Yes! Bangkok’s Royal Gems Golf and Sports Club was designed by Gary Roger Baird based in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, a former protégé of Robert Trent Jones and offers a nice variety of holes surrounded by mature trees. The course is generally closed for non-member play, but some agents like my golf travel company can secure a limited number of tee times for visiting golfers in Bangkok. Last week I found the golf course in  excellent condition. Fairways were of good quality grass and c...

Here is a fresh review of one of the lesser known Bangkok golf courses. The Vintage Club was designed by Arthur Hills, a top designer from the state of Michigan, USA who has designed more than 180 courses worldwide and renovated or modified more than 120 others. Fairways are quite generous and provided a fair amount of roll on tee shots. They were just a bit dry, but not to the point of making any negative impact on play as they were still in fine condition as was the rest of the course. The ro...

Here is the third part of Respect “The Elders”: A British expatriate golfers favorite Thailand golf courses. Khao Cha-Ngok Golf & Country Club, Nakornnayok Having a home in Nakornnayok has provided the opportunity to play this golf course regularly. I was lucky. The course did not exist when we built the house. The only course in the area was the lovely Sarrika Golf Club which was closed and converted into a coffee plantation. I was devastated. Then came the cavalry to the rescue. Khao Cha-N...

In Thailand, younger people are brought up to respect their elders. This article, and the next few postings, present the views of a British golfer who arrived in Thailand in the mid- 70’s. He was already a single figure handicapper and understandably retains great affection and respect for the few golf courses which existed at that time. He explains which Thailand golf courses are his favorites, why he liked them then, and loves them still today. Unlike retired generals classic golf courses don’...

Here is a review of Hua Hin’s newest and best golf club by Chiag Rai Thailand based PGA golf teaching professional Graham Sampson The Black Mountain Golf Club, a new 18 hole championship course in the seaside town of Hua Hin, Thailand that opened for play July, 2007. It’s only a ten-minute drive from downtown and a must-play for all golf enthusiasts. The course stretches out to 7345 yards from the championship-caliber black tees to 6502 from the blue with course ratings of 75 & 72 res...

The 3 Thailand golf courses designed by Ronald Fream are Panya Indra Golf Club in Bangkok, Windsor Park Golf Club (formerly Panya Park Golf Club) also in Bangkok, and Mountain Shadow Golf Club (formerly Natural Hill Golf Club) near Pattaya. The Panya Indra Golf Club was developed by Fream in 1991 comprises three separate 9-hole championship courses, each with an individual design. It is the only one of the 3 original Panya Group golf courses that still bears the Panya name. The golf course ha...

Here is a company that re-designs golf courses in Thailand as well as developing their own creations. Schmidt-Curley Design, Inc. was founded by partners Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley. Brian Curley resides in the USA, while Mr. Schmidt calls Thailand his second home. Schmidt-Curley is a full service, international golf course architecture and master planning firm with more than 100 golf courses in 24 countries, including the U.S., China, Vietnam, Mexico, Egypt, Sweden, Korea and, of course, Thail...

Thailand’s golf courses have been designed by some of the world’s best golf course architects including Greg Norman. Norman won The Open Championship twice, in 1986 and 1993, and also won The Players Championship in 1994, averaging less than 69 strokes per round. However, Norman may be regarded as an underachiever because of by his myriad near-misses in The Masters, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship. Perhaps the most famous and embarrassing Norman meltdown of all occurred at The Masters i...

Previous postings in my series about some of the world’s best golf course architects who have designed some of Thailand’s golf courses featured fierce tournament rivals, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Peter Thomson. Today’s post and the next is about two other golfers who often competed head to head in majors and who subsequently built up successful golf course design businesses: Nick Faldo and Greg Norman. Turning 50 just last month, Nick Faldo is, unquestionably the greatest British golfer ...

Peter Thomson, five times British Open Champion from 1954-1965, three times Australian Open Champion and nine times the New Zealand Open Champion, has won a hundred tournaments worldwide, including the World Cup for Australia, twice. His record on the PGA Seniors Tour is scarcely less impressive; in 1985 he set the standard by winning nine tournaments out of a possible 27. Born in the working class suburb of Brunswick in Melbourne, Thomson began his professional career in 1949 and won his first ...

Robert Trent Jones Jr has built golf courses around the world including the Rocky Mountains, French forests, Palm Springs desert, Russian parkland, Japanese hills, Australian coastlines, and former rice paddies and coconut plantations in Thailand. The four Thailand Trent Jones golf courses in Thailand are Navatanee Golf Course in Bangkok, Eastern Star Golf & Country Club in Pattaya, Green Valley Country Club in Bangkok, and Santiburi Golf Club in Chiang Rai. Here is some background  and...

This is the final post about the great Jack Nicklaus golf courses in Thailand and covers the other, non-Mission Hills, courses. Legacy Golf Club (formerly Winsan and before that Natural Park Ramindra Golf Club) at over 7,000 yards is a tough course, heavily bunkered around most greens and with huge water hazards. The conditions are well kept and the golf course being located only around 30 minutes from town is a good choice for those in Bangkok wanting to play a top course and not travel too far...

This posting is the latest in my series about the world’s golf course architects and their presence on the Thailand golf scene. Today, I feature Jack Nicklaus, probably the most prolific of the Thailand golf course top designers. The name Nicklaus has long been associated with greatness on a golf course: twenty major championships, electrifying finishes and the sheer will to win. Jack’s achievements are legendary. However, the name Nicklaus transcends his dominance as a player. Today, Nick...