Red Mountain Golf Course is the second course at Loch Palm Golf Club and the newest golf course on Phuket Island. The course was designed to take advantage of a huge variety of landforms and dramatic elevation changes, making it Phuket’s hilliest course.
The entire Loch Palm site, like Blue Canyon, Phuket’s other famous golf course, is an abandoned tin mine. The hole routing explores the four corners of the former tin mine property representing a memorable tour of Phuket’s historical landscapes. Cliffs and gullies etched in sandy tailings over the years by storm waters feature on several holes. Towering cliffs cut out of the hills and flooded canyons frame several other holes. Golfers face the full range of natures hazards; wind, water, slopes and elevation changes. This is the highest golf course on Phuket Island and dramatic views are realized from many of the points on the golf course.
The concept of variety has been carried into all areas of Red Mountain. There are large and small greens; some with subtle breaks, some with wilder contours. Bermuda grass is used on the greens which make for fast but smooth putting surfaces. Fairways and tees are grassed with Seashore Paspalum; a popular turf being used at other Thailand championship courses like Amata Springs and Best Ocean, both in Bangkok. Wild, local grasses have been preserved in some rough areas to complete the natural look.
The course has a few shorter par 4’s to give some good birdie chances, but also for the longer hitters there is the 12th, a 481 yard par 4. The par 3’s all require accurate shot placement and they are as beautiful to look at as they are challenging to play. For example, the signature ninth hole has a vertical drop of 50 meters from tee to green and the shot must be carefully threaded through large pine trees lining both sides of the hole. The four par 5’s are also all unique. The 6th and 10th holes play downhill and are both over 500 yards. The 8th and 18th are uphill and shorter. Each of the four holes presents golfers with different challenges that require a variety of shots.
The Loch Palm site, being located almost in the exact center of Phuket Island makes this course one of most accessible to those staying on the poplar Patong and Karon beaches. Only 15 minutes is needed to get to/from the course which makes it a real possibility for those with non-golfing families to spend the better part of the day with their family after a quick early morning round.
For golfers wanting to spend more time at the course, there are excellent shared practice facilities, a grass driving range, as well as a fully stocked club house for 19th hole formalities. While Loch Palm is an optional walk or ride course, golf carts are compulsory at Red Mountain. This is usually a negative, but in the case of the hilly Red Mountain course, it is unlikely that anyone on a golf vacation would opt to walk this layout anyway. Loch Palm’s new Red Mountain course is one of the top three Phuket courses and should be part of any golf package to the area.
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