Here we take a look at the top golf courses around Pattaya in Thailand. Pattaya has recently been awarded “Golf destination of the year Asia / Australasia” by IAGTO and features over 20 golf courses.
Laem Chabang International Country Club
Around 40 minutes outside of Pattaya | Top quality facilities | 27 holes
Laem Chabang is without a doubt one of the top golf courses near Pattaya with 27 holes and input from Jack Nicklaus. The clubhouse overlooks hole 9 of the lake course; one of the finest 9 holes in the area. Laem Chabang International Country Club is a challenge not to be missed for golfers of all skill levels with a great layout and some of the top caddies in the area. One piece of advice is to bring a good number of golf balls if you are a higher handicapper as there are plenty of oppertunities to lose them!
There are 3 sets of 9 hole courses – The Mountain course (around the mountain style hills), Lake course (9 holes that run along a stream) and the Valley course (surrounded by picturesque hills).
Top Drive: Hole 1 of the Mountain course requires a straight drive as it is surrounded by trees and water to the right. A drive of at least 170 yards is required off the white tees.
Top Hole: Hole 6 on the lakes course requires an accurate drive and then an accurate second shot over water.
Burapha Golf Club
Around 40 minutes from Pattaya | Good facilities | 36 holes
Burapha is a consistently well presented course that hosts the Pattaya Singha Open and the Thailand Open on a yearly basis. Designed by Gary Panks and famous touring professional David Graham this course is always popular with locals and tourists alike. Burapha is also well-known as it has some of the most knowledgeable caddies in the local area due to their excellent training routine.
The groundstaff are also excellently trained meaning the course is always in top shape even with the number of golfers who visit the course throughout the year.
There a 4 different sets of 9 holes:
A – a mix of holes on flat land that require careful shot planning
B – a challenging hilly set of 9 holes, which are used at the top competitions
C – a winding set of nine where straight shots are required
D – a set of nine holes with great views of Pattaya from the highest point on the course
Top Drive: Hole 9 on course C is a long hit over tee boxes and then water and requires a good long hit to get to the fairway.
Top Hole: Hole 5 on the B course is well-known due to the whole of the left side bordered with a bunker and then water. If you over hit the green you’ll most likely be in the bunker, which requires a good bunker shot to get out of.
Siam Country Club Old Course
30 minutes from central Pattaya | World class 18 hole course
The Old Course at Siam Country club is one of the oldest but greatest golf courses in Pattaya. Originally designed in 1969 it has been updated in recent years removing some trees to allow for a natural breeze on the course. The course is also well-known as it has been the host of the LPGA Thailand competition in February. One of the main features of the course are the bunkers – you will often find at least 4 or 5 per hole, although there are less than the Plantation course next to the old course. Maitenance on the course is of the highest quality, with highly trained ground staff and caddies looking after the fairways, greens and rough.
Top Drive: Hole 8 is a par 3 with a shot over water on to a green surrounded by bunkers. At 191 yards it is also a long par 3 where every yard counts!
Top Hole: Hole nine is the most scenic hole on the course with a good view of the Buddha statue atop of the adjacent hill.
Siam Country Club Plantation Course
New addition to the Pattaya region | 30 minutes away | 27 holes
The Plantation course at Siam Country Club features three sets of nine holes (Sugar Cane, Tapioca and Pineapple). The course was built in 2007 by world renowned Schmidt & Curley Design Inc. from Arizona at the same time as the renovations to the old course. One of the main features of the course is the careful shot selection required to avoid the numerous bunkers on the course as well as the tight layout. Lower handicappers are mostly attracted to the course due to the difficulty but players who can generally hit straight shots will have a good time on this course whatever the handicap.
Sugar Cane (a) – Not much water on these nine but bunkers are everywhere! Hole 5 for example has over 20 of them!
Tapioca (b) – A good mixture of holes with water and bunkers covering the main tee shot landing areas. The b course cements the idea that accuracy is the policy here!
Pineapple (c) – Longer holes mixed with water and more sand. A very scenic mix of holes with great views of the surrounding hills.
Top Drive: Hole 5 on the A course (Sugar Cane) requires a good tee shot and the player can decide between a short but dangerous line (right) or a long but safer route (left).
Top Hole: Hole 6 on the C course is a long par 5 winding around a lake. Accuracy is very important to reach par.
There are loads more courses around Pattaya!
These are just a few of the top courses but you can take a look at the map of golf courses around Pattaya and decide for yourself if its somewhere you’d like to visit! We also have loads of information on the top hotels and golf holiday offers from our partners Solar Tours on the play Pattaya website.