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The Old Course of Siam Country Club is set on a hillside terrain with
matured trees lining the fairways. It is one of the oldest course in all
of Thailand. During my original play in 2005, aside from a few memorable
holes, the course was not impressive at all. This was because there were
fewer strategically placed bunkers, a featureless green complex, and wild
fairway grasses. In 2007, Lee Schmidt renovated the entire course by cutting
the unnecessary trees, adding bunkers with a modern esthetic look, changing
all green fairway grasses, and re-designing the green shapes. Although
Lee Schmidt kept the original routing, the course was changed into a new
design. The new course features about a hundred strategically placed deep-bunkers,
undulating fairways with deep roughs, and many narrow two or three tiered
greens. This course now requires players to use both accuracy and a game
plans in order to overcome many obstacles. The Old Course hosted the Honda
LPGA from 2010 to 2017 at the length of 6548 yards
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The opening hole is a slight downhill dogleg that bends to the left.
Bunkers at the right corner of the fairway must be avoided off the tee.
A small bunker that is placed fifty yard short of the green will force
players to make a decision whether to lay up or go over the bunker. The
green itself is elevated and deep.
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An uphill par four with a dogleg bend to the right. The hole is twenty
yards longer than its actual distance due to the fact that it is uphill.
While distance on the tee shot is important, accuracy is also important
as the landing area is very narrow due to a combination of bunkers and
mature trees lining that are placed on both sides of fairway. When players
hit their tee shot towards the right side of the fairway, the trees protruding
from the right, may hinder the approach shot. The green is deep, narrow,
and is protected by a bunker on the right.
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The sixthth hole is an uphill par four with a dogleg that bends to the
left. The uphill elevation makes this hole’s play twenty yards longer
than the yardage. The main hazards are located around the green where
bunkers protect all three sides. It is difficult to judge the correct
distance on the second shot to the raised green due to the noted elevation
difference and the fact that the green is deep and narrow.
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An over-a-lake, long, and slightly downhill par three. While the lake
does not come directly into play, it does enhance the aesthetics of the
hole. The green is deep and has bunkers on its right and back side. There
are also two small bunkers and a tightly mowed recovery area on the left.
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This par four consists of a slight dogleg that bends to the right. There
is a beautiful Buddha statue that can be seen on the hillside beyond the
green. During the tee shot, players should avoid the cluster of large fairway
bunkers on the left at all costs. The green has three different levels or
surfaces making the putting experience difficult. Furthermore, it is also
wide, elevated, severely sloped, protected on both sides by bunkers, and
has a large valley that runs through the middle. |
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A straightly designed long par 4. The tee shot plays over a lake and
into a well bunkered landing area. There is very little room for error
as the fairway is surrounded by bunkers both on its left and right sides.
Furthermore, the green is protected by an additional two bunkers on its
front right and left.
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The 16th hole is an over-the-water long par three. The green is slightly
elevated and surround by four bunkers, two which is on its front right. |
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A par four with a dogleg bend to the left. A creek crosses the landing area
about 270 yards off the tee and a lake that is placed on the left of the
fairway. Therefore, players will require accuracy in order to avoid the
hazard. The green is angled right to left and there is a large bunker that
comes into play in its front. |
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The last hole is the course’s signature hole. It is an uphill hole that
curves twice towards to the left. Players should hit to the left half
of the fairway, as this will allow for a second shot with a good angle
on the tough landing area. The landing area itself is guarded by three
fairway bunkers. The green is elevated, triple-tiered, and consists of
a lot of elevation changes, making putting very difficult when the pin
far is away from the player’s ball.
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The course is a 30-minute drive from Pattaya
and a 1 hour 45 minute-drive from Bangkok. The Country Club has two more
courses with its own separate clubhouse. These include Plantation
Course and Waterside Course.
It takes about five minutes to get from one clubhouse to another.
According to the top100golfcourses.co.uk
site, The Old Course at Siam Country Club was ranked 4th out of the 270
(as of 2015) courses in all of Thailand during its 2016 evaluation.
The original designer, Ichisuke Izumi, is Japanese. His famous works
in Japan are Sidegaura CC, Hannou GC, and Shimazu GC.
Other Lee Schmidt and Brain Curry designed courses in Thailand are Amata
Spring
CC, Siam CC (Plantation
Course), Muang Kaew GC
(re-design), and Chiang
Mai Highlands G&SR.
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Hole 1 Par 5 543 yards (3)