Golf Thailand ||| Ratchakram Golf Club

Name :

Ratchakram Golf Club

Hole :

18 holes

Long :

par 72(6827 yards)

Designer :

Dr. Sukitt Klangvisai

Established :

12006

Location :

Bangsai Ayutthaya

Distance :

1:15 hours from Bangkok by 2nd motorway

Open :

Everyday

Max. golfers per group :

Weekday: 5
Weekend: 5

Golf Cart :

Weekday: 600.- Baht
Weekend: 600.- Baht

Golf Set :

600.- Baht

Golf Shoes :

N/A

Umbrella :

N/A

Driving Range:

N/A

Facilities :

Restaurants.

Golf Course Comments :

    Rachakram Golf Club is a newly opened course in the Bangsai area of Ayutthaya province north of Bangkok. Ratchakram features a great layout offering a tremendous variety of memorable holes. Greens are quite firm and fast, but receptive to holding approach shots, even with long irons and/or woods. In addition to superb greens, the bunker sand is of a nice firm texture, providing the ability to put good spin on bunker shots.
     The fairways provide excellent lies and are generous with young trees lining most. Now they do not present much of a problem, but naturally they will in future years, enhancing the challenge of Rachakram Golf Club.
    Designed like a links course there are the undulations and openness in front of the greens enabling shots to run up to the greens on a number of the holes.
    This course has a great variety of holes both in length and design. The pars 3’s are challenging with lengths of 193, 230, 206 and one short one of 136 yards. The par 5’s all measure over 500 yards and with the wind against you at times; these par holes can play like well over 600 yards!
     There is plenty of water including some blind water hazards. The most scenic holes due to their outstanding design are number 10, a dogleg par 4 with a carry over water to a huge green with a false front and hole 12, a long par 5 into the prevailing wind; don’t even think of reaching in two shots.
     The Ratchakram clubhouse is new, very modern and clean with excellent locker room facilities. This is a must play course, especially before word gets out and it becomes more popular. While the drive from Bangkok is slightly longer than other Bangkok golf courses, playing speed, even on a weekend, is less than 4 hours, making the overall elapsed time quite reasonable.

Rachakram Golf Club, Bangkok Thailand

Here is another golf course review by soon to be golf professional Greg Haney, now in the USA, but in the process of taking up residence in Thailand.

Ratchakram Golf Club, opened December 2006 is in the Bangsai area of Ayutthaya province, north of Bangkok. Designed by the same Thai golfer who designed Phuket Country Club, I found the course to be a great layout offering a tremendous variety of memorable holes. I never did find out the types of grasses used, but nevertheless the fairways provided excellent lies and greens superb putting surfaces. It reminds one of a links style course with the undulations and openness and the ability to run shots up to the greens on a number of the holes.

The par 72 course measures 6827 yards from the blue tees. Under construction are a championship set of tees which will definitely challenge even the best golfers. Expecting flat and somewhat municipal design, I was amazed to find the course in excellent condition from tee through green, with many undulations, not only throughout the fairways and rough but on the greens as well. The greens are outstanding, with the as mentioned significant undulations. They are firm and fast, but still receptive to holding approach shots, even with long irons and/or woods. To date, they are some of the best greens I have experienced in Thailand. In addition, the bunker sand is of a nice firm texture (not soft and fluffy), providing the ability to put good spin on bunker shots.

Fairways are generous with young trees lining most but they do not present much of a problem now but naturally in future years will enhance the challenge of the Rachakram golf course.

This course has a great variety of holes both in length and design. From the blue tees, the par 5’s measure 500, 550, 578, and 556 yards. With the wind against you at times, a couple of these par holes likely play well over 600 yards!

Again from the blues, the pars 3’s are challenging with lengths of 193, 230, 206 with one short one of 136 yards. There are some blind water hazards and this will challenge the first time player at Ratchakram. The course layout on the scorecard cannot be relied on as several of the hole layouts were totally inaccurate. Our caddies spoke no English so they were of little help, in fact since this is a new course, they are new as well and thus require quite a bit more training and development.

There are several scenic holes due to their outstanding design. Bring your camera for number 10, a dogleg par 4 with a carry over water to a huge green with a false front. Hole 12 is a long par 5. At 578 yards with the wind is in your face, don’t even think of reaching in two shots.

The clubhouse is new, very modern and clean with excellent locker room facilities. We did not try the restaurant as our driver took us to a nearby local restaurant on the Chao Praya River to enjoy some fresh seafood and cold beers.