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The Thai Country Club is one of the most reputable courses in all of
Thailand. As players arrive to the massive redbrick clubhouse, they will
be greeted by a large beautiful lake. The course’s layout offers players
a variety of excellent obstacles through the eighteen holes as each hole
presents its own distinct personality. Moreover, the course features large
greens with various ridges and steep slopes. Although the green conditions
were bad during my initial play in 2004, after a recent re-visit, the
club has changed its greens into the Paspalum grasses, allowing for a
high quality putting experience. The fairways are also generally nice
and very comfortable to walk on top as it almost feels like players are
walking on an extremely long carpet.
Scorecard
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A short par four with an impressive layout and a dogleg that bends to
the right. Players will not only have hit their tee shot over a body of
water, but will also have to choose which fairway to aim for as the fairways
are divided in two by a huge bunker in the center. I suggest aiming for
the left fairway as it is safer and will only require a short second iron
shot to the green. If aiming for the right fairway, players will need
a carry of 260 yards in order to clear and the water and the bunker obstacles.
When the 1997 Honda Classic was held here, there was no black tee on this
hole. Therefore, the blue tee, which is 37 yards shorter, was used for
all players. In order to hit the green directly, players will need to
not only to hit over 260 yards, but also clear the large bunker that is
placed in front of the green. It is said that during his play here, world-renowned
golf player Tiger Woods managed to hit the green (314 yards long) in one
using only an iron!
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A par 3 that consists of a very steep slope and a body of water on the
right side. The contrast between the lake, the green, the bunkers, and
the palm trees behind the green makes for an interesting hole. There is
a ridge that runs along the center of the green that is protected by a
bunker on its front left.
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This pa r5 is almost straight for the first 350-400 yards, after which it
is followed by a sharp dogleg to the right. A body of water comes into play
on the right side of the fairway if the player’s tee shot is over 270 yards.
As for the second shot, since the fairway doglegs to the right, a long hitter
can hit the green in two for this short par five. However, players should
be aware that there is a body water in front of the green that will catch
shots short.
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A very long signature par three hole over water. Since the head winds often
blow, it is safer for players to use one of the less lofted clubs and aim
towards the left side of the green in order to avoid the water. If players
hit too far left, they may find their ball in one of the deep hollows, making
it difficult to save par. This hole was selected as one of the best 500
holes in the world in by the US Golf Magazine in 2000 (latest edition).
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A neat par 3 over water. The green is prtected by three bunkers in the front
and a bunker on the left. |
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The thirteen hole is designed with a dogleg that bends to the left. There
is an OB and three bunkers that come into play on the left off the tee.
Unless players can hit long enough and carry over the bunkers that are placed
260 yards from the tee, an accurate drive is needed as the landing area
of the fairway is dramatically narrow. There are bunkers that are placed
in front of the green that await every ball that is hit short. |
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The fifteenth hole is a par four with a slight dogleg bend to the right.
There are lakes that come into play both off the the tee and approach
shots. Players should favor the left side for approaches as the right
side of the green not only borders a body of water, but also steeply slopes
towards it.
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The seventeenth hole consists of a slight dogleg to the right that bends
around a lake. The lake itself is so long the body of water comes into
play on each shot, making it quite a difficult hole. The tee shot is particularly
difficult as not only do players have to worry about the lake on the right,
but also because of the very narrow landing due to the bunkers on both
sides of the fairway. The green itself is shallow as there is a body of
water on the front and two bunkers at the rear.
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It takes less than one hour from Central Bangkok to reach the golf club.
The Peninsula Group, a top hotel brand in Hong Kong, operates the luxurious
clubhouse and restaurant. The changing room is highly comfortable and
restaurant is excellent. The overall experience is as superb as a five
star hotel. The clubhouse has been voted numerous times as the best in
Asia by various sites and magazines. Players will need to be accompanied
by a member in order to play here. However, the course is open to visitors
who can book their play through a travel agency. Those who are staying
at the Peninsula Bangkok hotel can book their play through the hotel.
Tiger Woods helped the course become famous by winning the 1997 Honda Classic.
According to the top100golfcourses.co.uk
site, Thai Country Club was ranked 9th out of the 270 (as of 2015) courses
in all of Thailand during its 2016 evaluation.
The other Denis Griffiths designed courses in Thailand are Phoenix
G&CC, Dynasty G&CC, Soi Dao Highland GC, and Changmai
Green valley CC.
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2rd Par 4 399 yards (3)