Best 18 holes in Pattaya
We were sitting down the other day with my playing partners and discussing the best golf courses in Pattaya, and trying to put together a dream 18 holes. I get to play most of the courses at least twice throughout the year and the top courses probably 3 times. Here is my dream 18 holes here in Pattaya.
1st Hole Laem Chabang Mountain Course. Par 4, 336 yards
Here you stand on the tee and wonder if you can fit your ball onto the fairways, with out of bounds on the left and jungle on the right, you wish you had spend more time warming up on the driving range.
2nd Hole Laem Chabang Mountain Course. Par 3 175 yards
A great par three down hill, water front, left and long, the safe bale out is on the right but course designer Jack Nicklaus decides to tier the green so you are chipping downhill and down the tier to get to the front right pin placement
3rd hole Khao Kheow A course, par 3, 180 yards
Another testing par three 180 yards from the blue tee with water all up the right, and big mounds on the right. If you do get the ball on the putting surface the green is reasonably flat giving you a good opportunity for birdie
4th Hole Burapha Belfry course, par 4, 353 yards
A great par 4 from an elevated tee, the complete hole is laid out in front of you. Large mounds on the right of the fairway and water on the left. The great feature of this hole is the bunker on the left hand side that goes from the 150 yard marker all the way up to the green and around the back of the green
5th Hole Siam Plantation Sugar Cane, par 5 543 yards
Here the fairways must be 220 yards wide! An uphill par 5 with a spilt fairway. Take the left fairways and its a shorter distance but you almost bring all of the 27 bunkers in play, take the left fairways and its virtually bunker free. The green is double tiered, so the jobs not done when you get to the green.
6th Hole Laem Chabang Lake Course Par 4, 420 yards.
From the blue tee its a 300 yard drive downhill to the water, with a fairway bunker right and OOB left. From here you are faced with a 170 yards to the green with water front and right. The green is quite flat once you are there.
7th Hole Burapha Country Club B course. Par 4, 414 yards
from the tee you look at OOB on the left and water on the right. With your drive favouring the left side there is a tree hindering progress unless you can hit it high or took the tiger line off the tee up the right hand side. The green has two tiers and makes that birdie putt just a little harder if you not on the correct level.
8th Hole Laem Chabang Lake Course, par 3, 145 yards
From an elevated tee you look down over the water and a single bunker that protects the flag. Its quite a flat green so putting isn’t the problem, just keeping the ball dry and off the beach should make it an easy par.
9th Hole Siam Plantation Sugar Cane Course par 4, 472 yards
Well the club house is in site but it still requires a drive right of centre and the a long iron or wood for some, to reach the green that is protected by bunkers on the left and huge run off are to the right and a triple tiered green. Course designers Schmidt Curley cant be golfers to design such a brutal finishing hole, or they were having a bad day at the office !
Back nine coming soon