Navatanee Golf Club

What it is: Navatanee opened in 1973 and was designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Jr., specifically to host the 23rd World Cup of Golf in 1975. It’s not long but it still carries that championship pedigree today. It is members-only on weekends but visitors can book weekday tee times. The design is strategic rather than punishing, rewarding consistency over brute force. 

Why we like it: The location makes it easy to reach within 30 minutes from central Bangkok and its setting, within a high-end housing estate with private country club facilities, is hard to beat. The course design is a true masterpiece as every hole seems to offer a different challenge. This is also a chance to go low if you are playing at the top of your game as the course and the greens are not tricked out to compensate for any course shortfalls. Conditions are typically superlative and after 50 years the trees and birdlife are well established. 

Signature hole: The par 4, 6th hole, is a monster. At close to 420 yards from the white tees, a full shot is needed to get close to the lake in front of the green and that still leaves a perfectly struck mid iron to make the green which is well protected by front bunkers. Undoubtedly one of the best golf holes in Bangkok.

Time Out tip: If you have the opportunity to play Navatanee, especially on a weekday when it’s open to guests, it’s well worth the effort. It’s a course that leaves you with the feeling that you’ve walked in the footsteps of golfing greats like Lou Graham and Johny Miller who saw the USA team to victory in the 1975 World Cup of Golf here.