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 rough was cut short and water comes into play often, but since the fairways are wide, one can play away from the lateral hazards.
This course is entirely Bermuda grass which only became an issue when the greens seemed to be running less than the posted 9 on the stimpmeter. Perhaps they were slower as we played in the afternoon. It took a while to get comfortable with hitting putts harder in order to have the proper speed but the greens did roll smooth and true with solid strokes and they were in excellent condition.
Approach shots to some greens are somewhat a challenge as the entrances to these greens are flat and raised bunker edges obscured views of the green surface. Of course raised bunkers are normal, but often the green surface will be somewhat raised from the fairway or sloped so that golfers at least have a view of the putting surface.
When standing in the fairway on numerous holes, it was difficult to discern the green layout even though the pin was visible. However using a range finder and having a pin sheet with the yardage location of the pin + or – from the center helped to alleviate this problem but still a major part of the green surface was not visible.
One must be careful on some of the approach shots as the fringe areas are closely mowed and sloped toward water hazards. A well played approach shot could roll down into the hazard if it has too much side spin.
The caddies were pleasant and good, starter very well organized, kiosks ladies friendly and the front receptionists quite amiable. Clubhouse and shower facilities are quite nice, restaurant offers an extensive menu and the food was fine. We teed off around noon and had the course to ourselves, what a delight!
The Vintage Golf Club makes a good addition to a Bangkok golf holiday, especially if you are looking for a new course known mainly by the locals.
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