The Legacy Golf Club is the only Jack Nicklaus course in Bangkok. It was formerly known as Natural Park Ramindra Golf Club and part of the large Natural Park group of courses. Before Legacy Golf Club was taken over by the Natrural group it was independently run as the Winsan Golf Club. The golf club is located next to Safari World in the Minburi area and is a very easy 40 minute drive from the city center of Bangkok.

The course is popular with local Thai golfers, members, and golf visitors alike. Course conditions are well kept especially considering the amount of rounds played. Caddies are well trained and as good if not better than other Bangkok golf courses. However, during the rainy season the fairways can get soggy very quickly as the course is in one of the lower lying areas of Bangkok.

Legacy Golf Club was built between two lakes and is equally challenging for amateur and professional golfers alike. All the common Jack Nicklaus design features such as waste bunkers, wide fairways, and tight approaches are found in abundance at Legacy.

The Jack Nicklaus designed course measures over 7,100 yards from the “Jack” tees, but with 5 tee boxes to choose from the golf course provides a tough test for players of all abilities. Huge lakes come into play on almost half the holes. Greens are good but sometimes on the slow side, at least compared to some of the top Bangkok golf courses such as Alpine and Thai Country Club. Most of the greens are well guarded and surrounded by deep bunkers. The par 4, sixteenth plays especially difficult as a large island green is all but surrounded by water and sand.

The large clubhouse has several restaurants and function rooms. Service is quite good and the Japanese cuisine in particular is well priced and quite tasty.

Green Valley Country Club is one of the best courses along the Bangkok to Pattaya motorway and close to the new Suvarnabhumi international airport. Some compare Green Valley to the likes of Thai Country Club, with just less opulence, because of the extreme challenge and well kept course conditions.

Very accurate drives are a must to score well as most of the fairways are defined by water hazards and have many uneven lies. The greens are super fast, especially when putting down grain. Green Valley has many well placed lakes and bunkers which adds even further to the golf challenge. The long opening holes along water are good examples of the golf course difficulty and what is to follow.

The club house restaurant serves a good selection of Thai, European and Japanese cuisine. Other facilities such as a pool and sauna with Jacuzzi and Thai massage offer nice options for relaxation after the game.

Green Valley is usually crowded with locals and Asian expatriates, so advance booking is a must and slower play is to be expected especially in season and on weekends.

Summit Windmill is one of the most challenging layouts in Bangkok. Despite its difficulty, it continues to remain an attraction for all types of players as course conditions are always kept up well.

Water comes into play on many of the holes starting with a large hazard that flanks the left side of the long par-5 1st hole. The same concept is repeated on the 18th and both these holes also happen to be the golf course signature holes that well exemplify the course challenge. The 1st hole is a long 624 yards, even by today’s standards, and the 18th is an exciting finishing hole that can provide some dramatic endings to any round.

Nick Faldo’s often innovative design also is further characterized by contoured fairways and four excellent quality, water-protected par-3’s, thebest of which is the island green 12th. A variety of palm trees line most fairways and give the course a Thailand tropical feeling. With little rough to worry about, golfers can look forward to getting their balls onto the many elevated greens and coping with the undulations.

Make sure you play from the set of tees most suited to your level of play or you’ll be in for a rough day. The black championship tees in particular are set on their own island teeing areas and are placed at very different and more difficult angles than the other tees.

The clubhouse is one of Thailand’s most opulent, resembling a European castle. Some of the golf villas in the surrounding housing estate are just as grand and could easily be mistaken for the clubhouse at any other course. Good views into these homes can be had from many of the holes at Summit Windmill making for interesting walks and when waiting between shots.

Lighting was installed in 2004 and this makes night golf an option for those with limited time in Bangkok and wanting to get in as much golf as possible. In 2007 course owners appointed Le Meriden Hotels to build a hotel on site. In 2009, the course and hotel will be re-branded as Le Meriden Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Golf Resort.

Summit Windmill is popular with both locals who are mostly members and also tourists who want a quick round at excellent course as it just 30 minutes from the center of Bangkok. Good tee times are at a premium and the golf course is almost always fully booked on weekends. Although located within the city suburbs, there is a definite oasis quality about Summit Windmill. The golf course is great choice to escape to and enjoy the pleasures of tropical golf course – an outstanding choice for inclusion in any Bangkok golf vacation package.

At Royal Gems, Designer Garry Roger Baird has build a ’gem’ of a course equal to his other masterpieces; the famed Shuzu course of the Shishido Kokusai Golf Club in Ibaraki, Japan, and the Hermitage Course, a permanent LPGA tournament site in the United States. The Royal Gems Golf club is one of only a handful of Thailand golf courses to be officially accepted as a member of the United States Golf Association; which is only granted to clubs after their layouts and facilities have been deemed to meet Championship standards.

Playing to 7,107 yards from the blue tees, the par 72 layout features deep blue lakes, wide and narrow fairways, deep rough, big bunkers and huge greens. The member’s only course is one of most stylish of all the golf courses in the greater Bangkok area. The course has a mixture of American, Scottish and Thai features. It is relatively lesser known among Bangkok golf courses and is rarely included in Bangkok golf packages due to the difficulty in securing tee times; only available for in-house guests or through a handful of authorized agents.

Although relatively flat, each hole has been individually sculpted and presents its own array of challenges, usually clearly visible from the tee. The par-five holes are testing and three of the four par-three holes require the tee shot to be hit directly over water to reach the green. Water is often in play, so too the excellent fairway and greenside bunkering. A wonderful array of trees lines the holes to catch those occasional wayward shots. Overall, Royal Gems is a beautifully presented collection of golf holes, enhanced by top-quality green-keeping and located in a very pleasant and natural parkland environment.

The golf club includes a 98-room golf resort, condominiums and houses. There is a grass driving range and a host of other practice facilities for golfers. The small restaurant at the club house serves up some great Japanese, Thai, and Western delicacies.