Bangsai Country Club

The facilities are superb with a lovely clubhouse offering good food, cold drinks and a warm and welcoming atmosphere. You may actually find it hard to believe that you have not stepped through the doors of an up market country club as you arrive at the clubhouse which is superb.

The course lends itself perfectly to the area and has been cleverly designed to make the most of the splendid vistas, natural terrain and rural location. Thai designer Pirapon Namatra should be highly praised for his attention to detail and the intricateness of his design amongst the rice paddies.

Each hole offers a distinctive design with a rolling fairways being perfectly framed by the strategically positioned bunkers and lateral water hazards that come into play on no fewer than 11 holes.

Unlike many golf courses in this region Bangsai takes advantage of the elevation changes in the landscape to great effect and it is a joy to play, especially during the week when you could be forgiven for thinking you are at a private members club, due to the lack of golfers. Weekends however are a totally different story with locals arriving in their droves to play this wonderful little golf course.

The 7^th is a picturesque hole, which will drive fear into many a weekend golfer. A long carry over the water is required to find this split fairway. Rough and a bunker are found in the centre and further bunkering flanks the fairway. From here the shot to the green is relatively straightforward, although the green is fast an undulating, a superb hole that will offer plenty of chances for a good score, but equally as many bad ones.

A delightful hole is the par 4 11^th, which is a real risk and reward hole for the longer hitters. The hole starts with a somewhat unusual feature a teeing ground of around 150 yards from back to front. From this long tee you are faced with a gentle dogleg which curves its way around to the left around the large water hazard. Two bunkers protect the “shorter” routes to the fairway, whilst trees and further bunkers protect the right side for those who are a little too cautious. Longer hitters will be tempted to take on as much of the corner to set up a birdie opportunity.

The 14^th is considered by many as the signature hole, with 10 different teeing grounds the hole is varied, but the shot over the water to the well protected green will provide a challenge to even the most seasoned golfer.

On the new 9 the par 5 7^th is the most memorable and one of the most testing holes in the new loop. At 549 yards from the white tees golfers must avoid the small, almost pot bunker in the middle of the fairway. The second has to be placed perfectly for a look at the green which is set below the fairway and protected by the water hazard to the left. A beautifully designed hole and well worth the praise that it is getting.