Flora Ville Golf & Country Club

Flora Ville Golf & Country Club, opened in 1998 under the name Chuan Cheun, is one of only a handful of Nick Faldo designed courses in Bangkok. The course located to the North of Bangkok in Pathum Thani province plays inside a large housing estate. Large stately trees, open marsh areas, and rich wildlife add to the natural golf experience.

Flora Ville is a pleasant woodlands course suitable for all skill levels. Well maintained fairways, usually embanked by large trees or side water hazards frame most of the holes. Accurate tee shots are a must for good scores as many of the holes play as doglegs. 

The biggest challenge at Flora Villa are the greens. Smallish in size with hard surfaces makes hitting the greens in regulation an exception. Confident short games are required to get up and down and save par. Putts are often equally difficult as fast green speeds put a premium on distance control. The only saving point is that there are few if any undulations on the greens, so most putts are straight.

The 6th hole, a 173 yard par-3 is one of the better on the golf course. Strong prevailing winds can make the hotel play 2 or 3 clubs different depending on direction. The key is to avoid the water in front and deep bunkers on the right and over the green. Find either and a bogey or worse is in store.

The 12th hole is a short par 5, but also quite tricky. From the tee, there is a completely open view across a lake running the entire length of the right side of the fairway. Pinpoint accuracy is needed off the tee to get far enough to the left to set up a good second shot. The approach to the small green is a dogleg right protected by water left.

The signature hole of the Floraville is the 18th hole. It’s a long par 5 which requires a drive to a small landing area on the right side. From there the hole turns left, and two perfect shots are needed to avoid bunkers on both sides of the fairway. Anything short on the third shot winds up in the water which fronts the green. Worst case, a layup might be a better choice with a close chip and one put to save par.

The clubhouse and other facilities were rebuilt and opened in 2018. The Thai restaurant is excellent and serves up everything from golfer snacks to royal cuisine. Flora Ville golf course makes for an enjoyable day golfing in Bangkok and is one of the better-valued courses in Thailand.