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.

Recently redesigned by Lee Schmidt and John Curley from the USA, Muang Kaew now boasts 18 well guarded greens, many of which are elevated with large side catchment areas, a very unique design aspect and hardly ever seen on Thailand golf courses.

Wide fairways give players some respite for approach shots, most of which are into difficult to hold greens due to the aforementioned elevation changes, high lipped bunkers, and shaved fringes.

The course seems to get better by the hole with the back nine offering a great variety of holes starting with the exciting risk-reward Par 5 13th, where players have a blind tee shot and an approach shot over a large and intimidating water hazard. Even shorter hitters can bite off a bit of the dogleg and have a go at the green, although you’ll need to carry the ball at least 150 yards over the water.

The nine ends with deceiving 18th, a Par 5 where any approach shots short and right will have a watery ending into a blind pond guarding the green.

The clubhouse serves up some of the best western food in Bangkok and the Pro Shop has an excellent selection of men’s and ladies golf apparel. One of the closest courses to the city Muang Kaew is very well kept and makes for a fine golf outing for those needing to minimize travel times.

A new greens keeper and course superintendent along with continued new investment by management to upgrade the greens and some fairways to Tiff Eagle and Paspalum grass, respectively, have resulted in Muang Kaew moving up from a better than average course to a truly excellent Bangkok golf venue.

Krungthep Kreetha is of the older courses near the city center and features an attractive layout with big and mature trees. The course was opened 29 years ago and among locals it is one of the best known courses in Bangkok.

In the mid 1990’s the Krungthep Kreetha site was entirely redesigned and renovated by James R. Vaughn. The present course layout brings many water hazards into play, these coupled with mature trees and numerous out of bounds makes straight, not necessarily long, drives the key to scoring well at Krungthep Kreetha.

Most holes feature water and OB on one or both sides of the fairway. Assuming you do find the fairway off the tee, the accurate approach shots are also a must due to the many water hazards and greenside bunkers The par 3’s are short, but very difficult to hold the putting surface.

The greens are deceiving and somewhat difficult to read. The Par 4 1st can ruin any chances of a good score very quickly, and the Par 5 2nd is equally difficult with a narrow fairway and water hazards on both sides.

The Krungthep Kreetha club house, also renovated together with the golf course is rather grand and boasts an excellent Thai restaurant. Complete practice facilities including an often empty public driving range are also on the Krungthep Kreetha site.

Krungthep Kreetha golf courses’ close proximity to downtown Bangkok makes this course popular with members, locals, and businessman, so early tee time bookings are suggested.

Bangpoo Golf and Sports Club is one of only a few Arnold Palmer creations in Asia. The course is set near the Gulf of Thailand on a land plot consisting of rolling terrain, mature trees, and large amounts of natural flowers. The seaside location provides a nice breeze to keep golfers cool even during the hottest of months. This also leads to tricky wind conditions, especially in the afternoons when the sea breezes are at their strongest.

Wide fairways and large greens provide excellent golf for the average player. Although located near the sea, Bangpoo Golf Club actually has fewer water hazards than most Bangkok courses. The golf course is still challenging without being too difficult for the majority of players. Bangpoo is especially popular with local Thai’s due to the relatively convenient location to Bangkok and less costly green fees as compared to other Bangna area golf courses. It is also popular with Asian expatriates and often included as a choice for the budget conscious golf tourists.