduled shuttle to/from Hua Hin town centre
Complimentary Wi-Fi
Complimentary late check out untill to 3 pm., subject to villa availability
Cameron Golf is a new high quality apparel
and accessories company which launched the
GOT (Golf of Thailand) brand at the start of 2011.
Dealing with your corporate apparel and
accessories needs for any type of event, we offer
tailor-made services that will showcase your
Corporate Identity in a quality-made product to
your clients and beyond.
Now Retailing in Phuket and
Siam Paragon Bangkok, Thailand
Official Apparel Supplier for Official Supplier for World
Thai Ladies Open 2011
Corporate Golf Challenge
Contact: Mark or Laong Cameron
Tel (Office): +66 (0) 76 323149
(HP) +66 (0) 817 882843 or +66 (0) 878 564426
9/135 Moo 6, Soi Goldenville 4, Kathu, Phuket 83120
Vaild from 1 June 2012 - 30 April 2013, except 29 December 2012- 10 January 2013
The rate is inclusive of 10%service charge and 7% goverment tax.
For more information or reservation, kindly contact +66 32 618900 / reservation@akaresortscom
40
AKA Resorts Hua Hin
152 Moo 7 Baan Nhong Hiang,Hin Lek Fai, Hua Hin, Prachuabkirikhan 77110, Thailand
www.akaresorts.com l www.slh.com/akaresort l For reservation, please call 032 618 900. [email protected]
A Member of The Small Luxury Hotels of the World l Voted Top Ten Boutique Resorts in South East Asia l Voted Top 100 Design Hotels in Asia l
A Resort Recommended by AsiaSpa Magazine
41
Bangkok
COURSES
Alpine Golf Club
Bangkok Golf Club
Cascata Golf Club
Lotus Valley Golf Resort (see Feature)
Riverdale Golf Club
Subhapruek Golf Club
Thai Country Club
NOTES:
Amata Spring
Bangpoo
Bangsai
Best Ocean
Green Valley
Krung Kavee
Krungthep Kreetha
Lakewood
Legacy
Lam Luk Ka
Muang Kaew
Navatanee
Panya Indra
Pinehurst
President
Rajpruek
Rose Garden
Royal Gem
Royal Gems City
Royal Golf
Uniland
Vintage
Windsor
42
43
Alpine Golf Club
Bangkok Golf Club
Recreational
Recreational
“Good location and a garden golf course.
It survived yet, another, flood.” “Night golf,
practice facilities, a par-3 course – all postflood refurbished.”
“It’s a Top Five. Gorgeous setting. Like
a fairy-tale on rice paddies.” “First-class
and maybe the best in Thailand.” “Find a
member and get invited.”
Professional
Professional
“Has hosted many tournaments over the
years and always measures up.”
“World-class layout and service.” “Great
assortment of par-defying holes.” “One of
the best.”
The Specifics
The Specifics
E
xciting, beguiling, charming, stylish,
mesmeric, groomed and gracious, it
provides a marvelous aggregation of
superb architecture, elegant landscaping, excellent routing, exceptional diversity and immaculate conditioning.
The par-4s are fearsome, commanding
three of the four most difficult handicaps.
They stretch as far as 441 yards (the 8th,
handicapped 1), but also have four holes
ranging from 355 to 380 yards, all with marvelous shaping.
This is a course that is defined in superlatives.
The par-5s average 550 yards. Only the 546yard 14th affords a good birdie opportunity.
Alpine Golf Club has the presence and grace
of an exquisite, patrician lady of intelligence,
stature, charm and wit. Refined, classy, sophisticated, clever and vivacious. Bold, confident, sassy and – most of all – special.
Alpine, a private club of 1,200 members, displays mounded, rolling fairways, nine lakes,
128 bunkers, a waterfall, tiered greens and a
veritable botanical garden of flora and fauna
will charm you around this difficult layout.
The 7,100-yard track has a 73.8 course and a
143 Slope rating.
And trouble lurks. The long par-3s are
highlighted by the behemoth 238-yard 6th
with a 46-yard long green that slopes to
the back and front. Bunkers flank the front
and rear and water runs past the right side.
It is handicapped 7.
44
The back nine is just as dramatic. The 433yard 10th has a narrow landing zone and
some trepidation in the approach: up a fairway (with a bunker stretching the length) and
a pond to the left of the undulating green. It
boasts a 2 handicap.
The 412-yard 11th features an island green
and requires two carries.
The signature 12th is a 200-yard loft to an 18by-36 yard front-sloping green with a beach
bunker swirling around the front right on the
Designer: Ron M. Garl, 1996
Managing Director: Udomsak Ngowsiri
Head Pro: Rungsak Takbuntaun
Superintendent: Kasidet Songsirilerd
Practice Facility: 30-lane driving range,
chipping green, putting green
Walking: permitted
Getting There
99 M. 9 Bangkhan-Sathaneevitayu Rd.,
Klong 5. Klong Luang, Patumthanee 12120
+66 (02) 577-3333
[email protected]
www.alpinegolfclub.com
edge of a pond.
The 18th is a 402-yard par-4 with a rolling
landing pod with a waterfall to the right.
The approach must carry a pond to tiered
bunker surrounded by bunkers.
It’s all class.
B
angkok GC is defined by its convenience, accessibility, championship
layout, superlative landscaping, flocks
of fowl and environmental sensitivity. Its location – 50 minutes from the airport and a
half-hour from downtown Bangkok – and it’s
night-time golf make it, perhaps, one of the
most popular (and busiest) in the Kingdom.
It is a golf facility of countless, charming
characteristics: it boasts botanical abundance; claims a virtual outdoor aviary; has
more waterways than Venice; and displays
doglegs; an island green (the 11th); and tee
(the 6th) and a spectacular waterfall presiding over interchangeable greens (the 17th).
It features: night golf; a nine-hole par-3
course replicating famous international holes
(also floodlit); a 168-room resort and spa;
and a golf-training center.
Tucked into an urban neighborhood, the
course excels at making you forget it. An estimated 2,500 different species of tress, shrubs
and flowers bespangle the artfully laid-out
acreage, and birds – ducks, geese, pheasants,
peacocks, parrots and flamingos – are more
pervasive then divots.
Founded as an 18-hole course in 1991 during the incipient stages of Thailand’s golfing
boom, the course was deluged during an intense and damaging flood in late 1995. For
three months it was rebuilt, replanted and
resurrected. The commitment to a first-class
facility has allowed the club to prosper.
Although it was inundated by the recent
flooding, it has been revived yet again.
The 6,918-yard course is dominated by water, flora and fauna. Over a dozen lakes and
ponds are a habitat for both water fowl and
golf balls – 17 holes provide extra humidity
and humility. Appropriately, doglegs abound,
with six on the back nine and a double dogleg beauty concluding the front.
The par-3s are all long iron shots, highlight-
Designer: Chird Boonyarattanavej,1991;
Mah Boonkrong International Par-3, 1999
General Manager: Antonio Choy
Walking: permitted
Getting There
99 Moo 2, Tiwanon Road, Bangkadi,
Muang, Pathumthani 12000
+66 (02) 501-2828 [email protected]
www.golf.th.com
ed by the 175-yard island green at the 11th
(handicapped 9) with a turtle-back green and
high-lipped bunker at the front.
Only three par-4s exceed 400 yards and two
are the finest. The 427-yard 4th is handicapped 2. A long, water carry, a narrow fairway, a new right-side bunker at he landing
area and the largest green on the track make
this a top-notch test.
The 6th sports that island tee, a verdant garden island in the lake, boulders at the front
edge of the fairway, a narrow landing area,
bunkers on the right and a prevailing wind.
The par-5s command three of the most difficult handicaps and two are beauties. The
9th is a 552-yard double dogleg with water
on the left and bunkers on the right of the
landing pod. This hole was selected by Golf
Magazine in 2000 as one of the best 500 in
the world.
The 612-yard 17th is a dandy with two
greens, one spectacularly set on a ridge above
a stream and beside a grandiose waterfall
(above). The dogleg left has seven menacing
fairway bunkers and a 1 handicap.
Bangkok
The grace of the course is evident from the
first tee box. Dubbed “The Waterfall” (probably should be “windfall” given the endorphin
rush of joy as you look down the fairway),
the 406-yard par-4 provides a lovely and benign beginning. This hole is certainly succor
for the eyes. Gorgeous flowers and shrubbery
embrace the tee complex. Trees run down
the left side and water edges part of the way
up the right to the base of the fairway. The
fairway pod begins to the left of an artistic,
stepped-up waterfall tumbling out of a copse.
Approach to a flat green guarded by three
bunkers sweeping around the left and trees
on the right side. Handicapped 17, you wonder if that’s the score for beauty on a scale
of 1 to 15.
The par-4 8th is the longest and hardest on
the course. The landing area is narrow and
decorated by bunkers. You need a good rip to
cover most of the 441 yards. The approach is
to a shallow green (15 yards), tiered and sloping to the front.
Type: private
Greens Fees: Members’ guest 1,800 Baht
to 3,000 Baht
Caddies/Cart: 400 Baht/700 Baht
Rating/Slope:
7,100 Black
73.8/143
6,579 Blue
71.8/131
6,048 White
69.3/116
5,226 Red
70.9/120
Type: members
Rating/Slope:
East Course, A-B
6,918 Yellow
72.6/132
6,573 Blue
70.8/129
6,205 White
68.9/122
5,279 White
69.7/124
45
Cascata Golf Club
Riverdale Golf Club
Recreational
Recreational
“This is quality golf at a great value.” “Gorgeous vegetation and very quiet.” “I played
lousy, toughed it out, and was rewarded
with a glowing sunset.”
“Delightful experience: service, location,
and great layout.” “One of my favorites in
Thailand. When the trees grow out, it will
be irresistible.”
Professional
Professional
“The A and C is a real challenge – and is
excellent. Championship golf.” “Golfers
enjoy the sweep and simplicity.”
“This is the real deal. Wonderful layout,
lots of clever shaping.” “Bunkers, water,
mounding – all add to the excitement.”
The Specifics
C
ompleted in November 2007, this
owner-designed “Tropical Links” 27hole golf course is polished, playable
and uncluttered. But it’s located an hour+
drive northeast of Bangkok and it has not
been, unfortunately, on the average golfer’s
radar screen.
It certainly should be.
Cascata GC is a family-affair and the result
is a polished, courteous, contented experience.
According to Jui Saprungrueng, the GM and
son of the progenitor, Khun Tanawat, the
course is a result of his Dad’s passion: “My
father was in the construction business for
many years and found it tiring. He loves golf
and has invested in three other courses in the
Bangkok/Chonburi area. But he wanted to
shape and design his own course. So he did!
“I am the GM, but he is out here almost every
day observing and suggesting. As a result, the
costs for upkeep and maintenance are high,
but quality is what my father demands.”
Jui has a PhD in finance, taught in Australia, and then worked with a Cambridge colleague in the UK, who also was a currency
exchange expert. The only currency being
exchanged here is Baht and – judging by the
popularity of this track – a lot of it.
Near Lam Luk Ka and Lotus Valley, Cascata
is carved out of rice paddies on 1,000 rai of
sculpted, mounded and groomed grounds.
The three nines offer: smooth, wide fairways;
receptive greens; pervasive lakes (water surrounds every hole but one); a dozen bending,
angling and arcing dog-legs; and ample, strategic bunkers. No homes are in sight.
It’s tranquil, clean, lean and serene.
The ancillary features are, also, commendable. The clubhouse, pro shop and driving
range are all first-class.
The four tees provide solid options, which
they must, considering the A/C course
ambles 7,394 yards (5,684 from the forward
tees). The par-5s range to a boisterous 620
yards (the pencil-thin A4 with a narrow
green) and half of the par-3s average 210
yards. The par-4s extend 342 to 453 yards.
The shortest nine, Course B at 3,360 yards,
is the easiest. Course C (on a separate parcel) seems to be the toughest. The greens are
tricky and severe mounding appears at the
edges. The “C” might stand for “Challenge.”
The marvelous 4th hole, a par-3 travels 183
yards over a large lake to a peninsula green
that slopes precipitously down to the water.
“Many golfers hit that green and watch the
Type: public
Layout: 3 nine-hole, par-36 Rating/Slope:
Course A A-B
3,687 Yellow
73.2/138
3,472 Blue
71.0/130
3,263 White
69.4/121
2,979 Red
72.0/128
Course B B-C
3,360 Yellow
73.8/144
3,158 Blue
70.9/135
3,010 White
68.9/124
2,762 Red
71.1/128
Course C C-A
3,707 Yellow
75.5/149
3,369 Blue
72.7/140
3,074 White
70.5/125
2,705 Red
73.0/132
Designer: Thanawat Saprungrueng, 2006
General Manager: Jui Saprungrueng
Head Pro: Takeshi Nagasawa
Practice Facility: has it all
Walking: permitted
Getting There
87 Moo 2 Lumlukka Klong 15 Road,
Amphur Ongkarak, Nakornnayok 26120
+66 (0) 87 493-3888
[email protected] www.cascata.co.th
ball trickle down. Japanese golfers call this
hole: ‘The Impossible’!” a caddy told me.
The other par-3 is as much fun, albeit longer at 214 yards. Water runs down the entire
right side and more than 150 yards of sand
must be carried to reach the green buffered
by a rear arc of sand that outlines the water.
This is a nurtured course designed and maintained by a zealous owner and son.
“He wanted a pure golf experience,” Jui said.
A fine objective. A fine result.
46
T
he new Riverdale GC is on the radar
of most golfers in Bangkok. Only a
45-minute ride north of the city, this
track is a marvelous confluence of design diversity, ingenuity and maintenance.
This golf course is a consensus beauty.
Built up from exurban flatlands and designed creatively by Jonathan Morrow (who
also crafted Red Mountain and Phunaka in
Phuket), the shaping is commendable, the
grounds-keeping superb and the landscaping
elegant. As the track matures and the trees
grow, this could become a parkland classic.
bosky hill looms behind.
The par-4s are creative and exuberant. They
are long and short and dappled with water.
The 2nd is 319 and the 17th 322 yards; but
the 3rd elongates to 447 yards and features:
water to the right of tee boxes, a beach bunker crawling up the right side of an elevated
fairway; and a long, sit-up green flanked by
bunkers. It earns the 3 handicap.
The par-5s are resplendent not only in their
judicious length, but in their verve. The 1st
tilts for 547 yards past mounded bunkers to a
green surrounded by them.
The course rolls and impresses with: ponds
and lakes (water is in play on 14 holes); acres
of bunkers (nearly 100) – both strategic and
penal – in sprawling, beach, pot, false-front
and mounded (the 623-yard par 5, 6th is like
an hour at the beach); and some commodious and perilous greens (surprisingly, both of
which are at the glowing par-3 8th – more
about that serendipity later).
My clear favorite is the imposing 6th. Here’s
the good news: no water. The rest of the reality, however, is scary: the 1 handicap, 10 bunkers and 623 yards of flexuous fairway strewn
with eight traps all around the two landing
zones (your drive must avoid the extended,
planted bunker preening along the right
side); and a sit-up green fronted by mounded
sand foxholes. It is formidable.
It has an intelligent set of four tees: a 7,001yard journey from the tips; 6,625 one step
down. A Slope rating has not been established, but my guess is the high 130s. It is an
impressive course and a delightful challenge.
The 18th provides a rousing finish and is a
dandy. The picturesque 560-yarder poses a
water carry to a generous fairway with a lake
Type: daily fee
Greens Fees: 2,500 Baht
Rating/Slope:
7,001 Blue
N/A
6,625 Yellow
6,218 White
5,421 Red
Designer: Jonathan Morrow, 2010
General Manager/ Director of Golf:
Pongsak Sabdasen
Superintendent: Supot Puangkham
green, putting greens
Walking: not allowed
Getting There
123/5 Moo 1, Bang Kadi, Mueang,
Pathum Thani , 12000
+66 (02) 501-2789
[email protected]
www.riverdalegolfclub.co.th
on the left and a rousing set of bunkers to
the right. The second shot must carry a midfairway bunker. The approach is to a wide,
flat green with sand on three sides, sitting
beneath the clubhouse.
Don’t miss this. It is gracious.
The par-3s sparkle. Long, short (and shorter), they are handsome and fun (all display
water). The signature 8th is unique: atop terraced greens, you peer down 40 meters to an
island green a scant 127 yards away. Gauging
the downhill trajectory is not easy, but the 15
handicap elicits smiles. Daunting and clever,
however, is the option: an alternative green
perched high to the left, 182 yards away, with
a hilltop putting surface only 17 yards wide.
This is a golf shot. It is a terrific hole.
Bangkok
The preceding hole may be my favorite. The
581-yard par-5 requires three water-carries
to reach a sit-up green flanked by water and
sand. The landing pods are immaculate and
the main option must be accuracy.
The Specifics
The 162-yard 11th is poetic, with a water
carry to an artistic green set in a valley and
framed by high-mounded, twin bunkers. A
47
Subhapruek Golf Club
Recreational
Recreational
“Superb, gracious club.” “Kudos to the
gardener and course superintendent.” “This
is an unheralded treat.”
“Consistently one of the best-kept courses
in the region.” “No topographic drama,
but a great experience.” “Classy and
exceptional golf.”
Professional
Professional
“With all of the bold new courses popping
up, you tend to lose sight of the sterling ones
that have happily endured. This is one.”
“It’s a Top 10.” “Attentive service.”
The Specifics
The Specifics
S
ubhapruek Golf Club (renamed in 1995
by the Princess, translates “beautiful
plants”) is a handsome and beguiling
golf course that rolls gently over manicured
terrain punctuated by hundreds of palm
trees, pervasive water and trademark Pete
Dye bunkers.
Flower beds, bridges, waterfalls, lush landscaping and bouquets of palm trees add to
the earnest appeal of this flat and imposing
6,837-yard golf course. Interestingly, since its
inception in 1993, no golf carts had been allowed, but a recent policy change produced
shiny-new cart paths and a fleet of buggies.
The only difficulty we encountered was phone
communication. No one speaks English.
Another of Subhapruek’s special features
(and it possesses many) is a delicious par-3
19th hole which 148 yards settles many lastminute scores and provides ample banter as
golfers take the winding, sylvan stroll back
towards the modernistic clubhouse.
