Bangpakong Riverside Country Club

Eastern Bangkok along Bangna-Trad Highway

The Bangpakong Riverside Country Club is located along the Bangpakong River around the halfway point between Bangkok and Pattaya. The golf course was one of the first to be built along the Bangkok-Pattaya golf corridor, where there are now more than 25 courses along the way. Once voted one of Asia's most popular and one of Thailand's best golf courses, the Bangpakong layout today is mainly for higher handicappers. The course should not be confused with it's similarly named neighbor, Royal Lakeside, which is the better of the two anyway.

The management at Bangprakong Riverside places great emphasis on the local ecology by practicing 'green' golf course maintenance. The overall impact is refreshing environment for golf, with extensive local flora and fauna surrounding the golf course. The Bangpakong Riverside layout is mostly flat and among large paddy fields. Fairways are extremely wide, sometimes seemingly as wide as they are long, which makes the Bangpakong golf course well suited for beginners. There is some thick rough off the fairways, but the balls sit up high for the most part, again making it easy to advance.

On the other hand, the course plays long, especially on holes playing into the prevailing wind off the Bangpakong River. These strong winds can add extra yardage, particularly so on the par 3 holes where players also have to contend with water carries and 200 yard distances. Blind shots over trees and lakes are featured on a few of the holes and the river winds around the course and comes into play often.

Clubhouse facilities are good and there is a decent practice area and driving range adjacent to the golf course.