Golf in the Kingdom

Navatanee has been a major player on the Thai golf scene for over thirty years. But has its standing as one of the country’s best courses been supplanted by the slew of modern courses that have emerged in recent times? We investigate.

Visitors can't fail to notice the number of references to the 1975 World CupSERVICE
No complaints whatsoever. The staff was friendly, helpful and eager to please us mere visitors. No snotty indifference to our needs was noted.

VERDICT
So, how does Navatanee rank among Thailand’s finest courses? Is it worthy of its perennial placing among the country’s top-10, or has its standing slipped since the days when it was the only show in town? Well, it’s a tricky one. It’s clear that the club hangs on to its World Cup connection with something close to desperation—every logo, sign, banner, menu, beer mat, chopstick, souvenir towel and pitchmark repair tool boasts the words “World Cup 1975.” There’s nothing really wrong with that of course, but to some this branding might suggest a club stuck in the past, unwilling or unable to move on from its fifteen minutes of fame nearly thirty-five years ago. The Navatanee of 2008 is still a fine course, but one in need of a little surgery. A nip there, a tuck there—that’s all it takes. We shall return.
 

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Written by The Editors

Photography by Charles McLaughlin

Click here to see the published article.

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