Water is a fixture on this track, imposing
itself on virtually every hole. Additionally,
railroad-tie bunkers are scattered throughout
the fairways (see the 11th for an extended,
mammoth example) and sprinkled greenside
(the 18th has a pair).
Another Dye specialty is the 140-plus-yard,
par-3 island green, which he made famous
at the 17th hole at the TPC at Sawgrass in
Florida. It is on display here at the 16th.
The par-5s – which stretch from 500 to 612
yards – provide the 3 and 4 handicaps: the
552-yard 1st hole and the elongated, 612yard 15th.
The 15th replaces the fairway bunker obstacles with length and water (which runs
up the entire right side). A wide landing
Type: private
Rating/Slope:
6,837 Back
N/A
6,423 Champion
6,013 Member
5,249 Lady
Designer: Pete Dye, 1993
Walking: permitted
Suwan hosted the Asian Tour International
in 2009 and 2010, and the Thailand Open
(with a US $1 million prize money).
The par-4s earn three of the hardest handicaps
and range from 377 yards (the only one less
than 400) to 422 yards.
+66 (02) 705-6262
[email protected]
www.subhapruekgolf.com
The par-5s are uniformly unreachable in two
(“…and the 18th is barely reachable in three!”
Paye adds) and are delightful to tumble over.
area helps the blind tee shot, then just hit it
straight and long and avoid the large bunker
on the right of the green.
The daunting par-4s conclude each nine.
The 9th, handicapped 2, is a 449-yard gentle
dogleg right. Drive to a wide fairway, staying away from trees to your left and a long
beach bunker on the right that starts at the
beginning of the fairway. Water runs up the
entire right side winding around the back of
the green. The 200-yard approach shot must
avoid the mounding on the left, a bunker in
front of the green on the right and a trap
mid-left. The commodious green you were
expecting after all of that fairway travail, regretfully, never materializes. You have only 18
yards of width on a 42-yard long, flat green
(with a subtle rear tier) to aim for.
play, or sight, on every hole except the 7th)
and six doglegs require prudent course management, and that is the challenge.
Three of the par-3s are water carries and none
exceed 190 yards.
102 Moo 7 Bangna-Trad Km. 26,
Bangbor, Samutprakarn 10560
Golfer comfort led to lighting to enable the
completion of a late round. And twilight golf
on the final three holes – an exquisite par3, a dogleg par-4 (the signature hole) and
a bodacious dogleg 634-yard par-5 into the
clubhouse – make this a terrific (if not fitful)
end to a round of golf on some of Thailand’s
finest fairways.
The most difficult holes close out each nine.
The par-4 9th is a 422-yard, double-carry
on a straight, gilded fairway. The intersecting water past the tee box carries up the right
side and is buffered by a series of bunkers at
the landing area. The second shot must carry
water to the long green flanked by rear-side
bunkers. Handicapped 2, it earns it.
7,125 Black
6,721 Blue
6,378 White
5,712 Red
Rating/Slope:
74.0/144
71.7/136
70.1/132
72.6/134
Architect: Veeyos Phetbuasak, 2005
Managing Directior: Pongsakorn Pongsak
Walking: permitted
Getting There
15/3 Moo 2 Srisathong, Nakornchaisri,
Nakhompathom 73120
+66 (03) 433-9333
[email protected]
www.suwangolf.com
“It’s all about the country club service and
course excellence,” smiles Khun Paye.
The signature hole is the shortest par-4, the
377-yard, dogleg left 17th. You must carry a
mid-fairway bunker to a landing zone with
sand on the right at the angle. Then turn left
and prepare a tricky approach as you must
finesse a green surrounded by bunkers and
flanked by water.
“We decided to use Seashore Paspalum grass
because of its consistent quality and durability. It takes a lot of maintenance, but it’s a superb turf,” says Pongsakorn (Paye) Pongsak,
the Managing Director.
The 18th is the bomb. Water trickles up the
entire left side of the 634-yard extravaganza
and crosses in front of the elevated green,
which is adorned by bunkers in the rear. The
hole is handicapped 1 and means business.
Opened in the autumn of 2005, the 7,125yard golf course, less than an hour west of
central Bangkok, is elegant, exciting, daunting and manicured – and popular. The gently
rolling track is encompassed by water (it is in
Suwan is not an overly dramatic course with
spine-tingling vistas or bracketing mountains. It possesses a design aplomb and course
condition, however, that attracts remarkable
crowds and continues to draw repeat golfers.
Bangkok
Then take a poke over water to that 19th
green. What a delightful ending.
S
uwan Golf & CC is dedicated to the
proposition that a first-class golfing
experience need not be confined to a
pricey, private country club. This is an exclusive, gorgeous golf course – with exemplary
service – available to the public.
Getting There
The 18th is longer and even tougher, but at
the end of this 461-yard, dogleg left excursion (also, with water accompanying the fairway) you are treated to an extravagant waterfall at the 20-yard wide green. Just beware of
those boarded bunkers on the right.
48
Type: resort
49
Thai Country Club
T
hai Country Club features an imposing 4,000 square meter clubhouse
hovering over a lake; locker rooms
paneled in wood and accoutered with Venetian marble; a staff of 450, including knowledgeable female caddies, to charm and guide
you; and lush Paspalum grass that tempts
you to remove your spikes and play barefoot
on the cushioned fairways – or just lie down
and picnic.
In a land of happy excess it’s appropriate to
test your golfing mettle on a courtly course so
superb in service and conditioning. Indeed,
the entire experienced is premised on service.
The members contend that golf here is a religious experience and they genuflect at the
opportunity to putt at this altar of expectation.
The restaurant, locker rooms and pro shop
are exemplary. It is a quintessential country
club experience. If you stay at the Peninsula
Hotel, tell them you are a guest on a quest
and book a tee-time.
Designed by Denis Griffiths in 1996, the
7,092 yard, par-72 championship course is
bedecked by palms trees; bespangled by 80
bunkers – strategic, fingered, pot, sweeping
and humungous (the 2nd), and most on the
back side – and swathed in lakes and ponds
(water is in play on 15 holes); and a handful
of doglegs to add some risk-reward moments.
Although not a topographically dramatic
course, that is its virtue. It is playable, satisfying and immaculate, but is more functional
than sizzling. The Slope Rating is 129.
The course features artful flora as well as conifers, eucalyptus and palm trees. The fairways (and tee boxes) are radiant. Even the
divots seem manicured. Your body should be
in this kind of condition. In its former life,
the course must have been a royal garden.
The greens are pampered and manicured and
have more tiers than a weepy MerchantIvory movie.
While it’s expensive, it hasn’t dissuaded the locals. It’s 2,000 members hail from more than 50
nationalities, and arrive by car and helicopter.
The hallmark of the Club – aside from the
conditioning – is the caddies. Gracious,
buoyant, expert (many are single-handicappers) and armed with hand-held GPS instruments, they come to serve.
The par-3s exceed 200 yards on the front
nine and are contentious. Indeed, the 277yard 6th (the longest) carries a 4 handicap
and is a classic. The hole plays into the wind.
The entire right side is bordered by water
Recreational
Recreational
“Clearly, the best service in the Kingdom.”
“Classy, conditioned and the grandest clubhouse around.” “For pampering and service,
what’s not to like.” “Fun golf, but not a severe challenge.”
“Easy to get to and lots of great changes.”
“It’s been renovated and is, now, wellmaintained.” “Convenient and has all of
the goodies: range, restaurant and a playable track.”
Professional
Professional
“They roll-out the old red carpet here and
make you feel like a special member.” “The
golf is more stylized than exciting.” “Magnificent attention to detail.”
“It is professionally operated now and presents some solid play. Nicely done.” The Specifics
Type: semi-private
Caddies/Carts: 300Baht/700 Baht
Rating/Slope:
6,966 Shark
72.6/128
6,400 White
70.5/124
5,615 Red
72.8/128
Type: private; guests of the Peninsula
Hotel are welcome
Rating/Slope:
7,092 Black
73.9/129
6,520 Blue
71.3/129
6,034 White
69.0/128
5,248 Red
69.8/120
Designer: Denis Griffiths, 1996
General Manager: T. W. Hughes
green, putting green Walking: permitted
Getting There
88 Moo 1, Bangna-Trad Km. 35.5,
Thambon Pimpa, Bangpakong,
Chachoengsao 24180
+66 (03) 857-0234
[email protected]
www.ThaiCountryClub.com
and a trap extends between the lake and
the green. The left side has two bunkers and
swales. Stay left. The two-tiered green slopes
to the front and stretches 43 yards.
The par-4s are not a stern test on the front,
but for the 424-yard 5th, a straight, narrow
fairway with two landing area bunkers. The
tiered green is protected by sand on the front
right and slopes to the front.
The 435-yard 18th is a scenic and courtly dénouement to a grand day of golf (see above).
Avoid the bunker 150 yards from the green.
The diagonal, sit-up green stretches an elliptical 57 yards with a spread-eagled bunker in
front and a smaller one at the rear left. Stay
to the right here.
50
P
retty nice, yes?” asked a smiling Nathawat Aksornchat, the general manager
of Thana City Golf & Sports Club,
as we walked around the refreshing, refurbished clubhouse. Khun Nat is a veteran of
Thailand’s golf courses (and a friend) and
had moved from Hua Hin to help new management resurrect this urban, well-designed
(1993) Greg Norman track.
The handsome and capacious clubhouse had
a smile on its freshly-painted face and the
restaurant was full. “We have invested a lot of
energy into the renovation of the property,”
Nat continued.
“The caddies are the best, we emphasize service and we have instituted special rates, like
Twilight Golf at 700 Baht on weekdays.”
Convenience counts: this semi-private golf
course (nearly 800 members), is located but
a half-hour drive from downtown Bangkok.
After renovation, the course is showing its
pedigree: mature landscaping accents this
6,966 yard track, “featuring three tee-boxes,
fast greens, many lakes and streams and
strategically placed bunkers. We now have
excellent drainage that allows for consistent
play,” says Khun Nat.
And, he adds: “Come early and take advantage of the world-class driving range and
practice facilities.” Or stay late.
Thana City has played host to several professional tournaments in its mid-1990 wonderyears highlighted by the Johnnie Walker Super Tour in 1996 which was won by Ernie
Els. Stars such as Vijay Singh, Ian Woosnam, Laura Davies and Tongchai Jaidee have
also teed it up here. “We are bringing back
the magic!” Nat assured me.
So far, so good:
Doglegs, pervasive water (lakes, streams and
ponds dominate – only the 8th is dry), peninsula greens and Norman-esque bunkers (the
533-yard 14th and the 440-yard 18th boast
them all – and carry the 1 and 3 handicaps)
embellish this playable course.
The par 3s are benign, rolling from 148 (the
splendid – and trickiest – water-borne 13th)
to 239 yards (the 16th).
The par-4s are diverse and wholesome, ambling from 302 to 462 yards and provide some
fun shot-making. The 9th (440 yards – but far
shorter from the Whites), leaning left with
Designer: Greg Norman, 1993
General Manager: Nathawat Aksornchat
Head Pro: Yosunthorn Nichapanich
Practice Facility: ample driving range,
Instruction: Academy
Walking: permitted
Getting There
100/2 Moo 4, Km 14 Bagna-Trad Highway,
Bangplee, 10540
+66 (02) 336-0567
[email protected]
www.thanacitygolf.com
water all the way up; and the 18th (442), angling right with water streaming up the right
side to a peninsula green, are the toughest.
The par-5s greet you at the first hole with a
585-yard dog-leg left trek over six bunkers
and six more greenside. If you drive to the
right and are cautious with your three-wood,
you will have a comfortable loft to the small,
circular green.
The 7th (handicapped 2) arcs 551 yards to the
left around a lake to a green sloping toward
the water. Bunkers pepper the fairway from
about 120 yards out, so the placement of your
second shot is important.
The 12th is a plumb-line 500 yards, but six
sprawling bunkers and a loft over water create
some challenge.
The signature hole follows. The aforementioned 13th is the shortest, but the 28-yard
wide green wears a necklace of bunkers at the
other end of the water. Lovely.
Bangkok
The back nine sports gentle par-3s with short
water carries, but it’s the lengthy par-4s and
5s that add to tension. The par-5s are 600
(the 14th carries the 1 handicap) and 593
yards (17th). The par-4s range to 449 yards
(the 12th, handicapped 3).
The Specifics
And a final enhancement: visit their expansive Web site.
51
Bangkok Notes
AMATA SPRING CC
MUANG KAEW GC
Superbly conditioned and designed, this private and exclusive club features glowing service,
a motif of elegance, velvet fairway carpets and
two man-made lakes. It’s an urban golf-scape,
a golfing oasis in a business-park desert. However, putting aside the peripheral distraction of
the towers, cables and warehouses, the 7,450yard golf course is immaculate. Golfers exult
over the “green carpets” that luxuriously spread
from tee to green. The centerpiece of the course
is water. Two gargantuan lakes spread out from
the clubhouse and edge eight holes.
One of Bangkok’s most popular courses
because of its excellent location 20 minutes from downtown. Leo Schmidt redesigned the course 12 years ago and every
green, tee and fairway was reconstructed
– and five new holes created. It plays long
and tough at 7,015 yards. Both convenient
and classy, it is characterized by a naturalistic look with meandering lakes and klongs.
In fact, one canal passes the 1st and 3rd holes
and every afternoon a local businessman returns from the market and sells his wares as
he floats along. Bring a shopping bag! The
fairways are wide, flat and surrounded by water. The greens are tricky.
+66 (03) 846-8888
www.amataspring.co.th
KRUNG KAVEE GC & CC ESTATE
This links course has been struggling with its
identity for several years. This Lee Schmidtdesigned course is an hour southwest of
Bangkok and sits in a residential community
with an airstrip. It certainly has ample potential, but I am still not sure what they are doing with the course. Its direction puzzles me.
Worth the 45-minutes drive north for the
7,000 yards of gentle terrain that used to be
rice fields, but the course pleases recreational
golfers with a manageable 117 slope. Water
dominates and a 190-yard island par-3, and
four, severe doglegs on the back side make it
an adventure.
+66 (0) 86 300-0894
www.bestoceangolf.co.th
66 (02) 577-4141
www.krungkavee.com
BANGPOO GOLF & SPORT CLUB
GREEN VALLEY CC
This congenial Arnold Palmer 7,048-yard
course is on the sea, 45 minutes southeast
of Bangkok and is flat, with wide fairways,
sea breezes, flower boxes and 130 bunkers.
The beauty of the course is its simple grace.
Sloped at a modest 121, it is a pleasure to
play for the recreational golfer (and family). Deceptively casual (check out the severe
doglegs at the 5th , 7th and 15th) and landscaped artfully, it’s a pleasant day of golf. Just
ask the 700 members.
The name is an ideal sobriquet for this colorfully gardened and artfully planted course.
This Robert Trent Jones course, built in 1988
and a short drive from Bangkok, stimulates
and entertains with fine green complexes.
Rolling greens, an abundance of sand, sugar palm clusters, peaceful lakes and ponds
sprinkled with fountains, abound on these
307 acres, with water on 17 holes. This
7,028-yard course has a slope rating of 130.
+66 (02) 324-0320
www.bangpoogolf.com
BANGSAI CC
+66 (01) 643-9121 and (09) 171-7180
[email protected]
+66 (02) 312-5883
www.greenvalleybangna.com
KRUNGTHEP KREETHA GOLF &
SPORTS CLUB
“Water, water everywhere,” is true for this
compact 6,735-yard course, a quick 30-minute drive east. You will be impressed by
the landscaping, flower-bedecked bridges
and the meandering peaceful waters. This
accommodating course (built in 1969) carries a 129 slope. A traditional Thai look and
feel provides an Eastern tranquility that
comes from its elegantly groomed gardens
and natural flora. Like a martial arts master,
accuracy rather than force governs.
+66 (02) 379-3716
www.krungthepkreetha.co.th
LAM LUK KA
Your reward for your a 90-minute trip north
east is a manicured, trimmed, quietly gracious golf facility created out of an environmental wonderland consisting of 36 holes of
golf, 10,000 trees, quaint bridges, and over
100 species of birds and wildlife populating
an impressive 3,000 rai (1,200 acres) of erstwhile, low-lying wetlands. In 1994, Roger
Packard lifted and floated these fairways like
ribbons of green and stretched them along
canals, lakes and ubiquitous waterways.
Some members have traded their golf carts
for gondolas and their caddies for sailors.
LAKEWOOD CC
Diversity and enjoyment intersect nicely
within 27 holes of distinct, cultivated, landscaped fun. Built in 1994, the course, 40
minutes east of Bangkok – with its lovely
mix of native flora, imported turf, sculptured
waterways, artful sand traps and blossoming
flowers, blooming shrubbery, palms fluttering in the breezes and 26 groomed lakes
trickling around the property – provides a
calming atmosphere. The diverse layout offers surprising challenges: two daunting
par-3s; the shortest par-5 at 504 yards (Rock
7th) is the most difficult par-5; and the par4s are long (five exceed 440 yards).
+66 (02) 312-6278
www.lakewoodcountryclub.co.th
+66 (02) 995-2300
www.lamlukka.com
LEGACY GC
NAVATANEE GOLF CLUB
When golf was still a fledging sport 40 years
ago, a course was built in the rice-paddies
20 kilometers north of Bangkok to attract
international, championship golf for the 23rd
World Cup Tournament (1975). It has been
said that Navatenee helped initiate the development of golf in Asia. The 6,902-yard track
was once rated by Golf Digest as the best golf
course in the Kingdom. Today over 1,000 active members enjoy the sanctified experience
of play at this gentle and historic club. With
manicured fairways and lush environmental
accoutrements, it carries a modest and enjoyable 123 slope rating.
+66 (02) 376-1031
www.navatanee.com
Legacy refracts golfing joy from the domed
glass roof of its clubhouse and the two
substantial lakes. The 25-year old, 7,003yard course (contiguous to Safari World),
is quintessential Jack Nicklaus with ample
hazards, doglegs (10), water and – the hallmark – sand: broad and generous expanses
of waste areas from start (the first two holes
have over 900 yards stretching up the right
fairways) to finish. Water hazards will whet
(sorry) your appetite on eight holes. The par4s range up to 451 yards.
