The Best 19th Holes

Last year, two of Thailand’s better known courses received awards for the quality of their clubhouses – Banyan Golf Club near Hua Hin was judged to have the best 19th hole in Asia-Pacific, with Thai Country Club in Bangkok coming in a close second. Are these the two best courses in the region? That’s a subjective question. Certainly, they’re right up there in the top echelon.

What I like about the clubhouses at these two courses, and many others, is that they almost demand you stay and soak up the atmosphere rather than simply arrive, play golf and leave. Surely this is an important formula for success for both private and pay-for-play clubs? After all, the aim must be to encourage people to stay longer, to spend money in the clubhouse and therefore enhance the business’s financial viability.

Banyan Golf Club’s traditional Thai-style clubhouse is striking from all angles. You don't quite get the sense of its architecture at the entrance, but from the course and at the front of the building there’s no mistaking you’re in a Thai clubhouse in Thailand. Set in several linked "pods", Bangkok-based architect Smith Abayawat created a design that the club’s general manager, Stacey Walton, says will never age.

"The design gives visitors a true Thai golf, leisure and dining experience," he says. "Banyan is a resort course, not a members’ facility, so it’s important visitors can relax and enjoy themselves. Trip Advisor lists Banyan as the number one tourist attraction in Hua Hin. A lot of people come out for food and beverage and for the total experience."

A large L-shaped outdoor/indoor bar restaurant area provides wonderful views over the course to the Burmese Mountains, and set in another pod, Mulligan’s is an Irish bar with direct access from the course itself.

As modern and appealing as Banyan is with its distinctive Thai-ness, Thai Country Club’s fortress-like terracotta clubhouse, partly surrounded by water, is different altogether. Catering mainly for members, the Peninsula Hotel-owned property is meticulously maintained, with a distinctive "club" feel.

Here, in the men’s locker room, Tiger Woods has his name on the No 1 locker in recognition of his win in the 1997 Asian Honda Classic, the first tournament held at the facility. If food is your fancy, Thai CC’s buffet is hard to beat, while service and attention is what you would expect in a top hotel. With modern Asian-influenced furnishings, comfortable lounge areas and an outdoor patio overlooking the course, this is a clubhouse experience of the highest quality.