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Navatanee Golf Course
Navatanee Golf Course
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Memberships & facilities

Memberships available:
Individual. Members & guests only

Green fee:
Weekdays 3,900 THB
Weekends members only

Caddie fee & Golf Cart hire:
Included in Green Fee

Facilities:
Equipment Rental | Pro Shop | Restaurant

Navatanee Golf Course

18 Holes | Par 72 | By Robert Trent Jones Jr. | Opened 1973

About the course

Few people could ever say that they had a course specially designed for a specific purpose, but the founder of this course, is one of those few. He lovingly created a world class golf course to host the 1975 World Cup, Thailand’s first international tournament. It’s a beautiful parkland style course with the feel that you're not in a huge city sprawl.

Navatanee has been rightly given top rankings in many golf publications. In Asia’s Top 50 Golf Courses, it ranked the highest of the courses in Thailand at 14th. The course is open to members and their guests only. However, overseas visitors can play mid-week by appointment or by introduction from a member and − for the connoisseur − it’s a must.

Playing the course: White tees

The 4th 117 yards par 3 is one of those short ones that the dismissive player often thinks is a waste of time. However, even though the shot may be with a wedge in your hands, a tricky bunker in front will catch anything short, while difficult fringe rough makes missing the green a potentially expensive mistake. The green slopes away right, making the putt a difficult read too. The 4th 117 yards par 3

The 9th 512 yards par 5 was originally the finishing hole for the World Cup and a splendid grandstand hole it must have been. This hole is all about placement.

The drive to a landing area can be awkward as the fairway runs down to water on the left before a big second shot over the hazard to a second landing area, with water again all along the left side. It’s probably best to think about where you want the ball to be for each shot, leaving a relatively straightforward pitch to the green.

 The 9th 512 yards par 5
The 12th 345 yards par 4 is a short but testy golf hole, both for the accuracy of the drive and for how well you hit the second shot with a short iron. This dog-leg left is protected by bunkers left, rough for a drive that's too long and straight, and water front right of the green. It might be worth leaving the driver in the bag and playing a safe shot to the fairway before hitting the second shot with a slight cut as the green angles away from you. The 12th 345 yards par 4

The 19th hole

The clubhouse is fairly understated, but this does not detract from what is a first class golf club. The service, ambiance and food are very good, as are the locker rooms. The founder, Khun Sukum, can often be found in the clubhouse or playing the course. He's a delight to talk to and rightly proud of what he's achieved here. Rule 8 on the back of the scorecard states, “It is customary practice that the founder of Navatanee Golf Course shall have the right to play thru” – a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour indeed!
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