+66 (02) 914-1930
www.legacygolf.com
Bangkok
Located 27 miles south of Ayutthaya, the
historical capital of the Kingdom, the track is
a delight. Charming, imaginative, affable and
full of quirky surprises, it will keep you entertained. Designed by a local father-son team
in 1996, the course is the result of intelligent,
collective cogitation. Its 6,923 yards weave
around lakes and streams with sand appearing in some astonishing shapes and forms.
Rolling fairways, tumbling terrain, ample
doglegs and elevated greens add excitement.
52
52
BEST OCEAN GOLF
+66 (02) 316-3918
www.muangkaewgolf.com
53
53
Bangkok Notes
PANYA INDRA GC
PRESIDENT CC
Just 40 minutes northeast of Bangkok, this
full-service country club features 36 holes of
Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed golf (1993).
Utilizing 1,500 rai of level terrain, it offers engaging links-style golf over flat, open tracks
featuring: soft undulations (and breezes) on
the fairways; water tactically placed on half of
the holes; a grouping of doglegs (the East);
strategic bunkers – many framing contoured
and fast greens; and a vast double-green in the
shadow of the clubhouse. The West/South, at
7,092 yards, is the longest and most difficult.
All four nines feature enjoyable, deft combinations of short par-3s (the longest is 209
yards) and par-4s stretching up to 469 yards.
+66 (02) 988-7555-63
www.president.co.th
This is a dynamic, vigorous, major-league golf
operation with 27 holes of kinetic, hectic and
bustling golf. With nighttime golf during
parts of the year, the course runs in overdrive.
This convivial, parkland facility is 45 minutes
northeast of Bangkok and may be the most
frequented golf facility with nearly 100,000
rounds of golf annually (night and day) over
this well-kept course. More staggering is the
caddie statistic: 700 females roam the golfing earth here, and are considered to be some
of the most knowledgeable and perky in the
golfing universe.
+66 (02) 943-0000
www.panyagolf.com
PINEHURST GOLF & CC
ROSE GARDEN GC
Opened in January 1996, the Arthur Hillsdesigned course is a 30-minute drive east of
Bangkok. Taken over by the Central Department store group, this course has undergone
significant changes. The stately clubhouse and
the 6,952-yard track has groomed fairways,
Like a splendid geisha, this course, located 40
kilometers southwest of Bangkok is courtly,
stylish, groomed and grand in tradition. It is
one of Thailand’s oldest and most estimable
courses – and also a leading venue for cultural shows at the Rose Garden Hotel. Built
in 1972, it runs 7,085 yards. At 8:00 am you
can view elephants from the Cultural Show
taking a morning stroll. The condition is superb. Water is a pervasive obstacle.
+66 (03)432-2770/422-5517
[email protected]
ROYAL GEMS GOLF & SPORTS
Courtly, manicured, studiously private and
conveniently located 20 minutes north of
Bangkok en route to the Don Muang airport, this elegant 6,568-yard track is fun to
play and a rigorous challenge if you can get
a member (and they are zealots) to bring you
along. Or just call the club and see if a tee
time is available. It’s a beauty.
A 50-minute drive west of Bangkok, this
7,192-yard veteran track took a big hit from
the floods. Major improvements made it better. Always a pleasant stroll as you traverse
the flat, lagoon-festooned landscape. The
fairways are wide and often narrow and water is in serious play on a dozen holes. The
fairway bunkering is high-mounded and the
greens are huge, sloping and protected by
sand, mounds and swales. Par-3s are handsome and fun. A resort hotel has 50 rooms.
It’s back in action and worth the visit.
+66 (02) 955-0055
www. rajpruek.com
+66 (03) 429-7723
www.royalgems.com
RAJPRUEK CC
VINTAGE CLUB
THE ROYAL GEMS GOLF CITY
UNILAND GOLF & RESORT
This new, private club was on track to
become one of Bangkok’s grandest with
18 sculpted holes replicating the best golf in
the world (they have the 17th at TPC Sawgrass; the cover of my first Guide in 2002)
– until the floods submerged most of the
glorious course on the eve of its opening in
late autumn of 2011. By mid-year it should
recover its magnificence and the clubhouse
opened. Stay tuned. When finished it will be
the “must play.”
An hour west in Nakorn Pathom (near the
Rose Garden and Suwan courses), these
+66 (0)2 577-8500
www.royalgemscity.com
THE ROYAL GOLF & CC
This scenic 7,123-yard course just minutes
from the Suvarnabhumi airport, is spread
over 2,000 rai and uses all of Mother Nature’s embellishments to burnish the experience. Canals flow through many of the holes
and the soft-sand bunkers are flat, wide and
decorative. The greens are tiered and fast.
Two long par-3s (the 17th is handicapped 8)
and par-4s (the 14th is 466 yards) add some
whimsy (the “Mickey Mouse” hole) and adventure. The course is bathed in repose. Four
of the last five holes – while long – are a joy
to play. Worth a trip. Book the villas.
lots of bunkers, water in play on 14 holes, an
audacious 434-yard dogleg and two quaint
waterlogged par-3 s on the front side. Want
to re-visit because I’m hearing terrific things
+66 (02) 707 3820-5
www.vintagegolfthai.com
27 holes (A and B play at 6,986 yards) are
graceful, well-managed and popular among
the denizens. Over a dozen lakes and ponds
curl around the courtly fairways, and the atmosphere is pleasant – with a touch of suburbia – cheerful and colorful. The B Course,
641-yard double-dogleg (book-ended by water, no less) is the champion hole. A group of
the 350 caddies were taking Japanese lessons
when I visited.
+66 (03) 424-3444
www.unilandgolf.com
WINDSOR PARK & GOLF CLUB Cheerful golf is spread through 27 holes of
a lovely, naturalistic landscape with rolling
fairways, mounded bunkers, wavy greens
with palm tree backdrops, chirping bird life
and pervasive lakes. Opened in 1993, and
75 minutes from town, it has a sparkle and
panache. The atmosphere is scenic and buoyant, the golf first-rate. It’s pacific, and sets the
mood for a delightful day of golf.
+66 (02) 989-4200
www.windsorpark.co.th
+66 (02) 738-0138
www.royalgolfclubs.com
54
54
Bangkok
Built in 1988 this 27-hole facility, 45 minute north of Bangkok is one of the busiest in
Thailand. 500 caddies roam the three nines –
all with water, bunkers and mounding in play
– providing some compelling golf. Check out
the West (4th and 6th) and the 8th holes on
the North and South. No template golf here.
It hosted the Johnnie Walker Classic in 1992.
Night golf is available.
+66 (02) 516-8679
www.pinehurst.co.th
55
55
Pattaya, Rayong and Eastern Thailand
Laem Chabang International Country Club
Recreational
“Spectacular facility. I rank it top five.”
COURSES
Professional
Laem Chabang International Country Club
Rayong Green Valley Country Club
St. Andrews 2000
Siam Country Club (see Feature)
• Plantation Course
• Old Course
Silky Oak Country Club
Soi Dao Highland Golf Club
NOTES
Bangpakong
Bangpra
Burapha
Crystal Bay
Eastern Star
Green Wood
Kao Kheow
Mountain Shadow
Pattana Golf & Sports Resort
Phoenix
Pleasant Valley
Royal Lakeside
“Consensus Top Ten. Facilities superb,
service great, food yummy and nice people
all around.” “Solid championship golf.”
The Specifics
T
his is a quintessential resort golf
course. It’s Nicklaus, it’s manicured,
and it’s a beauty.
Rolling for 27 holes over and around 700
verdant and luxurious acres of valley, hills,
lakes, waterfalls and vivid vegetation, the Laem
Chabang International CC – 30 minutes from
Pattaya – provides style, grace and challenge.
Arboreal elegance, gleeful accommodations
and superb conditioning make it one of the
best golfing facilities in Thailand.
In 1994, Jack Nicklaus shaped the natural
rock, hilly terrain, superb landscaping and
meandering streams to fashion a scenic and
lush golf course.
This estimable resort has a naturalistic and
fecund beauty to it. Coconut and palm trees
embroider the fairways and gardens and
flowerbeds splash color from tee-box to
green. Several bridges are festooned with floral arrangements that provide glorious soft-
ness to the already serene setting.
In point of fact, there is a signpost at every
tee-box highlighting the genus of flowers that are so marvelously pervasive and
abundant: Night Blooming Jasmine, Rose
Jasmine, Snowy Orchid Tree… Add to that
enchanting scenery over 130 species of birds.
The course has three distinct nines. The
Mountain course has elevations, drops and
views, along with ample doglegs. The Lake
course, also, is dominated by doglegs and water. The Valley course features more doglegs,
a beach-load of bunkers and water intersecting the first four fairways.
All three nines play at par-36 and range to
3,619 yards (the Valley). The six par-3s do
not exceed 212 yards, but keep an eye on the
175-yarder on the Mountain course with its
sneaky 4 handicap. The par-5s range from
518 to 550 yards. The par-4s are the struggle.
The Lake and Valley courses boast a 441 and
454-yard one handicap par-4. Indeed, the
two most difficult holes on each nine are 4s.
COURSE A: MOUNTAIN
The signature hole is the 384-yard 6th hole,
with water on the left and O.B. on the right.
Drive to a commodious landing area and
from here it gets miserable. You approach
over a narrowing fairway to a green 35-yards
deep sitting on a bulkhead on the edge of
that left-side lake. A deep bunker protects
the right side.
56
Course B: Lake
3,419 Black
3,265 Blue
3,032 White
2,700 Red
Course B-C
73.3/133
71.3/132
69.3/121 72.0/127
Course C: Valley
3,619 Black
3,456 Blue
3,255 White
3,009 Red
Course C-A
73.8/139
72.0/137
69.9/124
72.6/128
Designer: Jack Nicklaus, 1993
General Manager: Somsak Hataipiemsuk
Night Golf: nine holes
Getting There
106/8 Moo, 4 Beung, Chonburi 20230
+66 (03) 837-2273
[email protected]
www.laemchabanggolf.com
COURSE B: LAKE
The 6th is a 441-yard beauty. The prodigious
drive must avoid a bunker (and water) on
the inside angle at the dogleg right. Then
leave this pod, carry a pond and hit the target green resting behind a high bulkhead
bordering the lake. The green is but 24 yards
deep.
COURSE C: VALLEY
This is the most difficult nine. Labor your
way through the first four holes, three of
which are par-4s that average 435 yards.
They all feature fairways intersected by water.
The beauty on this group is the 4th, a behemoth at 454 yards (handicapped 1. )
Eastern Thailand
The fairways are characteristically wide, bunkered, slightly rolling and slanted. The greens
are modest with subtle undulations and occasional gentle tiers. Other touches add grace:
the mounded tree and rock garden adorning
the intruding bunkers in the middle of the
fairway on the 4th hole of Mountain, trellised waterfalls accenting the edges of several
fairways, and wooden bridges that clatter over
streams edged with flora.
Type: resort
Layout: three nines (each par-36)
Rating/Slope:
Course A: Mountain
Course A-B
3,446 Black
72.5/136
3,298 Blue
70.9/131
3,050 White
68.6/122
2,704 Red
70.5/124
Lovely.
57
St. Andrews 2000
I
return year-after-year and still find this
course a treat. Well-maintained, great
service, shortened a wee bit, but still full
of zest and surprises.
The links-style, out-and-back course is highlighted by the 700-yard 4th and 910-yard
13th with huge tiered-greens set amidst bunkers and water.
This is, still, the most creative course in Thailand. Daring, full of energy and exhilaration, it is a surrealistic stretch of the golfing
imagination, pushing past the boundaries of
design expectation.
Although outsized in length, the course has
balance and plays at an accessible 6,862 and
6,303 yards from the two mid-tees. The par3s are exceptional and difficult. The prodigious 239-yard 17th is handicapped 2. The
par-4s travel from 326 to 468 yards and offer
a great range of golf shots. The two par-5s are
handicapped 16 and 17 (the 7th is 602 yards)!
It is also beautifully groomed and as decorative as they come. It has swagger, pizzazz
and accomplishment.
Kinetic in conception, frenetic in implementation, it is topographically gyroscopic and
wonderfully kaleidoscopic. The mounding is
bodacious, the landscaping artistic, the routing outrageous and the style pure class.
Designed by the estimable, flamboyant and
whimsical Desmond Muirhead, the par-74 St.
Andrews 2000, was crafted with a sweeping
Scottish links-look over 7,540 yards of picturesque, countryside. His is a creative mind
twirling with the wonders of golfing possibility. He is the Salvador Dali of golf architects.
These 18 (well, 19) holes sparkle with eccentric excitement. This is a course on steroids
with implausible possibilities: roiling, dramatic mounds; two-tiered fairways; over-sized,
heaving, elevated greens; water (in a multitude
of aqueous forms); and glorious flowers all add
to the buzz of this whirling-dervish track.
58
Most interesting, however, is the bold assortment of memorable holes. It’s a daunting
challenge and a superb hoot out there.
The par-6 4th voyages 700 yards of dogleg
terror with two significant water carries.
Drive an expansive lake nearly 200 yards to
reach the first fairway pod. Your second shot
flies to the right to the long fairway running
500 yards to the green. Another prodigious
wood must avoid water on the left. If you are
both lucky and long, you will reach the green
Recreational
Recreational
“It has stood the test of time. Top 10.”
“This is a golf course! Two par-6s!” “It is
designed with off-the-wall artistry and is
a delight.”
Rayong Green Valley “Great layout and,
solid challenge. Really like it.” “It’s a course
you keep playing and enjoy every time.”
Professional
Professional
“This is a big-league challenge from the tips.”
“Iit’s a carefully calibrated course that
demands respect.” “Top tier.”
“Excellent track and popular.” “Underrated.”
The Specifics
Type: resort
Type: resort
Rating/Slope:
7,540 Blue
77.7/143
6,862 Yellow
76.1/138
6,303 White
71.5/130
5,334 Red
71.6/127 Designer: Desmond Muirhead, 2000
MD: Narongdej Sinthukiow
General Manager: Nirand Phimwong
Getting There
5-9/36 Moo 7, Banchang, Rayong 21130
+66 (03) 889-3838
[email protected]
www.standrews2000golf.com
(which, thankfully, has but two bunkers and
a berm backboard to stop your 200-plus approach) in four and enjoy a two-tiered, dipping putt. It’s handicapped 1.
Stop at the kiosk and order a valium to go.
Prepare the artillery for the longest consecutive holes in the universe: the 910-yard par-6
(no typo) and the 468-yard 14th: 1,378 yards
of par-10 golf.
If you played from the back tees, file your
flight plan and find the masseuse.
The Specifics
SILKY OAK CC
Silky Oak CC has 18 of its new 36 holes
up and running. They are shaping up to be a
sterling addition to the two adjoining courses. Designed by the St. Andrews staff, the
two courses feature elevations and distant
views, flaunt 10 lakes and ponds, and present
a host of terraced tee-boxes.
When completed at the end of the year,
the “A” course will be a British-style design
with pot bunkers and small, oval or round,
flat greens; the “B” is American in style with
free-form bunkers and bigger, shapely greens.
For now you have a nine from each totaling
7,041 yards with a terrific balance of playful
par-3s, testing par-4s (four run from 420 to
468 yards) and judicious par-5s with gentle
handicaps (except for the 585 13th the most
difficult on the “A” nine).
The distinguishing feature of this irriguous
course is the “twin” design concept: contiguous tee boxes, matching greens, and the
shared fairways. And, oh, the water.
The half-way house is perched on a hill with
panoramic, 360-degree views, and just below
the enticing, hilltop par-3 5th, a sylvan beauty that loops 150 yards into an amphitheatre
green (above).
The first three holes are all dolled-up with
plenty of adorable accessories: flowering
bushes form bracelets around the fairways
and swaying palm trees are draped like necklaces around the greens. Lakes and waterfalls
are lovely accoutrements and towering trees,
tumbling fairways, dramatic doglegs and diverse greens all add romance.
Take a walk, hold its hand, and by the time
you complete your round, your arms will be
wrapped around her.
Designed by Peter Thomson in 1992, this
6,980-yard course boasts one long (239 yards)
and three short, stylish par-3s. The par-4s
stretch as far as 456 yards (the 1st), and five in
the 368+ range. The par-5s feature water and
doglegs and range from 506 to 575 yards.
Giggles and happy wonder march along with
you as you negotiate the: subtle double-dogleg 536-yard 3rd with water on the left and
bunkers on the right; the 6th, a 395-yarder
with mid-fairway bunkers; and the 8th, the
longest par-5 with no fairway bunkers, water
on the left and a hilltop green.
Perhaps the personification of the floral
landscape of this course appears at the 174yard 16th. You are ready to propose. As you
SILKY OAK CC
Rating/Slope:
7,041 Blue
N/A 6,514 Yellow
5,973 White
5,232 Red
Designer: in-house team, 2011-2012
RAYONG GREEN VALLEY GC
Rating/Slope:
6,980 Blue
73.5/137 6,306 White
70.1/125
5,217 Red
69.7/115
Designer: Peter Thomson, 1992
MD: Narongdej Sinthukiow
General Manager: Nirand Phimwong
Practice Facility: double-sided driving
range, bunkered putting green Getting There
9/36 Moo 7 T. Sumnukthon,
Banchang, Rayong 21130
+66 (0) 3 803-0660
[email protected]
www.standrews2000golf.com
finish you drive past an expansive rock and
cactus garden with sprawls along the cart
path. Love is in the air.
I am told that the second date is as thrilling as the first.
Collectively, these 72 holes of distinctive and
gracious golf offer an outstanding one-stop
golf-holiday destination.
RAYONG GREEN VALLEY CC
Picturesque Rayong Green Valley CC is
framed by rolling hills and adorned by colorful flowers and shrubbery. It shares the
sprawling acreage with its sisters, St. Andrew’s 2000 and the new and impressive
Silky Oak CC.
Eastern Thailand
How about: a gargantuan boulder garden
at the 4th, gracious waterfalls, spouting
fountains, pervasive lakes, playful islands,
misshapen canyons and hollows, insistent
elevations and views, split-level and tiered
fairways, an extra 150-yard par-3 hole with
an island green, festering bunkers (15 on the
diabolically tempting, dogleg par-4 6th over
a lake), a fairway shaped liked a woman’s
body and – best of all – two demonic par-3s?
It’s audacious, stunning and inspiring. But it’s
difficult. Don’t come to conquer. Come, instead, to be stimulated, regaled and humbled.
