The Beautfiul Burapha Golf Club West Course in Chonchuri, Thailand

The downhill 236-yard 17th features magnificent vistas and was the hardest hole in the 2010 Thailand Open.

Located about 45 minutes from Pattaya, the West Course of the 36-hole Burapha Golf Club was the first course I visited in Thailand.  I found the majestic wooded Gary Panks – David Graham design to be fun with a particularly splendid set of par-3s and par-5s, and a strong finish with an uphill drivable par-4, a stout downhill par-3, and a finishing downhill par-five – all featuring fantastic vistas of Pattaya in the distance.

Above: The tiny green on the reachable par-4 16th looks even smaller when cast between two huge cavernous bunkers – a great short hole!

The layout features a wonderful combination of sand and water and it is particularly important to keep your approach shots below the hole as the grainy greens are very fast putting from back to front.  The course is not very long at just over 6,800 yards from the tips, but it has held various competitions such as the 2010 Thailand Open.

The Pattaya area is blessed with several fine resort courses and Burapha is one of the best of the values with the West Course being the “sleeper” of the bunch.

Fagan Rating:  B. The Burapha West Course is hands down an excellent golf course and experience, but still not quite the best in the area.  That said, it is a challenge that I wouldn’t hesitate to enjoy taking part in regularly.  Its looks are good and there is enough difficulty to keep your focus and yet be very playable.

Below is the par-five 10th hole with water on the golfer’s left and trees and bunkers right, and a cross-hazard. The green is more elevated that it appears in the photo and well-bunkered in front.


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ABOUT: Bob Fagan

faganBob Fagan features one of the most interesting backgrounds in golf. Not only it is likely that Bob has played more golf courses than any living person, he has been an accomplished player and instructor, innovative golf and life coach, PGA Section Executive Director, golf company executive, “Expert Golf Witness,” and, of course, a highly acclaimed golf writer.

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