Golf at Wangjuntr Golf & Natural Park
When I recently told me friends I was having a game at Wangjuntr, they said wasn’t there a song about that “ I’m going to Wangjuntr tonight”
Well unbeknown to a lot of golfers, there is a gem hidden hidden in the forests approx 70 minutes drive from central Pattaya and not many are familiar with the course. I have been coming to Pattaya for 15 years now and this was my second round at this course.
With 40 Pattaya golf courses within the 1 hours drive radius, you tend just to play the popular courses, extend beyond your comfort zone and you will be rewarded with a round of golf that will stay with you for a long, long time.
There is 45 holes here, 18 holes called Highlands, 18 holes called Valley, and a completed 9 of a proposed 18 hole, called Jungle. The elevation changes are the most I have experienced throughout Thailand and probably the world, now before you email me with courses like Red Mountain in Phuket or Koh Samui, the changes are much severe that these two.
What I and other members of the group I played with on the day enjoyed the most was there was no two holes alike, A lot of the modern courses in Thailand are starting to look like others around, you wont see that here in Wangjuntr Golf & Natural Park. On the highland course we play there was what I would called donut greens, each green either had bunkers, an outcrop of rocks, un-mown grass or in the case of the par 5, a water hazard in the middle of the green !!
Most would describe this a tricked up course, but it made you think about every shot you hit, so much so my playing partner actual said he a had a headache as he had to think all day about his golf game, and he’s right, the course didn’t let up !
My favourite hole on the course is the Par 4 14th , from the Blue tees its 260 yards to the water and my caddy suggested that I take 6 iron to be short of the hazard. Now the elevation drop must be 250 yard drop from tee to fairway and my usual 6 iron travels approx 190 yards, but with the elevation drop that equaled another 60 yards, so my ball was just short of the water. From here, I had a water carry to a green surrounded by water on three sides.
Unlike other courses, this course has 2 greens on each hole and from the blues measures around 7600 yards from the back tees but I would suggest moving up to the Whites for an enjoyable round.
Every hole was different and I can honestly say that I haven’t played golf on a course where I wasn’t saying WOW when I got onto each new tee. From holes with different levels of landing areas in the fairways to greens that were up to 40 metres either deep or wide, Wangjuntr is a course that is a must play when you visit Pattaya.