Silky Oak CC and Rayong Green Valley GC
If St. Andrew’s is the busty, brassy, over-thetop big-night out, then this is the unexpected, pleasurable, courtly blind date: demure,
poised, well-dressed, mannered and possessing a wonderful personality.
59
Soi Dao Highland Golf Club
Pattaya, Rayong and Eastern Thailand Notes
Recreational
BANGPAKONG RIVERSIDE CC
“One of the best golf courses in the country,
and unquestionably the best value. You just
have to get there!” “Don’t miss this. A night
in the quaint resort and dinner on the patio
will be good for your stressed soul.”
“An excellent course. Top 10.” “I brought 50
people here to play and saw 51 smiles.” “It’s
special and underplayed.”
Chonburi 20230
+66 (03) 837-2700
www.buraphagolfthailand.com
The Specifics
C
an you justify the three-hour drive from
Bangkok? You bet.
Clearly country, maybe rustic, but definitely
worth the excursion, the Soi Dao Highland
Golf Club is a jewel of a golf course located
deep in the southeast region of the Kingdom.
Scenic? For you movie buffs, it’s as if “Sound
of Music” meets “South Pacific.” Rimmed by
the beautiful Khao Soi Dao mountain chain,
the property ripples with naturalistic style.
Blessed with surrounding forests; embroidered with indigenous trees; and sporting a
splendid terrain that rolls and dips around
and through creeks, ponds and lakes (with a
waterfall or two), this course is as rewarding
and gratifying as a christening at St. Patrick’s
Cathedral, a Sweet Sixteen party at Harrod’s,
a bowl of Beluga at a bar mitzvah, or owning
a water cannon at Songkran.
This track gives new definition to diversity:
it’s an arboretum, a wildlife sanctuary, a meteorological station, a nature trail and an invigorating asylum for the golfer.
In 1995, Denis Griffiths designed the gently
rolling fairways and slanting greens that tumble for 7,162 yards.
“When the course was built,” according to
LtG. Bharawee (Pong) Janlekha, “no damage
was done to nature. Not one tree fell down.
They were all moved and replanted by tractor.”
And it shows. Trees that are indigenous only
to the area, such as the ngew (“like a big rose
bush”), samrong (“it bears a big, juicy fruit”)
and the chamoung (“a delicious food only in
the east where the leaf is eaten like a curry
– but not so hot!” says the General) flourish
here. The area, by the way, is also known for
its fertile and robust fruit market producing
rambutan, durian, longan, and mangosteen.
The golf is just as fruitful. Long par 4s – the
6th reaches 476 yards – are the greatest challenge. Five par-4s go beyond 430 yards. The
par-3s are also long, three exceeding 200 yards.
The par-5s stretch from 533 to 583 yards.
Intersecting creeks and ponds come into play
on over half the holes and several gentle dog-
General Manager: LtG. Bharawee Janlekha
Getting There
224 Moo 2, Tambol Tabsai, Pong Nam Ron
District, Chantaburi 22140
+66 (03) 932-6401 FAX: (03) 932-6888
[email protected]
www.soidaohighland.com
BANGPRA INTERNATIONAL GC
After the 201-yard par-3 12th, walk past
the kiosk about 50 meters and take a look
at the waterfall. Go for a hike. Then examine the weather station.
Why play golf ? Just go sightseeing. It’s a
perfect setting. Take the trip.
Built in 1991 by Robert Trent Jones, this is
another fine course making a valiant comeback from years of complacence. The 7,134yard track was carved out of a coconut palm
plantation and weaves its way around the
residences on the resort. Water is in play on a
dozen holes (11 lakes pepper the landscape),
as are 10 doglegs (one double – the short
8th). Bunkers (65) and over 2,000 palms
decorate your round.
Banchang, Rayong 21130
+66 (03) 863-0410
www.easternstargolf.com
CRYSTAL BAY GOLF CLUB
GREEN WOOD GOLF CLUB
This 27-hole track is just over an hour from
Bangkok. Some rugged doglegs (A2nd and
B3rd) and a trio of short, signature, par-3 island greens (A 8th, B4th and C7th) provide
ample adventure and diversity. The par-4s are
the test here and the reason the slope ratings
run up to 135. Any combination of the three
nines comes out to nearly 7,000 yards. Condominiums are across the street and provide
a night at the inn for 45 holes of neighborhood golf.
This 1994 Peter Thomson-designed course
is under new ownership. And a good thing,
for these 27 holes of creative architecture are
too splendid to be left languishing. Shaped
over the natural terrain and punctuated by
mounding, swales, hollows, sand (beware)
and palm trees, the five-time British Open
champ has affectionately replicated the UK
links courses he dominated on this inland
landscape. It’s about as relaxed a layout as
you’ll find and a great value. The six par-4s
that bracket each of the nines are solid.
Bangphra, Sriracha, Chonburi 20210
+66 (03) 839-3001
www.legacygolf.com
Bangpung, Chonburi 20220
+66 (03) 826-3158
www.gwgolfclub.com
The Club had its genesis in 1958 when the
TAT decided to engender an interest in golf.
The 7,209-yard course was taken over by Japanese owners and reconfigured in 1987. The
valleys and hillsides echo with color from the
mature trees and flowering shrubbery as well
as dozens of lakes and ponds that lace and
decorate the fairways. Water is in play on 13
holes and temperate doglegs add excitement.
The par-5s, are long and longer (622 yards).
The par-3s stretch from 206 to 228 yards.
Four prodigious par-4s exceed 431 yards.
Eastern Thailand
The back nine begins with perilous par4s running 419 and 469 yards. The 11th
is handicapped 2. The slight dogleg left is
shaped by a rim of mountains.
Saenpudart, Chachoengsao 24140
+66 (03) 850-0500
www.brc-golfcourse.com
Your initiation is tough. The 1st hole travels
438 yards and is handicapped 3 with a blind
drive to a fairway bunker down the right
side. The second shot travels downhill clearing an intersecting creek before the green.
The 4th, the toughest handicapped hole,
travels 552 yards on a slight dogleg left path.
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Halfway between Bangkok and Pattaya, the
18-holes sit like a vast island in a network
of rivers, lagoons and lakes. At 7,140 yards
and spread out over a 600-rai preserve, the
club was voted one of Asia’s most popular
golf courses at its inception in 1981. While it
has a links-flavor, its decades of growth and
the wonderful ecological patina give it more
of a parkland feel. Spread along the Bangpakong River, this long, appealing, hybrid track
ripples with a leitmotif of water. Doglegs accent the wide, level fairways at a dozen holes.
legs add some drama.
The real fun kicks in at the 3rd and 4th
holes. The 3rd, the signature hole, is a 206yard par-3 stunner (see above).
EASTERN STAR CC & RESORT
The four nines have emerged nicely in a hilly,
links-style landscape with delightful vistas
from many tee-boxes. Impressive mango
trees, coconut palms, and free-standing Jamjuree trees accent the lush fairways, which are
further decorated by mounded bunkers. Two
dozen lakes sprinkle the track. The greens
bend, roll, twist and turn consistently. This
course is iconoclastic and quirky; but challenging and enjoyable.
Professional
Type: resort
Rating/Slope:
7,162 Blue
71.9
6,642 White
67.8
6,180 Yellow
71.1
5,379 Red
68.5
BURAPHA GC
Sriracha, Chonburi 20210
+66 (03) 834-1149
www.bangpragolf.co.th
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Pattaya, Rayong and Eastern Thailand Notes
KHAO KEOW CC
Wrapped in the embracing arms of forested
hills and conical mountains, this 27-hole
golf course, 45 minutes southeast of Bangkok, wonderfully fashioned by Pete Dye in
1992, is handsome, gracious and tranquil.
and popular. The price is right, the condition
excellent and the quiet, country-look make
the appeal that much greater. The three nines
each range about 3,500 yards with narrow
fairways. Tall coconut palms give the course
an almost tropical look. Many fairways are on
plateaus with drop-offs to flat bunkers. The
greens are generally small with gentle slopes
and tiers. Fairway mounding, ample bunkers,
lots of water – a Dye-signature island par-3
– and the beautiful mountain backdrop are
the highlights.
+66 (03) 829-8354
www.khaokhewgolf.com
MOUNTAIN SHADOW GC
A Ronald Fream signature course, this
6,722-yard track spreads its seductive fairway-tendrils down a hillside, around ponds
and lakes and among old growth mango orchards. This course has breeding. Three long
par-5s, twinkling par-3s with island greens,
and some eviscerating doglegs (11th, 14th
and 16th) will all be recast into a glorious experience. Keep calling for the updates.
Muang, Chonburi 20130
Tel: +66 (03) 839-3001
www.legacygolf.com
and rolling fairways. The three nines span
over 10,000 yards and feature rolling and
wide fairways, accommodating (but subtly
slanting) greens and lots of floral decoration.
Bangkamung, Chonburi 20260
+66 (03) 823-9391
no website
PLEASANT VALLEY GOLF & CC
PATTANA GOLF & SPORTS RESORT
Money and affection have been poured into
this marvelous, 1,169 rai (500 acres) resort,
featuring: 35 three-bedroom villas, a hotel, a
70-room serviced apartment, a humongous
clubhouse (with an outstanding restaurant,
two spas, – how about Versace mosaic tiles),
a heliport, a gymnasium for basketball, volleyball and gymnastics, tennis courts, swimming
pools and a Go-Kart race track, a cactus gardens, lakes and an archeological site and the
start of a sports stadium – and 27 holes of golf.
It promises to be stunning, overwhelming and
elegant if a management team can be gathered to organize the glorious elements and
make the cohesive whole work. Two par-6s
and some lengthy par-4s give you 7,361 yards
to meander over. This is the most potentially
impressive golfing facility in the Kingdom. It
just keeps losing focus.
I did not spend much time here and none
of my team has played it. Minutes from the
attractive Khao Kheow national park, the
7,002-yard course is – as it name suggests –
pleasant. The par-3s range from 140 to 240
yards. The par-4s run long and rugged; and
one par-5 stretches to 601 yards. The course
features ample water around its rolling fairways. Walking is recommended.
Hua Hin and Kanchanaburi
COURSES
Banyan Golf Club
NOTES
Blue Sapphire
Dragon Hills
Imperial Lakeview
Majestic Creek
Mission Hills
Palm Hills
Royal Ratchaburi
Springfield Royal
+66 (03) 826-0825
www.pleasantvalley-golf.com
ROYAL LAKESIDE GC & RESORT
+66 (03) 831-8999
www.pattana.co.th
PHOENIX GOLF & CC
Three nines stretch over 1,000 rai (450 acres)
of lush landscaping. The handsome edifice
provides sweeping views at the skyline of
Pattaya and beyond to the Gulf. Bouquets
of multi-hued shrubbery weave bracelets
around the front lawn; and ponds, fountains
and botanical artwork enhance the back
yard. Denis Griffith crafted this course in
1993 and made wonderful use of the natural
flow of the terrain and fertile vegetation. The
course plays through streams, lakes, hillsides
An impressive clubhouse and landscaping
splendor capture your attention. A virtual
botanical garden, your jaunt to the first tee
is as pretty as it gets. The 18 holes are surrounded by a flowing, narrow lake, which
serves as a marina for the terra-cotta-roofed
homes that arc and stretch along the canals.
Only 45 minutes east of Bangkok it traverses
6,815 yards, with 14 holes on to the lakes.
A plethora of bunkers adorn the course.
Bang Pakong, Chachoengsao 24130
+66 (03) 857-3275
www.royallakeside.com
WANGJUNTR GOLF PARK
I have not visited. An hour drive east of
Pattaya, I am told this is quite a scenic, naturalistic golf course. Lodging options are
available. Many marvel at the beauty.
+66 (02) 276-9072/4
www.wangjuntrgolf.com
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Banyan Golf Club
Banyan Golf Club
views and length – elevations, doglegs (two
double), ample tee boxes, commodious
greens, lakes, ponds and streams and drama.
Three of the par-3s average 235 yards and
possess some daunting greens. The par-4s
tumble from 377 to 488 yards; and the par5s range from 527 to 610 yards (a dogleg
with a mere 14 handicap).
Superb. Simply superb.
It towers, dips, twists, climbs, slopes, slants,
bends and surprises.
A holistic calm suffuses this verdant, cascading golf course.
The round begins with a lovely par-4 dogleg-right that, off to the right, surveys much
of this campestral golf course. The 423-yard
fairway roams downhill to the landing area,
then uphill to a large green.
The Banyan Golf Club, heralded as Asia’s
best new course in 2009, is perched upon
the quiet edge of a sprawling mountain, and
spread across a golfing promontory with
hushed, cinemascopic views of both the distant Burmese mountains and the visually
contiguous Gulf of Siam.
Then a pastoral par-3 past a draping tree (50
yards closer from the second set of tees) is
followed by a downhill par-5 (the shortest
at 527 yards) with bunkers sprawled at the
landing zone.
The course, designed by Pirapon Namartra,
(who worked with his dad creating Bangsai GC
north of Bangkok and architected Santaburi
Samui), sweeps and rolls, descends and rises
with naturalistic grace and repose.
Stately Banyan trees arbor the roiling fairways and serve as towering sentries to the
tumbling topography. Creeks and streams
and lakes (and a waterfall) accent the lush
landscape. And handsome, crafted bunkers
dot the 18 holes of the course – a scant 10
minutes from the center of regal Hua Hin.
For the beleaguered urban dweller, Banyan
is a dreamscape. The only sounds that filter
through your senses are the happy palpitation of your heart, a flutter of bird-speak and
a susurrous wind-song whirling around the
forested edges of this golfing sanctuary.
Elevations enable you to see the possibilities.
Your imagination hovers and the eventual reality is splendid.
Then you step up onto one of six tee boxes
overlooking the dogleg-right 1st hole – survey
the peripheral wonder – and all the excitement
comes to life as you anticipate the adventure.
It crackles with enthusiasm, energy and elan.
“It is shaping up to be one of Thailand’s finest,” intones Stacey Walton, the GM. “We
get golfers returning month after month for
the quiet but daunting experience. It’s just a
great place to play.”
This 7,361-yard championship course features – in addition to its serene, gorgeous
The 7th is the toughest hole on the track.
Running 488 yards downhill, the prodigious
drive must pass a huge tree on the left and an
intersecting creek 200 yards out. Then pound
an uphill approach to an elevated green with
braids of bunkers in the front.
The back nine has unpredictable zest. I saw
the 10th hole in construction four months
before opening and wondered what hole
could be potentially more difficult. It came
in handicapped 2. The drive is fun: downhill
and lots of fairway. Then travel the remainder
of the 430 yards uphill past a left-side bunker and a large tree on the right. The plateau
green is – similar to the 9th – 19 yards narrow and 50 yards long.
Catch your breath and then hold it: consecutive par-5s role out at 593 and 610 yards of
flexuous doglegs: more Dramamine moments. The 12th concludes its long journey
with a big green that slopes to the rear and
spills down to a bunker. Avoid it. But do enjoy the view.
Two of my favorites come up short, but have
charm and challenge. The 14th is 386 yards.
The landing zone is receptive and then the
Recreational
“One of the most peaceful, relaxing golfing
environments I’ve seen.” “Wonderful golf
along hillsides and streams.”
Professional
“Excellent condition, superb layout and a
genuine challenge from all of the tees.”
The Specifics
Type: semi-private
Greens Fees: low season 2,950 Baht,
high season 3,850 Baht caddies and carts
included, 10% discount online booking
Rating/Slope:
7,361
Black
75.2/137
6,774
Blue
72.2/130
6,286
White
70.3/120
5,087
Red
69.7/114
Designer: Pirapon Namatra, 2009
General Manager: Stacey Walton
Walking: permitted
Getting There
101 Moo 9 Tab Tai, Hua Hin 77110
+66 (0) 3261-6200
[email protected]
www.banyanthailand.com
fun begins. The approach must clear a crossing creek, strewn with boulders and a bunker
sunk in the front.
The 15th is the postcard hole with a tee-box
panorama of the Gulf. This attenuated par-3
is a scant 147 yards, but has a testy pin placement behind a bunker.
Finish up with a robust 471-yard par-4 (handicapped 4). Add the wind and you are happy
to get back into the fashionable clubhouse.
“All I see are smiles in the clubhouse in the
late afternoon!” smiles Stacey.
Western Thailand
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Recreational
Recreational
“A most difficult course despite the fact
it’s popular and expensive.” “It has a
Top 10 cachet.”
“It’s accessible and affordable.” “What’s
the word: venerable?” “I expected an ancient dog track and found a thoroughbred
course.” “Wonderful experience. That 14th
par-3 is so Thailand.”
Professional
Professional
“One of the best in Thailand.” “I think it is overrated as a result of some intelligent marketing.”
“A pleasure to walk and play and experience.” “With the new management and
better superintendence, this becomes a
superb outing.”
The Specifics
I
had visited Black Mountain GC on
numerous occasions from the time of
its construction through completion in
2007 and thereafter. The enthusiastic Swedish owner included in the ambitious plans
tasteful condominiums and villas that now
stand in proud sentry on the hillside off of
the sparkling 11th hole.
It was an impressive project.
Three lakes were dug, mountains of earth excavated and moved and the contoured valleys,
in a remarkable 18-months, took the shape of
a fashionable golf course framed by the black
rocks that dominated the mountainside.
But, despite considerable diligence, I watched
the course struggle consistently with various
governance problems: drainage, dirt-slides
onto golf paths, and the fairway grass.
Dedicated ownership stayed the course (so to
speak…) and continued to adapt and craft a
respected garden-scape in the mountains 16
kilometers west of downtown Hua Hin.
It began to mature and in early January 2011
hosted the fifth (and exciting) edition of the
prestigious Royal Trophy Cup, pitting eightman teams of Asian versus European golfers.
I made my annual visit. With a touch of disappointment, I traversed the popular course.
The frustration was in the details: conditioning problems at the ends and edges of the
golf cart paths (worn, compacted patches of
dirt were far too prevalent throughout the 18
holes); a caddy that spoke no English, and
a reluctant buggy that failed us at the 17th
tee-box.
The current GM wouldn’t make himself
available for comment, so I have little to report about steps toward improvement – or
other germane information.
So, I am on my own with no anecdotal info
to offer. Hey, we tried our best.
