This past weekend I had the opportunity to watch the Honda LPGA at Siam Country Club as well as play two of my favorite Pattaya golf courses. The ladies second event of the 2012 season was won once again by the world’s #1 Yani Tseng. It was a good finish as she and AI Miyazato were in the race until the last hole.
In spite of IMG missing my ticket delivery, the ladies professional golf tournament went off without a hitch and I still managed to get admission to watch the ladies on their final day. The Old Course at Siam Country Club was in excellent condition and golfers who plan to play at this Pattaya golf course over the next few weeks are in for a real treat. Expect course course-up to be tournament-style with fast greens and close-cut rough. Signage will also be left in place giving visiting Pattaya golfers the feeling of being right in the event themselves. The only thing missing will be the ladies, who all travel to Singapore to play this week to play in the HSBC Woman’s Championship.
Besides watching the lady professional golfers I snuck in 2 rounds of Pattaya golf for myself. First up was Greenwood Golf Club, one of my underrated favorites and probably the best value-for-money golf in Pattaya. With year-round weekday green fees of 25 Euros, or less in the low season, the 27-hole former Noble Place Golf Club is a steal. Add Thai hospitality together with a Peter Thomson layout and you have a great day out golfing in Pattaya. I have seen better Greenwood course conditions in the past, especially the greens which look to have some fungus growing at the edges. Nevertheless, playing Course B-C proved to be an enjoyable round of golf. I especially like the unique circle-layout of Course C as compared to the more traditional out-and-back set-ups of Courses A and B.
Next up on my schedule was Laem Chabang Country Club, one of Pattaya’s premier golf courses and one of the best Nicklaus designs in Thailand. All three nines were open, so I opted to play my two favorite; the B Lake Course and C Valley Course. On my last visit to Laem Chabang new fairway Paspalum grassing had just been finished. Now the fruits of this work are evident as fairways were as good as other top courses like Thai CC and Alpine in Bangkok. The greens were also in top condition and rolled around 10 on the stimpmeter. Over the years I have played Laem Chabang and although the club has had its share of ups-and-downs I can say that now it is in as good of condition as ever and a real joy to play. Make sure to include this Pattaya golf course if you are in the area.
Do you have any Pattaya golf stories or advice? Let me know and maybe we can even get in a round on your next visit. Happy golfing!
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