Mission Hills Golf Club Kanchanaburi

between Bangkok and Kanchanaburi

Mission Hills Country Club in Kanchanaburi is one of the three Jack Nicklaus designed Mission Hills golf courses in Thailand, the other two being Mission Hills Khao Yai and Mission Hills Phuket. The course, about two thirds the ways from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, is set among natural surroundings on a gently sloping hillside. Mature palms line the fairways of this River Kwai golf course, which relies on water, sand, trees and, Nicklaus' specialty, waste bunkers for its hazards.

Only good players will play their handicap on this course. Around the well-bunkered greens, thick Bermuda grass should be avoided if at all possible. Five of the holes offer double fairways, giving different approaches to the green. The course has a choice of five well-spaced set of tees for players of all abilities to choose.

The par-5’s are among the best holes on the course. The 8th for example is a long hole; very well bunkered down the left side and center of the fairway, with a beautiful stretch of water and reeds down the right side from tee-to-green. The 12th is another long hole, this time with a wide creek splitting the fairway from tee-to-green; a double fairway gives you the option to go left or right from the tee, although the creek has a habit of claiming its fair share of victims. The 17th, this time a par-4, is another strategically testing hole, with an approach shot required to an island green. With jungle-clad hills and rural countryside all around, this is a nice Kanchanaburi / River Kwai area golf course.

The large timber clad clubhouse is also nice to relax at after a round. However, the on site golf resort is probably best skipped as accommodations are at best, only average.