The 7,257 track (from the “Pro” tee with a
Slope Rating of 146) boasts six sets of tee
boxes (the “Champ” tee runs a ridiculous
7,645 yards—make a special request and play
it with a cannon). The longer front nine features a Champ 639-yard par-5, and a prodigious 488-yard par-4 (a dogleg-right that
invites a risk-reward drive over the lake in
Type: semi-private
Rating/Slope:
7,645
76 Champ
N/A
7,257
73 Pro
75.5/146
6,956
70 Low
73.3/142
6,501
65 Men
72.2/135
6,061
61 Men
70.4/131
5,657
57 Ladies
73.3/134
Designer: unknown
General Manager: Harald Elisson
Practice Facility: driving range, chipping green,
Walking: Permitted
Getting There
Hua Hin RT. 55
+66 (0) 32 618-666
[email protected]
www.bmghuahin.com
the angle and a long approach to a large, flat
green flanked generously by bunkers).
Doglegs (five), water hazards on half of the
holes, elevations (and blind drives), and a
plethora of strategic bunkers (many deep and
sprawling) all highlight the round.
The par-3s (but for the 154-yard 3rd) all exceed 190 yards. The two on the inward half
sport handicaps of 6 and 8. The former, the
210-yard 11th, is a pastoral beauty. From a
terraced tee-box drive downhill over a pond
and past a left-side waterfall nestled in a
copse to a receptive green with water on three
sides a two bunkers in the rear and right.
The 588-yard 18th plays longer because it
travels uphill. It is peppered by five fairway
bunkers and a sprawling one sunk deep along
the entire right edge of the 40-yard long
green. Use an extra club as you march up the
steep fairway.
I marched. The golf cart broke down.
66
T
his is a national treasure. It is a regal and elegant antique. Courtly and
statuesque it oozes patrimony.
The Royal Hua Hin Golf Club is the oldest golf course in Thailand. Carved over 240
acres of natural terrain – in an era when
bulldozers did not exist and men and mules
sculpted the landscape – the course is a royal
delight. Construction began in 1919 during
the reign of King Rama VI and was completed in 1924.
This 6,678-yard course was designed by A.
O. Robin, a European engineer who was assigned the task of building this course near
the railway station. Its aura, class, the original
clubhouse and all 18 holes have been preserved. A 130 slope rating makes this more
than just a viewing pleasure.
confronted with the 384-yard par-4, dogleg
left. A characteristic flat, wide fairway and a
flat bunker on the right are accented by some
marvelous topiary.
Now you have the unusual delight of confronting back-to-back par-3s, both of which
are hill-to-hill experiences. The 4th is 155
yards from hilly tee box to a hilltop, tiered
green with three front bunkers. The 5th
is a short 131 yards but challenges you to
loft through a thick nest of trees to a frontsloping, tiny (22 yards across), target green,
flanked by traps.
Type: public
Rating/Slope:
6,678
Men
72.6/130
5,713
Ladies
73.6/126
Designer: A. O. Robin, 1928
GM: Prakob Nakbua, Admiral, RTN
Practice Facility: putting greens
Walking: permitted
Getting There
Anphur Hua Hin, Prachuabkhilikan 77110
+ 66 (03) 251-2475
[email protected]
www.golfhuahin.com/royalhuahin
The course has adorable simplicity. The flat,
wide terrain has no gimmicks. No seismic
earth movements, no artificial mounding or
gyroscopic greens. It was built by hand and,
today, it is still watered by hand. Only two
tees serve the course.
This course has punch, evident right from
the beginning (the 1st is a 569-yard par5; the 2nd a 384-yard par-4 and the 3rd a
535-yarder – handicapped 6, 4, and 2). These
will get your attention. The bread on this
sandwich is tough to chew.
The par-5s are uniformly long and unforgiving, all over 560 yards, but for, ironically, the
toughest one, the 535-yard 3rd. The par-3s
are short and absolutely delightful. The two
shortest, the 131-yard 5th and the 139-yard
14th are sumptuous. The 4s, however, will
make you bow in obeisance. They range from
pithy, the 332-yard 8th, and the 305-yard,
12th. One on each side exceeds 440 yards.
Don’t bet the crown jewels.
After you toll through the 1st hole, you are
The back nine continues the visual enchantment (note, once again, the delightful topiary to the left of the cart path). The 12th is
a 305-yard, mini-par-4 dogleg left shows off
more cart path shrubberies as a counterpoint
to the continuing, gorgeous, natural landscaping that towers over and shades many of
the fairways.
The beauty here is the 149-yard 14th. A temple spire rises behind the green on the edge of
the hill side. Mountains tumble down. From
the tee box hill, loft a short iron to a twotiered green perched on the hill on the other
side of the chasm. Bunkers rest on both sides
of the green with woods horseshoeing around.
The 18th is long and lustrous and entices
you stop and stare back at the surrounding
mountains, the spreading Jaamjuree trees,
and the luxurious landscaping that has prevailed so naturally for the past 80 years.
Hua HinThailand
and
Western
Kanchanaburi
The par-4s are the challenge on this topographically tumbling course, and constitute
the five most difficult holes. The par-5s are
all handicapped in the teens and start from
547 yards from the Pros.
The Specifics
It certainly is a treasure.
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Hua Hin and Kanchanaburi Notes
BLUE SAPPHIRE GOLF
& RESORT
Tucked away less than two hours west of
Bangkok (170 kilometers), the course was
constructed in 2002 on an exhausted gem
mining site. The 7,000 yards are surrounded
by water and accented by the elevations resulting from the gorges and valleys created
by excavation over the years. The track needs
grooming, but it is full of imagination and
surprises and some memorable golf holes.
Water is everywhere. The par-5s are long and
the greens bodacious (play the 609-yard 17th
twice). A little more superintendence and it
is a solid 10-carats. Certainly a diamond-inthe-rough.
IMPERIAL LAKE VIEW
RESORT & GOLF CLUB
ROYAL RATCHABURI GC
& RESORT
Sitting on the western side of the Gulf of
Thailand in Cha-Am, a two-hour drive south
of Bangkok, this is the oldest beach resort in
Thailand. The 6,915-yard Championship
Course opened in 1993 amidst 1,100 rai (500
acres) of rolling hills and lakes with mounded fairways, plentiful doglegs and more than
100 mounded bunkers. The greens are gyrating and, perhaps, a bit too tricky and sloping.
The Desert Course, was added in 1997 and
is strikingly distinct. Resort villas have 75
rooms along with a pool, squash court, tennis
courts and fitness facilities.
This scenic and contoured golf course lies at
the base of a forested mountain range and
shares the ridges with hundreds of happy
monkeys. It is a 90-minute drive west of
Bangkok in a town of ample and impressive
Buddhist temples, shrines and mammoth
statuary. Opened in 1988 it ranges to 6,852
yards. The defining featuresare the explosion
of bunkers on the back side (more than 70)
and a network of lakes that influence a trio
of holes at the end of the front nine and the
13th through 16th.
Ratchaburi 70150
+66 (03) 226-1223
www.royalratchaburi.com
Cha-Am, Petchburi 76102
+66 (03) 245-6233
www.imperialhotels.com
MISSION HILLS GC
KANCHANABURI
This is the first Jack Nicklaus-designed
course in Thailand. Opened in 1991, it provides delightful playability with accommodating fairways, strategic bunkers and calm.
The natural terrain is flat, but the tumbling
fairways are accented by rolling and dramatic
bunkers. Long par-4s provide most of the
par-hardship with four of them exceeding
430 yards. Typically, one par-3 is long (the
219-yard 6th). The par-5s range from 513
yards to 553 with a nifty double-fairway featured on the 545-yard 12th.
Borphloi, Kanchanaburi 71160
+66 (03) 458-1227
www.bsgolfclub.com
DRAGON HILLS GOLF & CC
This course offers routing that ranges from
serene to dramatic and is tucked inside 1,500
acres of natural terrain. The course, designed in
1994 by Jim Engh, winds for 6,821 yards and
is characterized by tumbling fairways; narrow
and daunting landing areas; roiling mounding, particularly around the greens – which
are long, tiered, front-sloping and hugged by
a captivating assortment of bunkers. Water
on 14 holes, 11 doglegs and lovely mountain
forestry makes this track exciting.
Amphur Thamuang, Kanchanaburi 71110
+66 (03) 464-4147
www.ksc.th.com
Paktor District, Ratchaburi 70140
+66 (03) 222-8222
www.dragonhillsgolf.com
The resort, 10 minutes from downtown Hua
Hin, is anchored by its affordable 6,892-yard
golf course, designed in 1992 by American
architect Max Wexler. Many holes on these
1,600 rais (640 acres) of rolling landscape
bask in mountain backdrops and sea views.
The course features wide and gently rolling
fairways and low hills that edge and accent
many of the holes and several distant views
of the Gulf of Siam. Comfortable golf, welllocated. Many residential opportunities in a
quaint community.
Cha-Am, Petchaburi 76120
+66 (03) 252-0801
www.palmhills-golf.com
Hua-Hin, Prachuabkirikhan 77110
+66 (03) 252-0162
[email protected]
Opened in 1993, this 7,043-yard Jack Nicklaus-designed course, features a plethora of
sand bunkers, ample water hazards and several creative and gracious features such as the
18th island green framed by the imposing
clubhouse (at left). In addition to the bunkers, the other hightlights are: wide fairways,
large manmade lakes, and big, tumbling fast
greens. A nine-hole Valley Course (designed
by Schmidt-Curley) opened with heavilybunkered, long, narrow fairways in 2006.
Also, Springfield has an impressive and stylish 97-room resort with a spa and an excellent restaurant. I have been a happy guest
several times.
Cha-Am, Petchburi 76120
+66 (03) 270-9222
www.springfieldresort.com
Hua HinThailand
and
Western
Kanchanaburi
This water strewn, 27-hole course (built on
400 acres) was opened in 1993. Bunkers to
the left, bunkers to the right (totaling more
than 100) and doglegs galore, will keep you
on your toes. Water on 19 holes and rolling
fairways placed against a backdrop of majestic mountains (they form the border with
Myanmar) add to the visual splendor. A leitmotif of understated, landscaped elegance: a
rock sculpture as you approach the 1st tee,
the quaint bridges at the 15th and 17th.
PALM HILLS GOLF RESORT & CC
SPRINGFIELD ROYAL CC
MAJESTIC CREEK CC
68
68
Hua Hin and Kanchanaburi Notes
69
69
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
Banyan Alpine Golf Resort – Chiangmai
Recreational
“A handsome and robust course.” “I miss
the charm of the old layout, but the new
design and conditioning here is special.”
COURSES
Alpine Golf Resort-Chiangmai
Chiangmai Inthanon Golf and Natural Resort
Summit Green Valley Chiangmai Country Club
Professional
“This is a big league track with exceptional
holes. And I do enjoy the cooler climate!”
The Specifics
NOTES
Gassan (Khuntan, Marina, Lake City)
Mae Jo
Royal Chiangmai
Santiburi Chiang Rai
Waterford Valley Chiang Rai
Type: resort
Greens Fees: 800 to 2,500 Baht
Rating/Slope:
7,541
Black
76.8/150
7,174
Blue
71.3/131
6,814
White
68.6/120
5,835
Red
70.1/123
S
ince the 13th century, Chiang Mai has
been the pulse of the northern Kingdom
of Thai Lanna. This culturally significant city, greater than 700 kilometers north
of Bangkok, is enveloped in a narrow valley
among the highest mountains in the country.
Chiang Mai was rebuilt in the late 18th century when the Burmese were expelled and a
diverse aggregation of multi-tongued artisans
from Burma, Laos, China and East Bengal
were conquered and brought to live in the fertile basin. Chiang Mai formally became part
of Siam after the Thai King helped drive out
the Burmese. It grew in cultural, trading and
economic importance to its current status as
the unofficial capital of northern Thailand,
second in importance to Bangkok.
The city burgeoned with cultural diversity
and flourished with beautiful handicrafts,
principally silver jewelry, handcrafted goods
and wood carvings. More than two million
foreign tourists visit each year.
Alpine Golf Resort – Chiangmai, built
within 450 rai of valley and forest, is an elegant restoration of parkland golf in a gracious
mountain setting. Adorned with a bracelet of
mountains, it has resort grandeur, decorative
charm, and is wonderfully conditioned.
antique course. Ron Garl was commissioned
to build a new one. And a fine job he did. But
not preserving some of the exquisite features
(the par-3 15th, the “Rose Hole”, was a gem)
I feel was a mistake.
I marveled at the Black tees measuring 7,541.
What? Ron…you trampled over the antiquity and now the course takes six hours to walk!
The Blues measure 7,174, so my comments are
based on that sane yardage. You better have a
high-octane breakfast to fuel yourself for this
assault: the 4th is 643 yards; the 11th is a 485yard par-4 – not downhill, not downwind; and
the 16th carries 452 yards doglegging around
a pond up the entire right side.
On a sunny day it is inspirational. Few bunkers intrude on the fairways (on the front
nine only the first two holes have fairway
traps).Water is pervasive and is in serious
play on every hole but for the 444-yard 5th.
One favorite is the slender, flexuous 9th,
a 456-yard, arcing par-4 that slides along a
right-side lake. The long approach requires a
glorious loft over (or around) a mid-fairway,
gnarly tree and the lake to a sweeping, leftto-right, front-sloping green. Flanking bunkers on the front bleed into the pond.
Designer: Ronald M. Garl, 2008
General Manager: Pan Thaweewat
Practice Facility: complete
Walking: permitted
Getting There
San Kamphaeng-Banth Rd.,
Chiangmai 50130., P.O. Box 16
+66 (0) 5 388-0888
[email protected]
www.alpinegolfresort.com
The monster is the 11th, a whopping 485-yard
dogleg-left par-4 (475 from the Whites!) with
yet another water carry. Drive past an elegiac
Jamjuree tree (see right) draping its tendrils
over a tiny island and reflecting off the blue
pond. The approach is long and passes a bunker 125 yards out. The green is receptive with
a back right bunker.
The bragging rights, however, belong to the
“Signature Zone:” the 14th-16th holes. The
former is a picturesque par 5, the shortest
at 527 yards. The 15th is a lovely, post-card,
151-yard loft to a stone bulk-headed island.
NOTE: the literature states that “Ron Garl is the designer
of most of the golf courses in the top 50 golf courses in Florida…” Huh? Garl has designed over 100 Florida courses,
a few exceptional. But – as the author of four Florida Golf
Guides covering most of the state – I think about two
dozen famous architects might take exception.
Hua HinThailand
and
Northern
Kanchanaburi
Everything is new: the stately golf course has
been redesigned with rich Paspalum grass on
the fairways, the 78-room resort is capacious.
I first saw this property in 2003 when it was
Chiangmai Lamphun GC. The layout was
exquisite. The course was “draped in arboreal
elegance. Golden teak and rain trees, along
with countless blossoming shrubs, flowerbeds and vines decorate beautifully crafted
stone walls.” I saw it three years later and it
was dry and neglected. A pity.
In 2008 the Alpine group begin its restoration. Unfortunately, they saved none of the
70
Howie’s Home Stay, Chiang Mai (081 882 8345)
71
Chiangmai Inthanon Golf and Natural Resort
Recreational
Recreational
“Got to love the cooler mountain weather
and conditioning of this course.” “Really
neat service and comfy quarters.”
“New and fun. Naturalistic. Enthusiastic.”
Professional
“Caught it on a rainy day, but still enjoyed the
layout and challenge. Great potential.”
Professional
“It’s a first-class track with courteous and professional service.” The Specifics
The Specifics
Type: resort
Greens Fees: 2,500 Baht (stay-and-play
resort packages start at 4,500 Baht)
Rating/Slope:
7,268
Black
N/A
6,898
Blue
6,548
White
6,098
Yellow
5,658
Red
Type: resort
Rating/Slope:
7,227
Black
N/A
6,621
Blue
6,287
White
5,056
Red
C
hiang Mai is emerging as one of
Thailand’s golf Meccas. During the
past five years, a profusion of excellent golf courses have been popping up
like fecund forest mushrooms in these cool
northern mountains of the Kingdom. A terrific golf destination is emerging.
Bensley. This is Architectural Digest stuff.
It’s a highlight and should be a tour stop!
And Chiangmai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort is one of the truffles.
As you forage the golfing forest in Thailand in search of a golf course, this is a find.
Highlands – and resort – has a refreshing,
scrubbed look with a links-style golf course
evolving comfortably into a hilly, parkland
delectation (interestingly, the course has no
Slope Rating. I estimate it at 138 from the
tips and 131 from the Blues).
I visited in 2005 as it was being completed
by the Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley design
team (they also redesigned the Muang Kaew
sister course in Bangkok and Siam CC) and
was delighted to see the attention to detail
in the construction and layout: a handsome
clubhouse, a soothing 10-room spa, family
villas and 19 capacious rooms.
And, incidentally, the region is a wonderful
vacation venue. Chiang Mai City provides
exceptional values in hotel stays, silks, wood
carvings and silver jewelry – and relaxed fun
(I brought my daughter here for an elephant
adventure). Furniture crafted from reclaimed
teakwood and artifacts make bargain-hunting a treat.
A Boston friend settled in north Chiangmai
a decade ago and built the most spectacular
estate home with renowned architect Bill
The weather is temperate, the Night Market
shopping is a bargain and the food is yummy.
Which reminds me of mushrooms…thus,
back to the metaphor:
The track rumbles an impressive 7,227 yards
from the tips. The Blues measure 6,621. The
track has consistently garnered “Best Of ”
awards. Deservedly so.
Other than emerald-green and groomed, the
course highlights: ample water (on 11 holes
– oddly, on five consecutive holes on each
nine); bunches of bunkers: 46 on the front
side (the 438-yard 8th has 11 splayed down
the left side up to a characteristically commodious green), although four fairways are
without fairway sand (4th, 13th, 16th and
18th); and accommodating putting surfaces
– and the Paspalam lawn.
Designer: Schmidt-Curley Design, 2006
GM: Prayoot Attasillapakit
Director of Golf: Kenneth Nillson
Superintendent: Sathip Chaonnchom
Walking: permitted
Getting There
On Nuar, Mae On, Chiangmai 50130
+66 5326-1354 [email protected]
www.chiangmaihighlands.com
The par-3s are pleasant and modest. One
on each side has a water carry. The 201-yard
14th is the longest.
