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.

Navatanee - fairway in bloomBACKGROUND
By the region’s standards, Navatanee, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr design some thirty minutes from the centre of Bangkok, is a pensioner. Opened for play in 1973, the course was purpose built to host the World Cup of Golf in 1975, which was won comfortably by the US pairing of Johnny Miller and Lou Graham. That tournament’s impact on Thai golf is significant: at a time when the Land of Smiles was known throughout the world mainly for its proximity to the Vietnam War, the success of the World Cup has been credited with igniting local interest in the game, that in turn triggered the investment boom in the 1980s and 90s. Regularly featured highly in magazine polls of the country’s finest courses, Navatanee operated a strict members only policy until fairly recently, but the club now welcomes visitors on weekdays.

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Written by The Editors

Photography by Charles McLaughlin

Click here to see the published article.

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