The par-4s – with the exception of the 342yard, dogleg-left 11th – range from 402 to
460 yards and feature the seven most difficult
holes. The prodigious 5th is handicapped 1,
with a pond running up half of the fairway
on the left and a single bunker in the landing
area on the right. The oval green is fronted by
four bunkers.
Three par-5s are long. The 3rd does a 601yard, dogleg swing left with five bunkers at
the two landing zones on the right side and
water down the left.
72
Set within 1,200 acres of a former mango
and longan forest, this clever, delightful and
naturalistic track courses its way over serene
hilltops, lush, forested vegetation and past
copious streams, lakes and ponds (the only
dry hole is the 15th). Flexuous and angled
doglegs; forced water carries; island greens
(the 13th and 18th); a split fairway (the
7th); clusters of bunkers (the par-3 6th has a
bracelet of seven encircling the green); towering trees, looming mid-fairway; long and
short par-4s; and capacious greens. But be
accurate: the OBs abound.
The par-4s are the challenge, ranging from
the 440-yard 2nd (over a crossing creek with
flanking wetlands that pinch the fairway just
before the 50-yard deep, two-tiered green);
the 425-yard 9th; and the 424-yard 10th
(handicapped 1, 3 and 2); to the intriguing
363-yard 5th (a tiny dogleg-right offering
splotches of bunkers from the landing area
up the putting surface).
Lee’s favorite was the 384-yard 7th that arcs
to the left with a semi-island split fairway
divided by a tree. The approach goes over the
large, left-side lake to a 40-yard wide, sit-up
green straddled by bunkers.
The par-3s offer water, large greens and an interesting loft over a tree (the 152-yard 12th).
The long par-5s are burnished by the splendid finishing hole, a 545-yard rolling trek to
a peninsula green carved from a ravine. It is
a signature beauty: the last-minute doglegleft begins on a quiet hilltop and presents a
Designer: Supachai Silamon, 2010
General Manager: Natthamon Sitthisod
Practice Facility: driving range and greens
Walking: permitted
Getting There
99 Moo 13 T. Khuangpao, A. Jomthong,
Chiangmai 50160
+66 (0) 53 267 115-6
[email protected]
www.chiangmaiinthanongolfresort.com
wide fairway with a blind tee shot. Reach the
landing area, peek over the ridge and downhill to the querulous green complex set on a
cliff and surrounded by water (with the resort
and clubhouse in an arcing backdrop). Layup downhill more than 200 yards. Loft and
approach over the water to a front-sloping
green 43 yards deep and 22 yards wide.
As the course matures, greens and grows
it will become a holistic alternative for the
happy north-Thailand golfer.
Khun Sayan, runs an export business that delivers the succulent fruits of these fertile fields.
He is also an avid golfer. So four years ago
he proposed to his wife and business partner,
Khun Nattamon (“Well, she is actually the
boss…”) that a golf course would complement
both the hillside and the family business. And,
of course, give him a playground.
So they hired Supachai Silamon, a local golf
architect and he and Khun Sayan began their
joyful labor of love. “This is my baby!” said
Sayan. “I wanted to make this a memorable
and exceptional experience. We have a beautiful setting. Embrace nature!”
Hua HinThailand
and
Northern
Kanchanaburi
The rollercoaster, 558-yard hilltop 18th is the
signature hole (8 handicap). From the terraced tee-boxes, launch downhill to the inside angle of the dogleg-left fairway, where
you might catch the slope and get a roll. No
bunkers here. The second shot is the key. Either lay-up in front of the crossing creek (125
yards out) or sail over and try to land in front
of the sit-up green away from the left-side
trap. But be wary on the uphill approach:
four deep bunkers encase the 40-yard wide
putting surface.
M
y sidekick from New York joined
me on a mountain escapade toward the towering Doi Inthanon
(Thailand’s highest peak at 8,415 feet) hoping to see some cool northern lights. A new
addition to Chiang Mai’s stellar golf-destination presence, Chiangmai Inthanon Golf
and Natural Resort is an homage to living a
dream and it is worth the trip. And Lee and
I agree that it does scintillate.
In June 2010 7,268 yards of boundless golfing opportunity were created (the first two
holes feature a prodigious 610-yard par-5
followed by a 464-yard par 4). My reference
will be from 6,898-yards.
73
Summit
Banyan Green Valley Chiangmai CC
Recreational
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai Notes
GASSAN (Khuntan, Lake City, Marina)
Professional
“Big-time golf course. Play smart and
long.” “A real golfing treat, this one.
If you’re up north, visit.”
The Specifics
B
ehold the sylvan setting: a lake, a bridge,
palm trees, ferns, a rock sculpture and
orange-blossoming native trees shimmering in the midday sun. And this is merely
the view from the putting green.
Summit Green Valley Chiangmai CC is
located in the fertile northern region of
Thailand. While captivated by the visual
explosion of naturalistic munificence, note
that this 7,202-yard golf course embraces
approximately 1,300 rai to accommodate its
daunting 74.5 course and 142 slope rating.
Don’t be too enthralled by the scenery. Bring
your best game and be prepared for quite a
shoot-out. This is he-man, Amazon-woman
golf. Eat a big breakfast. Even if you move up
a tee-box you’re still dealing with nearly 6,900
yards of daunting grace (this slope is 133).
The fairways are long and flat, the greens are
fast and vary in size. Water is pervasive and
bunkers are prolific (more than 100; several
garrulous, boisterous traps run up the 8th
and 9th fairways). One more wheel barrel of
sand and a chaise lounge, and you could reclassify this course a beach resort.
Despite its length, the track has good balance. The par-3s are in the 180’s, but for the
monster 236-yard 16th. All the par-4s, except the 396-yard 7th, are greater than 400
yards and top out at 467 (the 13th). The 5s
are respectable and average 530 yards except
for the migraine-producing 1st hole, which is
a 610-yard gorilla with a 2 handicap.
What a way to begin a round: a 610-yard
par-5, with a two-level fairway, water running up the entire left side and seven bunkers
plastered like a plague along the organism of
this fairway. Designed by Denis Griffiths in
1991 (his first of four in Thailand), he want-
Walking: permitted
Getting There
183/2 Chotana Road, Mae Rim,
Chiangmai 50180
+66 (05) 329-8222
[email protected]
www.summitgreenvalley.com
ed to show his earnestness right out of the
shoot. This hole earns a 2 handicap.
On the subject of the bunkers, the 521-yard
par-5 5th has 12 of them buried in a mountainous topography from 90 yards into the
green. Nail your approach and stay out of the
sand dunes.
Bunkers, hilly fairways and elevated greens
continue to greet you on the back nine.
The 11th is a 3 handicap and travels 532
yards on a straight line over a continuously
undulating fairway.
The finish in elongated fashion with a consecutive par step-up: the par-3 16th is 236
yards to a 42-yard long green; the par-4 17th
is 446 yards of wavy fairway; the par-5 18th
is a dogleg right that travels 536 yards past a
130-yard long bunker.
74
If you are seeking a truly player-friendly golf
course in immaculate condition with gracious landscaping and terrain adorned with
arboreal elegance, take the pilgrimage north
to the valleys and mountains of Chiang Rai
and play a round (or two). This 6,853 track
(sloped at 140) has more nice touches than
20 soothing aestheticians at your favorite
spa. This is scenic eye-candy. It dazzles and
it calms. It’s holistic golf. And a great value
with cooler weather. Top ten.
Three golf courses, two resorts and more than
2,000 rai of prime Chiang Mai real estate.
The Gassan Group (the name derives from
Japanese for “mountain”) purchased an idyllic tract of mountain property 45 kilometers southeast of Chiang Mai and, in 2004,
built the Khuntan resort, surrounded by Doi
Khuntan National Park, famous for historical structures like The Railway Bridge and
Khuntan Tunnel. The sprawling resort features 63 rooms overlooking the valley that
embraces the 7,068-yard golf course and the
terraced hills and mountains.
Chiang Rai City 57210
+66 (05) 366-2821
www.santiburi.com
The 7,089 yard Lake City opened in August 2005.
Gassan Marina runs nearly 7,600 yards. It
has been built around Chiang Mai’s largest
lake and with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains.
Gassan also owns and operates the Gassan
Par-3 Driving Range Rama II in Bangkok
and a driving range complex in Chiang Mai.
Maetha, Lamphun 51140
+66 (05) 350-7006 www.gassangolf.com
MAE JO GOLF CLUB
Built in 2004, this thriving course, 20 minutes north of Chiang Mai, runs 6,657 yards
over narrow fairways and is as tranquil and
composed as you will find. Doglegs proliferate and water is in play on 11 holes. The
par-4s range from 312 to a robust 441 and
475 yards (the only ones exceeding 387 on
the course). The course is family-owned and
well-maintained. Fruit orchards and mountain ranges give it flavor and style. As does
a boutique resort and spa. Nice experience.
Pahpai Sansai, Chiang Mai 50210
+66 (05) 335-4431
www.maejogolfclub.com
The 6,969-yard course (with a 50-room resort), about 40 minutes north of the airport,
sports a solid 130 slope rating. The par-5s
are lusty, averaging 565 yards. The par-3s are
accommodating (but for the 202-yard 6th,
with a 3 handicap), and the 4s range from a
pleasant 358 to a boisterous 438 yards. Pastoral, peaceful and lovingly landscaped.
Prao Rd km. 26, Chiang Mai 50290
+66 (05) 384-9301
www.royalchiangmai.com
WATERFORD VALLEY
CHIANG RAI GC & RESORT
The attractive, rolling terrain of this nearly
7,000-yard course, approximately 15 miles
northeast of Chiang Rai, offers a cool counterpoint to most courses in Thailand. Nine
holes were built in 1995, and the rest finished in 1997. With wide, rolling fairways,
large greens, pleasant elevations, lots of foliage and ample water, this naturalistic course
provides mountain backdrops and lovely resort golfing. A quaint resort lodge and condominiums with two-bedroom units provide
restful and affordable accommodations, some
with glorious views. The par-4s provide the
test with five holes less than 390 yards, but
also a 478-yard, uphill-beast par-4 (3A) and
a 444-yarder (5B).
Wiangchai, Chiangrai 57210
+66 (05) 395-3445
[email protected]
Hua HinThailand
and
Northern
Kanchanaburi
The toughest hole on the course, and the longest par-4, is the 13th. This dogleg left is 467
yards of potential despair. Your drive must
go down a narrow fairway, hitting a landing
area just before the angle. Watch the water on
both sides. The approach goes over hill-anddale and past a bunker on the right to a round
green with a single pot bunker in the rear.
SANTIBURI COUNTRY CLUB
Refined and stylish, this track (designed in
1996 by five-time British Open winner Peter
Thomson) is similar to a pampered vintage
touring sedan with an elegant grill, a polished wood dashboard, custom wheel covers, and gussied up with an eight-speaker
digital sound system and a wet bar. Yet under
its hood is an engine with more horsepower
than grandma ever suspected. Without realizing it, you are motoring at 120 mph. Customized bunkers (94), lakes and streams
(water laps onto 15 holes) all add a splash.
Downshift past trees and landscaping that
have the feel of an impeccable leather interior. Tour around eight doglegs that bend on
graceful suspension.
“Gorgeous and a challenge – like the
woman you fell in love with!” “Excellent
course.” “Not for a casual golfer.”
Type: semi-private
Greens Fees: 1,250 to 2,500 Baht; night
650 to 1,300 Baht
Rating/Slope:
7,202
Blue
74.5/142
6,875
Yellow
72.9/133
6,490
White
71.1/128
5,509
Red
72.1/125
ROYAL CHIANGMAI GOLF RESORT
75
75
Khao Yai and Central Thailand
Recreational
“Beautiful country up there. Short drive.
Peaceful.” “A sweet, origanl Nicklaus
course. All natural.”
COURSES
Rancho Charnvee Resort & Country Club
Sir James Country Club (Forest Hills)
Professional
“Solid track and a wonderful setting.”
NOTES
Bonanza
Iyara Park
Mountain Creek
Narai Hill
Panorama
Toscana Valley
Singha Park
The Specifics
T
he national park is stunning. The
mountain weather is temperate all
year around. The drive to this bucolic idyll is less than two hours northeast
of Bangkok. And a first-class, Jack Nicklaus
golf course – restored to its simplistic beauty
and wedded to a sparkling boutique resort –
is beckoning.
Kirimaya Golf Resort is exclusive, restorative
and superb.
It’s a metaphor for Khao Yai: vernal, serene,
naturalistic, manicured, lovely, topographically
mesmerizing – and, at sunset, even enchanting.
The course was designed by Nicklaus in the
‘90s. With minor iterations and refinements,
this out-and-back, par-72 track runs 7,115
yards on lush fairways embroidered by forests,
intersected by streams and marshes, serenaded
with ponds and framed by forested mountains. It’s so shamrock-green, you wonder why
you don’t have a Leprechaun as a caddy.
Type: resort
Rating/Slope:
7,115
Black
N/A
6,744
Gold
N/A
6,371
Blue
71.7/136
5,722
White
N/A
4,875
Red
N/A
generous fairway with two traps mounded on
the left. Then over a marsh to another wide
landing zone with a flayed bunker on the
right at the angle. Inhale the pure, forest-filtered air and bang it onto a diminutive green
flanked by two, deep bunkers.
Designer: Jack Nicklaus, 1994
Practice Facility: driving range, putting
and chipping green
Walking: Permitted
Enjoy the horseshoe canopy enfolding the
green at the 374-yard 9th.
1/3 Moo 6 Thanarat Road,
Moo-Si, Nakorn Ratchasima 30130
The par-4, 404-yard 13th is another snapshot
of grace. The dogleg right fairway is strewn
with strategic bunkers and wanders up to a
picturesque green surrounded by naturalistic
peril. Be accurate to the green.
The final three holes add yet more cheer
to the challenging day. The 16th is a sharp
dogleg right with a splendid, bilious tree at
the outside edge of the angle. Aim at it, because a large pond sits blindly to the right
and wraps around the 28 by 37-yard green.
Don’t go long.
Getting There
+66 (0) 44 426 000
[email protected] www.kirimaya.com
The 17th, a short 519-yard par-5 requires
a drive over an intersecting pond to a deceptively narrow landing area (with a big
left-side dip into a swale). Then either
carry a diagonally-crossing marsh to a
bail-out area in front of the green, or layup short on the left and loft a wedge onto
a flat green, 38 yards round with imposing
flanking bunkers.
Doglegs, water, woods and sand define the
experience – and a wee bit of length. The
par-4s range from 374 yards to a whopping
483 (the 14th). The par-5s are moderate but
work. The 3s are less problematic – in fact,
comforting and scenic – although with some
shifty greens (see the 7th).
Hua Hin
and
Central
Thailand
Kanchanaburi
The 534-yard 3rd is the favorite. If this hole
were a photograph, it would be framed. The
fairway sits in an emerald valley with trees
overhanging the fairway and the Khao Yai
Mountain arcing on the horizon. Drive to
the wide, blind landing area and avoid the
wild turkeys. The second shot must stay right,
as a pond intrudes on the left. Then loft an
iron over a fronting lotus pond to a green
only 23 yards deep and 37 wide with two
backside bunkers.
The par-5 8th is also no picnic. At 549-yards,
the dogleg left plays into the mountain to a
76
77
Rancho Charnvee Resort & CC
Banyan
Sir James Country Club (Forest Hills)
Recreational
Recreational
“Nice and friendly. Liked it.” “Easy drive,
great countryside and fine golf.”
“A nifty get-a-way not far from Bangkok.”
Had a short weekend and wish I had
extended it.” “Loved the golf here.”
Professional
N
estled in the bucolic foothills of
Khao Yai – a two-hour drive from
Bangkok – Rancho Charnvee is an
excellent addition to the burgeoning golf
landscape of this tranquil vacation region.
Both the course and the enveloping area are
charming and idyllic.
Khao Yai is part of Thailand’s largest topographical region and is proud not only of its
proliferating golf courses, but also its indigenous trees, exported flora, fruit orchards,
horseback riding and dairy farms.
It also boasts the oldest national park in
Minus the wildlife (except for the horses),
this 7,131-yard course has sprung from the
passion of its founder and owner, who constructed nine holes several years ago and
completed the project in 2010. This pastoral
course utilizes three sets of sensible tees. It
sweeps along a gently rolling terrain with
sprawling bunkers strategically placed (or
not at all, on five of the first 10 fairways) and
pacific water hazards on eight holes. Doglegs
78
It has a user-friendly resort layout. While not
rated yet, my guess has the Slope at about 130.
Rancho Charnvee features playful and scenic
par-3s, with ample sand and water. The 4th, at
205 yards, is the most difficult. The 178-yard
17th is the most charming with the lake and
yacht off to the right in front of the clubhouse.
The par-4s are lengthy and daunting and carry three of the most difficult handicaps. The
470-yard 3rd is a sharp-angle, dogleg right
with no bunkers until the flanking pair at the
edge of the green. Cutting the corner over a
towering tree is an option. Then uphill to a
commodious green. It earns the 1 handicap.
“An antique course that plays lovingly.”
The Specifics
The Specifics
Type: resort
including caddy
Rating/Slope:
7,131
Blue
N/A
6,559 White
5,936Red
Type: resort
Greens Fees: 1,000 Baht (hotel guest) to
2,000 Baht
Rating/Slope:
7,026
Black
N/A
6,520
White
6,177
Yellow
5,699
Red
Designer: local, 2010
General Manager: Lerson Lohachalitanon
Practice Facility: driving range and greens
Walking: permitted
Getting There
333/2 Moo 12, Khanongphra, Nakhon
Rachasrima, Khao Yai 30130
+66 (0) 44 756 210
[email protected]
www.ranchocharnveegolf.com
yards, the highlight being the 330-yard 18th.
This exquisite closing hole features seven
festering bunkers and an approach over an
uphill moonscape to a round, tiered, sit-up
green. Nice finish.
The par-5s are enjoyable.
The 6th runs 450 yards with three bunkers
sprinkled on the fairway and two at the front
of the wide, front-sloping, tiered green. This
is handicapped 3. Notice the stables and
practice track off to the right. Hey, forsake
the golf cart and saddle up.
The most troublesome is the 540-yard 14th.
This 2 handicap has lots of peril. The dogleg
left begins with a blind drive past bookend
bunkers. The second shot must avoid a rightside bunker. The long, saddleback (what else
at the ranch?) green runs nearly 50 yards and
slopes to the left.
Only two of the par-4s are less than 400
The course is contoured, curved and gracious.
E
legant, stylish, manicured and graceful. Some call it a hidden jewel and it
does sparkle.
Take the trip.
If ever a golf course reflects its natural, environmental backdrop, this is it. Located two hours
north of Bangkok, Sir James Country Club is
an 18-hole golf course carved in and through
the mountains, lakes and forests of Khao Yai. It
provides a glorious holiday retreat.
Featuring a 100+-room hillside hotel with
picturesque views of the cascading sylvan
scenery, Sir James is an environmental experience. The course was the inspiration of an
English expatriate, Sir James Holt who used
the fertile property as a dairy farm. Known
as “Forest Hills CC” (appropriate) for years,
this track was gently designed by John William Rogers and Col.Veerayuth Phetbuasak
in 1993 on more than 500 rai of panoramic
terrain. The fairways extend 7,026 yards and
mirror the landscape. They roll, lift, dip, tilt
and slant along narrow passageways.
The accents are the thing here: many English-garden inspired bouquets of flowering
bushes, perky hedges and a copse or two of
native coconut palm and cypress to accompany the surrounding mountain forests.
anced, ranging from 533 to 560 yards.
The front nine boasts a handsome par-3, the
203 yard 6th. Four bunkers surround the 29yard deep elevated green which is rimmed by
an elegant horseshoe of high pine trees.
Then meet your toughest challenge at the
serene 7th hole. It doglegs left for 450 yards
with a hill and water to carry. From the elevated tee box, drive to the angle of an expansive fairway. A trio of solitary trees accent the left side and center of the fairway
at the turn. Avoid that blooming Fieng-Fah
bush in the middle that is as resplendent as
it is potentially irksome. Launch your second
shot uphill over a valley to a circular green
33 yards deep with two yawning bunkers on
either side.
The backside offers as much drama and natural poetry. Start with the 555-yard 10th with
its 3 handicap. The long sliver of fairway is
accompanied by a lake the entire way and
doglegs right at the last minute. After your
putt, pause at the lovely garden on your way.
The 15th and 16th holes provide more
Designer: John William Rogers and Col.
Veerayuth Phetbuasak, 1993
Practice Facility: driving range, chipping green
Walking: Permitted
Getting There
195 Moo 3 Tumbol Mitraphab,
Muaklek District, Saraburi 18180
+66 (0) 36 343 200
[email protected] www.sirjamesresort.com
charm: the 164-yard 15th goes downhill over
water to a green embraced by four bunkers.
The 16th offers you that lovely garden and
a sharp angle dogleg right with a blind tee
shot that must avoid a left side bunker at the
landing area. This 400-yarder finishes with a
modest green with four bunkers, two buffering the right side from the lake.
Khao Yai is begining offer a plethora of outstanding golfing options.
Eighteen holes each day on this course, some
country sightseeing and a look at some of the
should provide for a glorious weekend.
The fairway bunkering is strategic but sparse
with no traps on half the holes. Water both
intersects and accompanies fairways on nine
holes. The biggest obstacles are the surrounding and engulfing greenside bunkers that
require meticulous and dexterous approach
shots to the elevated greens.
Hua
Hin
and
Central
Saraburi
Thailand
Kanchanaburi
Thailand. Built in 1962, with some 31 miles
of nature trails that meander and traverse
over what is considered some of the richest
terrain in Asia. The park has over 300 species
of exotic birds and elephants, leopards, pigtail macaque and gibbon, along with black
bear, wild dogs, python, Siamese cobras, and
green tree vipers in its jungle habitat.
(seven) and a few blind tee-shots add some
adventure and risk-reward to the round. And
a yacht in the lake.
Professional
“I’ve always enjoyed this region of Thailand.
This course should mature nicely.”
The course features a delightful moderation
of playable par-3s (not exceeding 206 yards).
The par-4s are the biggest challenge, your
first one right at the starting gate: the boisterous 483-yard 1st. Two more on the front
nine exceed 450 yards. The par-5s are all balLIHN’S Best of Thailand GOLF GUIDE 2012
79
Kao Yai and Central Thailand Notes
BONANZA GOLF & CC
This is an overlooked course with a lot of potential. Tucked away on the foothills of Khao
Yai, it stretches over long plateaus. Begun
as a nine-hole excursion in 1997, it was expanded in 2001 to 7,480 yards. It augments
a rustic cowboy-themed resort with a modest
hotel overlooking a quiet lake, a new hotel
off the first fairway, bungalows and an apartment complex, and a panoply of outdoor extracurricular activities (horseback riding, an
aviary and flower farms). The layout is well
conceived, but the course is a bit rugged at
the edges. It is still a worthy and swarthy
challenge featuring water, dominating doglegs, mid-fairway trees and distracting vistas.
MOUNTAIN CREEK GOLF
RESORT AND RESIDENCE
New, dramatic, and scenic, Mountain Creek
is part of an ambitious Seve Ballesterosdesigned development, hosting a 27-hole
course (Highland, Creek and Valley), a fivestar hotel, recreational and spa facilities, outdoor concert zone, shopping center. It should
be a beauty. When I saw it in the summer it
was shaping up to be an exceptional track requiring both power and accuracy, and avoidance of a host of Mother Nature’s obstacles.
Anxious to see it finished.
Nakhonratchasima, 30340
+66 (0) 4 475-6100
www.mountaincreekthailand.com
PANORAMA GOLF & CC
This 6,752-yard course is set amidst the meandering hills in Khao Yai. We haven’t spent
time here, but word keeps trickling in that
this is a quaint and scenic facility. Although
it offers relatively few hazards, it is reputed to
be difficult, relying on the natural lay of the
land rather than man-made obstacles. The
par-4s are the challenge featuring length and
diversity. Both par-5s on the back side are in
the 480-yard range. The par-3s are moderate.
Sikhiu, Nakonratchasima 30140
+ 66 (0) 4 443-6298
www.panoramacountryclub.com
High Quality Performance Products
TOSCANA VALLEY CC
Retail Collection Now Available throughout
This is an exclusive, private country club
development sprawling over 830 acres of
rolling hills and plentiful lakes. But after a
mid-Summer visit, I felt it worth a mention
because of its gorgeous setting and natural
beauty. Pretty impressive. The 7,007-yard
course features five judicious tees with a back
nine that offers: both par-3s in excess of 200
yards, a 499-yard par-4, and a whopping
645-yarder to finish. It’s all class.
Nakornratchasima 30130
+66 (0) 4 436-5191
www.bonanzakhaoyai.com
Premier Golf Courses
Full Range of Sports Apparel and Products Available
Customise your Order to Compliment any
Golfing or Corporate Event
Men and Women's Collections Available
Hua Hin
and
Central
Thailand
Kanchanaburi
IYARA GC
80
80
A splendid leitmotif of elephants (Iyara is the
king of the Thai mastodon) permeates the
impressive 400-room hotel and spa spread
over the 250 elegant acres in Uthai Thani, 2.5
hours north of Bangkok. The tennis facilities,
equestrian center, nature trails, pool, fitness
center, squash courts – a host of sporting options – prepare you for a cozy evening in one
of the Spa villas. The 5,728-yard, out-andback golf course is a diminutive treat. What it
lacks in length, it compensates in charm and
craft. The fairways are narrow and most of
the dartboard greens are barely large enough
to hold the flag and two golf balls. The island
green par-3 finishing hole is signature.
NARAIHILL GOLF RESORT & CC
Uthai Thani, 61000
Tel: +66 (0) 5 651-6333
www.iyarapark.com
Khok Samrong, Lopburi 15120
+66 (0) 81 842-5311
www.naraihillgolf.com
Located in Lopburi, 140 kilometers north
of Bangkok, this handsome resort offers 40
rooms, 30 villas and 10 VIP suites to complement the enjoyment of its refreshing 7,357yard, 18-hole course. Views, mountains and
monkeys all are in happy excess here. Generous fairways, half-dozen doglegs, mid-fairway trees, water on 10 holes and 75 bunkers
add to the excitement. The best is the 464yard, par-4 13th with a 1 handicap and a lake
on left, with a bunker at the landing area. The
approach is a water carry (the entire lake, or
the intersecting stream 50 yards out).
Nakonratchasima 30130 + 66 (0) 4 427-3055
www.toscanavalley.com
SINGHA PARK
Four tee boxes present bodacious golf from
the surrealistic tips (you must sip a special
brand of steroid Singha to conquer these
7,502 yards), or more attainable from the
front (5,258). Easy it is to build an exciting
golf course with Mother Nature as a partner
providing mountain panoramas and beach
views. But in the flatlands of Khon Kaen
some stately excellence has been shaped out
of a mundane rice paddy with the brewery as
a sturdy backdrop. With imagination, topographical artistry and tractor legerdemain,
the entire layout – particularly two par-4s
(4th and 6th) as well as the par-5 11th and
18th – offer inspired design.
Khon Kaen 40260
+66 (0) 4 320-9000
[email protected]
81
Southern Thailand
Blue Canyon Country Club – Canyon
COURSES
Blue Canyon Country Club
• Canyon
• Lakes
Phunaka Golf Course
NOTES:
Laguna
Loch Palm
Mission Hills
Phuket CC
Thai Muang
M
inutes from the airport and
wrapped in the magnificent
mountains of Phang-Nga, Blue
Canyon, the most established golf resort in
Thailand, is nestled in environmental harmony with the verdant valley, copious rubber
trees and freshwater lakes.
The resort features two courses: the worldrenowned Canyon Course built in 1991 by
architect Yoshikazu Kato; and the Lakes
Course, completed by Mr. Kato, with the
help of Gary Player 1999).
The 7,179-yard Canyon Course (with a 141
slope rating) had been the paragon of championship play in Asia 10 years ago. The facility had dipped in quality for several years, but
is making a come back now that ownership
issues are being resolved. Some members
have expressed disapointment with the golf
cart replacement. Stay tuned.
A former rubber tree plantation and tin
mine, this facility was sculpted from the
original contours of the vast property: the
existing lakes, towering trees and primordial
canyons are all woven like a basket-weave
into the natural routing.
The Lakes Course is just that: 17 holes feature water. The 7,129-yard track has large
water-filled canyons created by open-cast
mining. Large greens and a fantastic finishing hole highlight the day. The front nine
plays through lakes and canyons and the
back side weaves through woodlands. Much
more open and playable than its older sister-
course, it has a 128 Slope rating.
THE CANYON COURSE
Water is in play on 13 holes; 87 bunkers
accent the course; large, fast greens require
legerity; flexuous, tight fairways demand
scrupulous course management; doglegs offer angles; and ravines and canyons provide
trepidation.
The course is a cornucopia of challenge. The
par-3s average nearly 210 yards (the shortest
is the 194-yard, downhill 14th). The par-4s
are diverse and are as short as 357 yards (the
dogleg left 16th) and a prodigious 449 yards
(the 2nd). The par-5s are humongous, averaging 575 yards.
The signature holes are the dramatic par-4
13th and the aforementioned 14th.
Now the par-3, described as one of the best
in the world: the 221-yard 17th. From an
elevated tee box, survey the long, bending
green as it arcs to the right with water running up the entire right side. A bunker before the water and two in the rear make this a
tough par. It’s handicapped 3.
82
Hua HinThailand
and
Southern
Kanchanaburi
The 14th is a picturesque par-3 with a vertical
drop of 90 feet to a natural peninsula green
that boomerangs to the left for 55 yards. The
back is nearly 35 yards wide, so err deep.
83
Blue Canyon Country Club – Lakes
Recreational
Recreational
“Its fame precedes it.” “Difficult but
compelling on the Canyon and a lovely day
on the Lakes.” “Great combination of two
resort courses.” “Classy golf.”
“It’s expensive and has unusual topography
for Phuket, but a first-class round.” “The
price keeps it quiet, so the glorious golf is
uncrowded.” “One of the best in Thailand.”
Professional
Professional
“Dramatic and distinctive.” “Only one of its kind
in Thailand.”
“The Canyon is a marvel. Great balance, diversity
and adversity.” “Pros at the Johnnie Walker
always enjoyed it.”
The Specifics
The Specifics
THE LAKES COURSE
The Lakes Course is just that: 17 holes feature water. The 7,129-yard track has large,
water-filled canyons created by open-cast
mining; large greens; and a fantastic finishing hole. The front nine plays through
lakes and canyons and the back side weaves
through woodlands. It is much ore open, less
demanding and user-friendly than its older
sister-course (it has a 128 slope rating) and it
permits golf carts.
471-yard behemoth that is the Mother of all
par-4s. What a finish.
The par-5s are long but fair, and straightforward. The 9th (591 yards) and the 10th (573
yards) are handicapped 3 and 4 respectively.
The 13th is the shortest at 514, but features –
in addition to the ubiquitous water – a blind,
uphill tee shot and a tree in the midst of the
fairway obstructing your second shot. The
approach is the killer here, with a green sloping toward the water on the right. Two traps
sit on the left edge.
The attenuated 164-yard 12th floats into your
consciousness. A big peninsula is home to a
large, front-sloping green. Enjoy the flowers.
The slight dogleg-right 18th is handicapped
2 and arches for 471 perilous yards uphill,
over ravine, water and past a mid-fairway
tree. Drive uphill and stay to the left on the
high ground. Your second shot – and it will
be over 200 yards – must carry the ravine and
water to a hilltop green, thankfully flat and
accommodating (44 by 23 yards).
This par-72 course has the typical, Yoshikazu
Kato-trees in the midst of several fairways.
But the greens – although large – are less
roiling than the Canyon. The front nine plays
at par-35 (one par-5) and the back side at
par-37.
The par-3s average 200 yards, except for the
164-yard 12th. The par-4s are assorted and
attainable – until you confront the 18th, a
84
The Lakes
Rating/Slope:
7,129
Black
74.0/128
6,504
Blue
70.0/115
6,073
White
68.3/114
5,366
Red
68.9/119
Designer: Yoshikazu Kato (with Gary
Player), 1999
Director of Golf: Roger Foo
Walking: mandatory on Canyon
Getting There
+66 (07) 632-7440
[email protected]
www.bluecanyonclub.com
It’s a gorgeous finish on a lush, wonderfullylandscaped, relaxing golf course.
D
ries over forest, water – or the clouds. The
only difficult test of the four is the 191-yard
14th offering a huge, elliptical green edging
a pond with four lurking bunkers (handicapped 6).
Carved out of the detritus of an ailing tin
mine in the belly of the Kathu Mountains,
Red Mountain GC is terrific not only in design architecture but in ambience. It is regal,
yet serene; complicated but unencumbered;
daunting, but a pleasure to play.
The par-4s range from 301 yards (the 16th)
and 337 (the 8th) to a bodacious 480 yards:
the flexuous (and most difficult) 6th with a
procession of sprawling bunkers crawling
up the right-side of the narrow fairway. The
13th runs 454 yards with a blind tee-shot to
a ridge (2 handicap).
Traveling as much as I do so far away from my
New York home, I get fits of homesickness, triggered by evocative scenes and events. So here I
am – overlooking a continuum of breathtaking
elevations; stark, vertical, scabrous, rocky peaks;
a regatta of flowing, blue waterways; artistically
sculpted fairways and crafted green complexes
– thinking Sedona, Arizona; the rolling Berkshire hills in Massachusetts; the landscapes of
northern Michigan.
The par-5s also offer yardage diversity and
are modest. The 2nd is a delightful dogleg
right that scampers a mere 484 yards, but is
unreachable in two. The tee-boxes are flanked
by ponds. Your drive goes to a fairway pod
bracketed by bunkers with angular lies. Stay
left for a good view to the green. Lay-up to
an uphill slope preceded by more bunkers. A
false-front bunker sits 70 yards from a large,
right-sloping green tucked into the forest.
And how about drama? The closing three
holes are about as striking and theatrical
as they get: a short, dogleg, cliff-side par-4
with a tee-box view of Greenland; a delicious
Alice in Wonderland par-3 17th with a rabbit-hole vertical drop as deep as the hole is
long (169 yards); and a 559-yard finish from
a tee-box brocaded by forested hills to a fairway shared with a looming lake that edges
the green.
More favorites? Quite an assortment: the 1st
ramatic, distinctive and wrapped
in the cosseting arms of Mother
Nature, this naturalistic golf course
– tucked improbably into the interior landscape of the famous beach resort of Phuket
– is a golfing jewel.
Designer: Jonathan Morrow, 2007
Head Pro: Michael Brasier
Walking: Permitted
Getting There
119 Moo 4, Vichitsongkram Rd.,
Kathu, Phuket 83120
+66 (07) 632 2000
[email protected] www.redmountainphuket.com
(see below) is a gentle introduction to the
leitmotif of the course with a green sitting in
linear counterpoint at the base of two, vertical red-cliffs.
The 8th is a 337-yard par-4 with terraced teeboxes showcasing a sigmoid fairway arcing
around book-ending ponds with a tempting
approach over water to the green; the 16th
(with the view) and the par-3 17th that descends for an eternity into a jungle bowl.
Hua HinThailand
and
Southern
Kanchanaburi
The Lakes Course is a fine counterpoint to
the Canyon. Boasting water on all but one
hole (the 17th) and flowers (bougainvillea,
wild Tiger Lilies, Flame of Forest) blooming
throughout, this out-and-back track affords a
solid day of golf. And if you are not in a walking mood, carts (“buggies”) are permitted.
Type: resort
Greens Fees:
Canyon: 1,600 (member’s guest) to 4,000 Baht
Lake: 1,300 (member’s guest) to 2,600 Baht
Caddies/Carts: 300/600 Baht
The Canyon
Rating/Slope:
7,179
Black
74.8/141
6,664
Blue
73.0/137
6,330
White
71.5/134
5,943
Red
75.2/134
Designer: Yoshikazu Kato, 1991
Type: resort
Caddies/Cart: 300/700 Baht
Rating/Slope:
6,781
Black
72.7/136
6,341
Yellow
70.4/128
5,925
White
68.4/121
5,203
Red
70.4/123
Designed by Jonathan Morrow and opened
in 2007, Red Mountain has set a standard for
style – and expense (it is one of the priciest at
5,500 Baht). It tumbles and rolls 6,781 yards
from the tips (Yellows are 6,341) with a 136
Slope Rating.
In addition to the elegant elevations, the
course features water in play on 10 holes; a
half-dozen doglegs; and jungle vegetation.
The par-3s are picturesque with forced carLIHN’S Best of Thailand GOLF GUIDE 2012
85
Phunaka Golf Course
Southern Thailand Notes
Recreational
LAGUNA PHUKET GC
MISSION HILLS GC
“Great location and a ‘phun’ (haha) place to
practice, with a neat range and good nighttime golf.” “It’s clean, fresh and a fantastic
place to kill an evening pounding golf
balls into the night.” “One friend loves the
90-minute+ round of night golf.”
This casual resort course, nestled on over 190
acres, is verdant with well-manicured greens,
coconut groves, lagoons, more than 100 bunkers and local flora and fauna. Water is featured on 13 holes. This player-friendly track
calls for patience and accuracy. Several memorable holes add luster: the exquisite 9th (a
short par-4 with a target, rock bulk-headed
island green); the signature 17th (a 612-yard
excursion with more sand and water than on
many of the surrounding beaches).
The 18-holes are bordered by the Gulf of
Thailand and a rim of mountains. Water
comes into play on all of the holes except the
1st, 10th and 11th. Doglegs dominate the
fairways (on every hole except the 17th and
the par-3s,) and several blind shots add suspense and adventure. The Nicklaus-designed
course, which showed such promise when
built in 2005, was a major disappointment
when I saw it last. The condition was poor.
Professional
“The driving range facility is really firstrate.” “For short-game practice, the nine
holes – especially during the cooler night
– are perfect.”
The Specifics
P
hunaka Golf Course is a splendid dayand-night option for: serious practice,
fine-tuning, or simply to bring the
family to enjoy all phases of start-up golf.
A commodious, double-decker driving range
(56 bays looking out over 330 yards of grass
– see bottom), a golf academy, a pro shop,
good eats, and a nine-hole course floodlit for
nighttime play – all make this facility a terrific golfing watering-hole.
ity is cozy, comfortable and affordable. Many
golfers load up on Friday night in preparation for the weekend golfing.
The Jonathan Morrow-designed nine-hole
golf course (he also designed the neighboring and imposing Red Mountain GC) travels 2,163 yards and features three par-4s that
stretch from 359 to 433 yards.
The six par-3s all linger over 160 yards (the
two longest are 178 yards), but for the quaint
120-yard 3rd, with a glorious temple sitting
off to the left.
The 160-yard 1st rolls downhill through a
frame of trees to a flat green with two bunkers in the front and one along the rear.
And the location is ideal. Phunaka is a short
drive from Phuket Town and the sandy
beaches in the southeast (Rawai). The facil-
After this, ponds pervade on this flat layout.
A large one spills in front of the 162-yard
5th. The wide, elliptical, saddleback green
is fronted by a bunker. But watch out for
the rocky creek that reaches up the right
side of the green. I am told wind isn’t
much of a factor, but the 2 handicap requires
you to beware.
The 433-yard 8th is the longest. It is a
straight shot. Negotiate a false front bunker
Type: public
Greens Fees: 950 to 1,600 Baht, night 80
to 150 Baht surcharge
Caddies: 150 to 300 Baht
Layout: nine-hole, par-30 Rating/Slope:
2,163
Blue
N/A
1,926 White
1,660Red
Thalang, Phuket 83110
+66 (07) 632-4350
www.lagunaphuket.com
doglegs than a kennel. Add to the playing
equation some cute elevations and intriguing
carries, and it adds up to an adventuresome
day of golf.
Architect: Jonathan Morrow, 2009
Head Pro: Oliver Bates
Practice Facility: two-tier driving range,
Instructional School: yes
Walking: only
Amphur Thalang, Phuket 83110 +66 (07) 626-0488
www.missionhillsphuket.com
Katu, Phuket 83120
+66 (07) 632-1038
www.phuketcountryclub.com
Getting There
PHUKET CC
THAI MUANG BEACH GOLF
& MARINA
As you stroll past cliffs and jungle and play
the amenable, 18-hole Old Course (built in
1989 and the oldest in Phuket), or attack
the rigorous and worthy nine-hole Country
Club Course (with a 140 slope rating) – sitting since 1995 across the road in solitude
around a lake – you are treated to a colorful palette of sweeping, landscaped artistry
etched in the hillsides, lakes, forests and valleys over 360 acres. Three sets of tees, from
6,484 yards (with a 124 slope rating) down to
5,719 yards, offer excellent options. The Old
Course has water on five holes, over 100 bunkers (yet none on the 2nd and 8th) and more
61/17-18 Moo 6, Soi Chaofa 73,
Muang, Phuket 83000
+66 (0) 86 479-7717 +66 (0) 76 521-911
[email protected]
www.phunakagolf.com
on your approach.
The closing hole highlights the temple to the
left and a long green at the end of the 178yard launch.
This is a terrific facility for practicing your
short game. Both the golf course and the
driving range shine into the night.
Bring the kids. It’s a family affair.
This 6,825 yard Perry Dye course (1995) is
located at the Royal Thai Navy Sport Development Centre, south of Khao Lak, at one
of its most beautiful sandy bays, Son-Ngam
Beach (with a background of the tropical hills
of Khao Lak). The 2004 tsunami destroyed
nearly every fairway and nearly 30 million
baht was spent on the major re-construction.
Dispite the website information, the course
has still has not reopened. Stay tuned.
Thai Muang, Phang-Nga 82120
+66 (07) 657-1533
LOCH PALM GC PHUKET
Hua HinThailand
and
Southern
Kanchanaburi
Southern
Thailand
It spreads and rolls over 170 acres of hilly
mountainside descending into valleys and
forest. The centerpiece of this recently restored 6,555-yard course is a 48-acre lake,
around which the first three holes wrap and
offer some compelling shot-making and
landscaping. Additionally, the course boasts
1,400 towering palms embroidering the fairways. Although short, it possesses a solid
slope rating of 130. Interestingly, the par-4s
measure from 319 yards and have only one
hole longer than 400 yards.
Kathu District, Phuket 83120
+66 (07) 632-1929
www.lochpalm.com
86
87
87
List of Other Courses
BANGKOK & CENTRAL REGION
Bangkok Golf Mah Boonkrong Int.
99/8 Moo 2 Tiwanon Rd., Bang Kradi,
Muang District, Pathum Thani
+66 (02) 501-2815
Bangkok Royal Country Club & Resort
Km 9 Klong 14, Rangsit-Ongharak Rd.,
Nakhon Nayok
+66 (02) 569-1387
Chuan Cheuan Golf Club
100 Moo 8, Bangkok-Pathum Thani Rd.,
Muang, Pathum Thani 12000
+66 (02) 598-2839
Dynasty Golf & Country Club
99 Moo 3, Poldamri Rd., Bang Lane,
Nakhon Pathom, 73130
+66 (03) 439 1076-9
Ekachai Golf & Country Club
8 Moo 5, Ekachai Rd. Km 12,Bang
Namchued Muang, Samut Sakhon
+66 (02) 416-5557
Kiarti Thanee Country Club
199-200 Bangna -Trad Rd., Samutprakan
+66 (02) 707-1700
Krisda City Golf Hills
110/215 Moo 1, Pinklao-Nakhon Chaisri
Rd., Bangkabao, Nakhon Pathom
+66 (03) 423-1101
Muang-Ake Golf Club
52 Moo 7, Phaholyothin Rd., Muang,
Pathum Thai
+66 (02) 533-9335
Muang-Ake Vista Golf Course
52/999 Phaholyothin RD., Muang,
Pathum Thani
+66 (02) 997-8501
Muang-Ake Wang Noi Golf Club
Phaholyothin Rd. Km 61,
Wang Noi, Ayutthaya
+66 (03) 521-4825-9
Nakhon Chaisri Golf & Marina CC
105 Moo 14, Nakhon Chaisri River
Home, Nakhon Chaisri, Bang Len,
Nakhon Pathom
+66 (03) 439-9012
88
LIHN’S Best of Thailand Golf Guide 2012
Thanont Golf View & Sports Club
61 Moo 6, Pracharuamjai Rd., Saikongdin
Tai, Klong Sam Wa, Bangkok
+66 (02) 916-9100
Prime City Golf Club
82/2 Moo 5, Rangsit-Ongkarak Rd.,
Klong 15, Ongkarak, Nakhon Nayok
+66 (03) 733-2243
The Unico Golf Course
47 Moo 12, Krungthep Kreetha Rd.,
Sapan Sueng, Bangkok
+66 (02) 379-3752
Rangsit Sports Club
29 Moo 3 Rangsit-Ongkarak, Nong Sam
Wong, Nong Suae, Pathum Thani 12170
+66 (02) 904-0468
Watermill Golf & Garden
44 Moo 2, Ongkarak, Nakhon Nayok
+66 (02) 905-8938, 905-9036
Royal Dusit Golf Club
183 Phitsanulok Rd., Dusit, Bangkok
+66 (02) 281-1330
World Trade International Golf
100 Moo 8, Bang Namprieo Rd.,
Chachoengsao
+66 (01) 658-4236
Royal Irrigation Department Golf Club
Tivanond Rd., Pakkred, Nonthaburi
+66 (02) 583-6050
_______________________________
Royal Thai Air Force Golf Course
14 Moo 8 Tambol Koo-Kod Amphur
Lam Luk Ka, Pathum Thani
+66 (02) 531-1484
Chonburi Century Country Club
Bang Bung,Chon Buri
+66 (03) 837-2613
EASTERN REGION
Royal Thai Army Sport Center
459 Ram Indra Rd., Bang Khern, Bangkok
+66 (02) 521-1184
Great Lake Golf & Country Club
77 Moo 5, Highway 36,
Pluak Daeng, Rayong
+66 (03) 862-2630
Royal Thai Navy Golf Club
4355 Sukhumvit Rd., Bang-Na,Bangkok
+66 (03) 393-1637
Plutaluang Navy Golf Course
Moo 6, Sattahip, Chon Buri
+66 (03) 870-1891
Tanya Tanee Country Club
Klong 4/5, Lam Lukka Rd., Lad Sawai,
Lam Luk Ka, Pathum Thani
+66 (02) 254-2618
Treasure Hills Golf Club
222 Moo 7, Ban Bueng, Chon Buri
+66 (03) 842-0766
WESTERN REGION
Cha-Am Global village
55/1 Moo 6 Tambol Khaoyai Amphur
Cha-am, Petchburi
+66 (02) 717-9151
Cha-Am Villa & Golf Club
Petchkasem Highway Km 140, Cha-Am,
Prachub Kirikhan
+66 (03) 247-1974
Evergreen Hills Golf Club & Resort
152 Moo 5, Muang,Kanchanaburi 71110
+66 (03) 465-7094 or +66 (02) 941-2801
Grand Garden & Golf Club
123 Bang Koa-Lardya Rd., Lardya,
Muang, Kanchanaburi
+66 (02) 243-0742
Green World Hot Springs
Resort & Golf Club
127 Moo 5, Kanchanaburi-Thong
Phaphum Rd. Km 107, Kanchanaburi
+66 (03) 459-9210
Home Phutoey Country Club
118 Moo 8 Banphutoey, Kanchanaburi
+66 (02) 950-4479
Kaeng Krachan Country Club & Resort
299/1 Moo 2, Ta Mai Ruak, Petchaburi
+66 (03) 242-7596
River Kwai Golf Country Club
191 Moo 2, Saiyok, Kanchanaburi
+66 (03) 456-5089
Sri Nakarin EGAT Golf Course
Sri Nakarin Dam, Srisawat, Kanchanaburi
+66 (03) 457-4001
_______________________________
NORTHERN REGION
Bhumibol Dam Golf Course
Bhumibol Dam, 180/2 Moo 6, Tak
+66 (05) 559-9093
Dongpukurd Golf Course
123/11274 Airport Rd., Phitsanulok
+66 (05) 525-1531
Lanna Golf Club
Chotana Rd., Muang, Chiang Mai
+66 (05) 322-1911
Sirikit Dam EGAT Golf Course
40 Moo 10, Phaluad Tha Pla, Uttaradit
+66 (05) 541-2639
NORTHEASTERN REGION
Friendship Meadows Country Club
195 Moo 3, Mittraphap Rd., Saraburi
+66 (03) 634-1911
Pakchong Highland Country Club
156 Moo 19, Pak Chong,
Nakhon Ratchasima
+66 (04) 431-3736
Rooks Korat Country Club
Golf & Resort
622 Moo 12, Korat-Pak Thongchai Rd.,
Ban Lam Ruak, Nakhon Ratchasima
+66 (04) 424-9060
Royal Hills Golf Club
100 / 1 Moo 2, Sarika-Nang Rong Rd.,
Muang, T.Sarika, Nakhon Nayok
+66 (03) 732-8403
The Khao Cha-Ngok Golf &
Country Club
99 Moo 1, Promnee, Nakhon Nayok
+66 (03) 739-3001
Voyage Panorama Resort & Golf Club
68 Moo 10, Nong Yakaw, Si Khiew,
Nakhon Rachasima
+66 (04) 423 0270
Victory Park Golf & Country Club
191 Moo 1, Khaibogvan, Muang, Nongkhai
+66 (04) 240-7296
_______________________________
SOUTHERN REGION
Hat Yai Resort and Golf Club
94 Moo 4, Hat Yai, Songkhla
+66 (07) 443-4770
Rajjaprabha Golf Course
53 Moo 3, Rajjaprabha Dam, Surattani
+66 (07) 724-0740
Southern Hills Golf & Country Club
128 Moo 8, Kanchanavanich Rd.,
Ban Pru, Hat Yai, SongKhla
+66 (07) 437-0113
Other Courses
Muan Kaew Vista Golf Course
52 Moo 8, Km7.7 Bangna-Trad
Highway, Samutprakhan
+66 (02) 316-3918
Northern Ransit Golf Club
19/2 Moo 7 Phaholyothin Road, Km 58,
Wang Noi, Ayuthaya 13170
+66 (03) 527-1755
89
90
91
Index
92
Riverdale Golf Club......................................... 47
Subhapruek Golf Club..................................... 48
Summit Green Valley Chiangmai CC.............. 74
Suwan Golf & Country Club........................... 49
Thai Country Club........................................... 50
Thana City Golf & Sports Club....................... 51
Green Valley Country Club.............................. 52
Krung Kavee GC & CC Estate........................ 52
Krungthep Kreetha Golf & Sports Club.......... 53
Muang Kaew Golf Club................................... 53
Navatanee Golf Club........................................ 53
Panya Indra Golf Club..................................... 54
Pinehurst Golf & GC...................................... 54
President Country Club................................... 54
Rajpruek Country Club.................................... 54
Rose Garden Country Club............................. 54
Royal Gem Golf & Sports............................... 54
Royal Gems Golf City...................................... 55
Royal Golf & CC............................................. 55
Santiburi Country Club................................... 75
Singha Park...................................................... 80
Siam Country Club.......................................... 16
Silky Oak Country Club.................................. 59
Sir James Country Club (Forest Hills)............. 79
Springfield Royal Country Club....................... 69
St. Andrews 2000............................................. 58
Soi Dao Highland Golf Club........................... 60
Royal Hua Hin Golf Club................................ 67
Palm Hills Resort & Country Club................. 69
Panorama Golf & CC...................................... 80
Pattana Golf & Sports Resort.......................... 62
Phoenix Country Club..................................... 62
Phuket Country Club....................................... 87
Phunaka Golf Course....................................... 86
Pleasant Valley Golf & CC.............................. 62
Royal Chiangmai Golf Resort.......................... 75
Royal Lakeside GC & Resort.......................... 62
Royal Ratchaburi GC & Resort....................... 69
Thai Muang Beach Golf & Marina.................. 87
Toscana Valley Country Club........................... 80
Uniland Golf & Resort.................................... 55
Vintage Club.................................................... 55
Waterford Valley Chiang Rai GC & Resort..... 75
Windsor Park & Golf Club.............................. 55
Index
Alpine Golf Club............................................. 44
Amata Spring Country Club............................ 52
Alpine Golf Resort-Chiangmai........................ 71
Bangkok Golf Club.......................................... 45
Bangpakong Riverside Country Club............... 61
Bangpoo Golf & Sport Club............................ 52
Bangpra International Golf Club..................... 61
Bangsai Country Club...................................... 52
Banyan Golf Club............................................ 64
Best Ocean Golf............................................... 52
Black Mountain Golf Club.............................. 66
Blue Canyon Country Club – Canyon............. 83
Blue Canyon Country Club – Lakes................ 84
Blue Sapphire Golf & Resort........................... 68
Bonanza Country Club.................................... 80
Burapha Golf Club........................................... 61
Cascata Golf Club............................................ 46
Chiangmai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort....... 72
Chiangmai Inthanon Golf & Natural Resort... 73
Crystal Bay Golf Course.................................. 61
Dragon Hills Golf & CC................................. 68
Eastern Star CC & Resort............................... 61
Gassan (Khuntan, Marina, Lake City)............. 75
Green Wood Golf Course................................ 61
Imperial Lakeview Resort & GC..................... 68
Iyara Golf Course............................................. 80
Kao Kheow Country Club............................... 62
Kirimaya Golf Resort & Spa............................ 77
Laem Chabang International Country Club.... 57
Laguna Phuket Golf Club................................ 87
Legacy Golf Club............................................. 53
Lakewood Country Club................................. 53
Lam Luk Ka..................................................... 53
Loch Palm Golf Club Phuket.......................... 87
Lotus Valley Golf Resort ................................. 10
Mae Jo Golf Club............................................. 75
Majestic Creek Country Club.......................... 68
Mission Hills Golf Club................................... 87
Mission Hills Golf Club Kanchanaburi .......... 69
Mountain Creek Golf Resort & Residence...... 80
Mountain Shadow Golf Club.......................... 62
Narai Hill Golf Resort & CC.......................... 80
Rancho Charnvee Resort & Country Club...... 78
Rayong Green Valley Country Club ................ 59
Red Mountain Golf Club................................. 85
93
Western Thailand
94
95
96

Lotus Valley Golf Resort

Transcription

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